Despite criticism from some city leaders in recent weeks over HCA Healthcare's previous service cuts, the San Jose City Council won’t stand in the way in which of the health care provider's plans to construct a brand new facility at Good Samaritan Hospital.

Instead, the City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to rezone the hospital's campus in order that the permitting process could move forward to construct recent facilities that comply with state seismic laws. The project received overwhelming support from patients, work groups and healthcare professionals.

“We will not address the lack of behavioral health capacity in our community by delaying a seismic rehabilitation and rebuilding of a hospital that has provided excellent health services to so many in our community,” said San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan.

Due to the age of most of its facilities, HCA must rebuild all but one structure on Good Samaritan's campus to satisfy seismic requirements that take effect January 1, 2030.

Without the seismic setbacks, the state could revoke the Good Samaritan's license to offer acute care beds, which might place greater strain on the health care system. HCA estimates it is going to invest $1.2 billion within the project to permit the present hospital to stay operational during construction.

The recent project could create 1,000 construction jobs along with supporting the hundreds currently working on the hospital.

“We are grateful for the San Jose City Council’s approval of the proposed $1.2 billion investment to meet the state’s seismic safety requirements,” the hospital wrote in a press release to The Mercury News. “This investment is critical to ensuring our 55,045 annual patients continue to have access to essential community health care now and into the future. We greatly appreciate the Council’s decision and the extraordinary support of the San Jose community.”

The city approved an analogous project last month when Kaiser Permanente received approval to start construction of its recent hospital in South San Jose.

HCA initially attempted to rezone its property to extend the allowable floor area for the brand new hospital. The company still needs to acquire its permits before it may possibly begin construction.

But as a substitute of its application being treated as an easy land use issue prematurely of Tuesday's meeting, like Kaiser's project, HCA faced stiff opposition from community groups, planning commissioners and even City Council members due to impression that profits were more essential than patients Compromise care and harm the healthcare system.

In a symbolic vote last month, town's Planning Commission decided to not recommend approval of the Good Samaritan project after a flood of critical comments about HCA's business practices.

Similarly, the Rescue Our Medical Care campaign – a coalition of community advocacy groups – targeted HCA for previously reducing services at various facilities in Santa Clara County.

They remembered the downgrading of East San Jose Regional Medical Center's trauma unit, which ultimately led to the county purchasing the hospital to revive care.

The group also cited the closure of San Jose Medical Center, the closure of the maternity ward at Regional Medical Center and the elimination of acute psychiatric beds at one other facility.

Fearing possible cuts to services at Good Samaritan Hospital, the campaign demanded that HCA establish a patient protection fund and restore acute psychiatric beds.

“I’m not against development,” said Darcie Green, executive director of Latinas Contra Cancer. “I am opposed to HCA, the company, writing a blank check to worsen our quality of life and create health disparities that would not otherwise exist in this city. Our general plan includes equal access to health care. HCA’s closures and divestitures undermine the City’s vision of a connected, healthy community with access to essential services.”

fifth District Councilman Peter Ortiz was sympathetic and sought to delay the method so HCA officials could meet with more community members and hearken to their demands. Ortiz also claimed that town could take HCA's previous actions into consideration during deliberations.

“I just want to note that the council has the right and responsibility to consider the community benefit of a health care organization when making land use decisions,” Ortiz said. “Furthermore, the General Plan requires us to support development that meets the health needs of the residents of this city, not just a portion of the city, but the entire city, and we must ensure that there is no adverse impact.” on your complete health system of the district.”

However, the prosecution disagreed.

“We have a lot of guidelines that are very broad, but ultimately the decision has to be related to the location, the neighborhood, the location and that particular use,” said Assistant District Attorney Johnny Phan.

Although HCA acknowledged it had reduced inpatient psychiatric services, the corporate said it might consider adding them to the ability under the suitable circumstances. Complicating matters, nevertheless, was the dearth of psychiatrists to satisfy the county's behavioral health needs.

“This community currently has a shortage of 61 psychiatrists to meet the need, and so I think we need to work together to figure out how we can close that deficit so we can meet the need,” said Jackie Van Blaricum , President of HCA's Far West Division. “It’s not just about the beds. It’s about having doctors who support these patients.”

HCA has also signaled its support for establishing a community advisory board, like those found at other facilities, to advertise dialogue about operations and make sure the hospital is a great steward.

As a part of the advantages package negotiated by District 9 Councilmember Pam Foley, HCA agreed to pay $3 million to town for emergency shelter and inexpensive housing construction, although the project is exempt from business connection fees.

“The connection between housing and health care is undeniable,” Foley said. “People in stable housing are going to have better outcomes, health outcomes, which is why I look at these funds not just as housing, but as health funds.”

While Good Samaritan warns San Jose officials against delaying approval of its latest hospital, a newly released construction schedule revealed the ability may not open in time to interchange the present hospital, which can meet the state's seismic requirements in 2030 now not meeting will place greater strain on local health services.

The Good Samaritan campus – owned by HCA Healthcare – is currently going through the rezoning approval process.

