San Benito County leaders would like the bankrupt Hollister, Calif.-based Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital to start partnership discussions with neighboring Salinas (Calif.) Valley Health, but Hazel Hawkins said it is not ready, ABC and NBC affiliate KSBW reported June 7.
Hazel Hawkins spokesperson, Marcus Young, said in a statement that the obstacle to a potential deal is because county leaders have not presented a robust enough proposal.
“To be clear, the county was never told that it cannot conduct diligence or present a proposal," Mr. Young said. "The county just needs to come to us with a qualified proposal, which they admit they do not have at this time."
If Salinas Valley did come through as a possible partner for Hazel Hawkins, it would be in more of a sharing expertise and guidance role rather than a financial aid proposition, Salinas Valley Health said.