BOARD VOTES TO BUY HOSPITAL BANKRUPT SANTA PAULA FACILITY WOULD REOPEN UNDER COUNTY UMBRELLA.Byline: Eric Leach Staff Writer SANTA PAULA Santa Paula (săn`tə pôl`ə), city (1990 pop. 25,062), Ventura co., S Calif., on the Santa Clara River in a fertile valley that yields citrus fruits, avocados, vegetables, flowers, nursery products, and walnuts; laid out 1875, inc. - Ventura County supervisors voted Tuesday to buy the bankrupt Santa Paula Memorial Hospital for $2.75 million under a plan to reopen it early next year as part of the Ventura County Medical Center Ventura County Medical Center is a hospital in the city of Ventura, California, USA. It is a 208 bed acute care hospital. The county also operates a 49 bed campus in Santa Paula. . ``This is a happy day. Congratulations,'' board Chairman Steven Bennett told officials who have been searching for a solution since the hospital closed in December 2002. ``This took a long time. We couldn't take on an operation that was going to become a financial drain for us.'' Officials stressed the county would simply buy the hospital, not take on liability for former hospital employee pension plans or any past acts of the previous owners. Under the plan, the county would get 13.5 acres and buildings, and the remaining 15.5 acres of the scenic hilltop property would be sold to a developer to help pay off creditors. There remain other possibilities, however, to resolution of the bankruptcy. The Santa Paula hospital's board of directors is considering the county's plan, as well as a reorganization plan A scheme authorized by federal law and promulgated by the president whereby he or she alters the structure of federal agencies to promote government efficiency and economy through a transfer, consolidation, coordination, authorization, or abolition of functions. from Kare Healthcare Inc., said Gene Kaberline, the hospital administrator. Whatever deal finally resolves the case would have to be approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court bankruptcy court n. the specialized Federal court in which bankruptcy matters under the Federal Bankruptcy Act are conducted. There are several bankruptcy courts in each state, and each one's territory covers several counties. in Santa Barbara Santa Barbara (săn'tə bär`brə, –bərə), city (1990 pop. 85,571), seat of Santa Barbara co., S Calif., on the Pacific Ocean; inc. 1850. . Under the Ventura County plan, the hospital could be reopened in three to six months, depending on the court process and the licensing approvals, said Dr. Pierre Durand Pierre Durand is the name of several people:
The supervisors' vote Tuesday was 4-0, with Judy Mikels absent. ``It's great news for the community of Santa Paula,'' Santa Paula Mayor Gabino Aguirre said after the vote. ``We've been without a hospital for almost two years. We've had great concern about our lack of access to hospital services, and we've worked on many fronts to find a way of reopening the hospital. The Ventura County Medical Center seems to be the best fit.'' Supervisor Kathy Long, who represents the Santa Paula area on the board, called the deal ``a significant watershed event in the history of the Santa Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley is a valley just south of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. .'' The hospital would be used by people in communities that include Piru, Fillmore, Santa Paula and East Ventura. ``We're going to serve Medicare patients, Medi-Cal patients, privately insured patients and people with no health insurance,'' said Long, who made the motion to buy the hospital Tuesday. County officials said the hospital should be able to operate on money generated primarily from patient care, so it would not be a drain on the Ventura County Medical Center system, which has an annual budget of around $182 million and an operational loss of around $1.5 million. Supervisor Linda Park For the DC Comics character, see . Linda Park (born July 9, 1978) is a Korean American actress who is best known for her portrayal of communications officer character Hoshi Sato in the television series . said $2.75 million was a reasonable cost, which she compared to the cost of two undeveloped lots in parts of Thousand Oaks. Eric Leach, (805) 583-7602 eric.leach(at)dailynews.com |
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