Governor Greg Abbott has requested the use of William Beaumont Army Medical Center to be used to house non-COVID patients in El Paso as cases continue to surge in the El Paso region.
Governor Abbott held a call with Dr. Robert Kadlec, the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, to discuss hospital capacity needs in the City of El Paso.
The Governor and Dr. Kadlec discussed the need to expand hospital capacity in El Paso given the recent surge in positive cases and hospitalizations in the area. Governor Abbott asked Dr. Kadlec to authorize the use of the William Beaumont Army Medical Center on Fort Bliss to house non-COVID patients to free up beds in El Paso-area hospitals for COVID patients. The Governor also detailed the additional steps the State of Texas is taking to contain the spread and expand hospital capacity in the region.
Coronavirus cases have been surging in the El Paso area in recent weeks. The state announced earlier in the week that additional state resources would be sent to El Paso to assist local officials.