As Santa Clara County, Calif., prepares for its $175 million purchase of Regional Medical Center, advocates are pressing HCA Healthcare for reparations, claiming the hospital's service cuts caused harm to the San Jose community, The Mercury News reported Sept. 4.
The county's board of supervisors on Aug. 27 unanimously voted to buy the 258-bed hospital from Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2025, with Regional Medical Center integrating with the county-operated Santa Clara Valley Healthcare system.
County officials moved to acquire the hospital after HCA said it would downgrade trauma, stroke and certain cardiac services. Initially set to end trauma care on Aug. 12 due to low utilization, HCA later revised the plan.
The county said it will restore trauma services at the hospital and reopen the labor and delivery unit, which closed in 2020. While the deal preserves local healthcare services for the community, some advocates are now calling on HCA to provide a reparations package.
"When you think about when a corporation causes harm, it's not good enough just to stop doing the harm," Darcie Green, CEO of the nonprofit organization Latinas Contra Cancer, told The Mercury News. "You have to also figure out how you repair that with the community."
In response to these concerns, a hospital spokesperson highlighted the investments Regional Medical Center has made in the community over the past 25 years.
"We have invested more than half a billion dollars in the East San Jose community, including being among the first to meet seismic compliance standards in the area and providing approximately $23 million in charity care and uncompensated services in 2023 alone," the spokesperson said. "The proposed acquisition by Santa Clara Valley Healthcare will enhance these efforts, restoring access to more specialized care and improving coordination across the region. We remain committed to being a strong community partner and believe this is the most promising path forward for everyone involved."