New Mexico School Gym To Reopen As COVID-19 Alternative Care Site
A gymnasium at Miyamura High School in Gallup, N.M., has reopened as an alternative care for COVID-19 patients, according to an article in the NM Political Report.
The facility features 60 patient pods separated by medical curtains; each unit includes an electrical outlet, Ethernet jack, lighting, and oxygen. As part of the project, laundry sinks were positioned throughout the gym to serve as hand-washing stations; vinyl flooring and rubber pads were fixed to the gym floor; swamp coolers were placed on the roof to provide cool air; and two large exhaust ducts were installed to provide proper ventilation and separate dirty and clean air, according to an Associated Press article.
Additionally, the project also included converting locker rooms to shower rooms, classrooms to medical staff lounges, and storage areas and the snack bar into a pharmacy.
The state has also retrofitted the former Lovelace Hospital at Gibson Medical Center in Albuquerque, N.M., as an alternate care site.