Joel Brennan says State Fair facility was a ‘necessary expenditure’ even if it’s never used

By Lauren Anderson

May 15, 2020 12:38 pm

wisconsin national guard alternate care facility — Wisconsin National Guard teams helped construct and set up the alternate care facility at State Fair Park. (Photo: Wisconsin National Guard)

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Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan said converting Wisconsin State Fair Park’s Exposition Center into a field hospital was a “necessary expenditure,” even though it’s likely to never get used. The alternate care facility has been authorized for use since April 23 to accommodate the potential overflow of low-acuity COVID-19 patients from area hospitals,

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Wisconsin Department of Administration Secretary Joel Brennan said converting Wisconsin State Fair Park’s Exposition Center into a field hospital was a “necessary expenditure,” even though it’s likely to never get used. The alternate care facility has been authorized for use since April 23 to accommodate the potential overflow of low-acuity COVID-19 patients from area hospitals, in case they exceed their capacity. The alternate care facility was built in about two weeks by Gilbane Federal, which was awarded a $10 million contract for the project. So far, it hasn’t received patients, as southeastern Wisconsin hospitals have not experienced extreme capacity surges. In an interview with BizTimes Milwaukee, Brennan said the facility was built as an “insurance policy." “We hope that it never has to be used, but it was a necessary expenditure,” he said. “It was a necessary effort and it was done in a heroic fashion.” The state Department of Administration is responsible for operating the facility, alongside a hospital leadership team. The rate of COVID-19 hospitalizations has remained largely steady over the past month, at about 350 patients, according to Wisconsin Hospital Association data. As of Friday morning, there were 356 COVID-19 inpatients in the state. Hospital leaders say the region saw its peak of COVID-19 hospitalizations in mid-April. At this point, Eric Borgerding, president and chief executive officer of WHA, said hospitals feel “confident that they can manage” the possible ebb and flow of COVID-19 patients in the coming weeks. “We’ll see what the future holds, but our members are adept and nimble,” he said. Brennan said it’s “too soon to tell” what impact, if any, the overturn of Gov. Tony Evers’ “Safer at Home” order will have on hospitals, and, in turn, the alternate care facility. Brennan said he and the Evers administration will continue to push for a “thoughtful, methodical reopening and a continual turn of that dial” to mitigate the strain on the state's health system. “If we can do that in the right way, it’s a good chance that … the alternate care facility could never be used and that would be the best possible outcome,” Brennan said. There are no immediate plans to deconstruct the facility. Currently, the Wisconsin State Fair is still scheduled for Aug. 6-16. Brennan said the DOA is in regular contact with fair leaders as they consider whether to move forward with the annual event as planned. “They want to have a fair this year; they want to make sure that, in whatever way we can, we celebrate all the great things that Wisconsin has to offer, but public health and public safety comes first,” Brennan said. Get more news and insight in the April 27 issue of BizTimes Milwaukee. Subscribe to get updates in your inbox here.