The city has begun scouting sites that can be converted into medical centers easily and is looking to lease rooms from hotels for COVID-19 patients who cannot isolate at home or in a medical center, part of a geared-up response as city officials brace for what is expected to be the next, worse phase of the pandemic.

Mayor Sylvester Turner said Wednesday the city is looking at now-vacant hospital buildings, for example, and other facilities that could be used to treat patients if — or when — hospitals here reach capacity and are overwhelmed.

“We’re looking at all potentially available resources,” Turner said.

He said the city also is finalizing lease agreements with two hotels for around 180 rooms that could house patients who need to isolate themselves. Some of those rooms, he said, could be used for the city’s homeless population, as well.

The efforts were aided by the city’s acceptance Wednesday of a $5 million health disaster grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The money also will be used to boost administrative health staff, provide behavioral and mental health support services, establish quarantines and buy equipment for testing, according to the agenda item presented to council members Wednesday.

“It certainly will be a tremendous help for us at this point in time,” said Turner, who called it a “broad-based” grant.

The plans reflect public health officials’ view that the pandemic will worsen before it begins to improve. Officials and hospital executives have closely monitored the situation in New York City, whose health care system is under increasing stress amid an outbreak there.

Houston-area hospitals would lack the necessary beds to care for all patients in need of hospitalization, even in the most conservatives of three outbreak scenarios created by the Harvard Global Health Initiative. In that case, 20 percent of adults would contract the virus.

Currently, most hospitals in Houston are not at capacity, though some said they already have little room to spare. The cancellation of elective procedures, among other moves, has helped free up some space.

“It’s pretty much a full house all the time,” said Bryan McLeod, a spokesman for Harris Health System, which operates the county’s Ben Taub and Lyndon B. Johnson safety-net hospitals.

He said they were at 87.3 percent of their capacities at the end of February, though most of the empty beds are not for critical adult care. The occupancy level will be recalculated at the end of March.

The Houston Methodist system, which operates eight hospitals, is at 71 percent capacity system-wide, a spokeswoman said. Memorial Hermann, which has 17 hospitals, is at 60 percent.

Turner declined to be more specific about sites the city is exploring because negotiations are ongoing, though he said his office has informed the Texas Medical Center and some area hospitals of its plan.

Gov. Greg Abbott announced a measure Wednesday to help increase bedspace, waiving certain licensing rules to allow facilities with pending applications, and those that have been closed for less than 36 months, to come online.

The Texas Association of Freestanding Emergency Centers said those facilities stand ready to help ease the burden, as well.

City officials said the fire department also will get some of the CDC grant money, according to the agenda, though it does not specify how much. Those funds will go toward “telemedicine, supplies and information sharing capabilities.”

Council member Sallie Alcorn said it was important to maximize these early dollars.

“I just think these early days of a disaster declaration, just like Harvey, super important to make sure we are capitalizing on all the draw-downs we can,” Alcorn said.

dylan.mcguinness@chron.com