University Medical Center of El Paso asked a bankruptcy judge to consider a restructuring plan that essentially would allow it to take over El Paso Children's Hospital, the El Paso Times reported yesterday. Under the current bankruptcy proceedings, Children's Hospital has the sole right to file a restructuring plan. In the 35-page motion, the county hospital asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge H. Christopher Mott to waive that exclusivity and allow UMC present its own plan. The proposed plan is similar to the one previously presented by the county hospital when mediation between the two hospitals failed. UMC said it intends to oversee the pediatric hospital's operations.
