PTL!!! NM Department of Health: Gallup Alternate Care Site Ready to Receive Patients

April 24, 2020

Gallup alternate care site ready to receive patients

Facility will accept first patients Saturday

SANTA FE – The Gallup Alternate Care Facility Leadership Team and the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) announce that the Facility at Miyamura High School, 680 Boardman in Gallup will begin accepting COVID-19 patients on Saturday, April 25.

The United States Army Corps of Engineers spent two weeks in Gallup transforming the gymnasium at the Miyamura High School into a safe and comfortable setting where COVID-19 patients can be isolated and monitored during the pandemic. The facility has 60 cubicles and is equipped with negative pressure ventilation and an air-conditioner. The facility will be for patients who are too sick to stay home or who no longer need to be on a ventilator, but still need oxygen and medical care.

The Corps completed its work on April 19 and turned over management of the facility to the New Mexico Department of Health and Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital (RMCH) and Gallup Indian Medical Center (GIMC), who will be running the facility under the leadership of Dr. Kevin Gaines and Dr. Valory Wangler.

This week, the New Mexico National Guard ACS Strike Team assisted the Gallup Alternate Care Facility Leadership Team in moving equipment into patient rooms and finalizing operational procedures. The ACS strike team will provide the training for RMCH and GIMC physicians as well as nurses and other medical personnel brought in by the New Mexico Department of Health’s Medical Reserve Corps.

For more information about COVID-19 in your community and state visit Rehoboth McKinley Christian Hospital at https://www.rmch.org/ and the Department of Health’s COVID-19 site at https://cv.nmhealth.org/.