6 Apr 2021

A Captain's role in an ACF build-out

Editors Note: April 6, 2020 was the day the Memphis District awarded the contract to build an Alternate Care Facility (ACF) in Memphis, Tennessee. The article below was written by Cpt. Alex Burruss, who at that time deployed to the Memphis District to work as an Operations Officer and assist with ACF projects and operations. This is his account of what happened during his few months working here. At the onset of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the U.S.  Army Corps of Engineers. USACE collaborated with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to develop a plan for the rapid expansion of COVID-19 treatment spaces. USACE assigned each of its districts an area of responsibility, and the districts integrated into the local and state response agencies within their areas of responsibility. As local civil authorities conducted analysis and projected bed space requirements, USACE developed facility modification options for accommodating additional beds. Districts completed site assessments and provided project management support for converting existing buildings into alternate care facilities (ACFs).  In April 2020, three weeks after the President declared a national emergency, the U.S. Army Engineer School (USAES), Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, deployed more than 30 Soldiers in support of the USACE response effort; Cpt. Alex W. Burruss was deployed to the Memphis District, USACE Mississippi Valley Division, Tennessee, for more than 60 days.

26 Mar 2021

General visits LA-area hospitals, gets updates on construction progress in support of COVID-19 response

Brig. Gen. Paul Owen, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers South Pacific Division commander, visited two Los Angeles-area hospitals March 19 to view the progress on construction the Corps and its contractors are doing in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

29 May 2020

Corps completes 100-bed alternate care facility in Kalispell, Montana

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, completed construction on an alternate care facility in Kalispell, Montana, May 24, two days earlier than required. The ACF also came in more than 10% under budget.

28 May 2020

Answering the Call

In late March 2020, Army 1st Lt. Eoghan Matthews, a Soldier assigned to the U.S. Army Engineering Research and Development Center’s (ERDC) Cold Region Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL), received a call. The instructions were cryptic but direct: “Pack a bag, and be ready to go somewhere in the Northeast.”

10 May 2020

Memphis Builders: Behind the Mask III

This next builder of the care facility really stood out to me – and it wasn’t the side by side braids either. It was her presence. Have you ever just met someone who gives off a certain type of aura or energy that makes you feel a little more calm or at ease? This person had it. Here from St. Joseph, Missouri, her name is Jonna Henry, and she works for a subcontractor in Safety. I guess her occupation explains that aura I felt earlier.

5 May 2020

ERDC delivers augmented reality solutions in the fight against COVID-19

Scientists and engineers at the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) are using augmented reality technology to assist peers throughout the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in virtually conducting site assessments of alternate care facilities (ACFs) across the country. Augmented reality technology, developed by researchers at the ERDC Information Technology Laboratory (ITL), offers a way for the USACE to assess potential ACF locations while assisting with social distancing and safety considerations.  

5 May 2020

Assessments critical step in battling COVID-19 pandemic

When the COVID-19 pandemic started to spread throughout the Midwest, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District, was tasked by FEMA to start assessing sites for possible use as alternate care facilities.

4 May 2020

Army Corps Completes Construction of Alternate Care Facility at State University of New York College at Old Westbury, Long Island, N.Y.

Construction of the alternate care facility at the State University of New York College at Old Westbury on Long Island to facilitate care for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients was completed May 3.

1 May 2020

Memphis Builders: Behind the Mask II

Building this FEMA-assigned Alternate Care Facility requires a great variety of skill sets; that’s quite obvious to most people. What isn’t so obvious is just how many of one skill set a person can find in a matter of two days and two floors worth of construction workers. After meeting Anthony Bell on Tuesday this week, the Low Voltage Technician from Memphis, I thought that was a pretty unique job title to be honest. I’d actually never heard of it before.

29 Apr 2020

Memphis Builders: Behind the mask

Walking around the Alternate Care Facility construction site, people are usually focused on what workers are doing, not so much the people themselves. And if you’re like me, you’re also very focused on the ground as you don’t want to trip and fall over something as simple as a little cord. But, it’s important to get to know the people doing the work. They are the ones making this facility a reality after all. They are also the people sacrificing time with their families, working 12 hours a day and seven days a week.