Bucks County's Newtown Athletic Club to become backup COVID-19 facility

NEWTOWN, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- In Bucks County, the Newtown Athletic Club is being transformed into a backup medical facility.

Owner Jim Worthington offered his facility to the county, officials announced Wednesday.

It will have 80 to 100 beds and be used for people with and without COVID-19.

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There are still beds available in local hospitals, but the facility will be ready in the event they fill up.

Volunteers from the medical reserve corps will staff it, officials said.

"We're also working with hospitals to see if they have any staffing that they can provide to us," said Emergency Services Director Scott Forster.

Forster says he doesn't know if the facility will be needed but that it is important to be proactive.