HOSPITAL TO START CLOSING ADMISSIONS STOP TODAY.Byline: Evan Pondel Staff Writer WOODLAND HILLS - A bankruptcy judge on Monday ordered Granada Hills Community Hospital to begin closing today, putting an end to a multimillion-dollar siphon siphon (sī`fən, –fŏn), tube through which a liquid is lifted over an elevation by the pressure of the atmosphere and is then emptied at a lower level. since the hospital filed for Chapter 11 protection last fall. ``From the analysis presented to the court, the hospital cannot survive without a serious blood transfusion blood transfusion, transfer of blood from one person to another, or from one animal to another of the same species. Transfusions are performed to replace a substantial loss of blood and as supportive treatment in certain diseases and blood disorders. because it has been bleeding since it first filed a petition in November,'' Judge Arthur Greenwald said Monday in a Woodland Hills courtroom. ``It's a hard pill to swallow, ... but no one has come forward to say they would bring in funds for the hospital.'' Already ailing from more than $18 million in outstanding debt, the 155- bed hospital will stop accepting new patients today. Those in need of emergency attention are being sent to other facilities in the area, including Northridge Hospital, Providence Holy Cross Medical Center Providence Holy Cross Medical Center is a hospital in Mission Hills, California, USA. The hospital has 254 beds, and is part of Providence Health & Services. History in Mission Hills and Pacifica Hospital of the Valley in Sun Valley. Among the 65 admitted patients who were in the Granada Hills hospital Monday, those unable to go home in the next two weeks to three weeks will be transferred with their consent to nearby facilities. The hospital's official closure is scheduled for mid- to late August. Greenwald also ordered converting the Chapter 11 proceeding to a Chapter 7 filing, which usually leads to liquidation The collection of assets belonging to a debtor to be applied to the discharge of his or her outstanding debts. A type of proceeding pursuant to federal Bankruptcy . More the 20 nurses attended Monday's hearing, and many of them dabbed their eyes with tissues as the judge issued his ruling. Though dwarfed by other San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. hospitals, Granada Hills was one of the few nonprofit A corporation or an association that conducts business for the benefit of the general public without shareholders and without a profit motive. Nonprofits are also called not-for-profit corporations. Nonprofit corporations are created according to state law. facilities in the region. About 500 employees will be affected by its closure. ``While the closing of the hospital may be inevitable, ... there is a shortage of ethical behavior on behalf of the hospital's administration,'' said Eugene Ruffin, a nurse at Granada Hills. ``There needs to be more accountability of hospital administrations. Hospitals are not like commodities in that we are dealing with people's lives.'' Hospital officials filed an application with the court July 22 for the ``approval of a short-term wind-down'' and eventual closure. The application was initially denied by Greenwald, but he assigned a trustee to assess the hospital's condition. Trustee David Gottlieb
David Gottlieb (b. 1911, d. 1982), a professor of plant pathology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1946-1982), was a pioneer in the field of fungi physiology and antibiotics for , a partner in Sherman Oaks-based Grobstein, Horwath & Company, said Monday that the hospital is in financial shambles. ``It's a flawed business model, and the hospital cannot continue with business as usual,'' Gottlieb reported to the judge. In a court filing, hospital officials cited several motives for closure, including limited operating cash after a $1.4 million loss in a botched botch tr.v. botched, botch·ing, botch·es 1. To ruin through clumsiness. 2. To make or perform clumsily; bungle. 3. To repair or mend clumsily. n. 1. wire transfer. Officials said in the filing that they believe Healthcare Resource Specialist Inc., the company hired to help the hospital restructure itself, might have violated the law regarding the transfer of fees. ``I'm very disgusted with what has gone on here,'' said Angelita Lucas, a nurse at the hospital for 31 years. ``We are a family here, and it's hard to see this happening to us. We truly love each other.'' Established in 1965, the hospital survived several financial crises. The 1994 Northridge Earthquake The Northridge earthquake occurred on January 17, 1994 at 4:31 AM Pacific Standard Time in the city of Los Angeles, California. The earthquake had a "strong" moment magnitude of 6. delivered a significant blow to the facility. A rusted skeleton of a planned facility for acute and critical care has stood dormant Latent; inactive; silent. That which is dormant is not used, asserted, or enforced. A dormant partner is a member of a partnership who has a financial interest yet is silent, in that he or she takes no control over the business. for nearly four years. Recently, the hospital's management has struck several controversial agreements with charities and businesses to help relieve financial pressures. ``But it's given us nothing, and someone should look into the management's practices,'' Lucas said. ``I think everything that has happened is premeditated pre·med·i·tat·ed adj. Characterized by deliberate purpose, previous consideration, and some degree of planning: a premeditated crime. , including the closure. Someone is benefiting from all of this.'' Evan Pondel, (818) 713-3662 evan.pondel(at)dailynews.com |
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