Community Hospital is planning to reopen later this year and it’s now in the process of hiring its management team and restoring the historic exterior after receiving a critical state license, officials said Tuesday.

The 94-year-old East Long Beach hospital has been closed since 2018 due to seismic compliance issues, shuttering that area’s only emergency room.

In February, the California Department of Public Health licensed the hospital’s clinical laboratory, marking one of two specialized licenses needed for a final site survey and to operate and direct medical services. The application for the second license to operate the pharmacy is in progress, Molina, Wu, Network, LLC., Community’s new operator, said in a statement.

“Though this has, at times, been a difficult and complicated process, we’ve made excellent progress on a very urgent timeline,” said John Molina, partner at MWN. “For nearly 100 years, this hospital has been part of the fabric of our city—it’s worth every bit of effort.”

The hospital’s exterior is undergoing extensive restoration and clean-up to prepare the grounds for reopening. It will also feature renewed landscape design, floral elements and new paint.

The majority of the Community’s former senior management is expected to return to their prior positions through a recruitment effort with the city’s Workforce Innovation Network.

The operators have partnered with HKS Architects to develop plans for the seismic retrofit of the original building.

Community plans to start accepting patients later this year, pending approval of all state licensing.

Editor’s note: John Molina is a founding partner in Pacific6, the parent company of the Long Beach Post.