Plywood with large red letters simply reading “DMC Closed” was affixed to the signs on the street that once welcomed patients to the largest public hospital on the western part of Contra Costa County. Members of the community gathered at the hospital in the early morning of April 21 to say goodbye, then made their way to the Board of Supervisors meeting at the county seat to inform the public about the threat of living in an area without a hospital….
To better illustrate the troubled path Doctors Medical Center, Richmond Confidential presents an interactive article to help the community understand the hospital’s struggle in 2014.
The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors agreed to forgive about $9 million in repayment debt from struggling Doctors Medical Center (DMC) over the next three to five years. Supervisors John Gioia and Federal D. Glover proposed the two resolutions on Dec. 2, one providing immediate financial relief and the other a long-term stabilization strategy. DMC has been steeped in financial turmoil since it was rescued from bankruptcy in 2008, and faced possible closure since the beginning of summer. Now,…
“A plate of veggies was a plate of French fries with cheese all over them. Those days are gone,” he said. “Now, I eat broccoli.” -Lou Brock
A lease agreement in May between Doctors Medical Center and the Lytton San Pablo Casino netted the troubled hospital $4.6 million. The deal keeps the hospital doors open for now, but was also the beginning of what may become a land grab by local investors.
A unanimous vote from the Richmond City Council provided a $19 million promise to fund Doctors Medical Center over the next three years. The principle plan that the council members voted on was the $15 million allocated through the Chevron Environmental & Community Investment Agreement (ECIA), a $90 million package contingent upon the company’s $1 billion modernization of its Richmond refinery. Beyond the $15 million contribution in three annual installments the council also approved an urgent $4 million cash infusion,…
The fate of Doctors Medical Center remained in doubt after five hours of heated arguments at the Richmond City Council meeting Tuesday, which adjourned at 11:30 p.m. The council postponed until Oct. 21 any resolution regarding whether to provide funds to help save the failing hospital, but several members expressed a willingness to reverse their previous positions and allocate some funds to the hospital. The session featured displays of temper and insults hurled among council members as 41 public witnesses…
A senate bill allocating $3 million to Doctor’s Medical Center in San Pablo is intended to keep the hospital in operation but will likely not last beyond March, 2015. Uninsured and low-income patients may be forced elsewhere while officials struggle to find solutions to keep the DMC’s life support running.
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