Pittsburgh Convention Center Could Serve As Hospital

PITTSBURGH, PA - If Pittsburgh area hospitals are overwhelmed with coronavirus patients during the next several weeks, the David L. Lawrence Convention Center could serve as an alternate care facility.

Allegheny County Emergency Services Chief Matt Brown said his department has begun working with the Sports & Exhibition Authority to secure the convention center if needed. Doing so would enable hospital systems to transfer their least acute patients to open up additional space in their facilities for coronavirus patients.

“The U.S Army Corps of Engineers has assessed the site and will identify potential gaps that would need to be addressed before the site could be used in this manner," Brown said. "Under the auspices of Allegheny County Emergency Medical Services, health care providers and systems in the county talk daily about their needs and this effort is part of that process."

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Other cities have taken similar steps. In New York City, the outbreak's hardest-hit area, the Javites Convention Center has been transformed into a 1,200-bed field hospital. In Philadelphia, Temple University's Liacouras Center, typically a venue for basketball games and concerts, is now a 200-bed medical surge facility.

Brown emphasized that there is not a current need for an alternative care site in the Pittsburgh area.

"We are preparing for the worst, and hoping for the best, as is often the mantra of emergency services personnel," he said.