Here are five things to know.
1. The public-owned PDH filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy in April 2014. At that time, the hospital also decided to close inpatient and emergency department services. The hospital has since reopened as Sonoma West Medical Center. SWMC operates the hospital through a management agreement with the Palm Drive Health Care District.
2. Nearly three years after the bankruptcy filing, 242 ex-employees claim they are still owed $1.3 million for wages and unpaid leave, according to the report.
3. “We feel the hospital has run out of options and SWMC and the Palm Drive Health Care District need to come to grips with reality,” wrote a group of former employees in a public letter, according to the report. The ex-employees said actions — including the possibility of selling off the hospital’s assets — need to be taken in the bankruptcy case so they can receive payment, the report states.
4. SWMC is currently in debt and struggling financially, according to the report. The hospital still owes former partner Pipeline Healthcare of Los Angeles $800,000, and took a $3.6 million fiscal hit in the last four months, the report states.
5. SWMC leaders hope to improve the hospital’s financial picture through a potential management partnership with Riverside, Calif.-based KPC Group, reports Sonoma West Times and News.
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