Embattled High Desert hospital gets state grant

The High Desert hospital that filed for bankruptcy in September and is being managed by Riverside County has been given $3 million from the state of California to help keep it open.

Palo Verde Hospital in Blythe recently received the grant from the California Department of Health Care Access and Information, according to a statement released by the hospital.

Sponsored by Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel, D-Encino, AB 108 establishes a $25 million grant program that will provide emergency funds to public and nonprofit hospitals in rural communities at risk of being shut down.

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the bill into law May 7.

Keeping Palo Verde open is essential to the High Desert, because it is the only California hospital within a 100-mile radius of Blythe that has an emergency room and acute care facilities.

Without it, more than 20,000 High Desert residents would have to travel to Imperial or Coachella valleys for emergency treatment.

Palo Verde also provides emergency care for 3,300 inmates at Ironwood State Prison, a minimum-to-medium security facility in Blythe, but about 23 miles from the hospital. To get from one to the other is about a 30-minute drive along Interstate 10, according to one estimate.

To be eligible for funds from AB 108, a hospital must have fewer than 10 days of cash reserves, and it must be unable to find other sources of financial relief. It must also serve a patient population in which more than 50 percent is either uninsured or participating in public health programs.

“I commend our county team for their efforts to work on this grant, bringing another piece of the funding to maintain essential health care services in “the Blythe community,” said Supervisor V. Manuel Perez in the statement. “We are grateful for the support we’re receiving from the state … (to provide) critical resources to our rural communities.”

Although it’s not been decided how the money will be spent, $3 million would probably cover three months of Palo Verde’s payroll, Blythe Councilman Johnny Rodriguez said.

“It will definitely give the hospital some breathing room, no matter how it’s spent,” Rodriguez said. “It will create more time to get things more established and settled. Hopefully that will make it more attractive to a permanent operator.”

Palo Verde is operating under a management services agreement negotiated by the Palo Verde Healthcare District and Riverside County. That 180-day program was approved by the district’s board of directors in February.

Under that agreement, Palo Verde’s emergency room and its supporting departments will remain open. Riverside University Health System, the county’s public healthcare network, will be in charge of the hospital’s day-to-day operations.

RUHS, the primary source of medical care for an estimated 100,000 county residents, is anchored by a 439-bed teaching hospital in Moreno Valley.

In an unrelated move, Palo Verde Hospital has partnered with Vituity, a group of doctors that serve the Riverside University Health System. Palo Verde’s emergency services department now has access to 26 physicians trained in emergency services, according to a statement.

Vituity provides 24-hour, seven-days-a week support service for Palo Verde’s emergency services, including patient triage, stabilization, trauma response, transfer coordination for critically ill, according to the statement.

The Emeryville, Ca. network also works with hospital staff to make sure that patient care is tailored to each individual’s needs.

Vituity physicians began working at Palo Verde May 1.

On May 27, Dr. Michael Mesisca, interim medical director at Palo Verde Hospital and chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine at RUHS, spoke to the Palo Verde Healthcare District’s board about Vituity’s work at the hospital.

“We had physicians commit to coming to Palo Verde Hospital,” Mesisca told the board. “They all share a belief in the standard we set of compassionate care and listening to nursing staff.”

Vituity physicians were met with “an overwhelming sense of appreciation” when they arrived at Palo Verde Hospital, according to Mesisca.

That sentiment was seconded by the person who oversees the five -member board.

“I think its excellent that we have these extra doctors,” said Sandra Hudson, president of the district board. ”Anytime you can upgrade the status of your physicians, and have more board-certified doctors, you end up with a better hospital.

“From what I’ve heard, the patients have been happy with these doctors.”

But Palo Verde must find a permanent operator, and that will be not be easy given its financial difficulties.

“The state grant and the Vituity partnership are good things, but I don’t think they will help us find an operator,” Hudson said. “The hospital is still in bankruptcy. I think we’re going to have a hard time finding a permanent operator until we do something about the $17 million debt that’s hanging over our heads.”

During her seven years on the board, Hudson has been an outspoken critic of Palo Verde’s executive management. She was especially critical after the bankruptcy filling, accusing management of negligence and putting Palo Verde’s existence in jeopardy.

Now, she’s more optimistic about the hospital’s future than she has been in awhile, calling the partnership with RUHS “outstanding,” and praising the “physical changes” that entity has made to the hospital.

“Palo Verde Hospital is in 100 percent better shape now than in it was at the start of this year,” Hudson said, “Riverside University Health has been really effective. They’re a strong team, and it’s been impressive watching them come in and turn things around. I pray to God that they stay.”