Matthew Faulkner, paid executive director of Community Medical Center Long Beach Foundation, told the Press-Telegram the hospital’s emergency room must stay open even if the full spectrum of hospital services cannot be preserved.
The hospital foundation, along with the city government, have reportedly initiated a process to keep the hospital and its ER open, according to the report.
CMCLB officials announced the hospital’s impending closure earlier this month, after the facility failed to meet the state’s updated seismic standards. A seismic study and subsequent peer review, issued by MemorialCare Health System, a six-hospital system in Fountain Valley, Calif., which owns and operates CMCLB, revealed the east hospital is located along a large fault line experts consider to be active, according to the report.
MemorialCare will likely phase out acute and ER services at CMCLB before the hospital’s scheduled July 2019 closure, the report states. However, Mr. Faulkner contends officials will find a way to keep some services at CMCLB. The foundation reportedly agreed to spend $100,000 on its own study to assess local residents’ views on the necessity of maintaining emergency room services, the report states.
“The basic premise is we don’t need a 300-bed hospital on the east side,” Mr. Faulkner told the Press-Telegram. “We do need the emergency care services and some beds.”
To read the full article, click here.
More articles on facilities management:
Minneapolis hospital invests in $225M ambulatory outpatient center
CHS invests $100M in 400 projects at Lutheran Health Network
New medical school set to open in Utah
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.
