The Washington Department of Health contacted Astria on March 29 about leasing the facility, which closed in January, to expand capacity for COVID-19 patients. The move came after Astria Health CEO John Gallagher sent a letter to state Secretary of Health John Wiesman offering to sell or lease the hospital to the state.
Under an interim draft of the lease agreement, the state would pay $1.5 million monthly to lease Astria Regional for six months. The state could have the hospital operational within a few weeks, Astria Health told the Yakima Herald.
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