From "Pay it Forward" (Measure G) to "Play it Forward" (Measure up?)

Kern Valley Healthcare District keeps public behind fence...Stay out of our yard!

With a campaign for a 22.7 million dollar General Obligation bond, "Measure G" defeated and out of the picture...for now...the Kern Valley Healthcare District board meeting the day after the Nov. 2, 2010 election, was completely devoid of answers and or information.

The negative campaign which held some truth, they do need money, they are in default with the insurer of the "old debt," Cal Mtg., and they do plan on cutting staff to make up for the losses in their operations monies.

Murmurs through the community are that these "measures" which were, I don't know if I could call it discussed, as more threatened upon this community and its workforce, are to include staff cuts, disruption of services, and the closure of the Mt. Mesa Clinical pharmacy. (Though a report in early 2010 showed the pharmacy to be viable)

So far, I've only heard of employee hours cut, but other issues such as when January arrives there will be more of the same.

(I can hear the desparate managers now: "well, you may get your job back if we get that bond. We told you this was going to happen.")

Where's Cal Mtg. ?
 

Cal Mtg. hiding behind the CEO, Tim McGlew and CFO, Chet Beedle, have the ability to fire both of these administrators: but they too have things to hide and they have these two overpaid "executives" running interference.

February is "special election" month and with the numbers they saw, they figure they can obtain this money grab and soon.

From the pattern and materials of the conduct of Caldwell, Flores and Winters, the company which makes money selling your bonds, or more specifically your property tax "contributions, they prefer the focused elections. They helped Tehachapi get a third bond, but actually completing construction is not of their concern.

Residents of Tehachapi now pay for three bonds, which will one day, bring about a "great" hospital...if it ever gets built.

As we saw in the election McGlew and Beedle were all over town, when the two who live outside our area, yet put their names in the local paper endorsing their bond, "Measure G" which they cannot even vote for, don't have to pay for, made appearances with a story about a new ER.

I tried, asked, requested, begged to see some plans and never did. I was an estimator in my own plumbing business, so I know a bit about it. Now, what I heard, true or not, as they have shown us nothing to the contrary, that the new ER would be one bed less, and have a larger nurse and doctor lounge. Oh, and that bathroom.

Since it's difficult to understand all that has transpired, the debts, the responsibilities, the big government agency which has control over the federal government where somehow this hospital is prohibited from even considering bankruptcy. Nobody has bankrupted on Cal Mtg.

Personally I love a challenge

Let's stop talking history, the lessons are there for those who choose to understand, those who choose the information which seems most plausible, and those willing to give up their own raise to keep staff on hand, and those willing to fight the real enemy, the egregious error known as the "old debt."

Actually, the enemy is ourselves, we have allowed Pam Ott CEO, to literally get away with murder and springboard from our disaster to another disaster where she somehow got into pension funds employees will likely never see again. Their retirements.

They say nobody has ever done it

Good, because I like to do things that have never been done, especially if it is a good cause such as saving a hospital.

Cal Mtg. is not the monster they seem, they are bound by the same laws such as the constitution of the United states which allows bankruptcy. And the contractual gymnastics with the agreement that lead to a hospital unable to grow or function and continue to do the same things such as a GOB or cut staff, overpay employees, not monitor their own employees credentials: there's a scratch in the record, repetitive behaviors.

Who would gain or lose?

I don't think Tim McGlew would benefit from fighting for a community he doesn't live in. He has a great salary, good hours, and plans on getting that bond in the spring or Cal Mtg. would have already sprung him.

Chet Beedle can't leave, he left a trail.

Dr. Gross doesn't want to go into a potential bankruptcy which he says can't be done as he has a vested interest in his jobs and clinic.

Bob Jamison would be an effective fighter against Cal Mtg.: he's crafty, plays dirty, uses all his weapons, never shys away from stretching the truth. He could do it, but he would then have to eat a lot of words. The Jamison conundrum that he is, would vote in a tax increase, call himself a "tea partier" use a radio station for his own public agenda, yet not use his powers for the community.

Board Chairman, Victoria Alwin, apparently has little time to give to her job, as in five videos is Alwin complaining of not having enough time, needed to get out of there before two hours, implying that either she should not have run for office or change her schedule to accommodate the E ticket ride at KVHD. Alwin has seemed to turn into a politician, where in 2008, she "worked it" at the hospital and here in 2010, she whisks off as quickly as possible. So, no, she has no reason to fight.

Maybe the newly elected board member, David Derr, will want to try and at least research the situation, and possibly develop a strategy to put out the fire as he has been trained in firefighting.

Kathryn Knight has been the outspoken member of the board regarding a consultation with a law firm known for big projects such as the situation between Cal Mtg. and KVHD. The board and administrators never mentioned it, until this last meeting...

What has been stopping the progress?
 

There will be no fight unless the impediments are taken out of the way so this community, financially tied to the institution/district, have a say in the future for this valley. They already did in many ways.

