Medical Facility Ready in Concord In Case Of Coronavirus Surge

CONCORD, NH — Gov. Chris Sununu toured the recently completed “surge” facility which has been built at NHTI in Concord. The facility is a "COVID-19 only" facility, the only people allowed will be patients who have tested positive for COVID-19. The facility is set up in two areas, the gymnasium and Langley Hall which is a dormitory.

The Concord facilities will be for patients who will come from Concord Hospital, and Lakes Region General Healthcare in Franklin and Laconia. No one will come direct to the facility, they will all be patients from these facilities.

The New Hampshire National Guard set up FEMA cots in the gymnasium, and infrastructure needed. Electrical contractors installed power to all cot areas so that patients will have access to charge computers and cell phones which are key in communicating with their loved ones. No visitors will be allowed in the facility so this is an important and needed service.

Wi-fi has been upgraded for the gymnasium and dormitories to support the infrastructure needed for patients and staff.

The cots in the gymnasium will primarily be occupied by patients in final phases of their recovery. They are patients who will not need extensive medical treatment such as ventilators.

The dormitories in Langley Hall are getting HVAC installed which contractors are working on around the clock. The dormitory rooms can hold two patients, but will be occupied by one patient until capacity requires two people.

Langley Hall will allow people who need higher levels of medical treatment, and those who may be in hospice. Patients who have tested positive can not return to long-term care facilities, the dormitories will provide accommodations.

The facilities have been supplied with books, puzzles, and games donated by Walmart. Areas have also been set up where patients can enjoy television or movies.

Several laptops, computers, and iPads have been supplied for patients to use for communicating with others, and to use the internet.

Lenzi Clark, incident commander and a nurse at Concord Hospital, explained that facility can handle 306 patients. Both Clark and Sununu stressed they hope they do not need the capacity, but want to be prepared. They cited several cities which didn’t prepare for surges and were left short on capacity.

The facility in Concord is one of 12 surge facilities prepared by the state of New Hampshire.