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San Jose Medical Center Closes (Vanity)
NBC 11 News, San Jose ^ | December 4, 2004 | Marianne Favro

Posted on 05/07/2005 7:07:20 PM PDT by Utah Binger

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- For more than 80 years, the San Jose Medical Center has served as a lifeline for the South Bay.

On Thursday, the hospital closed its doors forever.

The last four patients were moved to other hospitals Wednesday, and the San Jose Medical Center Officially closed at 5 p.m. Thursday -- closing the door on a history of births, breakthroughs in patient care and trauma services, NBC11's Marianne Favro reported.

When the San Jose Medical Center first opened in 1923, the pathology lab consisted of Mason jars and microscopes.

The hospital later went on to become one of the first in the state to have a critical care unit, offering round-the-clock monitoring of patients.

Thousands of babies were born there during the past 80 years, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and Olympic Gold Medalist Peggy Flemming.

Now, the halls are empty and the medical center is closed.

Former hospital president Dr. Jerry Hanson has worked at the medical center almost 30 years. He's wondering how patients in the neighborhood will cope.

"There haven't been any new hospitals built in this area since 1965, and I am afraid that the community will have real difficulty," Hanson said.

The hospital was home to one of only three trauma centers in the county.

Now car crash, work accident and gunshot victims will have only two choices for trauma care -- Valley Medical Center and Stanford.

And this vacant hospital doesn't just affect the patients in the neighborhood, but doctors say it will lead to longer wait times in emergency rooms at other hospitals, Favro reported.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Culture/Society; US: California
KEYWORDS: aliens; anchorbabies; borders; emergencyrooms; goodriddance; healthcare; hospital; illegalimmigration; medicine
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We have a historical property in Southern Utah where we do tours from May to November for visitors from all over the world. Occasionaly I sit on the patio with some of the folks discussing what is happening in their world.

Today there was a doctor from San Jose who informed me that the San Jose Medical Center had closed. I was astounded in as much as San Jose is the center of Silicon Valley where there would never be a problem with money.

I said to the doc "why did it close?" His answer was a stupid one. "They ran out of money."

I responded, "too many illegals getting free treatment?"

The liberal doc gave me a look that I should have photographed and I will never forget. His disdain for my question and for me was just remarkable.

Of course in the big picture of things we little people in Southern Utah just do not have the level of understanding needed to comprehend how free treatment can make a hospital close.

1 posted on 05/07/2005 7:07:21 PM PDT by Utah Binger
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To: Utah Binger
I said to the doc "why did it close?" His answer was a stupid one. "They ran out of money."

I responded, "too many illegals getting free treatment?"

And the trial lawyers probably sucking the life out of the hospital.

2 posted on 05/07/2005 7:12:43 PM PDT by Dane ( anyone who believes hillary would do something to stop illegal immigration is believing gibberish)
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To: Dane

That too!


3 posted on 05/07/2005 7:14:27 PM PDT by Utah Binger (Maynard Dixon Country)
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To: Utah Binger; NormsRevenge
Mrs. Fierro was taken there in 2001 for emergency treatment due to a motorcycle accident.

While I was visiting her there, a haughty "Case Administrator" (nurse on steroids?) visited her room. Seeing my helmet, she commented with something snotty like, "Oh, riding our donorcycle today, are we?"

I kick myself now for not thinking of it at the time -- I was a little distracted -- but a perfect comeback would've been, "Hey, cupcake: Unlike the hordes of Illegal Aliens I just waded through in your lobby, I AM PAYING FOR THIS TREATMENT. Now take your snide lifestyle commentary and GET THE HELL OUT."

4 posted on 05/07/2005 7:15:49 PM PDT by martin_fierro (King o' the Thread Bomb)
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To: martin_fierro

No kidding!


5 posted on 05/07/2005 7:18:56 PM PDT by Utah Binger (Maynard Dixon Country)
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To: Utah Binger

Lots of reasons why these hospitals go bust. But one of the biggest is simply that there aren't enough doctors to staff them all.


6 posted on 05/07/2005 7:23:13 PM PDT by Brilliant
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To: Utah Binger

It's far, far, far from being just illegals who are getting free or nearly-free treatment. A great part of the problem with hospitals like San Jose (whose books I have studied as part of my employment) is that many or most of the patients are Medical/Medicare recipients. If 67-year-old Pedro, a US citizen, gets a myocardial infarction and racks up a $75,000 bill, Medicare pays the hospital about $10,000. If legal immigrant Kwon Lee has a premie who generates $400,000 in charges, Medical pays the hospital $50,000. In both cases the patients are not expected to pay a red cent for their care. What business can keep running like that? They don't get enough Blue Cross/Blue Shield patients to even things out.


7 posted on 05/07/2005 7:24:56 PM PDT by Capriole (I don't have any problems that couldn't be solved by more chocolate or more ammunition)
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To: Capriole
It's far, far, far from being just illegals who are getting free or nearly-free treatment

Maybe so, but they're a big part of the problem in San Jose and far larger elsewhere, for the reasons you stated in reference to indigent citizens and legal permanent residents.

