Glen Cove Hospital's Ebola Unit Costs About $3M

Glen Cove Hospital’s infectious-disease unit that was built last year to treat Ebola patients reportedly cost the North Shore-LIJ Health System a pretty penny.

Crain’s Health Pulse reports that the hospital was set back $3.2 million to construct the 12,700-square-foot, two-room unit that’s located on the hospital’s third floor.

At the end of 2014, North Shore-LIJ was ready for the Ebola outbreak and reportedly invested about $6.7 million in Ebola preparedness, according to Crain’s Health Pulse.

In Oct. 2014, Glen Cove Hospital was preparing to be a temporary center for Ebola treatment.

A North Shore-LIJ spokesman said Glen Cove Hospital was selected because of its modern facility, ample space and separate entrance and enough flexibility in its design to accommodate patients and staff in the event of any confirmed cases of Ebola.

Glen Cove Hospital was eventually named a designated center for treatment of the virus last December, Crain’s Health Pulse reports.

According to Mayor Reggie Spinello, the temporary Ebola unit was completely sealed off from the rest of the hospital and was equipped with its own air handling system as a precaution even though Ebola is not an airborne virus. The unit could treat up to two patients simultaneously. Read more about Glen Cove Hospital’s Ebola Unit here.