St. Louis-area hotel will be state’s first COVID-19 field hospital

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)

The first Missouri field hospital in the COVID-19 fight is being created in the St. Louis area.

Levon Cumpton, adjutant general of the Missouri National Guard, said during the state's daily COVID-19 briefing Wednesday that Guard members and other state and federal officials have selected a hotel in Florissant for the state's first field hospital.

You can watch a replay of the news conference in the media player below.

Pre-construction work to convert the unnamed hotel into a field hospital began Wednesday, Cumpton said. It could be just the first of many, he said.

"Other facilities will be converted in St. Louis and other communities across the state if the situation warrants," Cumpton said. "It is our hope that these facilities will not be needed. But rest assured, Missouri is ready."

The state has scouted locations around the state including the Hearnes Center and Mizzou Arena.

Todd Richardson, director of Missouri's Medicaid program known as MOHealthNet, said the state decided that converting the hotel was the best model for the first alternative health care facility. He said the north St. Louis site will be ready in less than a week.

The Guard will help staff the facility along with members of a special medical disaster assistance team being recruited by the state.

Department of Public Safety Director Sandy Karsten said the state has extended 139 conditional offers for the medical assistance team. She said the team still needs doctors, registered nurses and nurse practitioners.

The state health department has reported 3,327 COVID-19 cases with 58 deaths.