Santa Clara County to pursue acquiring Regional Medical Center

Santa Clara County and HCA have reached an agreement for the county to pursue the acquisition of Regional Medical Center, officials announced at a Wednesday news briefing.

The move would allow the county to integrate RMC with its Santa Clara Valley Healthcare system, officials said.

“Making Regional Medical Center part of Santa Clara Valley Healthcare’s network of hospitals and clinics will ensure that East San José and the surrounding community continue to have access to top-notch level 2 trauma, comprehensive stroke, specialized heart attack, and ultimately, labor and delivery care,” County Executive James R. Williams said in a statement. “In addition, the county will not have to make significant investments to expand staffing and facilities at our other hospitals, which would otherwise be required, by building on HCA Healthcare’s facility investments and operations at Regional Medical Center.”

The announcement comes after months of a campaign to keep the trauma center open at regional.

In July, regional said it would stay open but would downgrade from a level 2 to a level 3 trauma center.

Earlier this month, healthcare unions and patients held a rally and said the previously planned changes at the trauma center meant certain sub-specialty doctors will be on-call instead of on site and ready.

The county and HCA will now work on negotiating “a definitive purchase agreement, undergo due diligence, and take steps to obtain necessary approvals to move forward with the transaction.”

Officials are hoping a deal is finalized in the first quarter of 2025.

NBC Bay Area’s Robert Handa will have the latest updates on NBC Bay Area News at 4:30 p.m.