"Oh those prophetic words" Meeting from 2007: Ott resigns

2007 meeting was something we will all never forget, yet it seems like a dream now:

"This doesn't end here tonight, Armstrong."

In May 2007, former, KVHD CEO,Pam Ott, took the leap as the hospital nursing center was slated for closure, fines were being assessed, and people were hurt, according to the state of California Attorney General, Jerry Brown's office, which brought about multiple charges of elder abuse. Ott took her leave and went up to Sierra Kings District in Reedley, CA, where she is on an unpaid administrative leave until the court date in November. Sierra Kings recently filed for bankruptcy, the very thing, Ott said, she was fighting against here at the Kern Valley Healthcare District. Oh, what a night it was...

Aspen Street Architects footprint: Ott's construction project

Pam Ott's footprint less interesting than her fingerprints which were taken in court in September, when charges were filed against the former Kern Valley Healthcare District CEO.

Pam Ott: (shown above, but modified for entertainment purposes only) You will find a rought draft of the Aspen Street Architects rendering of a footprint, and as we discussed at the last board meeting, our department heads, and leaders of Kern Valley Revitilization and friends of the Kern Valley Hospital had the opportunity to meet with architects and engineers in order to do a preliminary look of the footprint for the new acute care wing.

This footprint is here and everyone is welcome to come and take a look at that footprint and tell us what you think. A special board meeting to review these plans should be considered in the near future."

First speaker of the night, Wally Hyer, tells board about Aspen Street Architects rising prices in Healdsburg.

Wally Hyer: "He was not happy with Aspen Street and I just want to report that. They had come in and represented to him that they thought the project would cost $300 square foot for the modular...They're up to $750 per square feet and they're not finished yet. I don't know if anyone else on the board checked tht out but I think you should apologize to Bob Knight about just ignoring his comments."

Finger pointing:


Romper Room Romp: 3 minutes are up
Brad Armstrong: Your three minutes are up.
Laura Hart: no, no they're not.
Brad Armstrong: Here's a comment personally from me.
Laura Hart: No, here's something personally from me: step down or step up and do it right.
The employees have never done anything right in the 17 years Armstrong has been on the board. (Maybe it would be good luck if he left.)



Last call for public speakers, brought about some serious accussations about how employees are treated.


Speaker: "Why when members of the staff tried to discuss problems and complaints, why was that not done confidentially? Why was Pam Ott, given the names of the people, the staff members who had complaints? So, those people who complained, could get their vacation time refused, could get their shifts and schedules screwed up and made difficult?

Why was the board not there to help the staff members of this hospital when they had problems? Why didn't Jamison, Armstrong or Casas or whatever your name is who, by the way, can all kiss my ass.

Why did the staff have to go to the state, why weren't you approachable? Why were you not able to address the problems before they went over your head to the state?"

Brad Armstrong: I beleive for the most part had they used the avenues available to them within the policies of this facility, had they followed the rules (like you Brad?) in they should've that could've gotten to the right channels and could've been dealt with. (they came to you in Oct. 06, where were you Brad, a little late?)

In my existence with this district in the last seventeen years, I'm not aware of one employee who had a problem that has followed all the way through our procedures such as grievance. For some reason they chose not to."

Speaker: "So, it's their fault?"

(Brad, after 17 years, you knew there was a problem with the chain of command, yet you did nothing. You had seventeen years: just how many do you need to learn?)

JoAnne Jones to the rescue: Pam Ott's defense:




Jones: "My name is JoAnne Jones and am the operating room manager here and here I have to clarify one brief statement that she (the speaker) made that Pam Ott was not given the names of these people so they could wreck havoc with their schedules. We do a thing here called self scheduling where you put down the days you want to work. Of course, not everyone can get the exact dates they want and nobody wants to work weekends, so it is mandatory that they work every other if they are full time, RN, so that statement is totally bogus, no I don't know where you are getting your facts from, but you might want to recheck this." (interesting she said "your facts" as I've wondered where JoAnne Jones gets her information; oh yeah, Pam Ott.)

Robert Knight asking CFO, Chet Beedle about the fines and penalties. It was the year before too...



Bob Knight: Is that an expense that is reversible?
Chet Beedle: Absolutely not. Sadly no. When you blow it, you blow it.

Beedle: Last year when we went into this I decided to try a different alternative. I did at that time was, they hadn't audited us for three years, for Medicare and so they were taking money back they should've been giving us. I said that's a hardship for us because you haven't done all you work; you need to give us that money or at least be honest; you give us some relief. So, they gave us relief. Now this time we may have to eat it. (oh, boy we're calling Medicare dishonest, Chet. Is that the medical marijuana calling the kettle corn black?)

Knight Grilling Ott on SNF:


Pam Ott: The nursing DHS survey, we did have our annual survey and we are still working on the plan of corrections for that. And we will come to you in the future with all that information. (I think we came to you.)
Bob Knight: Pam will you get a little more detailed on that?

