Southern California has a current ICU capacity of 0% and the majority of beds are filled with COVID-19 patients, according to state data
California has activated a field medical center in San Diego County to support overwhelmed hospitals as COVID-19 patients continue to fill hospital beds, Governor Newsom said Wednesday.
The Federal Medical Station, which can accommodate 250 additional hospital beds, has been vacant since April pending a time when it may be necessary to provide additional resources to medical centers treating coronavirus patients.
A look inside Palomar Medical Center’s Federal Field Hospital
Newsom announced on Wednesday that the decision has been made to activate the San Diego County facility, which is located on the 10th and 11th floors of the Palomar Medical Center.
While the field hospital is not intended to support ICU patients, the additional hospital beds allow other hospitals to “decompress” their overwhelmed systems and provide greater flexibility, Newsom said.
San Diego County is adding 250 hospital beds exclusively for coronavirus patients at Palomar Medical Center in Escondido.
Palomar Health CEO Diane Hansen said on Dec. 9 that 202 beds were set up and ready for use at this time. About 50 nurses were on hand to man those beds.
It was not immediately clear when the facility would be operational. County Supervisor Nathan Fletcher said the situation is still evolving and public health officials would share information as soon as it arrives.
Southern California has a current ICU capacity of 0%, and the majority of beds are filled with COVID-19 patients, according to state data.
When it was announced in April, the federal medical station would include 200 general-purpose beds, 20 beds for improved care treatment, 10 adjustable exam beds for triage, five obese beds, 25 cots, and 24 portable cribs.