A historic hospital in Long Beach reopened its doors on Monday to help treat transfer patients and relieve stress from regional hospitals and nursing homes overwhelmed with coronavirus cases.
Community Hospital Long Beach, located at 1720 Termino Ave., has resumed providing care with 11 ICU beds that are much-needed as the region’s ICU capacity remains at 0%, official said. The extra beds at the hospital are intended to free up beds at other hospitals for the care of COVID-19 patients.
The hospital also has the space for 40 additional patients, however coronavirus and walk-in patients are not being treated at the hospital.
“With hospitals across our city and state at capacity, this reopening is critical for the safety and care of our community,” Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia said in a statement. “We expect the hospital reopening to have an immediate impact on local capacity and our ability to save lives.”
Later this year, officials said the hospital will have the ability to add more capacity and expand services, including the opening the hospital’s emergency department slated for March.
“Community Hospital reopens today thanks to the vision of many who didn’t want to let this piece of Long Beach’s history disappear,” said John Molina, Partner at MWN Community Hospital, LLC. “We’re proud to have supported the endeavor to reopen the hospital – this is just the beginning of the renewed CHLB.”
The hospital originally opened in 1924, but was closed in 2018 after a report showed it could not meet seismic requirements, which have since been met, city officials said. More than $6 million has also been put toward the hospital over the past 18 months. The funds will help with deferred maintenance, replacement of equipment, supplies, utility systems and renovations to both the exterior façade and interior rooms.
Community Hospital Long Beach was allowed to reopen after being granted a license from the California Department of Public Health allowing the hospital to operate up to 158-beds in the acute care facility.