Good Samaritan CEO Patrick Rohan revealed at a committee meeting Wednesday that the hospital is already behind schedule as he seeks to have the City Council consider the corporate's rezoning application on Nov. 19.

“The first phase of the project alone will take six years, meaning any delay will jeopardize state-mandated seismic schedules and the hospital’s ability to remain open,” Rohan said. “The postponement of the decision is not just a delay. It effectively ensures that a vital community hospital will be closed and this area of ​​San Jose will be left without access to acute care.”

Under California law, all older hospitals that provide acute care beds, meaning beds for patients who need around-the-clock medical care, must meet seismic requirements by the tip of this decade. Good Samaritan officials warned that the state could revoke its facility's license by that date without retrofitting or replacing the present hospital.

To avoid disruption to patient care, the healthcare provider intends to proceed operating the present hospital while it builds the brand new facilities, which include a parking garage and a central power plant.

Rohan estimated the project will cost $1.2 billion. Since the brand new hospital will sit in the present car parking zone, Rohan said Good Samaritan will construct the parking garage first, which he estimated would take 12 to 14 months. The power plant would follow an analogous schedule before construction of the hospital begins.

Although Kaiser Permanente Hospital in San Jose goes through the identical process the town approved last month, HCA and Good Samaritan faced a way more difficult path.

Last month, the town's Planning Commission really helpful that the City Council reject the hospital's plan as several commissioners criticized HCA for its past business practices that they said put “profits over people.”

At the center of their dissatisfaction were Good Samaritan's decision to now not offer acute psychiatric beds and HCA's plan to downgrade the trauma unit at East San Jose Regional Medical Center before the county purchased the hospital and restored services.

Nursing staff also questioned how HCA would have the opportunity to offer effective patient care with the brand new facility when the present hospital cannot provide adequate staffing.

HCA called the Planning Commission's decisions arbitrary and illegal in a transient filed by its attorneys at Cox, Castle & Nicholson LLP.

The hatred toward the Good Samaritan and the HCA continued Wednesday when District 5 Councilman Peter Ortiz requested a postponement to get more feedback from the community, adding that the town “rewards bad actors or holds them accountable.” “can pull”.

“Our general plan holds the city accountable for ensuring our health resources are planned with equity in mind and that everyone has access to services,” Ortiz said. “We as council members have this responsibility.”

Jaria Jaug, associate director of nursing policy at Working Partnerships USA, said stakeholders need to be on the table negotiating a patient protection fund with community oversight to revive psychiatric care on the hospital and forestall future divestitures.

“The city is committed to helping address the homelessness and mental health crisis,” Jaug said. “Companies that are exacerbating these crises should give back to the community and help solve the problems we face. HCA has a reputation for divesting wherever it is not profitable, even at the expense of the community and mental health care.”

sixth District Councilmember Dev Davis also got right into a tense dialogue with Rohan after she repeatedly asked him what happens to individuals who need acute mental health care and received no response.

“I’m not just for preserving, protecting and expanding medical services,” Davis said. “I think you need to restore health care, particularly the very urgent mental health needs that we have in this county and this community. I think it’s horrible that you closed your mental health facilities and you have another chance.”

However, ninth District Councilwoman Pam Foley, who represents the world where the hospital is situated, declined to support the postponement request, citing concerns concerning the negative impact delays could have on the community.

Foley said her office has provided significant community engagement beyond the necessities outlined in city policy and is in energetic negotiations with HCA to create greater community advantages.

“It bothers me a little that my office, in coordination with city staff and the Good Samaritan, did not do our due diligence regarding outreach and community engagement,” she said.

The Good Samaritan didn’t reply to questions from The Mercury News about its plans and the impact on services if the brand new hospital just isn’t operational by January 1, 2030.

Instead, the hospital continued to attract attention to the devastating impact of delaying its approval.

“Good Samaritan Hospital has been a faithful steward of the San Jose planning process and has extensively communicated the benefits and impacts of our $1.2 billion proposal and state-mandated seismic retrofit,” Good Samaritan Hospital said in an announcement. “We incorporated this feedback into the plan presented to the city council. Any delay in our proposal assuming more feedback is needed jeopardizes the state’s enormous legal deadlines and jeopardizes the hospital’s ability to remain operational.”

Originally published: November 8, 2024 at 6:05 am PST

On Wednesday, registered nurses protested outside the ability, accusing Good Samaritan Hospital and its parent company HCA Healthcare of jeopardizing patient care. They alleged the health care provider failed to deal with staffing shortages and inadequate meal breaks.

The California Nurses Association said hospital management had not yet adequately addressed greater than 100 cases of unsafe staffing conditions or missed breaks, claiming the health agency was putting profits over people.

“We take care of a lot of sick people, and as a nurse I only have two hands,” said Chris Shulga, a registered nurse on the hospital for greater than 12 years. “I can only do as much as these two hands can do. So when we have seriously ill patients, we simply need more people. We need more bodies, we need more hands and we need more minds just to do all the tasks required for these very sick patients. We are not given the opportunity to care for your family members in this hospital.”

