East San Jose medical center to no longer close but some concerns remain

SAN JOSE — Regional Medical Center in East San Jose will no longer be closing, but community members are still concerned.

Hospital leadership announced a revised plan on Friday that will keep the hospital, but downgrade it from a level 2 trauma center to a level 3 trauma center.

Back in March when it was announced that RMC would close, Darcie Green sprung into action.

"This hospital whether it's owned by HCA, whoever it's owned by, belongs to the community," said Green. "It's been there as long as the community can remember."

Green is a community activist with the group "Rescue Our Medical Care Campaign", but more than that, she's an East San Jose local living with her son and father. She has a personal stake in what happens at the hospital.

"My father is a stroke survivor," said Green. "He received his care there at Regional. Regional saved his life."

Green's father needed care immediately

By the time he got to RMC, just minutes from his home, he already had difficulty communicating and recognizing people. He's recovered now, but if he had to travel farther, things may be different.

"East San Jose deserves to have life-saving critical services where we are," she said.

Under RMC's new plan, some care would be reduced and outsourced to other providers.

That led Director of Stroke and Neuroscience at RMC Dr. Raj Gupta and other community members to voice their concerns about the downgrades at a town hall on Friday.

"I don't think they're prepared. It will cost lives," said Gupta.

In a statement to CBS Bay Area RMC Leaders said, "These modifications underscore Regional Medical Center's continued commitment to providing a comprehensive range of healthcare services for San Jose's East Side, including more than 20 specialties onsite. The hospital is dedicated to delivering high-quality healthcare now and into the future"

But Green is still concerned about the reduced services. She's also worried that it's only a plan.

Revised services are scheduled to begin on Aug. 12, but there are no guarantees.

"Because they put out the press release does not mean that they automatically now have a level 3 Trauma Center," said Green. "They need to submit formal requests to do that. And as of today, as far as I know, they have not done that."

Green and other community members have a meeting scheduled with leaders from the medical center on Wednesday.

They hope to learn more about how they plan to continue to provide the services needed in East San Jose.