A $51.3 million COVID-19 overflow hospital in Memphis, Tenn., has closed permanently without ever treating a single patient, reports NBC affiliate WMC-TV.
The facility was converted into a field hospital last year in case area hospitals became overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients. A Nashville-based field hospital also remained empty.
"When early predictions pointed to a worst-case scenario of every state exceeding its COVID-19 patient capacity, we took immediate action in Tennessee to address the potential shortfall," Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee said, according to WMC-TV. "Tennessee's alternate care sites provided our healthcare system with a margin of safety, and thankfully we did not need to open either site."
Tennessee received a major disaster declaration in April 2020, which made federal funding available for COVID-19 response measures such as alternate care sites.
Other states have seen similar overflow facility trends, with a $15 million COVID-19 overflow hospital in Wisconsin closing after only serving about 200 patients.