Palo Verde Hospital in Blythe filled one of two vacant board seats Wednesday, as county officials attempt to help the bankrupt medical facility stay open.
Lifelong Blythe resident Jaclyn Randall took the oath to become a member of the Palo Verde Healthcare District Board of Directors following 5-0 approval Tuesday by the Riverside County Board of Supervisors.
Randall is dean of the Needles Center at Palo Verde College. She has two master’s degrees from Walden University with a focus on social psychology and was the editor of the Palo Verde Times from 2005-15, where she gained first-hand knowledge of the hospital and its administration through her decade of community reporting, according to the Palo Verde Healthcare District.
“Palo Verde Hospital has been central to my life since the day I was born here,” Randall said in a statement. “My hope has always been that this hospital will once again be the pride of the desert, providing high-quality care locally an instilling confidence in residents. Strong leadership, collaboration and trust are essential to keeping doors open and services available, and I look forward to working toward that future for this community.”
Randall’s appointment fills the vacancy created when Dr. David Brooks resigned in January. PV Healthcare District officials said the five-member board’s second vacancy, which resulted when Rosie Rowell resigned last fall, will be filled after the general election in November.
County Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, whose district includes Blythe and the hospital, interviewed eight candidates for the board appointment before recommending Randall, according to the PVHD.
“Every one of these applicants brings something great to the community of Blythe,” Perez said in a statement. “We are very happy to have chosen Jaclyn Randall, who was born and raised here and is quite a success story. She is passionate about her community, has a clear vision and stressed the importance of strategic planning.”
The hospital is currently operating under a 180-day agreement between the PVHD and the county that calls for the Riverside University Health System personnel to provide temporary operational support for the Emergency Department, the clinic and all supporting hospital departments.
Earlier this month county supervisors approved a $3.44 million payment from the county’s General Fund to the California Department of Health Care Services on behalf of the Palo Verde Healthcare District.
At the end of September, the PVHD board voted to seek federal Chapter 9 bankruptcy protection amid efforts to reduce financial losses.
Administrators said the hospital had been struggling to remain solvent since the start of the current decade, with revenue streams shrinking as the number of patients seeking care remained unchanged.
The nearest medical facility with an emergency room is more than 70 miles away.