LOOK AGAIN May 2009 KVHD meeting: can they govern themselves?

Let's look at these meetings again: repeat...sounds familiar

Power to the people

Board members entered the cafeteria tonight, obviously giddy and drained from a day of CEO recruiting. The afternoon special meeting ran all the way up until the regular board meeting at 5:30 pm.
They closed the first session with a statement from board chairwoman, Kathryn Knight, that the search for the CEO goes on. They interviewed three candidates, she reported.

A public speaker said he had information that former CEO's were given much money in expenses and if the board was looking for a local administrator.

Knight was momentarily chastised by board counsel, Scott Nave, for saying they were hoping to find a CEO who would live in the valley. Nave corrected that the CEO doesn't have to live here to qualify, by law.

Obviously, that doesn't exclude anyone locally either.

The closed session agenda was adjusted for the evening, as Nave directed the chairwoman that there would be an extra case of litigation needed to be addressed. "This arose subsequent to the posting of the agenda on Monday and requires immediate attention," he said.

Immediate attention is probably going to be the key word in the next few months for the district, as debt reserves have already been utilized to pay earlier installments on the revenue bonds, which will require a 1.1 million payment in August.

Oh, but that's a long way off. Oops, that's right, it's around the corner. And our CFEO, Chet Beedle, had happy news that they have reduced costs on traveling staff converting them from the religion of making good money, to KVHD style of payment. I'm sure we can squeeze some contributions for the August balloon payment, a cake sale or something.

The auxillary seems to be making all kinds of money, and they are the true benefactors of the hospital, recently allocating money for equipment for the hospital. The members have logged long hours of volunteer work, and remain major contributors to the infrastructure of the district. (Where would the hospital be without them?)

The skilled nursing facility began its annual Center for Medicaid Services survey this week, reported, SNF consultant, Tracy Brown. She said they expect the inspectors to be at the hospital through the week, and will then have an exit survey.

Board member, Victoria Alwin, asked if the board could be there at the exit survey with the inspectors. Brown said she believed it would be no problem.

Bradley Armstrong, always acting like the expert of the board, nodded to Alwin, that yes, she could attend. (Armstrong may have wanted to attend more of those exit surveys if he had wanted to know what was going on in the SNF. Or did he? )

(Exit survey 2007: now I remember that Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Jamison, and former board member, Barbara Casas did attend the exit meeting excluding the Knights. They actually played a shell game to keep the Knights from knowing what was going on. They changed rooms and times. But those three did indeed attend what would have been a ghastly report. So, they knew and they colluded to keep others from knowing, including board members. This is why an investigation is totally necessary. We need the horsepower of honesty to clear out the past.)

Armstrong, the autocrat, trying to hide his past transgressions, permitted the board to go to the skilled nursing facility for the exit survey at the end of the week. He didn't try to strong arm anyone this time or keep them from their duty as a board member. He would've looked bad and the rest of the board, sans Jamison, would not have stood for it.

Kay Knight gave her report about the Association of California Healthcare Districts where she and her husband, former board member, Robert Knight attended legislative day in Sacramento two weeks ago.

Knight, who said she has been attending these events for 20 years, pointed out that health care districts are at the mercy of the legislature, therefore, making it important to take action.

"The only way to ensure that healthcare districts are advanced within the legislature is for our district to become actively involved in the legislative process. Now is the time for us to organize in an organized grass roots programs. The more registered voters we can get involved in a given legislative district, the more political influence healthcare will weild in Sacramento. There are strength in numbers," Knight said.

She also said she would like to see the whole board attend these meetings, possibly next year. (Armstrong, who protested going to the ACHD event at the April 1, 2009 board meeting, grabbed Knight's laminated ACHD information flyer like he found his missing piece of toast next to his fried egg. He then called for it to be distributed. Twenty years to notice? Read your mail.)

The comedy event of the night was that of Bob Jamison who finally found something to say, though, it was mumbled and incoherent, we appreciate him trying. He was razzed up about the by-laws of the district, which had just been reorganized and nicely mimeographed, but needed to be discussed by him. Everyone agreed; another time. He huffed and puffed and never did say what the problem was that he would actually pull an item off of the consent agenda. (he doesn't like to see anyone else do it, especially for trivial things like questions.)

Ironically enough, Jamison, had a question about the Teen 2000 pregnancy program. I braced for him to ask for personal advice, but he just wanted to make sure the program was going to still be around after budget cuts. (I'm sure it's personal)

Turn it around and investigate

I'm sure that the board of directors wants to make sure that it runs the district in a manner that reflects care and dedication. But until this small sampling of government steps up, how can we expect big, bloated government agencies to do their jobs. If small doesn't work, big is always worse.

I have submitted a request for an investigation into the knowledge and actions of board members, Robert Jamison and Bradley Armstrong, regarding the skilled nursing facility and the conflict of interest with Rural Health Design Network and Aspen Street Architects. This is first on my list, there are more issues naturally. And we will be hearing about them in the coming week.

The request read at the meeting lead to some confusion. Kay Knight said she was surprised and would refer it to the board counsel and the board for further discussion.

Board counsel, Scott Nave, responded to an earlier request from me regarding the ability of the board to do its own investigating of itself. Nave explained the board's ability in an email.
1. As long as it doesn’t violate the law, the Board can do anything within its scope of authority under its enabling legislation. The Board can order investigations. However, the Board doesn’t have any authority to take action against former employees.

After reading my request, I explained my reasons for the investigation which should be done by independent, objective, firms; outsiders. Way outside!

"The point is that it's time for accountability; time for transparency; it's been time for crying out loud...You have the power as the board to do what you need to do to look into what happened here and bring it to the community. I say if you're waiting for something to happen, which it continually does here, it will happen."

"Step up and do what is necessary. Clear yourselves; make yourselves look good, this is an opportunity to do something good."

Mrs. Knight reassured me that she would refer the matter out.

"Refer it out to whomever you want to, just get it started," I said.

Mrs. Knight, looked surprised, but I reassured her. "I trust that you will, I trust that you will, take this and take care of what needs to be done. I'm not going to worry about it from this moment. I made the request."

To the Kern Valley Healthcare District Board of Directors:
May 6th 2009
Regular monthly board meeting
Request for investigation
Submitted by Laura Hart
I am requesting that the KVHD district, unlike it has at any other time in its existence, take responsibility and investigate with the help of independent investigators and auditors the truth of what has happened to this hospital so that it may be noted that the district takes its own responsibility as administrators seriously and utilize their own powers for the best interests of the community it serves.
There has been no real success in finding the problems with this district which are true or satisfactory especially via the course of government types of inquiries: its time to step up and actually make government work.

As the local healthcare government, I am requesting the board investigate this matter, and anything else the board sees as pertinent at its own discretion (I will submit other suggestions):
First, investigate the knowledge of current board members, Robert Jamison and Bradley Armstrong in the knowledge and denial of the skilled nursing facility. Their respective roles in blocking help to the situation.
And the two board members influence in using Aspen Street Architects for the Measure M general obligation bond. And conflict of interest involved with the two Rural Health Design Network and Aspen Street Architects, Kathy and David Yarborough.
Please calendar a special meeting and prepare to go forward with discussion and a vote at the next board meeting in June 2009.
My request is based on my own investigations and all information is available to board members and outside contractors at any time. The parties involved could be cleared or must be held accountable.

Can they step up? We will find out soon.

In other KVHD news the district has hired a new CCO, who is expected to arrive later this month.

Closed session report coming soon.

Next up: Brad Armstrong and Chet Beedle. The leftovers nobody wants to eat.