The Palo Verde Healthcare District has filed for Chapter 9 bankruptcy in an attempt to stabilize its longstanding financial struggles and preserve services at Palo Verde Hospital in advance of its planned Nov. 23 closure.

The district’s board of directors voted on Sept. 22 to file for bankruptcy and the petition was filed Tuesday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, Riverside Division.

The district began the process of closing the hospital Sept. 24, according to California Employment Department.

The hospital serves Blythe and its surrounding areas, and is more than 90 miles from the next nearest hospital in the Coachella Valley.

The financial stress stemmed from a host of problems, including pandemic-related costs, a cyberattack that halted billing and c

See Full Page