Pam Ott: "We had a focus review and that is not complete based on the fact that they came back for their annual survey, that found that though we are supposed to have less than 5% error rate in administration of medications. When they walked around with nurses watching them pass medications we had a 16% error rate-they also found many holes where nurses got busy and they didn't fill, we know that they gave the medication, because the medication the medication comes in little bubble pack cards, the medications are in the bubble pack cards so we know that they did administer the medication, but they didn't sign the medication out on the medication administration record, in certain instances. And that's part of a medication error is not signing out your medications."

"The state came back they were gonna sign us off, the state came back and decided this was at 10:30 in the morning, and at noon they decided to watch two more nurses pass medications and we failed at 15.7% error rate. I'm sure it was because our nursing staff was so frightened and so nervous. So, we're still working on that." (Frightened staff, I wonder what was scaring them, maybe all those holes in the records, and the bubble packs lying around)




Kay Knight: "Pam, could short staffing have anything to do with the problems in the SNF?"

Pam Ott: Our staffing dilemmas are mostly in the CNA's, because we missed out on all those, almost a year of Cerro College, because we lost our instructor. (sounds convincing doesn't it?)

Heckler in the audience: "You could've taught that Pam.

The

Resignation

"...and one more little thing, Dear board of trustees of the Kern Valley Healthcare District, it is with deepest regret I tender my resignation as CEO, I, hereby, give you a thirty day notice and will be exiting on June 1."

Applause rang out amidst the gasps of community members who believed in Ott, and probably had no idea she would eventually be charged in court on eight counts of elder abuse as well as being cited in civil cases stemming from what Ott called, "a system's failure" in the skilled nursing facility.

PAM OTT: I think it is in the best interest of the district and of myself that I move forward with finding a new CEO and continuing with the improvements of the organization that weve enjoyed over the past four years. (Okay, we didn't have improvements, sorry, Pam)

Know that I love the serving the citizens of this Kern River Valley and their healthcare needds and I have been proud to serve the Kern Valley Healthcare District board for carrying out their visions and directions for the organization, I'd love to thank you for all your support and hard work, and all the sound decisions you've made." (I've got a book full of visions from the community advisory committee which never materialized, is that what she's talking about.)

Reactions from Bob Jamison, Brad Armstrong, and Barbara Casas: Kathryn Knight looks on in pic as Jamison and Armstrong get wound up.

Bob Jamison: I think what's happened here this evening, is a, to say the least I would call it a tragedy for the district, only because it did not have to happen. There have been recent reports in the newspaper, some of the newspaper articles have contained some factual information. They've also contained a lot of innuendo. There's been a lot written on a community internet blog and contained in that , um, I don't know, would it be correct to label them as

as libelous?"

OTT responded to Jamison: There will be lawsuits not to worry. (How did she know, she must be psychic)


After Jamison tears it up, yelling at me, "I know I'm losing it and you're enjoying it."

CASAS: Seditionists and employees

"I am so dissappointed in the people of this valley that have come against her and come against this board of directors. I appreciate you not interrupting me, Laura Hart. Pam we're going to miss you and your drive, we're going to miss the fact when you came here these employees were so happy to see you. And there's been so much sedition, I am so angry at that there's so much sedition from the employees that they have caused you to want to leave. I am very sad about that and will pray. I will pray that the people that are undermining with this will find that the plot won't work here...That's my statement and I hope you quote it verbatim, Laura Hart."

Brad Armstrong (teary eyed): "Pam all I can say at this point, it's with deep regret that I recieve this from you. (choking up)

Pam Ott: I'm doing it for the district. (don't you mean, doing it "to" the district?)

Brad Armstrong: I understand that, why everything you have done has been for the district. I hope everybody understands that. I'd like to thank you myself for all the hard work you've done. (Yeah, lifting employees up and throwing them out the door is hard, dirty work.)

Sherry Depperman and Carole Dene Gunther CNO and a half look on.

Fight breaks out, right pic.


FLASH to the present, where Miss Ott stands before the Kern County Superior court judge and makes her plea, not guilty. Well, we will see this week what the state of California, Attorney General, Jerry Brown and crew, will do in this case. Is the state able to actually prosecute or will they save the extra departmental monies to make sure Mr. Brown can attend all celebrity death events? Let's cross our fingers, and keep up hope that justice can and will be served.

Did you notice: Nobody said anything about the residents or patients of the hospital, it was all very self absorbed in my opinion. CYA.

I'm going to tell the story all over again. We have just more than a week before the pre-prelim, and prelim, on November 3 and 4th, at the Kern County Superior court. We all should try and make this event.

Coming up: more on the real tragedy, the SNF story, from 2006 up to the meeting shown here.