Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Palo Verde Hospital topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council hears update on Palo Verde Hospital loan as Mercy Air seeks local base
Summary
Council members received an update on a $330,000 loan arranged to keep Palo Verde Hospital open temporarily; the loan requires County management or County‑approved managers and new board appointments. Mercy Air said it is ready to open a local base and cited an average out‑of‑pocket cost of $51.06 per patient.
At its Jan. 13 meeting, the Blythe City Council was briefed on emergency steps taken to keep Palo Verde Hospital operating after a city‑facilitated $330,000 loan was executed late the previous weekend to provide roughly a week of operating capital.
Interim City Manager Mallory Crecelius told the Council the agreement included conditions: the hospital district must allow Riverside County to assume a management role or permit a management company reviewed and approved by the County, and the district board must fill vacant seats. Crecelius said the County and the district were coordinating follow‑up meetings to finalize who will manage operations.
Vice Mayor Rodriguez noted the hospital district had posted an agenda for the following day and added that a recall petition had been filed for Director Sartin; he also said Board President Carmela Garnica was scheduled for a radio program. In public comment, Leslie Jessop‑Watkins praised city staff for their late‑hour work to keep care available for residents.
Scott Lord, business manager for Mercy Air, told the Council the company seeks to open a base at the Blythe airport to provide local air ambulance service, serve Riverside County for scene calls and transfer patients to trauma centers such as Desert Regional. Lord said, “Our average out of pocket cost is $51.06. This is after the co‑pay.” He said Mercy Air is in‑network with Medicare and Medi‑Cal and cited the No Surprises Act of 2021, which limits surprise balance billing.
The Council received the update; no formal action on the loan terms was taken at this meeting. Council members said they were monitoring progress and awaiting the district and County follow‑up.
