Governor Cuomo Announces State Is Scouting New Sites for Temporary Hospitals Downstate

Goal of Having a 1,000-Plus Patient Overflow Facility in Each NYC Borough and Downstate Counties

An Additional 12,000 Health Professionals Have Signed up to Volunteer as Part of the State's Surge Healthcare Force Since Yesterday - Bringing Total Number of Volunteers to More than 52,000

More Than 8,600 Mental Health Professionals Have Now Signed Up to Provide Free Online Mental Health Services

Confirms 6,448 Additional Coronavirus Cases in New York State - Bringing Statewide Total to 37,258; New Cases in 39 Counties


 

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the state is scouting additional new sites for temporary hospitals, with a goal of having a 1,000-plus patient overflow facility in each NYC borough as well as Westchester, Rockland, Nassau and Suffolk counties. These new additions, together with the temporary hospitals that are being built at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center and locations at SUNY Stony Brook, SUNY Old Westbury and the Westchester Convention Center, are aimed at building thousands of new beds to bolster existing hospital capacity, with the goal of being open to patients in early- to mid-April. The state is also preparing college dormitories and hotels for emergency beds.

The Governor also announced that an additional 12,000 healthcare workers, including retirees and students, have signed up to volunteer to work as part of the state's surge healthcare force during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, bringing the total number of volunteers to more than 52,000. Additionally, more than 8,600 mental health professionals, including individuals from other states, have now signed up to provide free online mental health services. New Yorkers can call the state's hotline at 1-844-863-9314 to schedule a free appointment.

"We know at this point that any scenario will overwhelm the capacity of our healthcare system and we are continuing to work aggressively to increase our state's hospital capacity and flatten the curve," Governor Cuomo said. "Our top priority is finding more beds for patients and getting the ventilators we need to ensure our most vulnerable patients are being treated properly, and we are actively scouting new locations for temporary hospital sites. This situation is not easy, but easy times don't forge character -- hard times do - and we will get through this together and be better and stronger people for it."

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The additional hospital sites being scouted include CUNY College of Staten Island, Brooklyn Cruise Terminal, Aqueduct Race Track, and the New York Expo Center.

Finally, the Governor confirmed 6,448 additional cases of novel coronavirus, bringing the statewide total to 37,258 confirmed cases in New York State. Of the 37,258 total individuals who tested positive for the virus, the geographic breakdown is as follows:

County

Total Positive

New Positive

Albany

171

19

Allegany

2

0

Broome

16

5

Cayuga

2

0

Chautauqua

1

0

Chemung

7

6

Chenango

3

0

Clinton

11

1

Columbia

13

1

Cortland

2

0

Delaware

7

2

Dutchess

190

37

Erie

134

12

Essex

4

0

Franklin

1

0

Fulton

1

0

Genesee

4

2

Greene

5

1

Hamilton

2

0

Herkimer

7

2

Jefferson

3

1

Livingston

3

0

Madison

9

2

Monroe

139

21

Montgomery

5

1

Nassau

3914

629

Niagara

14

2

NYC

21393

3537

Oneida

13

4

Onondaga

83

18

Ontario

11

2

Orange

751

113

Orleans

2

0

Oswego

4

2

Otsego

3

1

Putnam

94

11

Rensselaer

32

1

Rockland

1197

229

Saratoga

73

9

Schenectady

62

7

Schoharie

2

0

St. Lawrence

2

1

Steuben

11

3

Suffolk

2735

475

Sullivan

53

14

Tioga

2

1

Tompkins

22

6

Ulster

78

13

Warren

2

0

Washington

4

0

Wayne

8

1

Westchester

5944

1253

Wyoming

7

3

 

Governor Cuomo Announces State Is Scouting New Sit...

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