Coronavirus Latest: National Guard To Begin Setting Up Federal Medical Station At Shuttered Glen Mills Schools
GLEN MILLS, Pa. (CBS) -- The shuttered Glen Mills Schools in Delaware County will become a federal medical station during the coronavirus pandemic. The school closed last year after allegations of abuse against students.
To be very clear, the campus of Glen Mills will not be accomodating patients with COVID-19.
Instead, the gymnasium will be transformed into a federal medical station to house existing hospital patients if space were to become a problem.
It has the space, the water, the power and even spots to land a helicopter.
"We think that the partnership has been good and we are here to help in any way we can," said Glen Mills School Acting Executive Director Dr. Christopher Spriggs.
The Glen Mills School was emptied of its at-risk male students a year ago following abuse allegations.
Its gymnasium is being called back into action.
"This will not be where you race in an ambulance. It will be overflow patients from existing facilities," said Tim Boyce with Delaware County Emergency Services.
"In the event that they are full treating COVID-19 patients, this facility would be available to handle the low acuity patients," Delaware County Council Chairman Brian Zidek said.
Patients who are admitted to an area hospital but with more mild ailments will go to Glen Mills.
It's a FEMA-backed plan similar to that of the pop-up medical centers designed in hard-hit New York City.
It might resemble the facility established inside of Manhattan's Javits Center.
Like Glen Mills, these facilities only handle patients without COVID-19 in order to free up space inside of hospitals for those who do.
"I hope that we don't need to use this. It is my hope that our hospitals are able to manage this COVID-19 crisis without the use of this federal medical station," Zidek said.
Glen Mills has been inspected by the Army Corps of Engineers and the National Guard is expected to begin setting up over the weekend.
