Recently, Long Beach Community Hospital was taken over by Long Beach Memorial Medical Center due to financial troubles that largely included a projection of substantial costs related to earthquake retrofitting for LB Community Hospital. When LBCH was taken over, Memorial indicated that it would remain an ER and acute care hospital only if it was feasible for Memorial to retrofit LBCH.
Well, that is certainly interesting in light of a recent report found by clicking here from the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development that indicates Memorial Medical Center is in fact in need of earthquake retrofitting due to an estimated 9.8% risk of collapse of its main tower and additions should it be hit by an earthquake of 7.1 or greater, while Long Beach Community Hospital was not assigned a collapse risk. (St. Mary Medical Bauer Wing was assessed having a 4.6% risk of collapse. Its south wing was assigned a 3.6% risk, while Pacific Hospital was not assigned a risk percentage.)
Hospitals which have been assigned a collapse risk of 1.2 percent of more must retrofit, replace or remove patient care from those buildings by 2015.
The report is not clear as to whether or not LBCH (or Pacific Hospital) submitted itself for assessment of collapse risk. Hospitals can escape the mandates to retrofit if they undergo an assessment that results in less than a 1.2% risk of collapse.
