The Fresno Convention Center is the new site for an emergency field hospital, the county announced Friday. The effort is to take pressure off of local hospitals by treating COVID-19 patients whose cases are less severe.
“At the end of the day we need to make sure our hospitals are kept open for those who need critical care the most,” said Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig.
The county’s original plan was to use the fairgrounds but the state rejected that site because it did not meet current building codes.
The county will receive 250 beds and medical equipment from the federal government. Magsig says Fresno is one of eight places in the state designated by the governor to receive beds.
“We have the most people in Fresno County compared to counties from Kern all the way up to Stanislaus. And also because we’re centrally located, I think it made sense for Fresno County to be the receiving point of these beds,” he said.
The beds are a regional asset and there are no firm plans about how the beds will be allocated. Some of those beds will be set up at the field hospital, but some may be used at other facilities, says Magsig. The field hospital is expected to be set up within the next few days.
