Hawthorne : 73-Bed Hospital Sold

The 73-bed Hawthorne Hospital has been sold by American Medical International to Jupiter Hospital Corp. of Los Angeles, which operates seven community hospitals in California, Florida and Georgia. The Hawthorne facility was sold by AMI to Jupiter as part of a package that included Beach Community Hospital in Buena Park and Anaheim General Hospital. The purchase price was not disclosed.

Jupiter plans to improve and modernize the Hawthorne Hospital obstetrics unit and open a 24-hour emergency room, said hospital spokeswoman Judy Rubin.

While Hawthorne has been a revenue leader among AMI hospitals, corporate spokesman Mick Taylor said it was sold because it is no longer needed as part of AMI’s regional medical network. He said the sale of the three hospitals was unrelated to AMI’s financial problems last fall, which included the devaluation of more than $100 million worth of property “to reflect current market values.” Corporate belt-tightening resulted in 200 layoffs, he said.

Taylor said AMI has no plans to dispose of its two other South Bay operations, South Bay Hospital in Redondo Beach and Del Amo Hospital, a psychiatric facility in Torrance.