KVHD not only hospital "waivering": Sierra Kings gets an offer

Fresno Bee following Sierra Kings story

At the Kern Valley Healthcare District July board meeting, notably missing on the agenda was a board vote to ask the residents of the Kern River Valley if they are willing to put up property tax money in the form of a General Obligation bond to help the hospital financially and to improve the building.

When the board and CEO, Tim McGlew, were asked if there had been other considerations as to solving the on going financial problems the answer was "no."

The hospital CEO, Chet Beedle, told an audience of concerned citizens who would be footing the bill that the insurer of the revenue bonds (something like a "savings bond" in the sense you cannot bankrupt on it as it is covered by the "good faith" of the state of California) has given them a "waiver."

No explanation or follow up questions that night, but in a response from the insurer, the claim of a "waiver" was not verified and even questioned what Beedle meant by this statement.

Does anyone know here in the valley? The Kern Valley Sun didn't report it.

They are and have been in default. This is no longer "technical default" it is a "their fault."

How you spend your money is your business. How the hospital spends our money is now our business. I'm very much for helping anyone or anything which wishes to help itself. But if you read this blog you will find more than a year and half ago, I warned we were going down.

A meeting was arranged with the insurer and a local representative to discuss options and try to solve the problem, but somehow it got cancelled. From that point on it has all been about how the government is the problem, the community charity cases, the retail pharmacy, the Medicare reimbursement, etc.

If this GOB idea had been researched and found to be the only solution, we could have had this on this ballot in November, (free of charge) but as usual with the hospital, they either hide their mistakes or they blame it on somebody or something. Now they not only want our tax dollars, but want us to "pay" for their own election this next year, which would cost an extra $50,000 at least.

(think of $50,000 as four full time nurse's aides, two LVN's, or even an RN or even a financial strategical coordinator)

Beedle, the financial manager, being paid good money to be in charge of our finances, tried to con the audience about the collections problems which have gone on for years. But this is what he's paid for. His response was absolutely ludicrous.

With people receiving billings for $8 from three years ago, and an audience member who got a bill for a "co-payment" from over a year ago, Beedle, said he was trying to "help the community." (I guess he gave us a waiver?)

By what? Not billing but asking for us to engage in a 30 year general obligation bond contract which would raise our property taxes and the businesses who hardly thrive here would have to get out their price taggers and begin the hike which could run off people already struggling financially.

Are there other options like possibly having a different owner or financial manager?

Of course.

Have we talked about it?

Of course not. (why will come later)

Bankruptcy at Sierra Kings hospital, now they have a possible solution?

After the KVHD nursing center "system's failure" (failure to hire qualified individuals and those who would tell the truth to keep our community safe) the CEO, Pam Ott, skated out of here faster than a Russian ice show, up to Sierra Kings District Hospital in Reedley, California, outside of Fresno in 2007.

Last year shortly after Ott was standing in court charged with elder abuse, the Sierra Kings District Hospital went into bankruptcy.

HFS, a hospital financial consultant, took the reins and after turning over all the stones, allegedly found that our former CEO, Ott, had been able to get to the GOB monies the citizens of Reedley had voted in for a hospital expansion. (how it was spent is still a mystery, for now)

It was also reported in the Fresno Bee and the Reedley Exponent that Ott was not paying the employee pension correctly and the IRS showed up at the front door demanding answers.

However, this city of Reedley, has tried in every way to help it's hospital. We have seen pictures of protesters with signs, the city loaned the hospital money to help with a possible solution which didn't pan out, but people were involved.

These same people now want answers about Ott and how she got there. (Ask Bob Jamison and Brad Armstrong, KVHD board members, if you want to know more citizens of Reedley)

Now Sierra Kings District, it is being reported in the Fresno Bee, is getting an offer from Adventist Health Central Valley network to take over the hospital.

A new idea, and one of many.

What will happen is not yet known, but what we can gain from this story is how other hospitals have been approaching there own financial problems in this failing economy.

The reason Sierra Kings is so interesting and so like our hospital, is that Pam Ott ran both these hospitals, and both are now drowning in a financial morass.

Here's the link to the Bee article.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/07/13/2005427/adventist-reaches-out-to-bankrupt.html

And I apologize for the delay in the hospital meeting story as the flu has gotten a hold of me and the heat is not helping. More soon, pictures and videos.