A recently closed hospital in the Westlake district of Los Angeles reopened Monday as part of the state’s effort to secure additional beds ahead of a possible surge in COVID-19 cases.
The temporary seven-story facility is called the Los Angeles Surge Hospital — previously the St. Vincent Medical Center — and was bought by Los Angeles Times owner Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong for $135 million Friday.
A federal bankruptcy judge issued a tentative ruling approving the sale on April 10, after hospital chain owner Verity Health System filed for bankruptcy protection in 2018.
L.A. County says it’s partnering with the state, Dignity Health and Kaiser Permanente to operate the facility. The county’s Department of Health Services will coordinate intake and transfer requests from hospitals across the county.
The 266-bed facility will only treat COVID-19 patients as a dedicated referral hospital and will not have an emergency room or accept walk-in patients.
Soon-Shiong said he planned for the facility to be used for coronavirus research as well.
The facility is located at 2131 W. Third St. at Alvardo Street, just over a mile northwest of downtown L.A.
