Sonoma West Medical Center to shutter emergency room, become long-term acute care hospital
The move was given a green light last week when the
The new operator plans to transform the hospital into a long-term acute care hospital, which provides hospital-level care for patients with complex medical conditions who must remain in the hospital setting for 25 days or more. The nearest such facility is in
"I think it's going to be a win-win for the hospital," said
The hospital's name would change to
Colthurst and other hospital supporters applauded the move, saying it would allow the hospital to remain open and, aside from its emergency department, maintain many existing services, including laboratory, imaging and operating rooms.
But the district's lone vote against the plan,
In essence, he said, the agreement uses district parcel tax funds to subsidize the start-up costs of what will eventually be a for-profit hospital. In its current agreement with
"It's just nuts," said Horn. "We basically dropped the firewall as long as it takes us to transfer the license or sell the hospital."
Horn said losses could run into the millions of dollars before the license is transferred to AAMG or before the hospital is sold or leased to it. A sale or lease would require voter approval, which would not likely take place until
AAMG expects losses of
The hospital has struggled financially ever since it reopened in 2015. Last spring, hospital officials entered into a business deal with a
Colthurst said that legal dispute is between Anthem and
"SWMC basically goes by the wayside," said Colthurst. "SWMC owns their debt. It's not a district issue."
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