California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of August 28, 2009
Bay Area Surgical Group, Los Gatos
Los Gatos businessman Bobby Sarnevesht said he is close to finalizing investors for a $40 million physician-owned hospital in Campbell that would include a spa, organic café, salon and other amenities, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
If approved, the hospital could open in late 2010 and be operational in 2011. The Campbell Planning Commission on Aug. 11 approved a recommendation to the city council to change the zoning of a site for specialty hospital use, and the city council will consider final approval in September.
The Bay Area Surgical Group would run the facility (Vongsarath, San Jose Mercury News, 8/20).
Hoag Hospital, Irvine
On Aug. 26, Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian broke ground on the new Hoag Hospital Irvine, KPCC's "KPCC News" reports.
The facility will be built on the site of the Irvine Regional Hospital and Medical Center, which closed earlier in 2009 after Tenet Healthcare decided not to renew its lease (Valot, "KPCC News," KPCC, 8/26).
Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Palo Alto
On Aug. 20, Stanford presented a new design for the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital expansion to the Architectural Review Board, the Mercury News reports.
The expansion of the hospital would add 104 beds and about 441,500 square feet to the hospital. The project is part of a $3 billion expansion effort planned for the medical center (Samuels, San Jose Mercury News, 8/20).
Mills Health Center, San Mateo
On Aug. 26, Mills-Peninsula Health Services officials announced plans to relocate inpatient services from Mills Health Center to a skilled nursing facility in Burlingame that Mills-Peninsula owns, the San Mateo County Times reports.
The move comes after officials learned that the Mills Health Center building does not meet state seismic safety standards for inpatient services, although the building satisfies state requirements for outpatient services.
Mills-Peninsula is an affiliate of Sutter Health (Rosenberg, San Mateo County Times, 8/26).
Motion Picture and Television Fund
On Aug. 25, some 78 residents of a long-term care unit and associated hospital operated by the Motion Picture and Television Fund were told that the fund will proceed with plans to close the facilities by the end of 2009, the New York Times reports.
Officials with the fund have previously said they cannot afford to keep up with the operating costs of the facilities.
According to the New York Times, the notification likely will trigger a lawsuit against the fund by residents and others (Cieply, New York Times, 8/26).
San Leandro Hospital
On Aug. 18, the Eden Township Healthcare District board of directors voted 3-1 against the sale of San Leandro Hospital to Sutter Health, saying their "goal is to assure that there are vital medical services" at the facility, the Oakland Tribune reports.
Sutter was given approval in 2007 to discontinue hospital services in 2009-2010, and has since exercised its option to purchase the hospital. The company said it plans to close the hospital's emergency department and convert the facility into physical rehabilitation and urgent care centers operated by the Alameda County Medical Center (Sweeney, Oakland Tribune, 8/19).
Southwest Healthcare Systems
On Aug. 20, the Temecula City Council vowed to go to Sacramento to help Southwest Healthcare Systems win approval to build a new hospital in the city, after state health officials declined to meet with them regarding the matter, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
State officials have not granted approval for the $210 million hospital project or permitted the opening of a $53 million expansion at Ranchero Springs Medical Center because of "significant compliance issues" at Rancho Springs (Hill, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 8/20).
Tri-City Healthcare District, Oceanside
On Aug. 24, Orange County attorney and political broker Phil Greer was hired by the Tri-City Healthcare District to try to secure an $80 million loan from the county, the Orange County Register reports.
According to the Register, the hospital district borrowed $58.3 million in "auction-rate securities" in spring 2007, only a few months before the global credit crisis.
The hospital is now paying $500,000 more than it had expected, after interest rates rose from the expected 3% to peak at 17.5% (Campbell, Orange County Register, 8/25).
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