Garran Surge Centre

The project was announced on 9 April 2020 in anticipation of a surge of COVID-19 cases across the Territory.{{Cite web |url=https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/news-articles/temporary-covid-19-emergency-department |title=Temporary COVID-19 Emergency Department |last=Chief Minister |first=Treasury and Economic Development |date=9 April 2020 |website=COVID-19 |language=en |access-date=11 April 2020 |archive-date=16 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200416080527/https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/news-articles/temporary-covid-19-emergency-department |url-status=dead }} At that time 84 patients in Canberra had been diagnosed with the disease, 9 of whom were in hospital.{{Cite web |url=https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/news-articles/covid-19-update-1-april-2020 |title=COVID-19 update – 1 April 2020 |last=Chief Minister |first=Treasury and Economic Development |date=1 April 2020 |website=COVID-19 |language=en |access-date=11 April 2020 |archive-date=11 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411133010/https://www.covid19.act.gov.au/news-articles/covid-19-update-1-april-2020 |url-status=dead }} Construction began the same day{{Cite web |url=https://the-riotact.com/government-chooses-site-for-temporary-covid-19-ed/369224 |title=UPDATED: Temporary COVID-19 ED on Garran Oval will have 200 staff |last=Bushnell |first=Ian |website=The RiotACT |language=en|access-date=11 April 2020}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6718024/work-begins-on-temporary-coronavirus-ed-at-garran-oval/ |title=Work begins on temporary coronavirus ED at Garran Oval |last=Brown |first=Andrew |date=9 April 2020 |website=The Canberra Times |language=en|access-date=12 April 2020}} and was expected to cost {{AUD|23 million}}.{{Cite web |title=Dedicated coronavirus field hospital to be constructed in Canberra, opening next month |url=https://www.msn.com/en-au/news/coronavirus/dedicated-coronavirus-field-hospital-to-be-constructed-in-canberra-opening-next-month/ar-BB122eiy |website=www.msn.com|access-date=11 April 2020}} On 21 May 2020, the hospital was opened after only 37 days of construction.{{Cite web |title=ABC Canberra |url=https://www.facebook.com/abccanberra/posts/10158824197342125 |website=www.facebook.com |language=en|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200521075650/https://www.facebook.com/abccanberra/posts/10158824197342125|archive-date=21 May 2020|access-date=21 May 2020}}{{Cite web |title=Inside Canberra's pop-up COVID-19 hospital |url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6764660/inside-canberras-pop-up-covid-19-hospital/ |last=Brown |first=Andrew |date=21 May 2020 |website=The Canberra Times |language=en|access-date=21 May 2020}} 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,{{Cite web |date=28 May 2020 |title=Letters to the Editor: Far too early to say we won't need Garran's field hospital (subscription required)|url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6771606/far-too-early-to-say-we-wont-need-garrans-field-hospital/|access-date=28 June 2020 |website=The Canberra Times |language=en}} revising the cost of the project down to {{AUD|14 million}}.{{Cite web |date=23 May 2020 |title='We had no idea whether we would be successful': Why a field hospital was built on a Canberra cricket ground |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-05-24/why-canberras-coronavirus-field-hospital-was-built-on-an-oval/12280092|access-date=28 June 2020 |website=www.abc.net.au |language=en-AU}}{{Cite web |last=Samaras |first=Denholm |date=21 May 2020 |title=Inside the ACT's makeshift COVID-19 surge centre |url=https://canberraweekly.com.au/inside-the-acts-14-million-surge-centre-we-hope-we-never-have-to-use/|access-date=28 June 2020 |website=Canberra Weekly |language=en-AU}}

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. 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.{{Cite web |date=14 February 2021 |title='The Garran Surge Centre will be the ACT's COVID-19 vaccination hub for the Pfizer vaccine' |url=https://www.facebook.com/ACTGov/posts/the-garran-surge-centre-will-be-the-acts-covid-19-vaccination-hub-for-the-pfizer/1596204327229628/|access-date=13 April 2021 |website=www.facebook.com |language=en-AU}}

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.{{cite news |last1=Bladen |first1=Lucy |title=Garran Surge Centre to go as ACT government abandons COVID powers |url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/8096224/garran-surge-centre-to-go-as-act-government-abandons-covid-powers/?cs=14329 |access-date=23 February 2023 |work=The Canberra Times |date=22 February 2023 |language=en-AU}}

File:Canberra Coronavirus Field Hospital June 2020.jpg

When announced, it was intended that the facility would be staffed by 200 medical professionals, and add 44 beds{{Cite web |url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-02/act-government-to-build-coronavirus-hospital-by-next-month/12111868 |title=Four new cases of COVID-19 in Canberra as plans for emergency hospital expansion announced |last=Lowrey |first=Tom |date=2 April 2020 |website=ABC News |language=en-AU|access-date=11 April 2020}} and six resuscitation bays to treat COVID-19 patients.{{Cite web |url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6718024/work-begins-on-temporary-coronavirus-ed-at-garran-oval/ |title=Work begins on temporary coronavirus ED at Garran Oval |last=Brown |first=Andrew |date=9 April 2020 |website=The Canberra Times |language=en|access-date=11 April 2020}} 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.{{Cite web |url=https://www.canberratimes.com.au/story/6715736/act-to-treble-number-of-icu-beds-ahead-of-winter/ |title=ACT to treble number of ICU beds ahead of winter |last=Brewer |first=Lucy Bladen Peter |date=8 April 2020 |website=The Canberra Times |language=en|access-date=11 April 2020}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/suppliers/bluescope-steel/austruss-manteena-partner-to-deliver-covid-centre|title=Austruss-Manteena partnership delivers COVID-19 Surge Centre in just 5 weeks|website=architectureanddesign.com.au|date=12 April 2022|accessdate=13 March 2023}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://createdigital.org.au/breathe-easier-engineers-and-hvac-design/|title=Breathe easier: Engineers and HVAC design in the time of COVID-19|author=Chris Sheedy|publisher=Engineers Australia|date=30 March 2022|accessdate=13 March 2023}} 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.{{cite web|url=https://the-riotact.com/government-slams-suggestion-garran-surge-centre-was-ever-designed-to-be-emergency-ward/641540|title=Government slams suggestion Garran Surge Centre was ever designed to be emergency ward|author=Claire Fenwicke|publisher=RiotACT|date=7 March 2023|accessdate=13 March 2023}}

• COVID-19 pandemic in Australia

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Category:COVID-19 pandemic in Australia

Category:2020 establishments in Australia

Category:Hospitals in the Australian Capital Territory

Category:Defunct hospitals in Australia

Category:Hospitals established for the COVID-19 pandemic

Category:Hospitals established in 2020

Category:Hospital buildings completed in 2020

Category:Hospitals disestablished in 2023