What could be on the KVHD agenda for September first?

What could possibly top the last few meetings of the Kern Valley Healthcare District board of director's meetings?

After two months of forcing the issue that there is no other answer available to human kind as to how to financially manage and upgrade the KVHD hospital without the help of the residents of this community surrounding Lake Isabella, putting up tax dollars for a general OBLIGATION bond.
(the obligation part, of course, is ours to carry)

Well, what if there were other options and the hospital knew of them, and rather than go that route, insists upon putting a very large amount of money on the ballot to maybe just see if they can get it. Tie a string on a stick and call it a fishing pole.

Let's take a walk down agenda lane and see what we find here...

PUBLIC NOTICE


KERN VALLEY HEALTHCARE DISTRICT
AGENDA FOR BOARD OF DIRECTORS
REGULAR MEETING

Wednesday, September 1, 2010 – 5:30 p.m.
Location: Hospital Cafeteria

A. PUBLIC COMMENT
This portion of the meeting is reserved for persons to address the Board on any matter not on this agenda but under the jurisdiction of the Board. They may ask a question for clarification, make a referral to staff for factual information or request staff to report back to the Board at a later meeting. Also, the Board may take action to direct the staff to place a matter of business on a future agenda. The Board cannot take action on items not listed on the agenda for action.
Speakers are limited to three minutes.
Please state your name before making your comment.

(I'm proud to say that I was the one who created the three minute rule. Yes, after I, as a reporter supporter was allowed more than 20 minutes to criticize certain board members during the "Bonnie and Clyde era", when I realized I had made a critical error in who was lying and who was not, they created the three minute rule to keep me off their record. You see as an audience member of a "public healthcare district" you do have the right to question and receive answers in a timely fashion. And I learned from board member Bob Jamison not to forget to ask that my comments are added to the record, "verbatim" meaning "word for word" baby. So, if you have comments and you would like them to be added to the hospital's records, you will need to tell them that. Go to the KVHD website and look at the minutes from the meetings. It's being edited for readership...)

B. CONSENT AGENDA
The following items are considered routine and non-controversial by Hospital Staff. Consent items are listed as ACTION items and may be approved by one motion if no member of the Board or audience wishes to comment or ask questions. If comment or discussion is desired, the item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and will be considered separately.

(Here's a touchy subject, it's called a consent agenda, where the board puts on many items and can vote on all at once. The consent agenda is a way of saving time, but it also reduces explanation of what contracts are up, new contractors, general hospital business, and contains the "minutes" for the record for approval. In the past few years only one or two board members pulled items for explanatory purposes, and certainly no public citizen ever pulled it...until last month's board meeting. I had finally had it with the editing of my comments and had asked that they be considered verbatim, so I asked to have the minutes pulled from a very special meeting we will be addressing soon. Well, the board I guess didn't read their monthly agenda too carefully, as you see above it's right on the first page. When I requested the minutes be pulled at first I was told I couldn't do it, next I was questioned as to why I was doing it, as it had to be approved before I could pull it. A few years ago, I wish I had listened when an insider told me "watch the consent agenda." He is right.)

· Board of Directors Meeting – Minutes August 4, 2010
· Special Board of Directors Meeting – Minutes July 28, 2010
· Finance Committee Meeting – Minutes August 25, 2010
· Unaudited Financial Statements
· Supplemental Finance Reports
· Variance Analysis for July 2010
· Product Line Summary
· Contract Renewals
A. Beckman Coulter Corporation – ACL 8000 Coag System
B. Sparkle Contract – Mats
C. Boehmer, Misty – Riverside Property Management – 6429 Park B
D. Siemens Medical Solutions – iSeries Maintenance
E. Valley Healthcare Systems – Staffing RN/LVN
· Board Personnel and Policy Committee Minutes – August 23, 2010
· Human Resources Report – July 2010
· Policy/Procedures:
Human Resources:
Paid Time Off (PTO)
Business Office – Patient Accounting
Appeals Process for Insurance
Safety Management:
Security Education
Plant Operations:
Hazardous Materials Handling/Storage
Safety Policy
· Manuals:
Administration
Nursing (Acute Care)
· Job Descriptions: None
· Medical Appointment: None
· Medical Reappointment:
Sonia Sawal, MD – Active Staff
Kent Skogerson, MD – Active Staff
· Professional Services Agreement – Hans Yu, DO
· Professional Services Agreement – Tony Hoang, MD
· Capital Expenditure Request – Kirby Lester KL15i Pill Counter

(the next parts of the agenda are just a listing of reports from the CEO, CFO, CNO, etc., so I've deleted them...but there's more)

F. OLD BUSINESS:
Strategic Planning
Tim McGlew, Chief Executive Officer Information

G. NEW BUSINESS:

1. Agreement – Healthcare Consulting Services
Chet Beedle, Chief Financial Officer Action

2. General Obligation Bond Ad Hoc Committee
Victoria Alwin, Board Chair Action

(What in the world could this be another committee for board members to sit on or is this an action committee to get the bond going and get that 22.7 million straight to these people. I guess we will have to wait and see, as I still haven't recieved any information I asked regarding the committee, board member, Bob Jamison, created and chaired and was paid for, but the hospital doesn't seem to have any records available. Is this going to be another committee like that?)

1. Resolution Amending Conflict of Interest Code
Brad Armstrong, Board Secretary Action


H. DIRECTORS COMMENTS ON ITEMS NOT APPEARING ON THE AGENDA


I. CLOSED SESSION:
Existing Litigation – People v. Hughes, et. al.
Existing Litigation – Zaiko v. KHVD
Potential Litigation – 4 Cases

(This is a serious situation, we will not be able to get any information on as it is in closed session. But if the cases go to court they are easily located on the Kern County Superior court website. Go to Civil cases and enter in Kern Valley Healthcare District and you will see a listing of cases, some new, some in progress, some are just an interesting history. But the issue that the hospital could be sued as I'm sure they have a cap on their liability insurance, and as we have said, if the community offers up it's property taxes, it is possible that money could go to the victims if they are successful in their respective court cases. Aside from just the bond, the weakening of the hospital's ability to stay alive financially has been it's own undoing.)

J. CLOSED SESSION REPORT
Scott Nave, General Counsel


K. ADJOURNMENT

Enjoy the meeting, and make sure that if you were promised responses to your questions, that you follow up and get those answers. As I've been watching video, I've seen questions addressed and promises of action or answers, but no one on either side, the hospital or community is following up. You have every right, you're dealing with a public, government hospital...not only that your property taxes are collateral for the district. You pay property taxes already, and you have the burden of the debt they created 24 years ago and still have not paid off.