Temple Community Hospital closes its doors due to earthquake retrofitting costs, falling revenue

Los Angeles-based Temple Community Hospital has closed its doors after more than 70 years due to low revenue and increasing costs, including the pending $50 million expense of retrofitting the hospital to meet California earthquake safety requirements, according to the Los Angeles Times.

"Ultimately, low reimbursement rates, changes in service-delivery models, regulatory requirements, an aging building, and the need for increased capital expenditures made TCH's operations unsustainable," the hospital told the Times.

The hospital employed more than 300 people, and TCH's CEO Herbert G. Needman, said he was working with employees to help them locate positions at other hospitals in the area.

TCH had a notice to patients posted on its front doors referring them to three other hospitals in Los Angeles: Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center, Silver Lake Medical Center and Good Samaritan Hospital.

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