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