Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
One Of LA's Oldest Hospitals Is Closing
St. Vincent Medical Center (Reed Saxon/AP)
()
St. Vincent Medical Center, near downtown Los Angeles, will be closing its doors.
The hospital's owner, Verity Health System, filed for bankruptcy in 2018. Since then, efforts to sell the facility have fallen through.
A bankruptcy judge on Wednesday approved Verity's request to close the hospital, which employs more than 1,000 people and has more than 350 beds.
WHAT'S NEXT
Support for LAist comes from
It's not clear exactly when the doors will close. Here's what we do know:
- Doctors with offices on the premises have been given until the end of April to vacate.
- Current St. Vincent patients will receive care until they're discharged or can be safely transferred to nearby hospitals.
- The company also said that ambulance service will be diverted to ER's in the vicinity.
- That will include the eight hospitals within a three-mile radius of St. Vincent.
The decision to close the hospital "has not been taken lightly and comes only after exhausting every option to keep this hospital open," Verity CEO Rich Adcock said in a statement.
"While we regret the closure of St. Vincent, we know that this community will continue to be well-served by nearby hospitals," he said.
THE BACKSTORY
St. Vincent was opened in 1856 by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, an order of nuns that dates back to 17th century France. The hospital's website describes it as the "oldest hospital in Los Angeles."
WHAT ABOUT THE CURRENT EMPLOYEES?
It's also unclear how many of the more than 1,000 employees of the facility will lose their jobs. Verity said it will hold a job fair for staff affected by the closure.
Support for LAist comes from
California Nurses Association President Zenei Cortez said St. Vincent's nurses are "seasoned and marketable," and should have no trouble finding new jobs.
CNA opposed the closure; it argued that a shutdown would deprive the area of a needed source of health care.
"St. Vincent is not a retail store, where they can just decide to close down the next day," said Christine Chung, a registered nurse who's worked at the hospital for more than 13 years.
"It is a hospital that has responsibility and accountability to the community to provide the services it needs," she said.
The CNA also argued that Verity was violating a state law that requires hospitals to notify the public 90 days before the closure of a facility that has emergency services.
WHAT ABOUT THE DOCTORS' OFFICES?
Ten physicians at St. Vincent wrote a letter asking bankruptcy court Judge Ernest Robles to extend the deadline for them to close their offices from March 31 to June 30.
Support for LAist comes from
The letter said the doctors received notice of the impending closure on January 6. "The unrealistic notice does not give us time to properly notify or transfer patients to other physicians for care," it said.
Robles ended up giving them until April 30.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs. -
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
Best of LAist