A judge approved the sale of bankrupt Watsonville Community Hospital to a not-for-profit group that includes the California county and city where it operates, Bloomberg News reported. Bankruptcy Judge M. Elaine Hammond said during a brief hearing yesterday that she had no objections about the sale to the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District Project. The pressures of the pandemic added to years of losses at Watsonville, which lies in an agricultural area whose population has roots mostly in Latin America. The state approved the creation of the Pajaro Valley Healthcare District earlier this month, establishing an authority that can operate the facility and issue bonds. California’s 77 health-care districts are designed to provide care in under-served areas. Though the hospital was shopped and an auction was initially scheduled, no other qualified buyers submitted bids.
