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.)