Weeks from an Aug. 31 deadline to find about $8 million to complete the acquisition of Watsonville Community Hospital, leaders of the hospital group said this week that they are confident they can close the deal and prevent the hospital’s closure, Santa Cruz Local reports.
The Pajaro Valley Healthcare District Project has worked to acquire the hospital out of bankruptcy court for about $67 million. Jasmine Nájera, a board member of the healthcare district, said this week that the group has $49 million secured and $10 million anticipated. That leaves a roughly $8 million gap.
“We are very confident that we can close that gap,” Nájera said. She said potential donors met with the group last week. “We are in the phase of trying to loop back around to some donors to try to get their commitments,” Nájera said.
The 106-bed Watsonville Community Hospital near Airport Boulevard provides services to thousands of residents of South County and northern Monterey County. Founded in 1902 as a for-profit organization at a different location, a nonprofit group built the current hospital after the 1989 earthquake.
Since then, the hospital’s administration has changed more than 20 times, County of Santa Cruz leaders said. A bankruptcy court accepted the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District’s bid for the hospital this year. Read more.
