Pierce County’s first temporary care site for coronavirus patients set to open in Tacoma
A temporary care site for people who have tested positive or have been exposed to COVID-19 will start operating at a motel in Tacoma this week.
The site will open Wednesday at the Holiday Inn on South 84th Street and Hosmer streets in South Tacoma, the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department said in a blog post Monday.
A fence has been erected around the property, which is located about two miles south of the Tacoma Mall and is bordered by Interstate 5 to the west and businesses to the east.
The center will be staffed by medical professionals providing onsite care. Temporary care sites are meant to give patients a place to go for isolation or quarantine and also to help ease the burden on health care systems.
“This could include people, for example, who live with an elderly parent or a child who has asthma … Maybe they have roommates who they don’t want to inconvenience,” Dr. Anthony Chen, director of health with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department, said Monday.
Patients cannot simply show up to stay there. They must be screened by the health department and meet the following requirements:
Have a known exposure or suspected/known COVID-19 infection,
Be unable to self-isolate or quarantine,
Be able to independently perform all activities of daily living, and
Be deemed stable for discharge home.
When asked about the number of patients expected to stay at the center, Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department spokesperson Steve Metcalf said they do not plan to release that information.
“We are doing all we can to be sensitive to guests at the center and to people who live and work in the area,” he told The News Tribune.
Paul Sandhu with Tacoma South Hospitality LLC, owner of the property, volunteered his site for use by the county and health department.
“We recognized that our facility could serve as a medical center due to having substantial meeting space, a restaurant with a full commercial kitchen and 124 guestrooms,” Sandhu said in a press release. “The sheer scale and size of our hotel fulfills many needs under one roof that a temporary care center requires.”
The health department, City of Tacoma, County Council member Marty Campbell and City Council members Chris Beale and Catherine Ushka held a virtual town hall Monday evening to share more information about the site with residents. Nearly 80 people joined the call.
Why South Tacoma?
Some wanted to know how the Holiday Inn was chosen, citing concerns of the South Tacoma area being a “dumping ground” for various services.
Chen said the process is a long one that takes into consideration transportation access, law enforcement and fire department concerns, heating and ventilation systems, space between floors and rooms and amenities offered by the hotel, like free WiFi and television channels.
“Everyone who knows this site knows it’s very accessible ...We also know that it’s very close to our hospitals,” Chen said.
Beale feels confident about having the site in his district.
“I think we’re in really good hands when it comes to this facility,” he said.
Who is paying for it?
The care center is a free service, Chen said during Monday’s virtual town hall.
“Pierce County Department of Emergency Management will cover the cost of food, lodging and other needs when they’re using the care center,” he said.
The county is tracking costs and expects to be reimbursed by the federal government.
The initial lease payment for the temporary care center is $1,020,000 for a 60-day term, according to Mike Halliday with Pierce County Department of Emergency Management. Any additional 30-day optional terms are $510,000 per term.
How do people get to the site?
Once a person is approved by the health department to use the care site, transportation will be provided through either an ambulance or a private contracted vehicle, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.
People will be transported one at a time and escorted to their rooms by medical staff.
Are people free to come and go?
Visitors are not allowed to the site, and the patients there will not be able to roam to and from the site as they please, Chen said.
“Once you check in, you have to stay there for the duration of the time,” he said.
The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department has contracted out for security 24 hours a day, and law enforcement will be present, according to Sgt. Trent Stephens. There is one way in and one way out, he said.
“While we’re not going to be able to hold people against their will, we’re going to encourage them to stay there as much as possible,” Stephens said. “And if somebody does decide they want to walk away … we’ll make sure the health department knows there’s a person walking away as well as local law enforcement and the fire department.”
Inside the hotel, patients will be directed to stay in their rooms. Chen said he expects people to be compliant.
“We don’t anticipate we’ll have to throw handcuffs on anybody — that’s not the point of this. This is to help people,” Chen said.
For patients that have been exposed, they must be quarantined for 14 days to reduce any potential spread of disease. For those who have tested positive, that stay depends on the length of their symptoms.
Will there be other temporary care sites?
Two other temporary care sites are expected to open in Pierce County. Those locations have not yet been confirmed. The health department has looked at nearly 100 potential properties.
“The health department, Pierce County, the city of Tacoma and many other partners came together because we know that there is a need right now, and certainly if there are more cases that come along, there will be more need in the future,” Chen said.
As of Tuesday, Pierce County had 760 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 14 deaths.
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 2:00 PM.
