EL PASO, Texas (NewsNation Now) — Texas Governor Greg Abbott says the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) is establishing an auxiliary hospital at the El Paso Convention Center. The auxiliary hospital will open next week.

It will have a 50 bed capacity, but it can expand to 100 beds if needed.

In addition to the Convention Center site, auxiliary medical units (AMU) were deployed to hospitals around the city to provide up to 100 additional beds per-hospital for onsite surge capacity. The AMUs will be fully-supplied and staffed for each site.

According to Governor Abbott’s office, over 900 medical personnel have been dispatched to assist El Paso in the fight against COVID-19, some of which will staff the AMU.

“The alternate care site and auxiliary medical units will reduce the strain on hospitals in El Paso as we contain the spread of COVID-19 in the region,” said Governor Abbott. “We continue to work closely with local officials in El Paso and provide resources to reduce hospitalizations, mitigate the spread, and keep the people of El Paso safe.” 

NewsNation affiliate KTSM contributed to this report.