Berkeley Council Calls On Sutter To Keep Alta Bates Hospital Open
Sutter CEO Chuck Prosper has said Alta Bates would shut down due in part to a 2030 state deadline requiring hospitals to be able to withstand a major earthquake.
Mercury News:
Berkeley Council Criticizes Hospital Closure Plans
The City Council on July 12 registered its strong concern over plans to close Alta Bates hospital, calling upon owner Sutter Health to keep it running and possibly seismically retrofit it. A Berkeley institution since 1905, Alta Bates has the only remaining emergency room between Richmond and Oakland since Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo closed last year. The vote followed a 6 p.m.rally in front of Old City Hall staged by the California Nurses Association to protest the planned closing, projected for sometime between 2018 and 2030. (Lochner, 7/13)