The Garran Surge Centre, also known as the Canberra Coronavirus Field Hospital was a temporary hospital in Canberra, Australia created in response to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic.[1] The hospital was constructed by Aspen Medical,[2] a Canberra-based company with experience managing medical responses to disasters and providing contracted medical services to government agencies in several countries.[3] The facility was located on Garran Oval, a sports field to the northeast of the existing Canberra Hospital campus.[4]
| Garran Surge Centre | |
|---|---|
| Aspen Medical | |
 The Garran Surge Centre in August 2020 | |
 | |
| Geography | |
| Location | 123 Kitchner Street, Garran, Australian Capital Territory, Canberra, ACT, Australia |
| Coordinates | 35°20′35″S 149°06′07″E / 35.34305°S 149.1018914°E |
| Organisation | |
| Care system | Public Medicare (AU) |
| Type | Specialist |
| Affiliated university | None |
| Services | |
| Emergency department | Yes |
| Beds | 44 |
| Speciality | Intensive Care |
| History | |
| Opened | 2020 |
| Closed | 2023 |
| Links | |
| Lists | Hospitals in Australia |
History
editThe project was announced on 9 April 2020 in anticipation of a surge of COVID-19 cases across the Territory.[5] At that time 84 patients in Canberra had been diagnosed with the disease, 9 of whom were in hospital.[6] Construction began the same day[7][8] and was expected to cost A$23 million.[9] On 21 May 2020, the hospital was opened after only 37 days of construction.[10][11] Shortly after, on 24 May 2020, ACT health authorities announced the hospital would likely remain unused due to the successful prevention of a major outbreak in the Territory,[12] revising the cost of the project down to A$14 million.[13][14]
The facility was never used for its intended purpose as a respiratory intensive care unit, but was instead repurposed as a COVID-19 testing and assessment centre.[15] On 14 February 2021, the ACT Government announced that the hospital, now referred to as the "Garran Surge Centre", would be Canberra's vaccination hub for the Pfizer vaccine rollout.[16]
The ACT Government announced in February 2023 that the Garran Surge Centre would close at the end of the month, as PCR testing would no longer be available without a referral. The building itself would be disassembled and the site returned to its original purpose as a sports field, although no timeline was provided. During the period it was operational, staff conducted more than 240,000 PCR tests. It also functioned as a walk-in clinic for patients with confirmed cases or symptoms of COVID-19 while emergency measures were in place.[15]
Staff and facility
edit
When announced, it was intended that the facility would be staffed by 200 medical professionals, and add 44 beds[17] and six resuscitation bays to treat COVID-19 patients.[18] It was a key part of the ACT Government's pandemic response strategy to triple intensive care capacity from 50 to 170 beds across Canberra ahead of an expected surge in cases during the winter months.[19] When announcing the facility, Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said that due to the urgent need, Aspen Medical had been approached by the Government directly, as a tender process would have led to unacceptable delays.
The facility was constructed from modular steel frames, designed to be disassembled and transported in shipping containers if required.[20] In addition to connecting temporary infrastructure like power, water, sewerage and covered walkways connecting it to the Canberra Hospital, the building required a specially designed ventilation and temperature control system. Each bed was contained within a mechanically controlled isolation area and to reduce the risk of indoor transmission, the air in these areas was ventilated 12 to 15 times per hour.[21] Despite these measures, a review of the hospital's readiness to act as an emergency ward in 2021 found there were significant issues with the building's layout, ventilation and fire safety that in some cases did not meet national health standards. Upgrades to address these issues were not undertaken as the facility's intended use changed soon after its construction.[22]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Media, Newstate (8 April 2020). "Garran Oval to house temporary COVID-19 ED". Canberra Weekly. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Bushnell, Ian. "Aspen Medical to build COVID-19 ED at Canberra Hospital". The RiotACT. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Deployable Mobile Hospitals". www.aspenmedical.com. 15 September 2013. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Jervis-Bardy, Dan (9 April 2020). "ACT's $23m coronavirus ED to be built on Garran oval". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development (9 April 2020). "Temporary COVID-19 Emergency Department". COVID-19. Archived from the original on 16 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Chief Minister, Treasury and Economic Development (1 April 2020). "COVID-19 update – 1 April 2020". COVID-19. Archived from the original on 11 April 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Bushnell, Ian. "UPDATED: Temporary COVID-19 ED on Garran Oval will have 200 staff". The RiotACT. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Brown, Andrew (9 April 2020). "Work begins on temporary coronavirus ED at Garran Oval". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
- ^ "Dedicated coronavirus field hospital to be constructed in Canberra, opening next month". www.msn.com. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "ABC Canberra". www.facebook.com. Archived from the original on 21 May 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ Brown, Andrew (21 May 2020). "Inside Canberra's pop-up COVID-19 hospital". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
- ^ "Letters to the Editor: Far too early to say we won't need Garran's field hospital (subscription required)". The Canberra Times. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ "'We had no idea whether we would be successful': Why a field hospital was built on a Canberra cricket ground". www.abc.net.au. 23 May 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ Samaras, Denholm (21 May 2020). "Inside the ACT's makeshift COVID-19 surge centre". Canberra Weekly. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ a b Bladen, Lucy (22 February 2023). "Garran Surge Centre to go as ACT government abandons COVID powers". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
- ^ "'The Garran Surge Centre will be the ACT's COVID-19 vaccination hub for the Pfizer vaccine'". www.facebook.com. 14 February 2021. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
- ^ Lowrey, Tom (2 April 2020). "Four new cases of COVID-19 in Canberra as plans for emergency hospital expansion announced". ABC News. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Brown, Andrew (9 April 2020). "Work begins on temporary coronavirus ED at Garran Oval". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ Brewer, Lucy Bladen Peter (8 April 2020). "ACT to treble number of ICU beds ahead of winter". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
- ^ "Austruss-Manteena partnership delivers COVID-19 Surge Centre in just 5 weeks". architectureanddesign.com.au. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ Chris Sheedy (30 March 2022). "Breathe easier: Engineers and HVAC design in the time of COVID-19". Engineers Australia. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
- ^ Claire Fenwicke (7 March 2023). "Government slams suggestion Garran Surge Centre was ever designed to be emergency ward". RiotACT. Retrieved 13 March 2023.