While the coronavirus continues to spread, a hospital in Philadelphia is sitting empty after it closed last year. According to The New York Times, the owner of Hahnemann University Hospital wants to sell or lease the 500-bed facility to the city for nearly $1 million per month. However, the city has rejected the offer from Joel Freedman. 

“We don’t have the need to own it nor the resources to buy it," Mayor Jim Kenney told reporters. "So we are done and we are moving on.” 

The mayor accused Freedman of "trying to make a buck," off of the pandemic. 

Freedman said he offered to lease the hospital for $60 a bed per day, which he sees as well below market price. 

“Mr. Freedman not only desired to be helpful to the city of Philadelphia and its leaders, but he was very reasonable,” said Freedman's spokesperson, Sam Singer. “We’re disappointed that they didn’t accept what we offered, but we stand ready to be helpful to the city or the state if they want to reopen discussions.”

In an interview with The Philadelphia Business Journal last year, Freedman said Hahnemann has to close because it "cannot continue to lose millions of dollars each month and remain in business.”

Sen. Bernie Sanders spoke up before the hospital closed in September, saying the closure "has nothing to do with health care, it has everything to do with greed."

“They’ve wrongly been critical of Mr. Freedman,” Singer said. “We understand that emotions are high. We don’t want in any way to hold that against them.”

Kenney said the hospital currently "has no beds and would require extensive work to make it usable again.”

Brian Abernathy, the city’s managing director, said Freedman is making an unreasonable offer.

“I think he’s looking at this as a business transaction rather than providing an imminent and important aid to the city and our residents,” Abernathy said.

As of Monday, over 1,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported in Philadelphia according to CBS 3. 

City Councilwoman Helen Gym expressed frustration on Twitter.

"This is a public health emergency and Philly is the largest city in the nation WITHOUT a public hospital," Gym wrote. "We cannot allow unconscionable greed to get in the way of saving lives. Eminent domain this property."

The city is now planning to use the Liacouras Center at Temple University for hospital space. The concert and sports venue will house 250 beds, and it can be used for free, The Times reported. 

"Big news for this Friday: Temple University has stepped up during this critical time. We reached an agreement to use The Liacouras Center and other Temple facilities as hospital space," Kenney tweeted.

The mayor continued to criticize Freedman in an interview with NPR, according to CBS Philly.

"We had to go back-and-forth and dicker around with a multi-millionaire owner who wanted to maximize his profits," Kenney said.

“This virus is everywhere in Philadelphia,” city health commissioner Dr. Thomas Farley said.

Following news of the lack of consensus between Freedman and Kenney, Freedman's home was vandalized with the words "Joel Kills" and "Free Hahnemann," reports The Inquirer. 

coronavirusHahnemann UniversityJim KenneyJoel Freedman