Overview

• Local officials asked Gov. Gavin Newsom for an emergency $3 million to keep the hospital operating through the end of the year.
• CEO Kevin Flanigan reported eight days of cash on hand as of Sept. 12 and about $2 million in unpaid bills, with only about $11,000 received since the plea for help.
• The state health agency says it is working to expedite payments owed to the hospital but has not committed to the requested one-time infusion.
• Inyo County leaders say they lack funds for a bailout, and the late-session timing means lawmakers cannot adjust the state budget until January.
• Southern Inyo is the only hospital within roughly 60 miles, and its loss would create a 136-mile gap in care in the eastern Sierra, echoing wider rural hospital strain highlighted by Glenn Medical Center’s planned shutdown.