Hospital to close Jan. 15

Irvine Regional Hospital and Medical Center will close Jan. 15, about a month earlier than originally scheduled, the hospital operator said Tuesday.

Tenet Healthcare Corp., which operates the hospital through a subsidiary, said it would work to find jobs for Irvine Regional employees at other Tenet hospitals in the area, under the terms of its labor agreements.

The operator of the 176-bed hospital, which also has an emergency room, was required by state law to give 90 days' notice to local and state authorities regarding the impending closure.

The hospital had been leasing space from HCP, a real estate investment firm, which wanted the hospital closed before the lease expires in mid-February.

--

jean.merl@latimes.com