CoxHealth's COVID-19 unit ready to go

Last edited 11:35 a.m., April 10, 2020

CoxHealth's new COVID-19 unit was completed by April 9, on time with a swift two-week schedule.

J.E. Dunn Construction Co. led the work to turn a floor at the south-side hospital's tower into a coronavirus care center. Announced March 25, the goal for the project was to be completed April 9. A video on Facebook from CoxHealth said the 51-bed project had 20 subcontractors and 12 suppliers.

“I think you will remember this moment in your life and the difference you made in this community," CoxHealth President and CEO Steve Edwards said in a Facebook post, referencing the conversion.

In the Facebook video, CoxHealth Administrative Director of Nursing Chastidy Parke said the goal is for the unit to never be used. The floor conversion – on the fifth floor of Cox South’s tower – allows patients to receive care in large spaces, rather than individual rooms, and better conserve the hospital's personal protective equipment, according to past reporting.

“This unit, rather than scaring people, should reassure everybody that we are ready,” Parke said in the video. “Our PPE equipment can go further, so we're not burning through that as quickly.”

A CoxHealth spokesperson could not be reached for additional comment by deadline.