The Pennsylvania Department of Health has issued an emergency waiver allowing hospitals to add beds to deal with an influx of patients during the coronavirus outbreak, the Philadelphia Business Journal reports.
Philadelphia Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley announced the waiver availability during the city's daily COVID-19 media briefing Wednesday afternoon.
"Hospitals will be able to add beds in unused space in their hospital," Farley said. "All they have to do is let the (state) health department know."
A spokeswoman for Mayor Jim Kenney's office, when asked whether the city was considering reopening Hahnemann University Hospital to increase the hospital bed capacity, said, "The city is actively looking for additional space that may be used to support both the clinical community should they be overwhelmed, and for space to help facilitate those who should be quarantined."
Read more about waivers for hospital beds at PBJ.com.
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