WORCESTER - The DCU Center Field Hospital will suspend operations on Wednesday after being open for nearly six weeks to treat overflow COVID-19 patients from hospitals.

The 214-bed facility was constructed in early April to avoid overwhelming local hospitals during the anticipated surge.

The Field Hospital's Medical Director, Dr. John Broach, said the team is proud of the work they've done, and looking to the future, they plan to keep the facility in tact in case of another surge.

"The ideal state from an emergency preparedness standpoint would be readiness and ability to redeploy quickly. People are proud of the job they've done here. We've taken excellent care of a lot of patients. We've been a valuable resource for Central Massachusetts and the Commonwealth. In health care, it's never a good thing when you've taken care of a lot of patients because that means a lot of people were sick, but we certainly are happy that we were here to be a resource," Dr. Broach said.

"There's a real fear in the fall of this year there will be a resurgence...So we want to make sure that we're as ready as possible to stand up as quickly as possible if there should be another surge even over the summer, but certainly as we look into the fall in the beginning of the flu season," he added.

As of Wednesday morning, there were only two patients remaining. They were discharged today. Since opening, the facility treated a total of 161 patients.