From pews to patients – churches have long served as hospitals, particularly in times of crisis

“…in Alaska, a church’s pastor preached from the parking lot during a drive-in Easter service, while the interior of the church was being used as an alternate hospital site to manage the overflow of COVID-19 patients. The last time churches in the U.S. were turned into temporary hospitals was during the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918. But there is a much longer history of churches serving as hospitals, particularly during times of crisis such as war or plague.” - The Conversation