Wisconsin's $15 million COVID-19 overflow hospital in West Allis has closed after serving about 200 patients, according to a March 19 news release from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers' administration says the alternate care facility, which opened Oct. 14 on the state fairgrounds, is being "decommissioned." It served as an overflow facility for hospitals statewide until Feb. 14.
A total of 170 individuals received treatment at the facility between October 2020 and Jan. 1, 2021. On Dec. 22, the ACF opened a bamlanivimab infusion clinic to meet the needs of southeastern Wisconsin health systems that didn't have the capacity to serve patients with the new outpatient antibody treatment. Overall, 37 individuals were treated at the clinic.
It cost $15 million to build the hospital last summer. "Funding for the alternate care facility will come from the $445 million surge reserve fund set aside by Gov. Evers to ensure the ability of Wisconsin hospital systems and communities to handle a surge of COVID-19 cases," according to the DHS news release.