The Board of Supervisors will vote on whether to approve a $1 million loan and help from Riverside County agencies to keep the only emergency room in Blythe open at bankrupt Palo Verde Hospital.
The proposed loan agreement with the Palo Verde Healthcare District is among the top items on the board’s agenda for Tuesday’s meeting in the city of Riverside at 4080 Lemon St.
Over the last week, county teams have worked diligently with the Palo Verde Healthcare District on immediate steps towards our shared goal to stabilize the Palo Verde Hospital Emergency Department,” county spokeswoman Brooke Federico said in an email to HeySoCal.com. “While much work lies ahead, the $1 million loan has been funded, which will provide urgent financial relief to maintain daily (Emergency Department) operations.
“County teams have also held daily coordination calls with the Healthcare District to work out details of an (Emergency Department) stabilization and management plan by the RUHS-led strike force,” Federico said. “This strike force will work to independently stabilize and manage only the Hospital’s emergency department for approximately six months, assess current conditions and make recommendations for next steps.”
When the plan’s details are finalized and agreed upon, the board will vote on it at a meeting anticipated for February, Federico said.
On Tuesday, supervisors will vote on these staff recommendations:
- approve implementation of the strike force led by the Riverside University Health System to independently stabilize and manage the Palo Verde Hospital Emergency Department for 180 days;
- authorize the county to negotiate and execute agreements to implement the 180-day stabilization plan;
- indicate that all alone agreements executed will confirm that the county is not assuming liability for the Palo Verde Healthcare District or its debt obligations; and
- ratify an agreement for the $1 million loan from the county’s General Fund to support the Emergency Department “during transition and stabilization,” Federico said.
According to a statement posted with the board’s agenda, “A functioning local emergency department supports timely treatment for life-threatening conditions where minutes matter and reduces risks associated with extended transport times, and also helps preserve a viable destination for ambulance transport and coordination with emergency response partners.”
Last week, County Chief Executive Officer Jeff Van Wagenen and Supervisor Manuel Perez, whose District 4 includes the hospital, proposed the rescue loan and a county health care “strike force” to develop a plan for solving the hospital’s severe financial problems. Palo Verde Healthcare District administrators immediately accepted the plan.
The hospital has only a few days’ cash on hand to fund operations, according to officials. The loan would be available to the district as soon as it establishes a stand-alone bank account for deposit of the seven-figure sum, which would be drawn directly from the county General Fund.
Without the hospital, the nearest option for emergency healthcare would be more than 70 miles away, officials said.