Pajaro Valley Health Care District votes to purchase Watsonville Community hospital, paving the way for renovations

WATSONVILLE, Calif. (KION-TV) —Big news for Watsonville Community Hospital as the Pajaro Valley Health Care District Board voted to purchase the hospital’s building and land, opening the door for significant renovations.

Measure N, which was passed in March enabled the hospital to reclaim the property that has been out of the community control for many years, as they got the building back many are excited about the future of the hospital.

The Pajaro Valley Healthcare District Board has voted to purchase Watsonville Community Hospital’s building and land after managing the hospital for two years.  

"We will be able to save, about $3 million a year in rent payments that we won't have to pay any more because we'll own the property instead of be renting it and leasing it," Steven Gray CEO of Watsonville Community Hospital said. "We'll be able to take that $3 million savings each year and reinvest that right back into our health care services."

For some, they have noticed changes in the services offered since the hospital was privatized.

"When it was privatized, it, definitely went down in its services," Irene McGinty from Watsonville said. "I know that the workers there were not happy with the conditions and there was not a responsiveness to the community or to the employees. Now that it's becoming a community hospital, I think it's really trying to turn that around."

The district hopes to finalize the purchase by the end of this year, supported by the bond measure that recently passed.

Funding will go towards renovations which includes the emergency department and medical equipment.

"We have an emergency department that serves about thirty-five thousand people a year, about one hundred, almost a hundred patients a day," Gray said. "We'll be able to renovate and expand that and get that to the point where it can serve even more people here."

KION was able to speak with locals around the area, many of whom view this purchase as a vital improvement for the community.

"I think anything they can do to help improve, patient care that they should," Delores Rodriguez from Watsonville said.

The purchase is expected to enhance patient care and community health services.

Anticipated renovations will begin within the next couple of months with plans for the emergency department starting in 2025.

"We'll also have the opportunity in 2025 to replace a number of major pieces of major equipment, like, like the CT scanner and the MRI machine," Gray said. We hope that those that those take place within the next, within the next 12 to 24 months as well."

CEO Steven Grey emphasized, that this bond is essential for long term success and is a part of their financial recovery plan which is supported by the recently passed bond measure.