PHOENIX (AP) — Officials say a shuttered Arizona hospital with empty beds awaits patients in the case of a coronavirus surge that overwhelms the capacity of other state health care facilities.
The Arizona Republic reported St. Luke’s Medical Center in Phoenix has 235 unused patient beds and can be activated within seven to 14 days.
Officials say scaling up to full capacity would be accomplished in 25-bed increments.
Arizona Department of Health Services spokeswoman Holly Poynter says the state has an operator contract for the facility through Virginia-based PAE Inc., which would increase the operation and staffing based on patient need.
