Nevada hospital turns parking garage into COVID-19 surge unit

Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nev., converted its parking garage into a makeshift hospital to assist additional COVID-19 patients.

Due to overcrowding within the medical facility itself, Renown put plans into action back in April to convert the parking structure into a full-fledged alternative care site, and the overflow area opened Thursday.

The $10 million project, which took 10 days to complete, is fully equipped with all of the beds, devices and supplies needed to treat coronavirus patients who are clinically stable or improving, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

The parking garage facility has a maximum occupancy of more than 1,400 patients, with the ability to install about 700 beds per floor. Currently, only three patients are being treated in the freshly opened alternative care unit, according to KOLO News Now.

“What we realize is that we need more and more space to be able to continue our daily operations and provide the care that we need for other (non-COVID) patients coming in,” said Tony Slonim, president and CEO of Renown Health.

“The second point of it is we’re continuing to see increases in the volume of patients coming in,” Slonim added.

Nevada has seen a dramatic spike in COVID-19 cases recently, with about 116,737 total positive cases record so far.

News of the converted health facility comes as Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) announced Friday that he tested positive for the coronavirus.