Hospitals’ Sale Is Debated

About 150 people packed Inglewood City Hall on Thursday in a spirited hearing on the merits of the proposed sale of the nonprofit Daniel Freeman Hospitals to for-profit giant Tenet Healthcare Corp.

The proposed $55-million deal involves a hospital in Inglewood and one in Marina del Rey. Purchases of not-for-profit hospitals by for-profit companies must be reviewed by the state attorney general, whose office held the meeting. Another public hearing will be held next month.

Residents in both areas have expressed concern that Tenet would sell the hospitals and land, and use the money to bolster its current health network. Others worried that the hospitals would restrict the amount of services offered to poorer residents.

“Tenet has a reputation of closing down hospitals that don’t show a profit,” said Earnestine Miller, a Venice resident. “My husband, who is disabled, uses the Marina del Rey hospital. We pay out of pocket.”

Sabrina Smith, coordinator for the Los Angeles Metropolitan Alliance, an activist group, said her organization worries that Tenet would contract out cafeteria and housekeeping work to outside firms and not provide a living wage and benefits.

Tenet Healthcare owns 30 hospitals in Southern California, including Centinela Hospital Medical Center in Inglewood. The Daniel Freeman Hospitals lost $40 million last year. Hospital administrators see the sale as a relief after years of losing money.

“Why would we invest $55 million just to close [the hospitals]?” said Harry Anderson, a Tenet spokesman. “It doesn’t make sense. We agreed to maintain the hospital at the current level of charity care to the poor, and to maintain the Catholic heritage of the hospital.”

Dr. Donald Henderson, past chief of staff for Daniel Freeman Memorial Hospital in Inglewood, said “the sale must go through in order to save Daniel Freeman Hospital and the care it provides.”