Molina, Wu, Network, LLC. Recommended as the Next Operator of Community Hospital

At the next regular meeting of the Long Beach City Council on Tuesday, June 19^th, the City Council will consider selecting a new operator for Community Hospital.  City staff will request authorization to engage in exclusive negotiations with the Molina, Wu, Network, LLC. (MWN) healthcare group, to negotiate an agreement for the future operation of Community Hospital Long Beach.  Members of the community are invited to the meeting at City Hall to express their opinion about the need to preserve critical life-saving services at the historic site.

On March 5, 2018, MemorialCare, the current operator of Community Hospital, formally notified the City of their decision to terminate the lease agreement at Community Hospital, effective July 3. Since that time, the City Council authorized the city manager to conduct a targeted request for information process to identify potential operators with the demonstrated ability to continue a general acute care facility, including an emergency department with basic support services, at the site.

“The City Council has been very clear that a publicly-accessible emergency department continues to be the number one priority for the site,” said Councilmember Daryl Supernaw. “We have completed an exhaustive process to identify an operator that has the operational, financial, and engineering experience to address this priority and to get the job done.”

Since receiving the notice that MemorialCare could no longer operate Community Hospital, the City’s Economic Development Department received five non-binding proposals from interested operators and engaged in an exhaustive due diligence process that included extensive review of the operational, engineering, and financial plan for the Site.  As a result of this process, city staff are recommending MWN as the next operator of the hospital.  If approved, it will be up to MemorialCare to negotiate a transition process to keep the hospital open.

Many Long Beach residents have made it clear they would like to see the doors of Community Hospital remain open. The City of Long Beach will continue engaging with local and statewide stakeholders with an interest in supporting quality health care and seismic compliance at Community Hospital, including users and providers of the region’s emergency medical system, potential hospital operators, and workforce groups.

Community Hospital is a 158-licensed bed, general acute care and psychiatric care hospital located at 1720 Termino Avenue in Long Beach.  To be a hospital in California means to have a duly constituted governing body with overall administrative and professional responsibility and an organized medical staff that provides 24-hour inpatient care, inclusive of eight basic services: medical, nursing, surgical, anesthesia, laboratory, radiology, pharmacy and dietary services.  Community Hospital currently meets these basic requirements and provides psychiatric care services.