Modular company ready to offer space if hospitals reach capacity

(FOX 2) - Thousands of modulars are ready to go in the event that hospitals run out of room -- a Southfield-based company is just waiting for the call.

"We can transport these units down the road. Built to the same codes, built to the same standards -- actually more robust than on-site construction,” said Billy Hall with VESTA Modular. 

By design, modular buildings can be moved and shaped to adapt to a number of situations.

"We assemble it once it's on-site like LEGOs. So we are able to speed up the process, the timelines of building the projects from start to finish,” Hall said.

Typically, VESTA Modular builds hotels, apartments, classrooms, offices, and even medical buildings. In times of crisis, they've been called upon to help.

"Helping with the hurricane recovery stuff -- Hurricane Harvey, provided classrooms to FEMA,” Hall said.

That goes for the current pandemic as well.

"We've been in talks with FEMA, HHS for the last few weeks just trying to figure out what the need is going to be. Having 3,000 buildings in our fleets, we have some flexibility with trying to help out in a quick response situation,” he said.

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During the governor's news conference on Monday, the state's chief medical executive told us how intensive care units at Michigan's hospitals are already reaching capacity. VESTA says they are more than willing to help.

“Temp facilities for isolation units, hospital beds, administrative offices, quarantine units," Hall said.

In fact, they already are helping in Georgia.

"We are already seeing it in Atlanta. We provided some smaller units to the hospital down there. For nurses -- check stations, checkpoints. If an individual is suspected of having the virus they can go into this unit before going to the hospital,” he said.

When the pandemic goes away, VESTA is more than happy to go back to normal as well.

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"The advantage of the modular buildings is that it’s a temporary solution, so we are hoping to get through it quickly and we are here to help,” Hall said.

VESTA says in addition to the 3,000 units they have ready to roll, they also have the ability to manufacture more at a moment's notice if needed. 

As this was happening in China and Europe, before it reached Michigan, they reached out to contacts within FEMA to get the ball rolling