Doesn't let them off the hook.

8 posted on 05/07/2005 7:31:49 PM PDT by Regulator
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To: Utah Binger

I work in trauma services for the only trauma center in a five county area, and our department is not exactly a cash cow -- it hemorrhages $$$$. Much trauma is caused by risky behavior and these people are rarely fiscally responsible. It's a given for us that 90% of our most critically injured will be uninsured.


9 posted on 05/07/2005 7:32:08 PM PDT by McLynnan
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To: martin_fierro

I drive by it every work day morning... Sad thing to see that one close. A huge loss to the downtown sector of San Jose. Had some great ER docs there. Maybe, something might become of it. But as I see, many lease signs are popping up all around other business being affected by this closure.


10 posted on 05/07/2005 7:32:22 PM PDT by runningbear (Lurkers beware, Freeping is public opinions based on facts, theories, and news online.......)
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To: Brilliant
But one of the biggest is simply that there aren't enough doctors to staff them all.

Very true, however, if you have costs that overide your income and the overwhelming exposure with lawsuits coming from everywhere with insurance premiums going through the roof, what do you do? You close.

Too bad.

11 posted on 05/07/2005 7:33:43 PM PDT by Utah Binger (Maynard Dixon Country)
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To: Utah Binger
Free-trade, open borders bump!!!!
12 posted on 05/07/2005 7:35:26 PM PDT by NEBUCHADNEZZAR1961
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To: Utah Binger

This can be the problem for rural hospitals,but not for one
in San Jose.Illegals and welfare patients were,I'll wager,
the big problems.


13 posted on 05/07/2005 8:09:03 PM PDT by Gay State Conservative
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To: Gay State Conservative
The point I was trying to make in this post was the simple mentality of certain individuals on the left who refuse to look directly at the problem.

In my search to find a suitable article, there was a Communist named Roz Dean in San Jose trying to save the hospital by applying more government to the process instead of clearly facing the major issue.

The beauty of being at least three hundred miles from anywhere is that things are very clear out here in more ways than one.

14 posted on 05/07/2005 8:34:47 PM PDT by Utah Binger (Maynard Dixon Country)
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To: Utah Binger

Just don't get in a severe accident. You will die before they can find a hospital that will take you... if they can find one.


15 posted on 05/07/2005 9:17:01 PM PDT by BigFinn
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To: Brilliant
"Lots of reasons why these hospitals go bust. But one of the biggest is simply that there aren't enough doctors to staff them all."

You have no idea what you're talking about. A good friend was a doc at SJMC until he was let go along with the rest of his unit when the place closed. Unfortunately it was not a surprise... That hospital was hemorrhaging money for a decade. Hint: A large majority of infants born there were to illegals. This is the case in most big-city hospitals in Kalifornistan nowadays. There just aren't enough paying customers to subsidize that many non-payers, and then the damn lawyers suck the bones of the carcass.
16 posted on 05/07/2005 9:17:55 PM PDT by RightOnTheLeftCoast (You're it)
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To: RightOnTheLeftCoast

One doctor does not a hospital make.


17 posted on 05/08/2005 5:30:40 AM PDT by Brilliant
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To: Brilliant
Lots of reasons why these hospitals go bust. But one of the biggest is simply that there aren't enough doctors to staff them all.

Not true. There are plenty of doctors, just not enough well-insured, paying patients. Think about it, why work and take calls on patients who are sicker since they've never had any maintenance routine care...higher acuity and hence higher liability, etc...and not get paid for it? Why would any doctor...oh wait, what happened to the Hippocratic Oath? $$$ Chaching! That's your answer. Follow the money!

18 posted on 05/13/2005 7:50:54 PM PDT by dit_xi (Fingers and tubes in every orifice (tenet of critical care medicine))
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To: runningbear
Hi runningbear. I just ran across this article today and it makes me sad to realize that another part of my life has gone by the wayside.

My last child (daughter) and only one born in Calif. was born in the San Jose Medical Center, 41 years ago. I also had my hysterectomy done there when I was 24 years old.

I really miss those days and what the area was like during the time I lived there. I could never live there now, with all the population and traffic.

What exactly kind of work do you do that you would drive downtown San Jose everyday from Modesto?..............Spunky
19 posted on 05/30/2005 10:04:08 PM PDT by Spunky ("Everyone has a freedom of choice, but not of consequences.")
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To: runningbear
Hi runningbear. I just ran across this article today and it makes me sad to realize that another part of my life has gone by the wayside.

My last child (daughter) and only one born in Calif. was born in the San Jose Medical Center, 41 years ago. I also had my hysterectomy done there when I was 24 years old.

I really miss those days and what the area was like during the time I lived there. I could never live there now, with all the population and traffic.

What exactly kind of work do you do that you would drive downtown San Jose everyday from Modesto?..............Spunky
20 posted on 05/30/2005 10:05:15 PM PDT by Spunky ("Everyone has a freedom of choice, but not of consequences.")
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