Westchester and Playa del Rey HomeTown News August 1, 2002

Small Victory for Hospital Activists

By Becky Gebhardt

Daniel Freeman Hospital in Marina del Rey is once again scheduled to close on August 26th. This was the original closure date announced by hospital owner Tenet Health Systems announced on May 29th. Tenet then announced they would close the hospital on July 22nd, a month ahead of schedule, due to the loss of their anesthesiologist.

Tenet has decided to keep the hospital open until August 26th, after Attorney General Bill Lockyer sent a letter to Tenet stating they could not close the hospital, and hundreds of community members voiced their opposition to the closure.

Tenet spokesperson David Langness says the hospital was able to extend the anesthesiologist’s services for another month, allowing the hospital to remain open. A transportation service has begun, and will take patients to another hospital within a five mile radius of Daniel Freeman.

On July 3rd, the Attorney General wrote a letter to Tenet explaining that they could not close the hospital because of a failure to comply with certain conditions of the sale agreement.

Previously owned and operated by Carondelet Health Systems, Daniel Freeman Marina del Rey was bought by Tenet in December 2001. The Attorney General had to approve the sale because under Carondelet the hospital was non-profit, which would change under Tenet. Tenet is a Fortune 500 company. Because the State must approve the sale of the hospital, it is also responsible for seeing that Tenet complies with the proper closing procedure.

In his July 3rd letter to Tenet, Lockyer stated that Tenet failed to comply with Conditions IX and XV of the sale agreement.

Condition IX involves consulting an advisory board before deciding to close. The Attorney General stated that Tenet failed to meet with community leaders, the Marina governing board, community leaders, local elected officials and the public. Condition XV states the hospital must implement transportation to an urgent care facility within two miles of the hospital before the hospital closes, and that they must continue charity care.

Outraged by Tenet's decision to close the hospital and at their handling of the closure, community members held a rally in front of the hospital on July 9th. Organized by Julie Inouye of Save Our Marina Hospital (somh.org), the rally was an important step in demonstrating neighborhood support of the hospital and resistance to shutting it's doors.

Activists, elected officials, community members and medical workers made a strong appearance again On July 17th at a public hearing conducted by the Los Angeles County Emergency Medical Services Commission.

Held at the Boys and Girls Club of Venice, the hearing drew well over 200 people, virtually all of whom opposed the hospital closure. Many people held signs with the slogans "Life Savers Not Money Makers," "Tenet Must Serve Our Community," and "Save Our Marina Hospital."

Held by The Emergency Medical Services Commission (EMS), the purpose of the hearing was to gather information from the public regarding the Daniel Freeman Hospital closure. The hearing began with a statement from a Tenet representative, Daniel Freeman Hospitals CEO Harris Koening. He stated that at the time of purchase, the hospital was "on the verge of bankruptcy." Other reasons to close the hospital mentioned were that very few patients use it's 166 beds, the rate of 40 acute patients per day would most likely not grow and the building itself needs extensive renovation.

Following Koening's remarks many people addressed the EMS, including local elected officials Senator Debra Bowen, and representatives of Jane Harman and Cindy Miscikowski. It was an emotional gathering, with hearing facilitators having to ask the audience to "restrain themselves" several times. Senator Bowen and others stressed the affect of the closure on the entire county as a whole, not just the immediate area. Mike Bowden from the Culver City Fire Department, Mike Metro of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, and Emergency Medical Technicians from Loyola Marymount all agreed the hospital is an essential part of emergency services in Los Angeles and that it should stay open. Bowden stated that because of severely impacted emergency rooms, re-routing of patients is already a too frequent occurrence. The Culver City Fire Department transports 20% of their patients to the Marina Hospital, and they expect an increase.

While the vast majority of people at the hearing agreed that the hospital is a vital resource for neighboring communities, the public was also very upset with Tenet for their handling of the closure. Tenet was accused of not doing enough to notify the public about the closure and not providing information about where to get care.

Julie Inouye of Save Our Marina Hospital compared Tenet's business practices to Enron and Worldcom, suggesting that the company prioritizes their monetary interests over community needs and well-being. Inouye’s coalition, numbers in the tens of thousands, is working non-stop to fight the closure. She says that one of their present endeavors involves finding care for thousands of HMO patients who will be stranded by the hospital closure. They are also asking the county to hold another public hearing. Daniel Freeman Marina del Rey will be the second hospital closed by Tenet in Los Angeles in past last year. Earlier this year, Tenet closed St. Luke Medical Center in Pasadena. In July, Tenet announced high profits during the last fiscal year, ending on May 31st. Tenet's website, which provides no information about the Marina Hospital closure, states that they expect their financial condition to flourish through 2003.