(WHDH) — Two additional field hospitals in Massachusetts are set to open Monday as coronavirus cases continue to surge.
Joint Base Cape Cod has been transformed into a makeshift healthcare facility to take care of up to 125 patients with mild COVID-19 symptoms.
Gov. Charlie Baker toured the facility last week and said, “Putting this field hospital together at Joint Base Cape Cod is a great step for us in increasing our capacity in this part of the Commonwealth.”
Cape Cod Healthcare is managing and staffing this field hospital.
Another alternate care site is set to open Monday at the UMass Lowell Recreation Center on Aiken Street.
The site, operated by Lowell General Hospital, will begin with 15 beds and scale its capacity as needed for patients who no longer require a high level of care at the hospital but are not ready to recover at home.
Jody White, President and CEO of Lowell General Hospital and Circle Health, says, “As we move into the toughest phase of this public health emergency, this space may prove to be a vital resource to our ability to meet the needs of the Merrimack Valley.”
Field hospitals have also opened at the DCU Center in Worcester and the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. A fifth is expected to open at UMass Dartmouth later this month.
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