Dallas convention center will get Texas’ first pop-up hospital in pandemic

The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in downtown Dallas will be the site of Texas’ first pop-up hospital to treat coronavirus patients, according to an article on the Dallas News website.

The Army Corp. of Engineers assisted by the Texas National Guard, initially will set up 250 beds, he said.  The convention center will be able to accommodate as many as 1,400 beds if needed.

Rocky Vaz, the city’s director of emergency management said that the pop-up hospital would be a last resort and that county and healthcare officials are trying to sort through the logistics.

City Council member Lee Kleinman said he would have preferred using a shutdown Parkland hospital over the convention center, which will have to draw major events to Dallas after the coronavirus pandemic is over.

Read the article.