At the guts of the issue is compliance with Title 22, the federal regulations that set the required ratio of registered nurses to patients. The nurses gathered outside the hospital also accused the hospital of attempting to game the system to make it appear that it was complying with regulations. At the identical time, they said the fact reflects that nurses are getting used for other duties since the hospital can also be understaffed in other positions, which has affected the hospital's ability to offer care in a timely manner.

“It looks like they're actually giving their numbers, but that's not the case,” said registered nurse John Pasha. “What I mean by them making their numbers is that they hit everyone and do it in a reasonable amount of time. But they delay treatment for hours and hours, so things like medications are delayed, and then there will be an increase in pressure sores, which are usually caused by things like that. When we start losing bedside nurses, other things fall by the wayside.”

HCA Healthcare denied the allegations in an announcement to The Mercury News.

“Facts matter, especially in healthcare,” said a spokesperson for Good Samaritan Hospital. “We fully appreciate the incredible work our nurses do, so it is disappointing that their union leadership chooses to misrepresent the care they provide. To be clear, Good Samaritan Hospital is 100% compliant with Title 22 requirements, hired 83 nurses in 2024, reduced nursing staff turnover by nearly 7%, and is ranked among the top 100 hospitals in America each year according to Healthgrades. Our hospital, our nurses and our doctors are here 24 hours a day, every day, to care for our community.”

HCA's history in San Jose, particularly because it pertains to operations on the Regional Medical Center, has change into a hot topic amongst nurses and residents.

Earlier this yr, HCA initially decided to shut the trauma center at Regional Medical Center before changing course and downgrading it from a Level II facility to a Level III facility. At the time, doctors and nurses were outraged by the HCA due to its impact on residents in East San Jose, who were forced to travel longer distances to receive treatment for more serious procedures. While Santa Clara County stepped in on the last minute to purchase the hospital and save the trauma center, critics of HCA say its actions are further evidence of its business model and that the corporate is putting patient well-being above profits.

The unresolved concerns facing HCA were highlighted at a recent San Jose Planning Commission meeting, where the advisory panel really useful the City Council deny its request to rezone the Good Samaritan campus to accommodate a brand new facility in compliance with state regulations to ascertain earthquake laws and expand operations.

Several commission members said HCA's profit motive harms residents and wondered what would stop Good Samaritan from cutting more services, because it did when it closed its psychiatric unit.

Although the Planning Commission's decision was purely symbolic for the reason that City Council is the ultimate arbiter, some nurses were pleased to listen to San Jose officials defy the HCA.

“It is a very profitable institution, and if you expand it, it will only become more profitable,” Pasha said. “The problem is that if we can't staff it now and they cut corners now with the size they have now, how are they going to not cut corners over time? They have simply proven that they will do anything to save money, not by innovating more, but by eliminating their work.”

Originally published: October 30, 2024 at 3:13 pm PDT

San Jose community leaders are condemning plans by HCA Healthcare to expand a neighborhood hospital on the western fringe of town while degrading care on the Regional Medical Center on the east side.

In February, HCA Healthcare — considered one of the nation's largest for-profit health care corporations — announced it will close Regional Medical Center's trauma center and downgrade other life-saving programs on Aug. 12. But last week, the corporate reversed its decision and said it will as a substitute downgrade the trauma center from a Level II to a Level III facility. But East San Jose officials criticized the plan, saying it still falls short.

On Wednesday evening, community members continued to rally outside the hospital – this time against HCA's decision to expand Good Samaritan Hospital in a wealthier a part of town just 14 miles away. The project, which is being carried out in compliance with state earthquake regulations, calls for 2 latest hospital wings that may increase the variety of beds from 404 to 419.

San Jose City Councilman Peter Ortiz, who represents the district where the Regional Medical Center is positioned, expressed concern that the HCA is asking town for support for the expansion while cutting medical services, which can particularly affect Latino and Vietnamese immigrant families.

“This shouldn't be a tale of two hospitals,” Ortiz said. “There shouldn't be one hospital on the east side of San Jose and one hospital on the west side of San Jose. We should have one health care system that serves our entire city equally.”

A Regional Medical Center official said in a press release that Good Samaritan Hospital “began the process three years ago to meet California's 2030 earthquake standards.”

“Funding for these state-mandated improvements is not optional and will not impact decisions or investments at other hospitals,” the official said. “Regardless, the service changes we are making at Regional Medical Center are designed to meet the evolving needs of our patients and demonstrate our continued commitment to the East San Jose community.”

But Darcie Green, executive director of the nonprofit Latina Contra Cancer, said community members who’ve been protesting outside the hospital for eight weeks will proceed to fight for higher care. Green said that despite their presence on the Regional Medical Center, they’ve not yet met with hospital leadership. A gathering scheduled for Wednesday afternoon was abruptly canceled.

“We will occupy this lawn for as many weeks as it takes to demand the best health care for the residents of East San Jose and the best health care in this facility for all residents of the county because we deserve it, it is our human right and they have the power to enforce it,” Green said.