The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA agreed to deploy a military field hospital to Seattle's CenturyLink Field Event Center in response to the anticipated surge in COVID-19 cases that threatens to overwhelm our health care system.
According to Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan’s Office, 300 soldiers from Fort Carson, Colorado were deployed to Seattle to staff the hospital, which is expected to create around 150 hospital beds for non-COVID-19 cases.
Two planeloads of Army medical personnel arrived on Friday at Boeing Field from Colorado.
Lt. Col. Jason Hughes is a hospital commander with the Army’s 627th Hospital Center.
"It's like any hospital you walk into, it's just in tents," he told reporters.
Officials surveyed several local sites, including in Pierce and Snohomish Counties, as well as in Eastern Washington.
The Department of Defense will announce additional details regarding the military hospital, said the mayor’s office.
Watch a press conference held Saturday with Gov. Jay Inslee and Mayor Jenny Durkan below:
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