Public Meeting? Where was the public?

Let's talk about the visibility of the board of directors. Apparently, there was a "strategic planning" meeting where the KVHD board, administrative members, recently got together to discuss goals for the upcoming year.

(This is a Brown Act violation...see entry on Brown Act)

This was supposed to be open to the public, but for some unknown reason, hmm, the public didn't show up. Well, with the exception of two insiders who happen to overhear the date of the meeting while at the hospital.

Where were our invitations? I would have liked to have been there to hear what new, brilliant ideas were bandied about. And I certainly have a few suggestions of my own.

• How can we properly staff the hospital without paying horrendous amounts of money to the registry? Answer: make it a decent hospital where people like to work and the employees will come running.
• Can we possibly save money by cutting corners such as administrative costs( for instance expenses paid to administrators who live outside our valley); or even have qualified staff who will keep the hospital from paying fines for substandard care? Answer: absolutely. (see salary comparisons above)
• How can the hospital afford to reconstruct the ER, which is the most profitable portion of the hospital yet in terrible, structural, shape? Answer: Stop paying fines, stop using the registry, take a paycut at the top, stop getting repeatedly sued and the money will be there.
• Why is Bob Jamison still desiring to go to the public and get a general obligation bond which would raise property taxes? Well, BJ, has not seen what the economy is doing right now. Good luck on your bond, Mr. Jamison. Yes, the seismic issues have to be addressed, there's no doubt, but where's your plan? It's not from that architectural firm we paid good money for the drawing above, is it?

This health care district needs help, yet to my knowledge, no notice went out to let people know what the district is currently facing and what it can do about it in the future. There are so many bright, talented, and intelligent people in the KRV who would be good advisors and contributors; but they were just conveniently blocked from participating.

One final story I found funny was at the lunch break at the meeting, the two members of the public were told they could not eat on the KVHD ticket. No lunchy for the public. The Chairman apparently told them they could go find food somewhere else and come back. (how nice). However, the two board members who have consistently treated the public with respect and courtesy, offered to share their meals.

Confucious say if board wanted to save money on food then they should have brown bagged it, and spent their lunch money on things like medical necessities for the hospital.