A long-standing Fresno County hospital is closing. Coalinga Regional Medical Center announced Tuesday it will shut its doors within six weeks.
The hospital’s facilities are set to close by June 15. CEO Wayne Allen came on only three weeks ago, shortly before S&P Global Ratings put the hospital on CreditWatch due to the deterioration of its financial situation.
Allen was hired to turn the hospital’s finances around but he says he was too late. "What’s happening is the business is financially broke; insolvent," Allen says. "And we had to go into a closure mode."
The hospital has 123 beds between its acute care and skilled nursing facilities. It also offers an emergency department, physical therapy, and other specialties. Allen says the hospital is helping patients transfer to other nearby providers. About 200 staff will be laid off.
Looking toward the future, Allen hopes the hospital can reopen as an outpatient facility with the help of another health care provider. He says he’s in talks with three other potential partners, including Community Regional Medical Center in Fresno. "It’s not a guarantee, nothing’s been written up into a contract or agreement yet, but I’m very positive and upbeat about it," he says.
The hospital was established in 1946.
