After facing closure, East Bay hospitals revived with $77 million in state funding

Last fall St Rose Hospital which has the only emergency room in Hayward faced imminent closure after declining case volume and rising costs A last-minute deal with Alameda Strength System saved the hospital and now it s part of a statewide initiative to confront mental illness The California Department of Wellness Services has awarded million in funding from Proposition a ballot initiative that passed last year to Alameda Soundness System to create inpatient beds for medicinal detox and psychiatric care at San Leandro Hospital and two -bed units for geriatric psychiatric patients at St Rose Hospital Related Articles Antioch hospital the first in East Contra Costa to offer robotic surgery Rural patients face tough choices when their hospitals stop delivering babies First call centers replaced various healthcare provider receptionists Now AI is coming Stroke sufferer blames major brain damage on inadequate care at California hospital Her miscarriage manifested the limits of California s abortion protections Where you live matters We think this offers a resolution to the destabilization of St Rose Hospital over the years commented Mark Fritzke the chief operating officer of Alameda Medical System It will help stabilize the finances of St Rose over time and it ll help fill the hospital if you will with much-needed inpatient programs Both San Leandro Hospital and St Rose Hospital had joined Alameda Strength System after facing growing deficits and declining individual volume issues that threaten one in five California hospitals with closure according to a analysis by the national medical care management consultant firm Kaufman Hall Preserving the hospitals under the umbrella of Alameda Wellness System Fritzke explained helped the inhabitants wellness care provider maintain its mission to ensure physical condition care access to the low-income patients in the East Bay The influx of million in state funding which comes as part of billion from Prop has given new life to the once ailing hospitals Voters narrowly passed the measure in the March vote in an effort to revitalize the state s mental medical system by creating more than residential medicine beds and more than outpatient medication slots for behavioral strength services such as psychiatric care and drug addiction medication Mental healthcare care is one of the major priorities not only in the East Bay but for the area of Hayward Fritzke stated Surveys of both Alameda County and Hayward communities have demonstrated that mental soundness is a priority So we really feel confident that this would be a big contributor to not only the East Bay but their locality at large Behavioral fitness services were identified as a critical need in a Alameda County Population Requirements Assessment review Surveys and analyses conducted by the Alameda County Populace Wellbeing Department between and identified a brewing mental robustness situation since the pandemic caused by job loss isolation and the rising cost of living Respondents also revealed mental healthcare function providers were often centralized in Oakland and San Francisco adding that there is often a long waiting list to see a provider These gaps in mental soundness care in the East Bay have pushed patients to crisis rooms or therapeutic surge units in Alameda Strength System hospitals Fritzke stated The California Department of Wellness Care Services commented its funding in St Rose and San Leandro Hospital fills a gap in the continuum of care for people with complex behavioral strength necessities according to an agency spokesperson By investing in facilities services and infrastructure throughout the state we aim to improve access to behavioral strength services and reduce mental fitness crises ultimately creating a more comprehensive and sustainable system the department wrote Fritzke noted this is only the first round of BHCIP funding from the state The next will open an additional billion in funds for unmet demands across the state which he noted could bring more opportunities to expand mental healthcare services across the East Bay We haven t gotten there yet but we re thinking about whether there are more mental strength types of programs that we could also be considering for BHCIP funding Fritzke disclosed