California hospital's ED stops accepting advanced life support patients

Community Medical Center Long Beach (Calif.), which is slated to close within the next four months, has stopped accepting emergency room patients receiving advanced life support care form paramedics, according to The Grunion.

Here are five things to know.

1. Long Beach's city government said Fountain Valley, Calif.-based MemorialCare Health System, which operates Community Medical Center, told city officials March 8 of plans to divert emergency patients needing advanced life support to other hospitals. The changes went into effect March 9, according to the report.

2. "MemorialCare's decision to divert ALS paramedic ambulances from Community Hospital less than 24 hours after notifying the Long Beach Fire Department, and without advanced notifications to city management, the mayor, city council or the Long Beach community is astounding, and leaves the city without the ability to appropriately plan," the city said in a statement to the Grunion.

3. Health system officials told the Grunion ambulances brought an average of six advanced life support patients to Community Medical Center's ED each day.

4. "Our top priorities are our patients and families and serving the community," hospital CEO John Bishop said in a statement. "When giving notice to close a hospital, there are many regulatory steps the organization must take and agencies they must notify. When we provided our 120-day notice, we immediately notified EMS. After discussions between EMS and Community Medical Center Emergency Department physicians and members of the care team, they agreed upon a diversion plan for ALS patients."

5. MemorialCare decided to terminate its lease of Community Medical Center after studies found the hospital sits on an active earthquake fault and would be unable to meet California's seismic compliance regulation that goes into effect June 30, 2019. MemorialCare submitted a 120-day lease termination notice with the city of Long Beach on March 5.

More articles on patient flow:

Henry Ford Health partners with SPLT, Lyft to get patients to appointments
Oregon hospital cancels some elective surgeries over sewage leak in sterilization department
DC hospital releases audio recording of closed-door meeting to shutter OB unit

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