A decades-old fire station has found new life in the fight against COVID-19.
Chula Vista’s old Fire Station No. 5 was slated to be demolished after the city dedicated a new station in April. However, a partnership between the city, San Diego County, state of California and San Ysidro Health has given the building, now a Monoclonal Antibody Infusion Center, a new lease on life.
“It’s a treatment that really reduces the rate of time that you’re ill,” Chula Vista mayor Mary Casillas Salas said on Tuesday.
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The treatment injects antibodies that help a coronavirus-positive patient fight the illness without having to check into a hospital.
It helps that infusion center is right in the heart of a neighborhood and easy to access.
“It’s nice to see that this firehouse has transitioned into a COVID-19 treatment,” said Kimia Rezai of the state’s Emergency Medical Service Authority. “It’s a great addition to the community.”
The Chula Vista City Council ratified an agreement that will allow the partnership to use the old fire station through July 31. The agreement can be extended on a month-by-month basis if needed.
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“Another partnership to make sure that we all get through the pandemic, so we don’t have to wear these anymore,” said a smiling Salas from behind her mask.
There is no set date for the fire station’s demolition.
