Costa Mesa Facility To Be Used For Non-Coronavirus Patients, State Says
COSTA MESA (CBSLA) – The Fairview Developmental Center in Costa Mesa will be used as an overflow center to treat non-coronavirus patients as part of an effort to address the spike in cases expected in the coming weeks, officials announced Wednesday.
The California Health and Human Services Agency and the state Office of Emergency Services (OES) reported that Fairview, located at 2501 Harbor Blvd., will be used as an "alternative care site" for Orange County patients to relieve the pressure off of hospitals in the region.
It will be staffed by state medical personnel "with an emphasis on moving patients who require monitoring and low to medium levels of care," Cal OES said in a news release.
It's unclear exactly what the capacity of Fairview will be.
Back in February, the federal government was considering quarantining repatriated California patients who had been evacuated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship coronavirus outbreak at Fairview. However, city leaders filed an injunction and a judge agreed, blocking the move.
RELATED: Free Neighborhood Pantries Pop Up In Orange County
With the pandemic spreading, however, city officials have changed their tune, confirming earlier this week that the Army Corps of Engineers was considering both Fairview and the O.C. Fairgrounds as possible quarantine centers. Costa Mesa declared a local emergency over the coronavirus on March 12.
"We support the Governor's aggressive response to COVID-19 and know that preparation for the surge is key," Costa Mesa Mayor Katrina Foley said in a statement Wednesday. "Use of Fairview Developmental Center as an alternate care center for overflow is a resource we now need."
Foley said the O.C. Fairgrounds could be used if the area is deluged with more patients than traditional care facilities can handle.
She emphasized that the patients to be cared for at Fairview will not have the virus. Moving them from area hospitals will make room for COVID-19 patients to be housed in local hospitals.
The state-owned Fairview Developmental Center served developmentally disabled patients before being recently shuttered.
On Wednesday, California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the state's models show they may need anywhere from 50,000 to 66,000 more hospital beds in place by late May to handle the surge in COVID-19 patients.
As of Wednesday, there were 606 confirmed coronavirus cases in O.C. and 10 deaths from the disease.
Last week, Los Angeles County announced that it was preparing the L.A. Convention Center as a potential quarantine center for patients who are released from local hospitals but may have nowhere to go, such as the homeless.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. City News Service contributed to this report.)
