MISSISSIPPI VALLE Y DIVISION
DISTRICT CONVERTS HOTEL INTO HOSPITAL WITHIN DAYS OF REQUEST
PHOTO BY ANDRE BILLEAUDEAUX
BY SUE CASSE AU, St. Louis District
T
he U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) partnered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the state of Missouri to convert a local hotel for use as an alternate care facility (ACF) in response to the COVID19 pandemic. The St. Louis District provided technical assistance and management of Tarlton Corporation and its subcontractors as the team raced to finish the conversion to 120 patient rooms, four nurses’ stations, storage areas, a triage center, and meeting rooms spread over four floors within 79 hours of contract award. With an unprecedented pandemic straining health care systems across the country and around the world, FEMA began a two-pronged offensive for its American strategy: call upon the proven flexibility of USACE to design ACFs and have each state identify its potential needs and sites. Former USACE Commander Lt. Gen. Todd Semonite gave guidance to leadership across USACE to employ simple solutions for
St. Louis District mechanical engineer Maj. Daniel Strasser is pictured here during the conversion of a hotel in St. Louis County into an alternate care facility (ACF) for FEMA to receive patients from area hospitals. USACE partnered with FEMA and the state of Missouri to convert a local hotel into an ACF. The team completed the conversion of 120 patient rooms, four nurses’ stations, storage areas, a triage center, and meeting rooms spread over four floors within 79 hours of contract award.
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