'Morally Reprehensible': Nurses Demand LA Hospital Set To Close Stay Open Amid Surge Of COVID-19 Cases

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) - A group of nurses held a public demonstration demanding a hospital set to close for an unknown amount of time stay open in Los Angeles during a surge in COVID-19 cases that is overwhelming the local healthcare system.

Olympia Medical Center in Los Angeles was recently purchased by the University of California, Los Angeles from Alecto Healthcare. As of midnight March 31, the facility said it will suspend all patient care services, which include six licensed coronary care beds, six intensive care beds, 192 general acute care beds, and in- and outpatient surgical services.

The hospital will also no longer offer physical therapy, respiratory care services, or wound care.

The closure of Olympia Medical Center will result in the layoffs of approximately 450 full-time and part-time employees, according to the facility.

"The idea of closing a hospital in Los Angeles and the middle of this pandemic seems incredibly unsafe, shortsighted, and morally reprehensible," said Catherine Mulligan, a registered nurse working at U.C.L.A.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health Tuesday reported 7,902 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 186 more deaths, bringing countywide totals to 1,031,874 cases and 14,122 deaths.

Health officials reported there were 7,322 COVID-19 patients hospitalized, 24 percent of whom were being treated in intensive care units.

"Los Angeles County is the epicenter of this pandemic. We are seeing patients getting sicker and dying at a devastating rate," Mulligan said Tuesday. "You see nurses across the division, stand in solidarity with the Olympian nurses, and we'll stand alongside you in your fight to protect your patients and community."

The facility has been open since 1948, according to the Olympia Medical Center website.