The hospital missed ARRA monies, (unless there is a grant writer working at the hospital now, it's unlikely they will be able to get any of the leftovers from the professionals who knew, foresaw, warned this hospital about the need for these grant monies being hoisted out of the "Obama" machine) low cost loans, monies from the state during the budget crisis up to $750,000, telemedicine grants, complete electronic record...I could go on, but I think you get the point.

As the public sits on the other side of the fence only watching the show, jobs are quietly being threatened, but no word from those who were ELECTED TO SERVE.

The "Play it Forward" program

I had disseminated numerous recordings of the last meeting as the administrators the day before defending a CEO pay raise or even actually pay RATE, threatening destruction, tried to dodge the whole question of what are your plans now?

No real plan A, as the original numbers were 13, 17, 19 million which crept up to 22.7 by the time Measure G got to the ballot.

Plan B, from my vantage point is they will be showing us how bad it can get for Christmas, cutting jobs and hours, benefits, then coming through with some sort of architectural model for the "happy new year" sales pitch.

The employees are not victims, they have not got their footing yet. It's a slippery slope, and now is not the time to shiver and shake, it's time to deliver and quake. Your choices.

No Go

We are going to fight Cal Mtg. and we are going to win. But these people you will see below, your doctor, dietician, found the night following their loss of big money, to be a night to whisper and write notes to each other. Bizarre.

That is why I sent out copies of this particular meeting, as there will be others of course, but this demonstrated a weakness which will in and of itself take down the hospital if it is not stopped.

Your friends have the video, and they will watch and pass it on to the next and so forth. If you need a copy, I'm only a blog away.

KVHD Board member, Dr. Robert Gross DO, and Chairman, Victoria Alwin, chat and talk during the CEO report. They wrote notes back and forth, making a mockery of the "alleged" dire need for that 22.7 million the day before. (I think we all have a dream of 22.7 million, I think they have better odds if I buy them a lottery ticket)

When Gross and Alwin saw me spot the camera upon their professionally challenged display, they pulled away from each other. As soon as I moved the camera back on the CEO, McGlew, they immediately snuggled back up together. Don't they know about wide angle shots? See pix below.

The audience sharing it's concern about the negative campaign as well as the back up plan, sat quietly watching something I have never seen since the May 2007 board meeting where Pam Ott, and the "sticky three" (the previous ones), refused to answer questions: the side step.

At one point KVHD board member Kathryn Knight brought out the information that a specialist attorney had been consulted regarding negotiating the old debt. Not that any of us heard about this until recently when I got the information during the candidate forum.

We only heard what Chet Beedle and Tim McGlew said in regard to bankruptcy. Beedle, whose resume says he himself was able to run a reorganization, and McGlew who said he has run several construction projects, we have not heard from people outside of this inbred information, which runs wild and free most of the time. (even with the cameras)

Bradley Armstrong, a former EMT, who came onto the board of directors in 1988, the year they voted on their biggest mistake, creating a huge debt, and failing to fulfill the promise of a new, expanded hospital.

In the picture on the left Armstrong seemed to be amused that anyone would try something twice that failed: like going to Cal Mtg. and asking for a break as that agency is allowed to PROFIT from their business/government/agency. (by the way Measure G was the sixth GOB without sense)

He told me he went to Sacramento and it can't be done. Peals of laughter broke out. I told Armstrong, who took trips with public monies in 2000, that he had also gone to Nashville, so say the documents. His demeanor changed right after that.

Must be proud of his record here, 22 years of Armstrong, who knew of the nursing facility disaster, short staffing, the deaths, the credentials of Pam Ott, Chet Beedle, Tracy Brown: let's just say he's leaving behind a disaster with his name on it.

Beedle, looking grim, losing his basket of money, but willing to wait for help in February, gave us all a stir when his "bad debt" numbers suddenly plunged after the election. Last year, Beedle and McGlew blamed the community members for not "filling out charity forms" for the increased debt. Then they defended sending out three year old bills for as little as $8.

Now, at this meeting, McGlew tells us they have been saying all along, the reason they don't collect is to "HELP" the community. Not billing then taking property taxes is not exactly making sense to me here. I think they come out on top of that deal.

As McGlew ran through his list of items in his report such as the new "intubation" equipment they have on order and the lack of a doctor for the new telemedicine, it was apparent there was confusion, and even anger that the money, being counted on, would not hit the basket quite yet.

They are going to rest, scare some employees, layoffs, cut services, send out bills, freeze wages, but make sure Tim McGlew has enough money to make his car payments. (who are these board members representing the CEO or the publics money?)

So, play it forward, watch the videos those who want to see what all the talk is about, I think you will have the chance to understand. Action to take is what is next.

There will be much more to tell soon, but for now, as a member of the community, a potential patient of the hospital: "Houston they are the problem."