GCCC SET UP AS POTENTIAL ALTERNATIVE CARE CENTER

April 14, 2020

Dear Greater Columbus Convention Center (GCCC) partners:

The GCCC has been selected by the State of Ohio to serve as an alternative patient care site due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  We are honored to have been chosen to serve our community in this unprecedented global health crisis in a unique but vital role from how we traditionally perform.

Over the next few days, you will begin to see news stories about the GCCC’s usage as a patient care site, including photographs and video of the GCCC’s exhibit halls set up for this purpose.

If the need arises based upon the trajectory of COVID-19, the GCCC is prepared to serve as a 1,000-patient hospital for COVID-19 low-acuity patients, with options to add more beds if required.

The patients to be housed at the GCCC would be on the upswing of their recovery and have a 1-2 day stay at the GCCC before being released to return home.  The sickest patients will be accommodated in traditional hospitals and would not be brought to the GCCC.

The GCCC will serve at minimum for 30 days as an alternative patient care site.  This commitment would potentially extend week to week based upon how all progresses with the pandemic.

The GCCC will continue to remain closed, based upon the COVID-19 stay-at-home order and ban on mass gatherings temporarily affecting our operation, unless the GCCC is needed as a patient-care site.

Our top priority continues throughout this process to be your health and safety.  We continue to work in tandem with city, county, state and public health officials to take all requisite steps to protect the health of our employees and future guests and put in place sustainable cleaning, training and safety best-practice measures as we move forward.

We will continue to provide updates on future developments related to the GCCC’s operation as we navigate this unprecedented health crisis together.

Sincerely,

John Page, General Manager