California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of Oct. 3, 2008

California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco

California Pacific Medical Center's board of directors on Thursday gave unanimous approval to plans to build a smaller version of 143-bed St. Luke's Hospital, rather than close the facility, the San Francisco Business Times reports.

The board's decision authorizes CPMC to follow recommendations issued in July by a blue ribbon panel that was assembled to evaluate alternatives to closing St. Luke's.

The plan includes:

• Constructing a new acute care community hospital;
• Integrating the medical staff at CPMC and St. Luke's campuses;
• Maintaining critical services at St. Luke's, including the emergency department, ob-gyn services, intensive care unit, urgent care and medical/surgical services; and
• Opening a new Center of Excellence on Senior Health.

The new 60- to 80-bed hospital will cost between $120 million and $200 million to build (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 9/25).

Corcoran District Hospital, Fresno

Corcoran District Hospital is limiting some nonemergency services and making other cuts stems from financial difficulties, the Fresno Bee reports.

Dave Hill, hospital administrator, said part of the reason for the cuts is the state's budget delay and slow Medi-Cal payments. The cuts include:

• Limiting overnight admissions;
• Reducing surgeries from five days a week to four; and
• Laying off employees.

The hospital did not provide details on how many employees could lose jobs or when (Correa, Fresno Bee, 9/24).

Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, San Fernando Valley

Superior Court Judge Thomas McKnew issued a tentative ruling calling for the Los Angeles City Council to reconsider its decision to allow Providence Holy Cross Medical Center to expand, the Los Angeles Times reports.

McKnew said the council used the wrong voting process when it approved the expansion (Zahniser, Los Angeles Times, 9/30).

Stockton Medical Plaza, Stockton

Construction has begun on the second phase of the Sutter Gould Medical Foundation's Stockton Medical Plaza, the Stockton Record reports.

The facility will house 20 Sutter Gould specialists, including ob-gyns, general and vascular surgeons, urologists, and dermatologists, as well as an urgent-care center (Goldeen, Stockton Record, 9/26).

Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center

The opening of Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center has been postponed, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The hospital was slated to open Oct. 17, but now it will open Nov. 7 following a state inspection Oct. 21-Oct. 23 (Lin, Los Angeles Times, 10/2).