Safety-Net Hospitals

Our Safety-Net Hospitals Ensure Healthcare is Provided in Underserved Communities

A safety-net hospital provides a significant level of care to low-income, uninsured, and vulnerable populations. They have a commitment to provide access to care for people with limited or no access to healthcare due to financial circumstances, insurance status, or health condition.   

Prospect Medical Holdings' values the vital role that safety-net hospitals play in caring for residents in disadvantaged and medically underserved communities. Investor-owned systems like ours are often the only healthcare organizations willing to buy and manage hospitals in these areas. We are proud of the quality, compassionate care the nurses, physicians and other caregivers at our hospitals have provided over the years, as well as the numerous positive contributions our company has made to improve the health and wellbeing of these communities.  

Many of our hospitals are safety-net hospitals for their communities, and we pride ourselves on improving the lives of patients in need. Some notable examples from our hospitals include:  

• Around 69 percent of hospital admissions at Los Angeles Community Hospital are underinsured, Medi-Cal, or Managed Medi-Cal.  
• Waterbury Hospital is a 347-bed safety net hospital in Connecticut that provides emergency services and crisis behavioral health services in its area.  
• Approximately 65-70 percent of patients treated at Bellflower Behavioral Health Hospital are low-income, and roughly one in four of these patients are homeless.  
• Crozer-Chester Medical Center in Upland, PA, serves a high proportion of low-income and medically vulnerable patients, providing critically necessary and life-preserving services to the community.  
• Around 55 percent of hospital admissions at Southern California Hospital at Hollywood are underinsured, Medi-Cal, or Managed Medi-Cal.  
• Investment of approximately $750 million in our hospitals, including more than $100 million in our Rhode Island facilities. 
• Provision of $900 million in free healthcare across the enterprise.  

In the Los Angeles area, Prospect Medical Holdings also has agreements with several health plans and independent physician associations to transfer patients from various regional hospitals to Prospect’s safety-net hospitals in underserved communities when the other facilities run out of emergency department bed capacity or cannot provide the necessary services required. Partners in the transfer program include LA Care, UCLA Medical Center, and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center.  

Our Safety-Net Mission  

State and federal administrations and elected leaders have recognized the critical importance of safety net hospitals and their need for additional financial support. Our mission is to provide essential care for people regardless of their ability to pay, while strengthening the underserved communities where we operate several hospitals.