Blythe’s Palo Verde Hospital accepts loan from city to stay open another week

Update 6:00 p.m.

The Palo Verde Healthcare District bought itself another week before possibly closing its doors.

The district accepted a loan from the city of Blythe following a heated meeting Friday afternoon.

"The city agreed to provide a bridge gap loan for them with enough revenue for another week of payrolls. That can be $330,000 with the contingency that the the administration resigns, in that interim until next week, and they accept Riverside County as the operator of the hospital there," said Blythe Vice Mayor Johnny Rodriguez.

The district will meet again on Wednesday.

Original Report:

BLYTHE, Calif. (KESQ) - The only hospital in Blythe, run by Palo Verde Healthcare District (PVHD), could close it's doors by midnight Friday, following a vote by the board.

Following months of financial mismanagement, officials say the hospital has been running on fumes with just an emergency room and radiology department open. Officials claim it's led to thousands of Blythe's residents seeking care at Coachella Valley's hospitals.

Late last year, PVHD had expected a $9.9 million loan from the state, but it fell through, with the state alleging they didn't qualify for it.

Now, the board says there's no cash flow left, and are requesting $2 million from the county to stay afloat.

News Channel 3 last spoke with Blythe's Vice Mayor Johnny Rodriguez and La Quinta Councilman Steve Sanchez in September, as PVHD prepared to file bankruptcy and turned to the county for help.

Shortly after, Riverside County's LAFCO Commission decided to dissolve PVHD leadership and is now exploring what taking over the district could look like.

A loan from the city of Blythe hopes to keep the hospital's doors open long enough to find a solution.

Vice Mayor Rodriguez says the city has proposed a $330,000 loan to cover the hospital's payroll expenses for a week. If accepted, the board will resign and give control over to Riverside County.

Rodriguez says the only path forward is under new leadership, and if the hospital does close, it could wreck the entire city's infrastructure.

"Our little leagues will no longer be able to operate because there's not a medical facility to treat any possible injuries. If the ambulance services are taking more people out because we have no hospital here, then it's going to be a longer wait time in the ERs."

This is a developing story, stick with News Channel 3 for the latest coverage.