Detroit Convention Center Temporary COVID-19 Care Facility Installs eLumigen Vapor Tight Lights

eLumigen, a leading manufacturer of LED lighting for rough service and harsh environment applications, has supplied its Linear Vapor Tight LED fixtures for installation in the TCF Center temporary alternate care facility, in downtown Detroit, Michigan.

Faced with the surge in COVID-19 patients and the need for care, government authorities have transformed the TCF Center, Detroit’s downtown convention center, into a temporary alternate care facility to respond to the COVID-19 virus crisis. When healthcare personnel prepare to enter patient sections, they need to put on medical clothing and protective equipment, in negative pressure areas. Providing high quality lighting, in a fully-sealed, negative pressure unit, is imperative. In conjunction with Team Electrical Sales and supporting the US Army Corps of Engineers, the eLumigen Linear Vapor Tight fixtures meet the requirements for those applications. The four-foot unit is silicone-gasket sealed, fully-dimmable for times when less light is required, and can be installed in series over a long span. Drawing only 50W, the eLumigen Linear Vapor Tight fixtures minimize power use at roughly half the amount of energy consumed by fluorescent tubes and contain neither mercury nor glass which could break. The wet-rated fixtures have been installed overhead and on walls into triage zones, temporary shower areas, patient care rooms, medical storage and foodservice cafeterias.

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, TCF Center has been designated by Governor Gretchen Whitmer, State of Michigan and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a temporary alternate care facility in Detroit. Construction has already begun and will be performed by the TCF Center workforce and union labor. The temporary care site is planned for COVID-19 patients, relieving the burden on local hospitals treating patients with COVID-19. With guidance from FEMA and other officials, the site will be designed in the most efficient way possible in order to allow the convention center to resume normal operations, in the weeks ahead, when this crisis eases.