Local Politics · El Centro, CA
El Centro Council Approves ECRMC Transfer to IVHD; Closing Oct. 15
The El Centro City Council unanimously approved a resolution Tuesday to transfer ownership of El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC) and its assets to the Imperial Valley Healthcare District (IVHD), with the official closing scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 15, 2026. The transfer, prompted by California Assembly Bill 918 signed in October 2023, ends decades of municipal hospital operations and unites healthcare delivery under single regional governance. IVHD will assume ECRMC's real estate, facilities, equipment, hospital license, and financial obligations, including restructuring $50 million in outstanding Hospital Revenue Refunding Bonds. The City of El Centro will pay $6.5 million to IVHD upon closing, per an Asset Transfer Agreement executed Aug. 1, 2025.