We know they are in default, serious default, and they want the community to pay the old debt and the leftovers are for a potential new ER and remodel of the old ER with increased property taxes.
Hey, what about this? We do the same thing again: we use revenue bonds to build onto the hospital.
What, you think that's stupid?
We did it before. If it was such a good idea then why not now?
Oh, because you cannot bankrupt on "government" bonds it might make it risky.
Now they are taking out all their risk and putting it on the community to pay. Free money is used how?
Generally speaking, I use it like a boon.
My question, other than an ER and a new room to be over radiated in, what will this community be getting? More on this...
The Kern Valley Sun Newspaper and QAB radio, were the only two media outlets covering the skilled nursing disaster at the Kern Valley Healthcare District in 2007. The Sun had a reporter and QAB had a board member.
When three hospital board members began stonewalling the only reporter in town, me, board member, and radio "jock" Bob Jamison, brought former, CEO, Pam Ott, to the radio station. He allowed her an hour of time to deflect all accussations regarding the nursing facility as either the vendettas of disgruntled employees or a certain reporter. (see Ott interview QAB)
Jamison began using his QAB internet blog to attack me as I apparently made them nervous when I asked them to answer to the problems. One of his Freudian slips belonged to a blog where he called me the "foul mouthed" reporter, looking through years of hospital records for the "elusive" smoking gun.
Odd, that he didn't say non-existent smoking gun: just one that he seemed to be promising would be difficult to find. However, that wasn't the case as there was and still is an arsenal over at KVHD
Kern Valley Sun, editor, Cathy Perfect, in background at April 2007, Kern Valley Healthcare District board meeting attending for the first time as rumors started look like fact. Reporter, Laura Hart, (me), in foreground, who had been writing articles about the hospital for more than a year, got the cold shoulder from certain board members and the Sun newspaper as I asked the tough questions.
That same month KVHD had the Kern Valley Sun newspaper's advertising contract before the board.
Susan Barr, current Sun reporter, throwing up her hand to ask a question at the July KVHD board meeting. She offered a Sun style town hall meeting to the new CEO, Tim McGlew, who said he would consider it.
Barr, pictured here using photo shop filters and effects to make her "look better," much like her KVHD stories.
The Sun backed off on any "negative" coverage of the hospital back in 2007. Then without a reporter, editor Cathy Perfect took over the KVHD coverage that summer.
A new CEO came into town, at the same time the SNF was under the management of Sycamore Asset Management. The CEO's style was quite smooth when speaking with the public and press. He stayed for three months in 2007, coming from the Tehachapi hospital, which was apparently a cake walk compared to KVHD.
Perfect, I guess assumed I would give up the story as I had no venue for my articles, and did not expect me to show up at the welcome party for this former CEO.
As I like to tell this story to friends, I walked in to the dining area, where Perfect and the CEO were grabbing at the food. Perfect had a mouthful of a colorful salad which spilled out of her mouth and onto her plate as I walked through the door. Surprise.
The CEO seemed startled too, but I don't know what stories he had heard about me by that time.
Then the Sun publisher, Marsha Smith, saw me and tried to head for the door. But I met her there and shook her hand anyway. (I saw no reason to be impolite; I had no personal issues, just journalistic differences)
However, Editor, Perfect, utilized the indictments from Feb. 2009, which were from an investigation in 2007, to put up the three grossly over-sized photos of Dr. Pormir and Debbi Hayes on the front page of the paper in shackles. (as well as the former, Director of Nursing, Gwen Hughes)
How did that serve any of us? I'm sure it sold newspapers though.
The community appeared suddenly shocked by the indictments though they were part of an investigation that was downshifted while in full gear, when the Kern Valley Sun became timid about possibly "stepping on certain toes."
I was flabbergasted when I saw the front page of the Sun this past February. It wasn't just the pictures, the article came from the press release. I think it was completely self serving. There was no continuity between the initial investigations, the year long smoke screen of information and the new interest on the part of the Sun. Yet they jumped on two community members they knew nothing about, except for a story based soley on an indictment and press release.
I'm inferring that means to the Sun editor, that an allegation is worth a huge front page picture. An assumption that every indictment which is made is going to be correct and true. This one wasn't on the mark at KVHD, and that's why I'm still here.
The Bakersfield Californian jumped into the soup as well, as the Attorney General sent out that provocative news release on the case, calling the KVHD nursing home disaster the worst they had seen.
The Californian, which generally covers the Kern Valley only occassionally, took these indictments like a hungry dog and ran with them. However, they had no foundation to rely on, though I had given them all my KVHD paperwork. They sat on the story as well, and were severly reprimanded by me for "using" the KRV for its disaster special edition.
At least, though, the Californian interviewed people and attempted to make a story out of it. They put in some sweat, made the calls, did the interviews, had some quotes, unlike the Sun.
But the Sun and QAB shoulder most of the responsibility for not getting the truth to the people in our area. That's what we rely on them for.
Yes, it's nice to write "feel good" stories and get pats on the back. I did it here for two years, being a requested writer, I was quite busy. And I enjoyed meeting the people in the community, but my services as public relations ends when there is deception underlying the issues.
During 2007-08, the Sun newspaper continued to ignore the underlying facts, creating a facade for the media and the hospital.
The radio Jock, Jamison, took his agenda again to the airwaves as he ran for the board again in 2008.
But while doing so, he attacked everyone, including specific people working at the hospital. The station owners obviously allow him to use the radio for his board agenda, and to my knowledge have not made a single explanation to the community.
Questions for the Kern Valley Sun:
Why did you not follow up the story at KVHD in 2007?
I'm going to answer this for you in a way the hospital can understand: they were understaffed.
To do a story like this one takes time and the tenacity to gather all the facts and interpret them.
Where was the Sun and now QAB reporter, Scott Costa, when the board was giving grandeous raises to administrators?
Where were they when the cheif financial officer said for the last six months that the hospital could not pay its August bond payment?
Remember, the devil is in the details.
QAB, is another situation, unlike the Sun. They have allowed their whole reputation to be colored by KVHD board member, Bob Jamison, and his unethical conduct both at the hospital and at the radio station.
With this information from these two dominant media outlets and nothing else, what would the community believe at this point in time?
No comments:
Post a Comment