LAFCO Board OKs Treatment Plan for Blythe Hospital

Supervisor Perez and LAFCO Board Pass  Treatment Plan for Blythe Hospital

On Thursday, the Riverside County LAFCO Commission voted to accept a comprehensive study of the Palo Verde Hospital and take action to initiate the process of dissolution of the Palo Verde Healthcare District. The decision came as Commissioners as commissioners worked through the roles of Riverside County and other entities as possible successor agencies to oversee the hospital.

The move, offered by Supervisor V. Manuel Perez, represents the continued leadership of the county to assist the community of Blythe through their most difficult challenges.

“I am happy about the next steps for the Palo Verde Hospital,” Supervisor Perez said in a statement .“While we are working through the issue of jurisdiction, with Palo Verde Healthcare District overseeing this hospital, I believe this effort will take collaboration between all healthcare stakeholders in the 4th District and beyond along with thoughtful, thorough and thought-provoking decisions that will be tough choices for everyone. The direction we provided today requires that folks must come together with a sense of urgency for action. All engaged must decide what they are willing to give and receive and do what Vice Chair Johnny Rodriguez has said from day one: for the benefit and healthy well-being of the people of Blythe.”

The Riverside County Local Agency Formation Commission held a public hearing on a Municipal Service Review for the Palo Verde Healthcare District. The review was done under special circumstances of the hospital crisis, with a request in June by Supervisor Perez to expedite it.

The review underscored the severe situation of Blythe’s hospital, which has suspended all surgical services, inpatient admittance for medical issues and childbirth delivery services since May. The closest hospitals for these services are 100 miles away. Despite cutting the services, the Palo Verde Healthcare District is unable to sustain cash flow to meet a level of service delivery that is highly necessary for public health issues of a critical and non-critical nature.

The LAFCO staff presented nine options to move towards the goal of a fully restored and operational hospital with financial sustainability for the long-term. The options identified a need for funding that is sufficient for one year in order to restore the services.

In his motion, Perez asked that the action items being taken be put into a letter to the State of California to demonstrate the partnership of all entities working on this treatment plan to bolster the request for state funding to help the hospital out of its revenue issue.

“This is a significant victory for the people of Blythe,” said Steve Sanchez, a La Quinta City Councilman and one of only two city councilmembers countywide serving on the seven-member Riverside County LAFCO board “We’re not celebrating yet, but today we resolved to stop the bleeding, to begin the work of rebuilding trust, governance, and real access to care again.”

Under Thursday’s vote:

• LAFCO staff, working with Riverside County, will identify a temporary successor agency to ensure continuity of hospital operations and essential services during this transition.
• Simultaneously, the Commission and stakeholders will develop a plan for a permanent successor, with the Desert Healthcare District (DHD) expansion as a leading candidate.
• A forensic audit of PVHD was also formally requested to bring needed transparency and accountability to the process.
  While this motion marks a turning point, Sanchez emphasized the larger task ahead:

“This vote is only the start. The hard work begins now — selecting the successor, securing funding, protecting staff and services, and ensuring the voice of Blythe is heard in each step. Local control without real care is empty. Today we moved to fix that.”

Sanchez noted the toll Blythe has already borne: residents traveling 100 miles for care, a hospital district signaling bankruptcy, and nearly 20,000 people—plus inmates—forced to rely on Coachella Valley hospitals, increasing pressure across Indio, Palm Springs, Rancho Mirage, and beyond.

He added:

“No family should be told, ‘don’t get hurt — help is 100 miles away.’ That message is unacceptable. This region, from Blythe to the Coachella Valley, deserves leadership and solutions we can trust.”

The next LAFCO meeting, which will include information on the process of dissolving the Palo Verde Healthcare District, will be held October 16.