Shuttered San Clemente hospital to become coronavirus testing site

 

The shuttered 73-bed San Clemente hospital will be used as a coronavirus testing site, after it was passed over for use as an overflow option for hospitals. In an agreement with MemorialCare announced by San Clemente city officials this week to use the hospital site, testing is expected to start as soon as the test kits become available and will be done as a drive-thru. “This is the No.1 thing residents in south county have been asking for,” said Supervisor Lisa Bartlett, who oversees the county’s Fifth District. “I applaud the efforts of MemorialCare and the city of San Clemente. I’m glad they put the plan together.” Bartlett said last week converting the hospital to an overflow site was being looked at, but criteria set by the state made the possibility of using the hospital less likely because it had been empty so long.