Burbank Hospital Plans to Hire 250

The prospective buyer of Thompson Memorial Medical Center plans to hire an estimated 250 employees after taking over the Burbank facility later this summer, a company official said Tuesday.

Vencor Inc., which owns a Los Angeles hospital and seven others in California, has agreed to purchase Thompson Memorial and plans to offer long-term acute care there, senior vice president Steve Turner said. The purchase price was not revealed.

After escrow closes in 30 to 60 days, Vencor is expected to hire about 75 to 80 workers for the 99 beds planned for the center, said Kay Gray, Vencor’s consulting administrator. The hospital is expected to employ an estimated 250 workers when in full operation, Gray said.

When Thompson severely curtailed operations three months ago, some 300 workers were laid off.

Former Thompson employees were asked to apply beginning Monday.

Vencor does not intend to open an emergency room at the Burbank hospital, Turner said. He said the firm specializes in serving patients, most of them elderly and on Medicare, who are expected to stay 20 to 40 days in the hospital.