California Newspapers Endorse Sale of Daughters of Charity Hospitals to Prime Healthcare Services

Ontario, Calif., Feb. 16, 2015 – The San Francisco Chronicle has joined a wave of newspaper endorsements across California supporting the sale of Daughters of Charity Hospitals to Prime Healthcare Services.

"The compelling public interest here is to keep the hospitals open, and to preserve the jobs and pensions of the dedicated workers at Daughters of Charity. The attorney general should approve the sale," said the San Francisco Chronicle Editorial Board on Feb. 13. (Read more here.)

The Los Angeles Times Editorial Board on Feb. 2 also endorsed the acquisition, writing "Prime believes it can turn the Daughters' hospitals around not just by collecting more from insurers, but also by cutting overhead and providing better, more efficient care. It should have the chance to do so." (Read more here.)

The Gilroy Dispatch and the Morgan Hill Times, community newspapers serving southern Santa Clara County, also published editorials on Feb. 12 and Feb. 13, respectively, supporting the sale, "We applaud the attorney general's diligence and that of her staff—and urge her to approve the sale with conditions that will ensure continued, quality care while not being so onerous as to chase away the anointed buyer-in-waiting and put the future of South County's healthcare delivery system at risk."

These newspapers join more than 50,000 California citizens and over 30 current or former elected officials; physicians, nurses and patients; the California Nurses Association; Daughters of Charity staff, including SEIU-UHW members; and dozens of community leaders, businesses and organizations, who support a transaction that will save six hospitals, thousands of jobs and the pensions of 17,000 current and past workers.

Prime Healthcare Services

Prime Healthcare is an award-winning national hospital system with 32 acute-care hospitals providing more than 35,000 jobs in ten states. Based in California and one of the largest hospital systems in the country, Prime Healthcare is committed to ensuring access to quality healthcare. It has been recognized as among the "100 Top Hospitals" in the nation 27 times and among the "15 Top Health Systems" three times, and is the only "10 Top Health System" west of the Mississippi. Our hospitals have been recognized by The Joint Commission among the "Top Performers on Key Quality Measures" in 2014.

Prime Healthcare is dedicated to serving our patients and communities. Since 2010, our hospitals have provided more than $2 billion in charity and uncompensated care. We provide more charity care than any other hospital system in California (excluding public hospitals) and nearly double the state average. With over $800 million invested in capital improvements since 2005, we are committed to transforming all of our hospitals into award-winning centers of excellence. For more information, please visit www.primehealthcare.com