Casey & Sayre, Inc.Ashley Greer310-473-8090
The Saint John’s Health Center Foundation, in close partnership with the physician leadership of Saint John’s Heath Center and John Wayne Cancer Institute, announced today their endorsement of a community bid to purchase the hospital currently owned by the SCL (Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth) Health System in Denver, Colorado. This bid is sponsored by the Santa Monica non-profit Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Advanced Health with support from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
Since its founding in 1942, Saint John’s has a proud and distinguished history, providing exceptional health services and compassionate care to the Santa Monica and Greater Los Angeles communities. It has been the only California hospital to be recognized for seven consecutive years by Healthgrades as one of the 50 best hospitals in the United States.
Earlier this year, the SCL Health System contacted four Catholic health systems to solicit interest in purchasing Saint John’s Health Center, the John Wayne Cancer Institute, and related real estate holdings. Despite repeated requests to participate in an open and transparent dialog, the Foundation trustees and doctors have been denied active and meaningful participation in the evaluation of the respective bids, including the unsolicited bid by The Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Advanced Health. The Foundation and doctors’ experience, knowledge and active involvement in the community would have lent invaluable insight in selecting a new partner, or partners, who would be culturally compatible, bringing with them unprecedented financial resources and the community ties needed to solidify the strong foundation already established.
Foundation Trustees have raised more than $580 million to fund groundbreaking healthcare initiatives and rebuild the hospital. The community bid would further enhance Saint John’s capabilities, bringing world class physicians and potentially historic advancements in genomic sequencing, cancer care, personalized medicine, and orthopedic/sports medicine to the community.
The Saint John’s physician leadership strongly desires that the new owners of the hospital have the necessary financial strength and commitment to support the growing needs of the hospital as well as John Wayne Cancer Institute. Hence, they are highly motivated by the prospect of being aligned with new ownership possessing a vision for the future that includes strengthening and expanding current capabilities, groundbreaking innovation and research as well as the ability to continue to attract world class doctors. Acceptance of the community bid would create considerable excitement within the physician group.
Saint John's would retain its proud Catholic identity and sponsorship under the umbrella of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles.
The Foundation trustees and physicians are strongly endorsing the community bid, led by The Chan Soon-Shiong Institute for Advanced Health. We believe that a weaker partner who has inadequate financial resources as well as limited experience and clout in the local community would severely restrict the ability of Saint John’s to retain its healthcare leadership in the Santa Monica and West Los Angeles communities. We feel that this community bid for the hospital and related assets will best serve the needs of our patients and healthcare providers now and for the foreseeable future.