Temporary medical facility being set up at UMMC parking garage

JACKSON, Miss. (WCBI) – A temporary medical facility to treat COVID-19 patients is being set up in a parking garage at the state’s only Level-One trauma center in Jackson. The University of Mississippi Medical Center is at capacity with COVID and non-COVID patients. 101 adults and 26 pediatric patients at the hospital have the virus. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is sending doctors, nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, and respiratory therapists to help treat patients inside the parking garage medical facility. While the number of patients increases, UMMC, like many other hospitals, is facing a staff shortage. “If we track back a week or so when we look at the case positivity rate, the number of new positives that we are seeing, the rate of the testing positives, and the rate of hospitalizations based on what we are seeing… If we continue at that trajectory within the next five to seven to 10 days, I think we are going to see the failure of the hospital system in Mississippi. Hospitals are full from Memphis to Gulfport… Natchez to Meridian. Everything is full,” said Dr. Alan Jones, UMMC. UMMC hopes to start treating patients in the temporary facility by Friday.