Convention Center Medical Unit to be Closed

[Updated] The city will close the alternate care unit at the Pasadena Convention Center that was designed to treat Coronavirus patients if Huntington Hospital reached capacity during the pandemic.

The facility will be closed at the end of the month, according to Pasadena Public Information Officer Lisa Derderian.

Although there was a recent spike last Thursday when 25 new cases were reported, the city’s numbers have been flattening. No deaths have been reported since May 25.

The City Council voted to approve a contract to convert the Convention Center into MASH type unit in early April after early projections indicated as many as 1,300 people could require hospitalization at Huntington Hospital by mid-May.

But those numbers did not materialize by mid-May and instead the numbers have been decreasing.

“Based on the data, COVID-19 projections and consultation with local and state health officials at the time, our City Council recognized the importance of having surge capacity in place in coordination with Huntington Hospital,” City Manager Steve Mermell told Pasadena Now on Sunday. “No patients were place there although we had a plan in place should there have been a need. With all the mass gatherings and reopening we hope we don’t get a large influx of cases in the next few weeks.”

As of Sunday, June 7, 19 people are currently hospitalized for the virus, according to Huntington Hospital.

As of Saturday, 981 Pasadena residents had been infected by the virus leading to 83 deaths.

“On April 29, we had the most COVID-19 patients with 79 confirmed cases,” said hospital spokesperson Dorey Huston. Right now, we are seeing a decrease in COVID-19 patients. We are deeply grateful for our community’s efforts to help flatten the curve and encourage everyone to continue wearing masks in public and follow social distancing guidelines.”

Last week, Health Director Ying Ying Goh told Pasadena Now she credited the declining numbers to health care workers and community members.

“The actions in the past weeks by community members following the safer at home orders have resulted in a decline in new cases and deaths,” Dr. Goh said. “In addition, the intensive efforts of long-term care facility staff/residents/their families, the CA Department of Public Health, Pasadena Public Health, the CA Office of the Ombudsman, and many other partners (state and local EMS, hospitals, community doctors, etc.) have helped to slow the spread of COVID-19 in congregate living facilities.”

The Convention Center was chosen as a temporary facility by a team consisting of city and hospital staff.

The team visited several potential sites, including PUSD facilities and the closed St. Luke’s Hospital and PUSD school sites.

City staff estimated the initial cost of establishing the temporary medical facility at about $250,000 for the first month and $180,000 for each month thereafter.

Funds for the proposed contract were drawn from the city’s existing 5 percent General Fund reserve and the city said it would seek reimbursement for the contract to create the unit from FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency.