Seniors no cost of living increase: possible increase in property taxes, don't get old

Do we continue to treat seniors, elderly and disabled as second class citizens?

When I saw that the COLA, or Cost of living adjustment, will not be accorded retired seniors for the second year in a row. Two years behind heavy increases in all aspects of living, gas, food, heat and cooling: well everything has gone up everywhere we go.

With the difficulties financially, as seniors often can no longer work, and are not being invited into many job situations, and many are being thrown out of companies they spent their whole lives working for a secure retirement.

These are a few of the reasons that I cannot agree to "measure G" the property tax measure which will add another burden to the overburdened. The KVHD adminstration seems to be selling this bond increase without any consideration the seniors and disabled.

Growing old is not for sissies

Most of us work all our lives trying to put children through college, raising grandchildren, holding together relationships, and in the end we find that there are few who even have considered, it will be you someday making these decisions, finding yourself in a financial struggle, or having to spend time in a nursing home.

Pat McGinnis of CANHR, California advocates for nursing home reform, told me that there is much resistance in government to help find answers to clear out the problems in nursing homes and treat them with dignity.

"There are more than 25 thousand people right now who are being abused in nursing home throughout the state."

The Kern Valley Healthcare District faced the very things that continue to keep the eldery and long term care patients on the bottom list for care. Short staffing, keeping the money at the top, rather than with the caregivers who tend to the patients.

What an honorable job to help those who have lived many kinds of lives, have contributed to the well being of others, and now need help.

In an article below, it spells out the cruel nature of our elder care system. It's called, "Elder Abuse: America's dirty little secret." The title of the site is intriguing, "renew America." It's a good article for anyone young, old or compassionate.
http://www.renewamerica.com/columns/connor/101016

When the KVHD board gave the CEO a raise on the night the GOB went on the ballot


KVHD board chairwoman, Victoria Alwin,
addresses the raise for new CEO, Tim
McGlew.

One odd thing was she and the board didn't do their homework and had not known what the normal
salary for a rural hospital CEO would be.


Not only that, but they had to ask CFO, Chet Beedle, what the CEO's were paid in the past.
McGlew came into the postion of CEO/nursing home administrator, with a salary 60 to 80 thousand more than the average salaries a normal hospital would pay.

"I don't know what we paid the other CEO's, but there's an old saying...pardon? What did we pay the other CEO's on an average chet?" Alwin asked.

So, without any information, salary averages, knowledge, Alwin asked chet what did we pay in the past. He mumbled 150, meaning $150,000. Without blinking an eye the chairwoman suggested a few things.


Dr. Robert Gross and Victoria Alwin
look to Chet Beedle for a figure on
how much the previous CEO's were
paid. They obviously rely soley on
the CFO and CEO, information, as obvisouly
they didn't do their homework. Not prudent.



Alwin suggested a flat $30,000 dollars raise for the CEO, without any research of her own on the average salaries, nor, any understanding that asking the community pay a partial on an old debt, bury the valley under two bond, and then said something that has not left my mind since that night.

She explained that a 3% raise for the CEO, would be after taxes, roughly four hundred dollars.

"So what I suggest is giving a good size raise, like I said, $400 dollars is cute..."

I bet the seniors and disabled don't think $400 is cute, in fact, it could pay for propane, food, help pay for home care, any number of things.

It could also help pay the property taxes on measure g.

I found that whole line of thinking offensive, and as I've reiterated to take a "higher than normal salary" and add to it, not know the history or averages of these salaries, but yet make a vote to put it into effect, is nothing to be proud of.

I'm backing the seniors in this race as we don't have to do this there is another option or three.


Chet Beedle looking uncomfortable
as Alwin adds up the millions of dollars
in losses incurred by the hospital due
to mismangement. Though Chet seemed
embarrassed, Alwin then blamed former
CEO, Rick Carter for the problems.



I hope this community helps itself by realizing you can ask all the questions you want of the administrators, but that doesn't mean you understand what is really being said.

So, Alwin, thinks $400 is cute. It may be the difference between heat and cold for some seniors. and now, even meals on wheels has cut their service to one meal a day.

We need to think about the seniors both in the sense of quality care and staffing in the nursing center here in the valley, but we all need to consider that it was elder abuse, death, that occurred right under our noses in this small town.

Good article from Renew America, please read. We have to think about this issue as this is a senior community with a growing senior population.

What KVHD's Measure G will look like on the November ballot

The KVHD ballot measure

Unfortunately, after 234 years of America government, we still do not have the ability to say that our election process is clear of bias and unfairness.

Watching Jerry Brown and Meg Whitman clawing at each other as they fight for the California Governnor's mansion, makes us "have to" change the way we elect officials to office. I am positive we have other options than these two people acting worse than couples in divorce court.

And the unfortunate latitude given to "property tax" driven measures such as the GOB the Kern Valley Healthcare District has put on the November ballot, must be changed to be specifically understood by the average voter.

Much like we "translate" government documents into many languages, Spanish, Vietnamese, etc., to accommodate all, election ballots should be required to translate the legal and couched descriptions so that we are able to understand precisely what we are voting for.

Let's analyze the measure based solely on the verbiage only, no supplemental information, as if you never knew a thing, but came across this as you were "voting" and thinking you were doing your duty as a citizen of neighborhood, state and country.

But if you didn't research, have any sort of background, then you might find this measure difficult to sort out as to make an intelligent vote.

And because you are deciding what you and your community will pay, consideration of others comes into play as well.

Let's look at this ballot language

Proposed Measure G: (Shall the voters determine that ) “To improve healthcare in the Kern Valley, build a new emergency room, meet current seismic standards, purchase mortgaged assets to reduce annual operating costs, and provide modern medical technology, including cardiac, ultrasound and radiology, shall the Kern Valley Healthcare District be authorized to issue up to $22,700,000 in bonds at legal interest rates, with an independent Citizen’s Oversight Committee, annual audits, and provided no funds are used for administrative salaries?”

1. "Build a new emergency room." (We need an urgent care as it costs more for residents to go to an ER. This has not been addressed. If a voter were to have no information they might think putting a new ER on a 40 year old building which will be out of commission in less time than it will take to pay off Measure G is a good idea.)
2. "meet seismic standards" (one would have to know that the hospital DOES meet seismic standards and has all the way to 2030 to replace the building. Otherwise it sounds like there is some urgency when, in fact, there is none.)
3. "Purchase mortgaged assets to reduce annual operating costs" (Most people will quickly read through this and have no idea that it means they are paying a "portion" of the "old debt" from the last attempted construction project in 1986. The average person will not understand that they are NOT paying the whole debt, then are leaving half of the old debt. This may "reduce," but does not eliminate the debt. )
4. provide modern medical technology including cardiac, ultrasound and radiology. (what savvy voter would know the Hospital Foundation purchased cardiac equipment in 2007, and ultrasound and radiology are both established already. What should be here is chemotherapy and dialysis and even the less radioactive tests such as an MRI instead of the CT scan which is being used constantly at KVHD as they have nothing else because of the "old debt." which won't even be paid off within this bond.)
5. be authorized to issue up to 22.7 million in bonds at legal interest rates (Can you see property tax increase anywhere in here? Well, that is what this means. And I will be posting next the "estimated" tax rates, not the real ones which nobody will know as it is contingent on the valley staying economically viable. If half the community moved right now at the all time low of assessed property values , and some of these homes were sold, some abandoned, that would immediately change the tax base. WE ARE THE COLLATERAL, get it? There should be a rule, if you vote for this, you can't move away)
6. Independent Citizen's oversight committee (I have submitted two complaints asking for investigations of fraud, waste, obstruction of public rights, and nothing ever occurred. A committee selected by the board of directors does not convince many that their money is safe.)
7. no funds are used for administrative salaries (That part was done at the same board meeting the hospital voted to put the bond on the ballot, they also put more money in the pocket of the CEO. Does every voter know that the CEO was already over the top range of salaries for a small rural hospital, but an additional raise added insult to injury?

The hospital and it's consultants wrote the ballot obviously to make it a sweeter sounding deal than to say, we need your money as it was wasted and used unwisely for years by some of us who are still there.

Yes, they could have clarified these things, but the Kern County Counsel allowed it, let it go, even though the average voter could not understand the deeper ramifications that come along with the tax initiative.

I think the election at KVHD is a perfect example of a need for intelligent campaign and election reform. Read the sample ballot which I will get back to, as I am "the argument against" the proposed tax measure.

KVHD campaign flier: the community caused our problems

Therefore you owe us a GOB

Kern Valley Healthcare District CEO, Tim McGlew, gave out materials outlining the property tax measure "G" during the Hospital Foundation annual fundraiser, "The Peddler's fair" last week. I have copied the flier in total, and have provided responses to each of the points. My comments are in red.


WE NEED YOUR HELP!

· Our emergency room is overcrowded, has privacy and human dignity issues, does not facilitate proper workflow for optimum patient care and must be seismically updated prior to the year 2030.

(The ER is not an emergency. Most hospital's have curtains and are set up in a similar fashion.)

· After 20 years of paying the principal and interest on the existing revenue bonds, KVHD no longer has the reserves or the projections to continue to pay the remaining $12.7 million in principal.

(What is the true reason they cannot pay? The bonds sold in 1986, also known as the "old debt" only became a factor when the construction project was not finished therefore it could not produce the revenue to pay the debt. From that point on a combination of regulations from the state insurer Cal Mtg., a symbiotic relationship as co-signers for our credit starved hospital, the lack of assistance from our local representatives in trying to obtain help out of a "no win" situation, and the mismanagement in spending, planning, along with higher than normal salaries at the top level of administration.)

FACTS;

· Since its organization in 1964, KVHD has not received an increase in taxes from the property owners in the Kern River " Valley.

(The hospital could have incrementally enjoyed tax increases that were commensurate with the economics of the valley. It is not like the community would come to the hospital and ask, "am I paying you enough taxes?" No, that was their job, so they can only blame themselves. By increasing the support system financially over the last forty years, the hospital may have been able to avert its current, urgent request for help.)

· The patients of KVHD have enjoyed the use of a major renovation in facilities since 1991 without having to support that renovation through taxes.

(I'm quite surprised to find this guilt inducing point, but I guess I will answer it. There are many who did not enjoy the "major renovation" which was mostly the nursing center where the current elder abuse case emanated from. Maybe had the hospital built the whole center, and it was able to surpass minimum staffing standards, they could say that, but I think that is a mistake to blame the community. With a number of civil cases waiting in the wings, I find it hard to even respond to this type of propaganda. Reminder, the elder abuse case resumes in the Kern County Superior court Oct. 15, 2010.)

· The 1991 renovation had to be downsized due to the revised seismic requirements from the Northridge Earthquake, impeding it from generating the projected profits.

(First off, the Northridge earthquake took place in 1994, and it was not the "main" problem which caused the KVHD "major expansion" to become minor. There were problems with contractors, no oversight from OSHPD or the board, and this was before 1991. They were in default in 1988 and tried to get the community to bail them out with the first GOB or sign of weakness. The project was originally 13 million, but in 1989, the hospital worth little more than one million dollars, sold another nine million in bonds and still could not finish. But Cal Mtg. allowed and insured this overpriced and under finished project.)

· The 1991 bonds were replaced in 2003 to take advantage of lower interest rates saving some $2 million in interest.

(The cost of the refinance was considerable and even though the state of California had its worst credit rating, they had to go ahead as bonds can only be called at certain periods of time. They weren't taking advantage of anything, they were forced to have to lower the interest rates on the bondholders so they could survive the major mistakes and this was the only time they could do it.)

· The KVHD emergency room must treat all patients regardless of their ability to pay.

(The hospital CFO, Chet Beedle has told several stories regarding this issue over the past year. First, patients were not being cooperative and filling out "charity care" forms so the hospital could bill for the services. Next, when a couple people at the board meetings complained they were being billed three years back for amounts as low as $8, I asked why the billing was so backlogged. I also commented that the cost to find someone three years ago owing less than ten bucks will only cost more. The final answer to the billing problems, Chet said he was trying to help the community by not billing. Would a prudent person do that? It's all on video, so there's no saying I didn't say that.)

· In the past three years, bad debts at KVHD have increased from $1.9 'million to $3.5 million per year.

(See previous answer regarding billing practices.)

• KVHD has one of the lowest tax bases of health care district hospitals in the State of California.

(Again, blaming the community for not paying enough taxes is only implicating the administrators and board for not doing their jobs. See explanation above.)

· The current annual property tax base of $230,000 for KVHD would not pay one two-week payroll.

(But happily it would pay for a year's salary for the CEO.)

· The mortgage loan Insurance guarantee division of the State of California (Cal-Mortgage) holds a deed of trust on all of the past, present and future assets of KVHD.

(I'm going to hold off on answering this now, as there is something you will all know soon about this sordid relationship...)

· Should KVHD not be able to meet its annual principal and interest payments to the existing revenue bondholders, Cal- Mortgage can perfect their deed of trust and sell or close the KVHD facilities. , Licensing will not allow there to be an emergency room without a hospital.

(KVHD has not met it's obligations and Cal Mtg. allowed them to drain the reserves, change the debt ratio qualifications, and basically has never in the 24 years ever tried to "take" the hospital. I suppose you can guess why...because it's not worth the amount owed. It's in their best interest to keep the hospital open and to collect their premiums than to take a run down building. However, they do have the ability to fire the administrators and replace them with "different" people. That is the concern of the high priced administrators right now.)

· Ambulances cannot stop at urgent care centers, so without an emergency room, all illnesses or injuries of an emergent nature would have to be transported directly to Bakersfield.

(I guess they added this to dissuade those who would like an urgent care available and don't care so much about the rest of the hospital. The flier is correct ambulances would have to transport to Bakersfield if there were no ER. But we have an ER already. What we don't have is an urgent care. We were supposed to have had an urgent care, the hospital was supposed to rent space from Sienna Wellness clinic owned by Dr. Robert Gross DO, hospitalist, board member. It's obviously an issue that continues to be overlooked as the question has been asked repeatedly over the last few years as people would like to avoid the higher costs of going to an ER.)

· The KVHD Board has placed Measure G on the November ballot requesting a general obligation bond measure for $22.7 million to address these issues.

(Money can't address issues, competent and compassionate administrators and board members can though. Don't mistake the bond measure as a "sure fix" as there is very little understanding as to what this will actually do except be an extremely expensive stop gap measure. And considering the need for a second bond measure, we still will be paying for the 1986 mistake, Measure G, and then another bond to complete what?)

YOU CAN HELP BY VOTING YES FOR MEASURE G ON THE NOVEMBER OR ABSENTEE BALLOT!

Final thoughts: There are answers other than a "bail out" from the community who seems to be blamed for the problems at the hospital in this campaign leaflet. No where on this flier does it say anything about the recent raise for the CEO, the past failures and how they could be avoided, or even the DETAILS of how this money is to be used. If they can't create an informative flier with solutions rather than excuses and blame, they how can we in all conscience allow them to govern this healthcare district?

It's tough to miss both the sign and the message: KVHD "Meausure G"

Outdoor blogger...

So many of us are out here in "inner space," on the Internet, discovering and creating with this useful communication tool, but there's nothing like a large sign on the side of a main highway to put out your message.

People are talking about the sign: who put it up? Does this mean people are finally standing their ground? Do you think they will lose?

Having to pass the sign daily, on the way around Lake Isabella, or cruising down Highway 178, keeps the issue in people's minds.

Whether you decide to vote for or against the tax measure, the sign may make you think and consider how important this upcoming election is to everyone. Over burdening the community with taxes could cause a domino effect, leaving other businesses trying to hold down the fort.

But you have yet to hear that there are other options.

Coming soon...

KVHD Oct. Board meeting: Public can't see Plan B

Kern Valley Healthcare District Board meeting: interesting as usual

(Kathryn Knight, pictured above, tells board and the audience we need a plan "b" or maybe C and D too.)

The first question from the public at the October Kern Valley Healthcare District board meeting was what will the hospital do if the property tax increase, Measure G, doesn't pass?

That was not the first time the question was asked it has been going on for months, with no response from the administrators or the board.

With a 22.7 million dollar property tax supported, general obligation bond, on the ballot for voters to decide whether they want to invest their money into a financially faltering hospital or wait for another alternative, the managers and board had another chance to answer questions from the public.

Former interim board member, Wayne Ottison, headed to the podium and directly asked for an answer as to whether the hospital will survive without the bond.

The answer, from CEO, Tim McGlew, was "yes."

So, they will survive

A second concern voiced in the community is the participation of the public in the oversight if the bond is passed or even in the conception of a plan to deal with the future of the district.

Ron Benoit, known for his service in the community and a member of the Lake Isabella/Bodfish Homeowners association, questioned the board as to why they are not paying off the "old debt" with this bond money.

Benoit suggested had that been paid off, he said he felt there would be more public support.

No, they are going to juggle three bonds

• The "old debt" you hear some people talking about has existed since 1988, when this hospital went after it's first bail out from a mishandled construction project. This project produced less than half of what it originally had been planned, but cost twice as much as "normal" costs would have been. That was from 1986 and we have now paid more than 60 million to carry a debt that would not go away. This bond will not be paid off for another decade, meaning the community is paying double...for now.
• If the community were to band together and obtain this bond, Measure G, the money could actually be lost in many places such as lawsuits, potential construction costs not foreseen as there are in fact no construction plans, or a whole slew of pitfalls which could catch hold of the new found cash. Those taxes will come due annually to property owners who will have no choice but to pay for the next 30 years.
• There are no current threats of closure due to seismic upgrades on the hospital. Not until 2030. So, since Measure G will not be paid off, or capable of upgrading or building, another bond will need to be sold to the community, and at some point we could be paying for three bonds.

Not much of a plan to say the least, but we have to consider the whole picture, the needs today and the trends toward the future.

I'm positive this community would be willing to share in the responsibility of a bond measure they were included in creating.

There has been surveys done for years now and the same issues arise each time: Cataract surgery, dialysis, chemotherapy, urgent care and mammography.

The waste

KVHD has bought two cataract surgery PHACO units and continues to be unable to provide this service.

However, McGlew announced that they are doing "lap band" surgeries for the obese people in the valley. As this is the hospital surgeon's speciality, Dr. Kent Skoegerson, who made a career from these procedures, it has been announced there have been four successful lap band surgeries performed already.

Lap band surgery never came up on any surveys, but since we have the technology why not use it.

They had mammography at one short point, but now after all these promises, it's a matter of actually materializing the needs of the community.

No more empty promises KVHD

Their campaign slogan is "you owe us a GOB," as they are sore as a boil over there that we the tax payer aren't paying enough.

Let them not forget the whole project called KVHD came from the government with our money. The point: to care for the needs of rural health. This hospital was built with government money to serve the underserved, it is actually a "cash cow."

Yes, there are diamonds in this mine of medicare and medical monies, as well as ER services as opposed to urgent care.

It costs more to enter an ER and is generally expected that one goes to an emergency room for things a regular doctor cannot handle.

Urgent care is basically a clinic full of coughing children or stitches, this keeps the ER from overloading with patients who can wait or be treated more efficiently in a different setting.

One woman at the September meeting complained that her husband had come to the ER for a catheter and left with a CT scan, new prescriptions, and a bill. Their regular doctor stopped the prescriptions and basically went back to where they started which was a catheter.

She called it fraud.

Another patient who is uninsured was using the sliding scale available to qualified individuals as the hospital IS reimbursed for much of these patients care. Don't let them fool you, there is a difference between a bad debt and a lack of proper billing practices.

Bad debt does not mean charity care. A bad debt could mean an unpaid co-pay for the ER let's say.

But if I decided to allow a debt to get out three years or more, it's tough to collect. People move, people die, and people lose jobs and have no homes, welcome to the "depression."

KVHD doesn't know others need money too

Having a CEO take a raise on the very night the district asks tax payers to put 22.7 million dollars into the hands of the some of the same people involved in the understaffing disaster which lead to the use of psychotropics on nursing home patients is devoid of any common sense.

I remember the night of the fire in Kernville, I leaned against my car filming the glow in the evening sky. Then I had a thought, what does the hospital do when a fast moving fire hits it's constituents.

Much to my dismay, some employees didn't know there was a fire, one was only concerned that it was across the lake (this time), and no administrators.

I said, if I were your CEO, I would be sleeping in my office tonight until I knew all were safe in the smoldering community. Just an opinion, but you can't pay someone to care, they generally only care if they are paid.

Meeting summary

Here's what you may want to watch for at KVHD:

The board voted in a new contract for telehealth. It costs $3000 a month, with consultation at $200 per hour by psychiatrists, cardiologists, and other specialites. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The hospital will not own the equipment, and actually doesn't have a doctor willing to consult in the skilled nursing center.

According the Chet Beedle, that is because the SNF, nursing facility, does not have electronic records to go with the telemedicine. The doctors don't want to only see a patient on TV, they want access to their records as well.

Beedle explained that the nursing facility has needed a psychiatrist consultant in conjunction with the use of psychotropic drugs for the patients for many years. But apparently that will still be delayed unless, of course, it is being enforced by the Department of Public Health...

Only RHC will have the ability to use it initially, when it gets there. Though McGlew said there were also "four" patients at rural health using the psychTV. The answers were confusing.

The televised consultations come to the hospital via Southern Sierra Telehealth.

http://sierratelehealth.org/

Next, we found out we have a potential new partner in strategic planning called Focus and execute. Actually, there was description by the CEO that the company has some great software that makes sure that goals are met. Mcglew said he had just recieved a proposal for the consultants right before he walked in the door to the meeting.

Chairwoman, Victoria Alwin, reminded him the board would need "three" summaries from different companies.

http://focusandexecute.com/index.php

What about Chet Beedle?

According to the resume of Chet Beedle he provided me back in 2007, he's a specialist in rural health strategic planning.

So, why are we not using his skills? Why are we considering paying others when we pay 133,000 to our CFO? Many small hospitals can't afford CFO's like Beedle, they have their CEO doing the financials which is often time the job description of the executive officer.

We can't have Plan B...yet

Finally, board member, Kathryn Knight, had the board pull the minutes from the September Finance committee meeting, indicating there was a discussion regarding a "plan b," to be implemented in the event the GOB doesn't pass.

I asked what this plan was about, and if I could have a copy, and I was turned down. I, of course, told them if it had been discussed at a public meeting it now became a public record.

Scott Nave, counsel for the board, was asked by me if I could have the document and he said I could not because it was a "draft."

Again, I responded, if the public had attended the finance meeting then we would know what this plan, option, or draft had been, and it would have been public.

All members refused to allow the public access to the plan or the discussion surrounding the plan, even though it went through a public meeting and not a closed session.

Had I attended or anyone else we would not have to go begging for information rightly due the public.

Somewhere out there is a plan of action or reaction ordered by Cal Mtg. in case the community wakes up and begins to demand proof and doesn't rubber stamp Measure G.

Do we even know what Measure G is about?

Even though I will pursue the plan B, also known as the "turn around' plan, and written by Tim Mcglew and Chet Beedle, both admitted, I still don't understand plan A, the bond.

With a promise of a new ER and a retrofit of the current ER into an radiology center, and a partial payment off the "old debt," a two million dollar loan to close the gap on the bond sales, I don't understand how this could be called, "a head start" by the CEO.

The hospital is now 40 years old, and to add a new structure with the old which will need to be replaced in the next twenty years, has no vision for the future.

If you could choose now how that money is spent how would you want to spend it? New ER, or maybe a new urgent care, or a medical center, or outpatient surgery, or the many opportunities time and research could provide where do you want it to go?

Four years ago, we told the public that we needed a new acute care unit, for 12 million, only to find ot the architectural plans were not feasible and were slated to sit atop the septic system.

What would have happened had we voted in Measure M in 2006?

Answer: we would still be coming after this second bond and then a third bond, while continuing to pay the original debt where decisions were not carefully planned, but big money was invited in.

We would be paying the extra taxes on the former measure, then pushed into another bond, and then knowing a final bond would be necessary.

As an opinion piece I put up from the Tehachapi newspaper regarding their GOB they voted in after much ado, a woman said, she didn't expect to live to see the hospital built, but she does have to pay her annual "GOB" taxes regardless of whether or not the money was spent on the "potentially" new hospital.

KVHD elder abuse case continued to Dec. 3rd: money problems for defendants?

Elder abuse case continued: defense running out of money?

News from the Kern County Superior court is that the Kern Valley Healthcare District elder abuse case brought about by the state of California's Department of Justice has been continued until Dec. 3rd as two of the defendants may be having financial problems.

All three defendants, former KVHD CEO, Pamela Ott, Dr. Hoshang Pormir, and Nursing Director, Gwen Hughes appeared for the scheduled court hearing where they would have to answer to charges of elder abuse after a preliminary hearing showed their was enough evidence to move to trial.

Gwen Hughes, seen in photos sitting in her wheelchair, had declared bankruptcy two months ago, and today, her attorney, Bruce Blythe, informed the court he would no longer be representing Hughes.

Hughes, at this time will now be using a public defender to serve as her attorney during the rest of the case.

What was more interesting is the "big time" attorney didn't show

As I have mentioned, Dr. Hoshang Pormir, hired two somewhat well known attorneys to handle his case, Donald Etra and William Howard Ginsburg, but neither was with Pormir this morning in court.

Money problems seem to be what is being declared as the reason for the continuance, as Pormir was in court alone, and Ott's attorney, local Jim Faulkner, spoke on Pormir's behalf.

I've heard from lawyers that costs to pursue a criminal trial start at the low end of $200,000 but it depends on your attorney.

Donald Etra, who has recently taken to celebrity cases, is probably not anywhere near that cost, that's more than likely his "lunch money."

There are two aspects to the charges the defendants must overcome: the criminal case and second, the licensing boards.

Again, there are costs to defend these cases, but they also have cases with the state board of nursing and the medical board which requires its own investigation... and attorney costs.

The civil cases

With a number of civil cases stemming from the elder abuse incidents, the defendants still may have to face years of lawsuits depending on the actions of the hospital's liability insurance carrier. Will they settle out of court?

Depending on the costs, Betagh, liability for KVHD, may find themselves over the maximum level to pay for all the costs associated with the crimes. These are monies which could become caught in the "bail out" or Measure G, meaning with all the lawsuits out there, KVHD may have to pay out of their own pockets...our pockets.

A young man contacted me a few weeks ago regarding an incident in the ER. It was serious enough that I recommended he take it to an attorney who would be more effective in helping him than I would be.

I saw him a few days ago, and asked what the attorney said to him. He told me the lawyer said bring me all you have, I'm already handling three other cases against that hospital.

That opened my eyes to the fact that this hospital may have to do what everyone is afraid to do: bankrupt.

Another subject for another time.

As of today, the elder abuse case is continued until December, and with the new information about financial troubles with the defendants, we may see that plea deal after all.

It's any one's guess, but we need to resume talking about "the future" of this hospital, it's viability, and offer real solutions, rather than trying to pretend there aren't serious problems hanging over us all which have not been adequately or fairly adressed.

And just so you know crime isn't the only thing that pays

Here's something you should know if you work anywhere there is white collar crime, financial mismanagement, and you are asked to do things you know are wrong: You could be rich for telling the truth.

It's the "whistle blower" act which means the person courageous enough to have turned in the elder abuse gang at KVHD, would or will be rich. Millions of dollars have gone out to whistle blowers who refused to "follow orders" they knew were wrong or illegal.

If you ever find yourself in a situation where you are being threatened to keep information about potentially illegal activities, don't hide in a corner, tell the truth and there will be a pay off, a very large pay off.

I know so many of the employees at KVHD tried to notify the board and administrators of the short staffing and elder abuse issues, but next time, call an attorney first, they are in the phone book under "whistle blower."

This way you will protect your own rights and will also be rewarded financially.

Average salaries for hospital CEO and CFO: how does it compare to KVHD?

Is the hospital paying above the national average for all it's employees?

According to several companies which calculate average salaries for hospital administrators, such as the Chief Executive Officer or Chief Financial officer, the numbers I have found are far below what is being paid at the Kern Valley Healthcare District.

There are two stories coming from inside this hospital. The first is that they will go bankrupt if they don't obtain a bond which will be provided by the community in property taxes. The second involves the CFO, Chet Beedle, who says the hospital is not "hanging by a thread" financially that they are now making money.

He said the hospital has a surplus. (more on this soon)

Which do you believe, or which do you want to believe?

At the September KVHD board of Directors meeting, the board members voted to put the 22.7 million dollar bond on the ballot for the November election.

During this same meeting, a raise was given to the new CEO, who has been with the hospital for one year now. In a question and answer forum in the Kern Valley Sun, the CEO said he makes $213,158, the CFO Beedle makes $133, 723 and CNO, Mark Gordon gets $100,006.00.

The CEO goes on to say there are no bonuses and no extra expenses, they get what the rest of the employees get.

According to three sources, the average pay for a CEO nationally is $130,000 per year.

More specifically, Bakersfield has an average even lower than the national which is $108,000.


These figures include large and small hospitals, as a government site, had a figure of an average CEO salary at $116,000.

The Chief Financial officer has an even lower average which ranged from site to site, at or around $100,000.

Beedle who said in email below: KVHD frugality, that he was making $106,000 in 2008, then two years later, that has increased to $133,000. That would be almost 10% increase per year.

speaking of bonuses

There is much material to read in regard to health care, and one particular site, focused on performance raises. With the economy and healthcare reform on a crash course, administrators recieve raises based on the "overall" health of the hospital.

I would think that the board of directors could have implemented that style of pay increase, based on the performance of the hospital financially.

Due to the fact that these jobs are very difficult to obtain, and a small, rural hospital paying the highest end, for averages on hospitals such as large metropolitan medical centers, is out of touch with reality.

Can this small hospital afford to continue to ignore how it spends it's money?

Another main issue, was the fact that CEO's are usually groomed and are brought up from within the organization allowing them the education and knowledge to take over at some point. All of KVHD's management came from recruiters and live outside the valley even.

Please use Google average CEO salaries and average CFO salaries as there is much information to be found.

The hospital is paying the latest CEO, $65,000 more than the last administrator, and $100,000 more than the average CEO in Bakersfield.

“Competition for the CEO job in a hospital is fierce," said Carol Westfall, president of St. Louis-based Cejka Search.

That last comment makes me want to ask the question, could our CEO and CFO make the same amount of money at the same size hospital somewhere else?

Let's do an experiment and find out...

For more information, Google: "Payscale" "indeed" "national average salary, Average salary in California, Average Salary in Bakersfield California.

Salary comparisons and expenses: Kern Valley Healthcare district's frugality: response to Kern Valley Sun

Here are a few documents and emails relating to the costs the district has spent over the last four years.

You will see more as I will use this post to add other figures, such as the costs and expenses for a former CEO, Rick Carter. Carter was paid $153,000 along with expenses such as housing, plane trips, train and lunches.

The financial manager in another email, not yet posted, said the "high end" of the salaries for a CEO in 2008 was $175,000, thereby, justifying the costs for the former CEO.

Questions have been asked of me, and the Kern Valley Sun Newspaper had a question and answer forum with CEO Tim McGlew two weeks ago, and the concerns are the costs paid to administrators over the last four financially arduous years.

http://kvsun.com/articles/2010/09/23/opinion/editorials/doc4c8fc97faea1a289917162.txt

Here are some of the answers so we can begin to look at the costs at the top, and the deep cuts to the staff such as nurses' aides who are the people who actually care for the patients.

We all should ask ourselves as the patients, taxpayers, employees, what is the most important way to spend money at the hospital?

Please peruse, and as I'm having some computer problems right now, I will have to come back to this post and add on the other documents.

(I'm sorry, but due to MSN internet I have lost three comments which were posted yesterday when my computer went down. If you need to resend, feel free, as I don't know where they went...The only reason I select to keep this defiant giant, MSN, is so nobody can say I "doctored" the emails; they remain to this day on the server...)

----- Original Message -----
From: Beedle, Chet
To: Laura Hart
Sent: Wednesday, April 11, 2007 11:06 AM
Subject:

RE: Hi Chet

Thanks for the vote of confidence. The CEO salary in Bakersfield of $300K doesn't sound right? The latest market information that we have for a CFO and CEO are: CFO - mid-range (5-10 yrs) - $116,966. I make $106,000. CEO - mid-range (5-10 yrs) $150,297. I believe that Pam is making about $141,783. I hope that this gives you what you need.

Chester N. Beedle

----- Original Message -----
From: Beedle, Chet
To: Laura Hart ; Hoffman, Debra ; Sage,Heidi
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 1:33 PM
Subject: RE: request for clarification....

The District has received and reviewed your request for documents under California's Public Records Act. We have attached the one document we have that is responsive to the request. Although it is not required under California law, we are also providing answers to the questions in your request:

Salary Comparison Sheet. - Attached is the Salary Comparison sheet from April 2008 identified in your request. The District has no other document responsive to the request.

Clarification regarding "additional expenses". - The District has no documents responsive to this request. As an explanation, the column "additional expenses" refers to the difference between the columns "FY 2009 Budgeted Salary" and "Current Range". These "additional expenses" were not approved by the Board.

SNF Administrator salary. - The District has no documents responsive to this request. As an explanation, $408,000 reflects compensation paid to Sycamore under its contract with the District for the year. The $215,000 represents compensation payable to Tracy Brown (as SNF Administrator) on an annual basis under the terms of the consulting contract approved unanimously by the Board after the termination of the Sycamore contract. Of that amount, $200,000 is standard compensation and $15,000 is a potential bonus that may be earned under the terms of the contract.
The District has not withheld any documents in responding to your request.


-----Original Message-----
From: Laura Hart [mailto:muymala@msn.com]
Sent: Monday, October 20, 2008 9:46 AM
To: Hoffman, Debra; Sage,HeidiCc: Beedle, Chet
Subject: request for clarification....

Hello:
I would like to request the most recent administrative Salary Comparison which would include the SNF or the new director's salary, and the added expenses.
And could I have some clarification on the comparison sheet as to what these additional expenses are being used for?
And in the April comparison, under SNF administrator, there was a $408,000 figure for "salary." Was this all the money paid to Sycamore Management for a full year or what is it?
On the same sheet, the 2009 budgeted projection shows a figure of $215,000. Why the

difference? It's still a large figure, bigger than the CEO, but what does it mean?
I can come down and pick it up later today or tomorrow or you can even email it to me.
Thank you, Laura Hart



----- Original Message -----
From: Beedle, Chet
To: Laura Hart
Sent: Tuesday, November 28, 2006 3:38 PM
Subject: RE: interview....
I regret that you have employees going to you with wage concerns. There exists a mechanism in established policy and procedure for employees who have grievances of any sort to take first to their manager, then to administration if not resolved and finally to the Board of Directors. This is the chain of command in every hospital with which I have worked for over 35 years. Employees who don't get their way because management and the Board have made the best decisions for the organization will try to "grasp at any straw" that they can in an attempt to circumvent the system. No matter what the "threats" are, if management or the Board give in to the meteoric and allow this circumvention, in my opinion, the organization is doomed and will undoubtedly return to the days of its existence when it teetered on the brink of bankruptcy.

Let me assure you that the salary administration plan and the current management of the Healthcare District is appropriate. As the insurer for our revenue bonds, the Cal-Mortgage division of the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development gets a copy of our financials and board packet each month. They have been and continue to be very complimentary. As a matter of fact, there is a clause in the paperwork of the last bond refinancing from 2003 that speaks to the need for the District to get their approval before changing the individuals in senior management.
If the District is to remain successful, we must rely on the management and the Board to make the right decisions for the organization. Those decisions should not be circumvented in any manner by outside organizations. The community has the right and I believe the obligation to elect Board members whom they believe will best represent their interests. Thank goodness that is what our free enterprise system is all about. Should that elected board as a body believe that there should be a management change, then and only then should that take place. The systems are there for all of us . We all need to use them as established and as intended.

Just let me know when you would like to speak with me, I will gladly and willingly make myself available to you individually or with the administrative team including Dr. Pormir. I would also like to express my personal appreciation for your efforts and know that you are trying to give the community the best facts that you can. I also appreciate your support of our efforts as the management to do the best we can for the organization.

Have a great day!

Chester N. Beedle Chief Financial Officer Kern Valley Healthcare District



Good Afternoon Laura,
We are in receipt of your request for documents however we do not have any documents responsive to your request. There have been no modifications or waivers made with regard to Tracy Brown’s contract. Her contract is an evergreen contract that automatically renews each year unless notice is given by either party. The District rented housing for the consultants as a whole, not individually therefore there are no specific housing documents for Mrs. Brown. Mrs. Brown does not receive compensation for travel, gas, or mileage as that is not a provision in her contract.

In response to your email dated July 8th, I believe I have provided you with a copy of the Sycamore contract in the past but if you would like another copy I would be happy to get that for you.

Thanks,
Heidi

Laura,
Here is the information that you requested on the three consultants.

As a reminder, this is the total amount that each of them received for the last fiscal year (July 1, 2008 – June 30, 2009).

Beth Clark - $89,389.13
Nolan Stewart - $62,409.05
Fidel Morgadez - $77,092.86

--Heidi

Response to Kern Valley Sun "question and answer" KVHD forum

Explanation of letters to the editor of the Kern Valley Sun

http://kernvalleysun.com/articles/2010/10/02/opinion/letters/doc4c868dd4829da174192300.txt

As I've said, I will follow up on the articles in the Kern Valley Sun, both the the KVHD "question and dancer" intermittent spot and the letters to the editor.

In the letter above, Kern Valley Healthcare District candidate, John Blythe, wrote that he thought the deflection of the question from former CEO and board member, Robert Knight, by current CEO, Tim McGlew, was intentional to make Knight look bad.

Blythe wrote:

"I was irritated at the last Kern Valley Healthcare District Board meeting during a discussion over the proposed General Obligation Bond. Bob Knight, a former KVHD CEO/board member asked of the current CEO Tim McGlew if the hospital had a second plan if the GOB failed in the upcoming election. Mr. Knight said to Mr. McGlew, “We still owe Cal-Mortgage millions of dollars.” Mr. McGlew sat there clueless as if he did not even know what Mr. Knight was talking about. Again, Mr. Knight stressed the debt and Mr. McGlew finally stated, “We do not owe Cal-Mortgage millions of dollars.” So I chose to intervene and said, “Mr. McGlew, I think what Mr. Knight is saying is that we owe money to the bondholders for the revenue bonds (used for the construction of the Hospital’s Skilled Nursing Facility in 1990) which are insured by Cal-Mortgage.” Mr. McGlew then smiled and acted as though he now knew what Mr. Knight was talking about."


Let me explain.

Mr. Robert Knight, who will be doing an interview with me this week, asked Mr. McGlew about the debt from 1986, but Knight phrased it in a way that sounded like he was asking if we were paying the debt to Cal Mtg. who actually insures the debt.

McGlew gave the answer, that "no, we are not paying Cal Mtg."

That was absolutely true, we are not paying Cal Mtg. we are paying the unfortunate people who added KVHD government "tax free" bonds to their financial portfolio.

However, McGlew did know what Mr. Knight had meant by his question, and yes, he could have clarified and answered it, but he chose not to.

Mr. Blythe, as the audience sat in silence, responded to McGlew and restated the question which McGlew indeed answered when it was "phrased and accurate."

This is how you answer questions in court under oath

There is nothing "illegal" about answering the actual question the person asked, in fact, that is exactly how any veteran of the court room would have answered on the stand or in deposition.

Since Mr. McGlew recently answered questions this summer in a "review" (his words) of the Kern Valley District, I'm assuming under oath, that he used the very same technique.

McGlew, according to an email between CFO, Chet Beedle and Mable Chan of the office of Cal Mtg., McGlew had recently been deposed in a court case involving his former employer in Los Angeles.

When someone is involved in a court case, criminal or civil, they are coached by their attorneys to only answer the question that is asked. Adding extra information can lead the opposing attorney (or even an inquisitive and tenacious reporter) from learning more than they knew which could lead to follow up questions.

That is what Mr. McGlew did at the September KVHD board meeting, was to simply answer as if he was on the stand.

How do I know this?

I've been deposed, questioned by several attorneys under oath, five times, three on video, and I have logged over 12 hours on the stand. I learned how to answer only the question. And I learned when to add information, break down a compound question, and ask for a clearer question.

Probably not knowing that McGlew had been in court several times this year, Blythe assumed it was some sort of game. Blythe politely addressed McGlew who finally answered the question when it was put in the form that could not be deflected.

But the board meeting isn't a court room, and answers to questions are vital to bring about trust and coherent information. That is McGlew's job as well as the rest of the administration and board members.

There should be no fear on the part of KVHD to answer questions directly, without hesitation, and they should not be afraid to include the public. That is their job. And I will continue to repeat if you have nothing to hide why are you deflecting?

However, I think there needed to be clarification as to why Mr. McGlew answered in the fashion he did that night. It's simply how one answers in court, but not really appropriate for a high paid administrator of a hospital addressing community questions and concerns.

Marge Swendleson, sent a letter to the KV Sun regarding Blythe's letter on the same day they were both printed. I can only reason that Mrs. Swendleson had to had seen the letter from Blythe as you can see in the links, they were printed on the same day. ???

(correction: I checked the actual "paper" copies of the KV Sun and the letters were indeed a week apart.)

Swendleson has been around a long time, and I believe she has the hospital's best interest at heart, but I'm sure she, just by observing and speaking with her for the past four years, didn't realize that by being allowed to read and respond to Mr. Blythe's letter before it was printed, was not the fair thing to do.

I don't think she would have done that on her own, asked for that anyway. But you will have to ask the KV Sun editor, Cathy Perfect, about it.

Two months before this meeting Swendleson had told the KVHD board and administrators that she had received three phone calls from the "phone survey" which the hospital used as the "indicator" as to whether to put a bond on the ballot.

Her statement showed the lack of validity of the survey itself, but the matter was not brought up in the KV Sun, or any other venue, and the hospital administrators shrugged it off.

Always repeat your questions and always follow up when speaking to the hospital administration.

I hope this takes clears this up for all of you as there are plenty of other issues to address.

http://kernvalleysun.com/articles/2010/10/02/opinion/letters/doc4c8fc921d46f3156949223.txt

One more clarification: in a comment under one of the many posts on the KV website, a person had said that the reason Tim McGlew is being paid the "big salary" is because he is charge of both the nursing center and the hospital. So was Robert Knight, Dave Green, Pam Ott, Robert Duncan, and Rick Carter: none of them recieved a comparable salary.

(we are still experiencing some technical problems, and I apologize to those who sent along comments and emails, but we should be back on track this week...thanks for your feedback.)

The final KVHD board meeting before the election...Wed. Oct 6, 5:30 PM

Plan A: get a bunch of money from the community

The Kern Valley Board of Directors will be meeting at their regular monthly meeting, Wed. Oct. 6, at 5:3o Pm in the cafeteria where the public will have it's final chance to have them all gathered together before the November election.

With a the property tax increase, "Measure G," on the ballot the public may have one final time to ask questions about the administrator's plan for the 22.7 million dollar "general obligation bond" GOB. The obligated are property owners throughout the valley the government district serves, which means this might be of some importance as the valley has incurred quite an increase in it's prices in the last few years.

The recent unemployment average in the valley is over 20%, above the national rate at 12%.

Propane has seen a sharp increase as "well' as water as Cal Water has been allowed to make increases to find ways to lower levels of such sinister water elements as arsenic, fluoride, even Chlorine.

The demographics show a high level of senior and disabled residents who are much of the reason the hospital was created in the first place out of a "government program" from the Hill Burton Act.

With high gas prices comes a rise in all prices, which it proved as four years ago when we began to see a steep incline in overall pricing.

If only I could report that the hospital had a vision and a responsibility to the valley, but I can't it's not true.

I am also known as the "Argument against"

When the "special board meeting" was called in late July, the board was pushing to get the bond on the ballot in a meeting with only a 24 hour notice. Four people, including CEO Tim McGlew and CFO Chet Beedle were incorrect initially in their projections of the property tax increase.

Finally, a little late, Greg Kato, of Caldwell, Flores, and Winters arrived much to the pleasure of the confused administrators. Kato explained that the rate is "estimated" and finally settled on the projection based on the current population, at $75 per one hundred thousand of assessed value.

But there were four plans to start with and this was July, only four months from the election and a week left to vote and meet the election deadline.

At this point there was also a "parcel tax" and two other "lower cost" GOB's ranging up to the SELECTED 21.7 MILLION. The board voted to go for the higher costing project which includes a TWO MILLION DOLLAR loan against the bonds, a new ER which will cost as much as the proposed retrofit of the old ER into an imaging center.

The former debt, eerily almost the same amount, 22 MILLION, will only be half paid so the hospital will still be making payments on a "tax free bond" with "property tax" monies.

Then in ten years the hospital will need another GOB from the community to upgrade the facility seismically.

This will cost double by that time, so I see no circumspection involved in this idea or they prefer to call a plan, the timing could only hurt the whole community, and the plan is now entitled from the information distributed at the Hospital Foundations Peddler's Fair: WE NEED YOUR HELP

That I would agree with.

There are and were ways to make this hospital grow again.

It's a fact that we missed an opportunity for "brick and mortar" grant monies especially designated to rural, critical access, hospitals such as ours because...?

It's true we could have a brand new hospital in Lake Isabella which could be used for services such as mammography and dialysis, chemotherapy, cataract surgery, an urgent care, but we have no such plan on order, nor are the administrators willing to wait.

The old building does not have to be destroyed it simply needs to be reclassified.

That just begins the possibilities which have never been discussed or considered.

I can't make heads or tails of it

I've heard of so many plans being tossed around like lunch time at a salad bar that I cannot really tell you what the "final" plan will be from the hospital.

If you have questions, which I've seen many questions in the comments, it's the last time to take them directly to the source.

The will be meeting at 5: 30 pm on Wed. Oct. 6th in the cafeteria.

I welcome comments sent directly to me, as I would be curious to hear how the community is perceiving Measure G. I can post them with or without your name, but the question to our valley is: Do you know what plan the hospital actually has and how do you know it?

Four years ago October

In 2006, as the hospital and CFO, Chet Beedle were preparing "measure M' the GOB which would add an "acute care unit" for 12 million. It was the month before when my health took a turn and I missed that meeting.

At the meeting were several nurses who reported to the board the problems with "short staffing" and other issues as well. The nurses were reprimanded that they had not followed the "chain of command" illustrated in their employee handbook.

With a 12 MILLION DOLLAR GOB a month away the nurses were dismissed and placated with a committee which only ever met one time. All the nurses quit shortly thereafter.

The last month for Measure "Gee, I don't understand"

Remember to ask your questions and follow up with "show me," if you don't consider yourself gullible. As I will post tomorrow the flyers given out by CEO, Tim McGlew, during the Hospital Foundation "Peddler's Fair." I'll also clarify each sentence for you as best I can.

Laura Hart HartoftheKRV@msn.com

Seek and Ye Shall Find: Tax OR Ye shall get the AX!

I arise in the morning torn
between a desire to improve the world
and a desire to enjoy the world.
This makes it hard to plan the day. E.B. White


From fire comes new growth

Right now there is smoke wafting up through the canyon, into the valley, where it is settling in all of our lungs. I have been a bit out of touch due to a few health issues, and wish all well, in Havila and Bodfish and have called friends in the area to make sure they are playing it safe with fire.

I don't know what they are calling it the "Canyon fire" as maybe fires should have names like hurricanes which are giving the gulf all it can handle already this year after the oil leaks and sinking ships.

Maybe we could call the canyon fire "Chet" or "Pam" or "Cathy," could be "Jerry" "Donald" too. I don't know, but I have little info on that situation, I'm still choking on the smoke coming from the Kern Valley Healthcare District.

It's a sad time for many people all over the world, and I have given my brother strict instructions to stay away from watching the TV news as it has no answers to give, only pictures of the pain repeated like a mantra. We need to have hope and faith to survive.

This has been one heck of a fire season up here in the Kern River Valley and I also know it can be quite unpredictable. We have to stay aware of our surroundings, leave nothing to chance, as it can suddenly come up on you from behind.

The fire though is under KVHD, as administrators have left no other options for themselves in the case of the new "property tax" bond measure which could lead to a financial default which in turn could lead the retiring of these bond selling administrators...by the very contract they signed us all up for in 1986, the original debt (No not Columbia House, though it's close, but Cal Mtg.)...

No, they don't have anything to lose, they have everything to lose including their jobs if they don't convince 2/3 of this community to pay for the past transgression which lead to our current predicament or I mean "construction project" or whatever they are saying now.

And this bond will not solve the problems for KVHD in the future, they will have to come to the voters of this valley again, for another round of money, as this is only the first bond. As the CEO said, "we're trying to get a head start," with what?

Since the meeting in August KVHD board meeting

After I witnessed the board of directors and the administrators basically put up a "roadblock" to other options than a property tax debt for the community for the next 30 years, I couldn't help but want to know why they chose the easy way out or actually the easy way to big money and fast.

This bond has been used as collateral or a lure, to obtain credit already, as they are pretty sure of themselves over there that they can get this community to saddle itself with almost the same amount of money which caused the problems in the first place, 22 years ago, 22 million dollars.

That would be true irony. (I will admit, I will laugh heartily if that happens as this is a Divine Comedy...)

There are other options no one has openly discussed and we will analyze them on and around November 2, election day.

Monday I will have a post to respond to the KV Sun "snowdown" with the questions and answers.

Here's an answer you may want to listen to:
It's an opinion: called "just build it"

http://www.tehachapinews.com/content/just-build-it/31485

Kern Valley Sun Newspaper "headlines" history of the debt

The Kern Valley Sun coverage of the Kern Valley Healthcare District since 1988

I thought this might be of interest to those of you who are researching the history of the Kern Valley Healthcare District's financial problems and "solutions" over the past two decades.

This may help clear up the "urban legend" which still to this day blamed former CEO, Robert Knight, for the financial problems. You can see that Knight was not even in the valley when the decision was made to encumber the hospital and property owners in the district with a 22 million dollar revenue bond construction project which never fully materialized causing a 24 year default cycle.

----- Original Message -----
From: Editor/Kern Valley Sun
To: Laura Hart
Sent: Sunday, December 03, 2006 9:13 AM
Subject: Kern Valley Sun hospital stories
This is a long post, Laura. It's our hospital stories I indexed, current to July and going back to 1986. These are either the headlines or the gist of the stories. "IS" means "inside story," meaning it's inside the paper. "FP"means "front page." A lot of the stuff you told me about last night has been covered extensively in the paper (back when we had a reporter!), so it's old news. Works for background, though.--Mike


Hospital stories: staff learns about CAT scans AV 4/10/86 Long awaited lobby expansion is finally under way FP 6/26/86; Lobby remodel starts IS 8/14/86;Lobby construction pic IS 10/2/86; expansion project announced FP 11/13/86;lobby being redesigned IS 11/26/86; $2 million project launched FP 1/29/87;1987 community report IS 5/7/87; files for site preparation permit IS7/30/87; breaks ground on expansion project FP 10/15/87; receives accreditation IS 1/14/88; Marc Dummit named chief of staff IS 2/4/88;hospital looks to nursing facility construction IS 3/3/88; community reportIS 5/12/88; grading work starts at hospital FP 5/19/88; expansion projectstarts IS 8/3/88; might seek OK to reassign ICU nurses FP 8/3/88; concrete poured for helipad IS 8/31/88; cornerstone set in place FP 10/5/88; hospital on guard for AIDS FP 11/23/88; clinical laboratory opened IS 1/18/89; faces suit in death of attorney William Keys FP 1/18/89; auxiliary runs thriftshop next to Shone¹s Drug IS 1/25/89; abrupt resignation of director, and work schedule changes, triggers complaints from nurses FP 3/8/89; nurses upset about quick change to 12-hour shifts FP 3/8/89; community report tabIS 5/10/89; as hospital changes, some of staff leave FP 6/28/89; lead doctor at hospital, Dr. Dummit, fears massive walkout FP 7/5/89; cuts likely in hospital expansion FP 7/19/89; Contract to be awarded FP 7/26/89; $9.9million expansion contract awarded to C.W. Driver Co. FP 8/23/89; funding bid for acute care, emergency units turned down FP 9/27/89; audit shows hospital healthy FP 10/25/89; local doctors challenge county¹s out-of-county patient rule FP 12/6/89; building permit issued for skilled nursing facilityFP 1/17/90; 6-hour wait by patient prompts new records policy FP 1/17/90;turnover worries hospital trustees FP 2/7/90; building of skilled nursing facility begins FP 3/14/90; approves ER contract IS 4/11/90; architect firedFP 4/18/90; hospital freezes salaries FP 6/6/90; Dr. Eleanor Fraser named chief of staff FP 9/19/90; 9/19/90; lead doctor, Marc Dummit, resigns FP9/19/90; Naworski threatens to quit FP 10/31/90; Challengers oust board incumbents FP 11/14/90; Naworski¹s contract extended another year FP12/5/90; Hospital project runs out of money, seeks additional funds FP12/5/90; admissions down, only two doctors admitting patients FP 1/2/91;administrator DE Naworski suddenly takes leave of absence FP 1/23/91;troubled hospital to seek approval of tax hike (includes sidebar inside about beginning of financial crisis long ago) FP 1/30/91; despite rumors,hospital work continues FP 2/6/91; considers layoffs, legal action FP2/13/91; contract dispute may stop work on SNF FP 2/20/91; vandalism hits hospital as work on SNF comes to a halt FP 2/27/91; morale is high despite problems FP 3/13/91; Naworski resigns 5/1/91; building dispute edges closer to suit FP 5/22/91; lawsuits filed over work FP 6/5/91; Tish Orr named director of nursing FP 7/10/91; Contractor fails to win injunction against hospital FP 9/4/91; frantic pace in emergency room over Labor Day weekend FP9/11/91; board nearing choice of new CEO 10/16/91; picks new administratorFP 10/30/91; proposed new administrator Ned Miller faces good news, bad newsFP 11/6/91; higher price tag for skilled nursing facility FP 11/6/91; work resumes on skilled nursing facility FP 11/20/91; about Ned Miller, new administrator FP 11/27/91; shows a $1 million loss on paper FP 12/4/91;settlement reached in building project FP 3/18/92; may buy CT scanner FP4/8/92; opening in sight for long-awaited nursing center FP 5/6/92; offers tours of new Skilled Nursing Facilty FP 5/13/92; hospital may sue accounting firm over disputed bill FP 6/3/92; board explores health care needs of valley FP 7/8/92; skilled nursing center gets first patient FP 8/5/92; statebudget crisis causes delay in opening of skilled nursing center FP 8/5/92;changes employee medical coverage FP 9/9/92; pulmonary lab acquired FP10/07/92; nursing center gets OK to bill Medicare FP 12/2/92; hospital to get new machine lease, program FP 12/30/92; hospital, Secure Horizons at odds over payments FP 3/31/93; hospital, Secure Horizons close to signing agreement FP 4/28/93; ombudsman program FP 5/5/93; contract signed with Secure Horizons FP 6/30/93; lower revenues seen FP 7/7/93; hospital dissappointed with Secure Horizons contract FP 8/4/93; financial diagnosis calls for election FP 11/3/93; Friends of the Hospital FP 12/15/93; SkilledNursing Center KVL 1/5/94; board fine-tunes plan for $49 parcel tax FP1/12/94; bids on former S&L land FP 3/23/94; $21 million bond needed tocover hospital debt FP 4/6/94; voters turn down hospital tax FP 4/13/94;renews emergency room contract FP 5/4/94; CEO Ned Miller moved to overseeprofitable operations FP 6/1/94; board shifts top posts FP 6/8/94; sets date to open pharmacy FP 7/13/94; board battles budget FP 7/20/94; Hospital looks for money-making operations FP 7/27/94; Pharmacy slated to open 8/10/94;opens Mesa Clinical Pharmacy and Home Health Care FP 8/31/94 (see MesaClinical Pharmacy); state pleased with progress on debt, hospital honors founders at 30th anniversary FP 10/5/94; shows remarkable turn around FP12/7/94; concern expressed over losses FP 1/18/95; achieves accreditation goal FP 2/22/95; Rural Health Clinic to open in June FP 5/3/95; Medi-Cal plans would cut close to home FP 5/24/95; Hospital¹s future may depend on relief from state rates FP 7/19/95; Roger Press, new CFO, tries to cut costsFP 8/9/95; thrift shop volunteers KVL 8/16/95; granted stay from crippling Medi-Cal rates FP 8/16/95; HMO situation discussed at meeting FP 10/4/95;Rural Health Clinic nears opening IS 12/8/95; Rural Health Clinic due toopen in January FP 12/13/95; Fed furlough affects hospital FP 1/10/96;hospital chief Ned Miller to resign FP 2/7/96; clinic coming any moment FP2/28/96; back in black, but clinic still not open FP 3/6/96; accredited fromJCAHCO; honors volunteers FP 5/1/96; water quality addressed FP 5/8/96; new administrator Ron Dahlgren hired FP 6/5/96; Budget paints picture in blackFP 7/3/96; Health partnership with churches studied FP 7/31/96; Medi-Cal plan threatens hospital FP 8/7/96; thrift shop purchases building, land FP8/14/96; hospital board candidates FP 8/28/96; payments to Delta One slashedFP 9/18/96; HMO enrollment snafu plagues hospital FP 9/25/96; Hospital wins$200,000 suit against contractor FP 10/9/96; board candidates FP 10/16/96;revenues up, candidates face re election FP 11/13/96; released from Delta 1contract-- company that was overseeing hospital¹s debt on state construction bonds FP 12/11/96; still battles misinformation on Medi-Cal recipients,plenty of applicants for CNA course FP 1/8/97; managers position for changesFP 2/5/97; in black FP 3/5/97; McBee completes financial study of hospitalFP 3/19/97; hires consultant McBee 4/9/97; fees hiked FP 5/7/97; Skilled nursing facility quarantined with scabies FP 5/28/97; 16 full-time equivalent fired FP 5/28/97; hospital takes huge charge to bottom line FP6/4/97; CEO Dahlgren ousted by board FP 6/18/97; Bob Knight hired as interim chief FP 6/25/97; board faces public on finances FP 7/9/97; suspended CEO Dahlgren plans to attend board meeting FP 7/16/97; board accepts resignation of ex-CEO FP 8/6/97; Fed changes ease burden FP 9/10en settlementFP 10/8/97; HMO collides with ER policy FP 10/8/97; /97; FP 11/5/97; needs new accountant FP12/3/97; hires Paradigm for billings FP 12/17/97; terminates contract withMcBee consulants FP 2/4/98; hospital reviews role in emergencies FP 3/4/98;nursing facility residents go fishing FP pic 3/25/98; search for new CEO narrows to three FP 4/1/98; Kernville Rural Clinic opens IS 4/8/98; Knight named permanent CEO IS 4/29/98; Heliport honored FP 5/6/98; seeks new employee health plan FP 6/10/98; Hospital gets Grand Jury¹s seal of approvalFP 7/8/98; Revenues up FP 8/5/98; HMOs and hospitals FP 8/12/98; HMOs and hospitals FP 8/26/98; Hospital plans to build assisted living center FP9/2/98; HMOs and hospitals FP 9/9/98; new retirement plan FP 10/7/98; new board to be elected FP 10/14/98 and10/28/98; BFMC fires Mrs. Close 11/4/98;new hospital board elected 11/4/98; partners with Bakersfield Family MedicalCenter FP 12/2/98 and 1/6/99 and 1/27/99; auditor presents findings FP12/9/98; Assisted Living project on hold 2/3/99; Foundation FP 2/10/99;board mtg. FP FP 3/3/99; board mtg. FP 4/7/99; assisted living center proposal IS 6/2/99; board mtg. FP 6/2/99, FP 8/4/99; special meeting about ER FP 8/25/99; FP 9/8/99; Ottoson added to board FP 9/15/99; Nursing Center target of inquiry FP 9/29/99; contract with Bakersfield Family MedicalCenter to service HMO patients dissolved FP 10/13/99; Nursing Facility cleared of charges, Lake Isabella clinic to close FP 10/20/99; new budget spells cuts 11/3/99: BFMC addresses local concerns FP 11/17/99; shortershifts? FP 12/8/99; receives critical access designation FP 1/5/00; Hospital faces shutdowns, layoffs as major crisis hits FP 1/26/00; hospital pressured to cut back FP 2/2/00; E by Betsy Steele 2/2/00; Brim Healthcare to manage hospital IS 2/16/00; board hears pep talk from Brim Healthcare FP 2/23/00;30 more positions eliminated as staffing reduction continues FP 3/1/00; morelayoffs, clinic closure FP, E by Jeanette Rogers 3/8/00; Bob Knight resigns FP 4/5/00; black noted on bottom line FP 5/3/00; new CEO appointed FP6/28/00; ER doctors quit contract FP 8/30/00; Thomas J. Lambert named new emergency room director IS 9/6/00; Faye Cozzi named new director of patientcare services IS 9/6/00; ER physicians in transition 9/13/00; board selects candidate for ER contract IS 9/20/00; quiet room opens IS 9/20/00; board candidates profiled, to vie in public forum FP 10/4/00; ER provider selectedFP 10/4/00; board candidates anxious to tackle crisis FP 10/11/00; PinkLadies purchase equipment FP 11/1/00; Bob Jamison, Barbara Casas and Bob Knight elected to board FP 11/15/00; board members receive service awards FP12/6/00; Skilled Nursing residents receive holiday flowers from Petal PusherFP 12/27/00; hospital board faces annual report FP 2/7/01; ER doors to remain locked FP 4/4/01; possible $8 million grant FP 5/16/01; budget back in black FP 7/11/01; new remodeled ER Fp 11/28/01; Healthcare District employees of year Tilley, Clayton IS 2/13/02; board visits Sacramento IS4/17/02; Skilled Nursing throws 10th anniversary party IS 7/31/02;discontent on board FP 9/11/02; in good care with Green 9/18/02; hospital considers critical access FP 2/12/03; volunteers thanked for service FP4/16/03; health faire FP 4/30/03; CEO Green leaves, replaced by Pamela OttFP 7/2/03; shows off new ER FP 7/16/03; board votes for new bond issue IS8/27/03; hires new surgeon FP 9/3/03; gets Critical Care Access designationIS 11/5/03; makes permanent appointments of Ott and Feiber FP 12/31/03; also see Naworski, DE; Dahlgren, Ron; Knight, Bob; Green, David; Secure Horizons;ends contract with brim IS 5/19/04; schedules flu shot ³drive-bys² FB12/22/04; district ponders retrofitting or rebuilding acute care wing FP10/12/05; Insurance gap closes at Kern Valley Hospital FP 12/7/05; Local couple gives 25,000 dollars gift of life FP 11/70/05; Compliance with satelaw may mean a new bond for hospital FP 7/5/06; Survey says most approve of hospital bond FP 7/12/06; to consider bond for Nov ballot 7/19/06

Etc... (The couple who gave $25,000 to the hospital, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Blomgren, were contacted several months ago to get their opinion on the new "property tax" bond. Dick Blomgren, said he would NOT support any new tax measure. Blomgren expressed his disappointment in the performance of the district following his own donation. I asked him if he knew how his donation money was spent: he had no idea. Hmm.)

Kern County Grand Jury: KVHD CEO says investigation took place...from my complaint? Or it was a review?

"I admit we do mostly blood and guts..." John from the Kern County Grand Jury's office answered when I asked him how many white collar crime cases they have investigated in this county when I contacted the agency this past June.

I don't think it's any secret that I have stated that I have evidence of wrongdoing on the part of several persons at the Kern Valley Healthcare District. I have also stated on this blog that this blog does NOT contain all of the evidential materials I have collected over the last four years.

So, when I was apprised that there was a supposed grand jury investigation by a board member at the end of July, actually I was accused of turning this person into law enforcement, I didn't really quite believe it or it would have been right here on this blog.

At least one more reference was made by another board member that I was attacking this person. I explained to this other board member that I was not doing this as there must be some misinformation going on or it was someone else.

However, over this holiday weekend, I was again contacted by the first board member, and was again told that I made a complaint against him and the hospital with the grand jury of this grand county. He told me that the grand jury believed he had "the district in mind." ???

I read this correspondence with new eyes, as I realized there was something oddly defensive and defiant in the tone. My feeling is if you have nothing to hide; you have nothing to worry about. Now the question for me became why is he saying this? This lead me to contact the hospital immediately to find out if this was true or not.

(Saying the GJ believes you, as he said, isn't exactly a badge of honor, as the Grand Jury let it all slip away in 2007 as they also believed former KVHD CEO, Pam Ott, CFO, Chet Beedle, board members Bob Jamison, Brad Armstrong, Barbara Casas, (the sticky three quorum) rather than the evidence and witnesses surrounding the nursing center elder abuse case associated with other misdeeds. I will request that 2007 report as it should be able to be accessed by the public.)

Though I had explained to this person what I'm going to tell you and all of Kern County is that I was told over the phone in June I didn't have a case, before they saw any evidence. How that can be done?

I think it needs to be explained in detail by this county what really has occurred in both of these cases. I will get the report from 2007 and we will see what other information is currently available.

This wasn't the first visit from the GJ

The Kern County Grand Jury was called out by me and others based on witness statements in 2007 regarding Pamela Ott, the former CEO, who is going to court to answer to 8 counts of elder abuse charges on October 15 at the Kern County Superior Court, brought about by the State Attorney General's office, NOT the GJ.

What sort of job did the Grand Ol' Jury do at that point? Do you now feel safe knowing that they were here, had dozens of witnesses, but walked away and sided with the perpetrators and not the victims?

Really though what sort of job have any of these oversight agencies done to protect you and your family's safety at the Kern Valley Healthcare District? This must be addressed as we pay these agencies with our tax dollars to do a job, same with the hospital, which is a public healthcare district.

I have a statement, somewhat confusing, read it carefully, confirming with KVHD CEO, Tim McGlew, that there may have been a Grand Jury investigation that began in July, 2010. But it also says it was a "review."



CEO, Tim McGlew, pictured here
asking a question from KVHD
board counsel, Scott Nave, at
the Arpil 2010 general meeting
of the board of directors...




Laura,

In answer to your question, we received a number of calls from the Grand Jury sometime towards the end of July, beginning of August. The calls were in regards to a complaint they indicated they had received. We responded to their questions. About the first week of August, both Chet and I were asked to come separately to meet with the Grand Jury in Bakersfield. The group had more questions they wanted to ask. We were told that we were not allowed to discuss the meeting with anyone. It was explained that their review was a part of their responsibility to understand the workings of county organizations. The Grand Jury has finished their work, and will be releasing a report soon. They are appreciative of the District’s efforts. I suggest that you wait until the report is released to get your questions answered as to content.


From my understanding you knew this activity was going on. It was the reason you personally came to apologize to me for what was coming down the road. This was a similar action that you apparently made with a number of other people as well. I’m not sure why you are surprised. I’ve told you repeatedly that I would be willing to sit down with you to discuss your issues and concerns, but you have failed to take me up on my invitations, but you continue to demand explanations. I wish there was a more productive way to get the truth out to the people of the Kern River Valley.

Tim

(Oh, it's a county review? No, it's an investigation I knew about? Which is it? Bizarre. Either way I have wanted to address what happened with the GJ anyway, so good timing.)

Who is fooling who?

Hello to John from the Kern County Grand Jury's office: If part of Mr. McGlew's official statement is true, the part where I shouldn't be surprised about a review or investigation, how did you have an investigation based on my alleged complaint when I was told by you I didn't have a case five days after you provided me information on building a case and gave me the names of different agencies to contact?

And most certainly how did you have an investigation with my name on it when you don't even have my evidence? I would think that would be a little tough since I never gave you anything did I?

Show me my evidence John? Did I miss your phone calls? Was there a letter sent to me or an investigator as you did in 2007?

In fact, the investigators business card strangely enough fell out of some papers I was perusing last week: how convenient.

And I took copious notes during our phone conversations which are sitting next to me for the follow up stories which will be coming as I want to make sure that we are now talking truth as it's the only tool I have.

The hospital administration can and has before blamed and denied to protect themselves. But as I told the CFO last week, just because you deny it doesn't make it untrue. (It was the case I reported to Tim about Chet's turnaround regarding the hospital's financial status. Beedle denied saying it on film and I transcribed it and reported it to Tim. In fact, you will see Tim's reason for not "investigating" coming up.)

There is so much material to share that I can only say I feel like being very generous now.

Then maybe the grand jury will have something to think about or even know what questions to ask, as McGlew said they were questioned in Bakersfield. About what? Is it a review or not?

I'm going to carefully take this story one item at a time, and back it up for you the public to see and evaluate for yourselves.

The public relies on the justice system, but I'm here to tell you, we may be fooling ourselves thinking there's a fair game going on. The GJ obviously didn't want to hear from me, obtain my evidence, or even notify me they were planning an investigation based on "something" we don't know about thus far. Yet, according to the CEO, they plan on putting MY NAME on this complaint and within a report?

I don't' think so. If they want to investigate MY ACTUAL COMPLAINT which they didn't in June, then they will have to see my evidence, watch my videos, take a statement from me under oath, and I would be happy to do it for them. But they made it clear they weren't interested so I went elsewhere.

I did the same thing with McGlew as I can PROVE I reported many things to him which were never addressed. I'm still waiting to hear all about the "construction committee" which was run by Bob Jamison. I shared my concerns but "failed" to find someone who cared about the situations.

(Now to be clear, this initial report is ONLY based on the CEO, Tim McGlew's statement, and my contact with two board members, as I didn't get a response yesterday until after hours. I will get in touch with the county for a response to the hospital's statement.)

Coming up: McGlew's accusations about me

rebuttal to his statements with evidence

The story of two phone calls to "John" at the Kern Co. Grand Jury office

Why can't we count on law enforcement? The stories behind the scenes

It costs money to do an investigation: what will they spend on you?

Also, to those who contacted me about the mass mail I sent out last week regarding grants and loans for rural and critical care hospitals not taken advantage of by KVHD, the issue will be addressed as soon as I finish this "breaking" story.

And a response from KVHD CEO, Chet Beedle, who says the hospital has a surplus of funds...and they are NOT hanging by a string financially. So, what is this bond really about?