Los Angeles hospital to close March 31, lay off 451

Olympia Medical Center in Los Angeles will close March 31, but the facility has a new owner and may offer healthcare services again.

Employees found out the 204-bed hospital was closing Dec. 31, when they arrived at work to find a piece of paper on the door informing them that the hospital was shutting down, according to the Los Angeles Times

"Olympia Medical Center has elected to voluntarily suspend all patient care services, including the emergency department and all emergency medical services, as of 11:59 p.m. on March 31, 2021," the notice said. 

The hospital, which began providing medical care in 1948, has already begun winding down services and will fully close at the end of this month. When it shuts down, 451 employees will lose their jobs, according to a notice filed with the state. 

Olympia Medical Center was owned by Irvine, Calif.-based Alecto Healthcare Services when it announced it was closing. In January, UCLA Health acquired the hospital campus. 

UCLA Health is preparing to renovate the facility exploring which services to offer.

"UCLA Health will be launching an initial planning process for a state-of-the-art major facility renovation of the former Olympia Medical Center campus. The initial plans will include exploration of inpatient and outpatient mental health services — a dire and unmet need in Los Angeles County with few and shrinking providers of inpatient care," the health system said in a March 16 statement to Becker's Hospital Review. "UCLA Health is committed to providing access to care for patients who need our services. With the addition of this campus, located in the Mid-Wilshire area, we have the ability to expand that access and add hundreds of health care jobs in LA County. This planning process, which will commence soon, will inform key activities including timing."

UCLA Health said it will provide updates to the community throughout the planning process. 

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