Date: September 7, 2025
Source URL – Promise made, promises kept at Hemet Global Medical Center – Press Enterprise
When I arrived in Hemet as a young orthopedic surgeon more than three decades ago, I could not have imagined the journey that lay ahead. Hemet quickly became my home – both professionally and personally. And when Hemet’s only hospital was teetering on the edge of financial collapse, I knew I had to act.
At that time, the hospital was operating on the brink of bankruptcy – and in fact later went bankrupt – leaving its future uncertain and its doors at risk of closing. I made it my personal mission to intervene. Together with dedicated physicians and community members, we acquired the facility, stabilized its operations and began a turnaround that continues to this day, with the hospital remaining open for almost 15 years since it had been all but written off.
Today, it is with profound pride that I share that Hemet Global Medical Center has once again been named Best Hospital in the Inland Empire for the third consecutive year.
This distinction is a recognition of our amazing doctors, nurses and staff, as well as a reaffirmation of a promise made and a promise kept: that Hemet deserves world-class healthcare, and that KPC Health would deliver it.
Since acquisition, KPC Health has invested tens of millions of dollars in upgrades that serve patients every day, from a new state-of-the-art catheterization lab and upgraded cancer center, to a redesigned emergency department and senior waiting room. We launched a residency program attracting top medical talent from across the globe, and we created a Community Advisory Board to ensure that local voices remain central to our mission.
Hemet Global Medical Center is more than just a building – it is a symbol of resilience, partnership and progress. While we are humbled by this recognition, we also know that the work is far from over.
Across the nation, community and safety-net hospitals continue to face steep challenges. In 2023 alone, Medicaid reimbursements fell short by $28 billion compared to the actual cost of care. As a result, safety net hospitals throughout the country are cutting services, experiencing layoffs, and in some cases, going bankrupt and closing down, leaving communities without the vital healthcare services they depend on.
Facilities like ours, which serve a large number of Medicaid and underinsured patients, must constantly innovate and adapt to remain viable, and we will need all the support we can get from the community to do so.
To meet these challenges, we must work together – with community stakeholders, local leaders, and elected officials – to ensure a strong, sustainable healthcare system for future generations. We must also continue investing in public safety, infrastructure and quality-of-life improvements that make communities like Hemet attractive to the best healthcare talent in the country.
What started in Hemet has grown into a broader mission to preserve community healthcare, but Hemet will always be where it began and where my heart remains. Thank you for your trust, your partnership and this tremendous honor.
