As the number of Covid-19 cases pushes medical facilities to the brink, one hospital has taken an unconventional approach: treating patients in its parking garage.
Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada, has turned its parking deck into an “Alternate Care Site” in an effort to serve additional Covid-19 patients. Since opening up last month, the site has already served more than 200 patients.
It’s not conventional, and Dr. Jacob Keeperman, a doctor who works at the site, recognizes that.
“(It’s) a place I never thought I would take care of a human being,” he told CNN’s Erin Burnett last week.
But not everybody is a fan of the facilities. When Keeperman tweeted out a photo of the garage last month, Donald Trump retweeted a post calling the facilities “fake,” adding that there were “fake election results in Nevada, also!”
On Dec. 1, Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak responded to Trump’s attack, calling it an example of misleading and dangerous rhetoric about Covid-19.
“It is unconscionable for him to continue to spread lies and sow distrust at a time when all Americans should be united during this historic public health crisis. Enough is enough,” he said in a statement on December 1, going on to praise Renown and healthcare professionals for their work.
Hospitalizations in Nevada have continued to reach all-time highs, and have been steadily rising since October, according to state data.
The state’s test positivity rate has risen steadily since September and also reached all-time highs.
