Santa Clara County and HCA Healthcare have reached an agreement that can allow the county to maneuver forward with the acquisition of Regional Medical Center after the hospital decided to downgrade the standard of its trauma center, officials said Wednesday afternoon.
If the deal goes through, East San Jose Hospital would change into the fourth hospital within the Santa Clara Valley Healthcare System – the second-largest county-owned health and hospital system in California. County Executive James Williams said the agreed-upon price is $175 million.
The announcement got here six months after HCA Healthcare, the corporation that owns Regional Medical Center, announced it might close the trauma center and other life-saving programs. The move was met with anger from the community and East San Jose residents, prompting HCA to reverse its decision and as an alternative downgrade the trauma center from a Level II facility to a Level III facility.
The county also owns O'Connor Hospital and Valley Medical Center, one in all two Level I trauma centers within the county, in San Jose and St. Louise Regional Hospital in Gilroy. In 2019, the county purchased O'Connor, St. Louise and De Paul Health Center in Morgan Hill for $235 million after its previous owner, Verity Health Systems, filed for bankruptcy.
This is a breaking news story. Check back later for updates.
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