TORRANCE : Medical Center Offers to Buy South Bay Hospital
A major Torrance-based medical center is offering to purchase financially struggling South Bay Hospital in Redondo Beach.
Under the proposal, the publicly owned 203-bed South Bay Hospital would be consolidated with the 374-bed Little Company of Mary Hospital, a nonprofit Catholic facility in Torrance.
“It would be one hospital on two sites,” said James C. Lester, president of Little Company of Mary Health Services.
The proposal will be taken up next Thursday by the board of the Beach Cities Health District, the public agency that owns South Bay Hospital but leases it to American Medical International, a commercial national chain.
District board member Ken Johnson said South Bay Hospital was hurt by the loss of a major health care contract. He said the board wants to protect itself financially while assuring that the hospital stays open to serve Redondo Beach, Hermosa Beach and Manhattan Beach.
“Consolidation makes sense on a lot of counts,” Johnson said. “We’re going to have to take a good look at it.”
Little Company of Mary Hospital affiliated in late 1992 with San Pedro Peninsula Hospital, reflecting a national trend as hospitals try to cope with shorter patient stays and other changes in the health care field.
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