Could Allentown State Hospital serve as a field hospital?
As authorities look for places to treat coronavirus patients in case hospitals fill up, one location is on a lot of minds: the long-shuttered Allentown State Hospital.
The hospital may appear to be a logical choice, with 44 buildings spread across 195 acres, and its history of being a medical facility. There would be space not only for the sick, but also to house physicians, nurses and other staff.
But don’t let the appearance fool you. The campus isn’t suitable.
A little more than a year ago, I toured the main building that once housed the cafeteria, auditorium, superin- tendent’s apartment, offices and resident housing, among other things.
With its cupola still standing tall at the end of the long, tree-lined drive from Hanover Avenue, the building looks majestic on the outside. Inside, it’s a mess.
The chapel was closed because of mold. Paint was peeling from walls. Ceiling tiles had fallen. Water was leaking through the ceiling in a few spots. The utilities were off, and it felt like being in a freezer.
It was so filthy that I pitied any vermin that may have sought refuge there.
The tour didn’t include other buildings, so I can’t say what condition they’re in. But I don’t imagine they are much better. They’ve been closed for a decade now. It would take way too long, and cost way too much, to clean them up to be a resource during the coronavirus crisis.
A lot of people still want to preserve the hospital. They believe state officials who plan to demolish the buildings and sell the land for redevelopment are wasting a resource that could be recycled, not to mention bulldozing an important part of the city’s history.
A handful of people have called me in the past week to suggest the coronavirus outbreak is an opportunity for the site to be reborn, even if just temporarily.
State Rep. Mike Schlossberg, a Democrat whose district includes the hospital, told me Monday he has received similar calls and Facebook messages.
While I’m confident of my own assessment that the poor conditions would preclude treating coronavirus patients there, I confirmed with the state that it has no intention to use the facility as an overflow location.
The site will remain as-is until demolition begins, said Troy Thompson, spokesman for the Department of General Services. The buildings, he said, “are in no condition to house anyone or anything.”
Schlossberg and Republican state Sen. Pat Browne support that.
While he considers calls to set up a hospital there to be “well-intended,” Schlossberg said putting sick people there “is a categorically terrible idea.”
Browne added, “The Allentown State Hospital’s buildings are in no condition to take care of any patients safely during this public health crisis.
We don’t want to put very sick people in a health and safety hazard.”
So far, Pennsylvania’s hospitals have managed the coronavirus patient load, state Health Secretary Dr. Rachel Levine said Monday. But Gov. Tom Wolf warned that people should not get complacent, and predicted that a “surge” is coming. So officials wisely are scouting for sites just in case that load becomes overwhelming, as it has in New York City.
With the Lehigh Valley and Monroe County having high rates of infection, local sites should be prepared. College gymnasiums and dormitories, hotels and even PPL Center would be much better options than the Allentown State
Hospital. Koehler Fieldhouse at East Stroudsburg University is among those under consideration, Morning Call reporter Ford Turner confirmed last week.
The coronavirus will get Allentown State Hospital a temporary reprieve from the wrecking ball, though.
Demolition of the buildings was scheduled to begin in July, at a cost of $12.7 million. But that will be delayed while state projects are halted during the public health crisis, Thompson said.