Sadly, I received a few phone calls referring me to a letter to the editor in the Kern Valley Sun Newspaper this week. I saw the name, I know this person, and she and I have only agreed on one thing: the auxiliary has used their time and energy to keep the hospital going and after all these years of service, they have kept it going on the volunteer pay scale, free.
You see without the auxiliary there would be no hospital right now. It was parasitically run dry starting in 1986, continuing thru this year when the administrators went ahead and remained the "band of brothers" with Cal Mtg. the insurer of a great big "giant" debt, and took more money under what seems to be false pretenses...(coming soon)
Where does the money come from?
The driving force behind the hospital is the auxiliary and the Hospital Foundation who have been volunteering and donating, truly backing the hospital...As I said the auxiliary runs a thrift store which continues to have more profit than the hospital itself.
This time a volunteer decided not to "take one for the team."
When I ran a business, a plumbing business some may remember from previous posts, our company flooded the former Northridge Mall. We carried liability insurance, probably more than KVHD even though they deal with life and death.
The contractor expected us to pick up the bill for the damages and repairs, and after a meeting, we made a deal, and the issue was over and done.
Could I have gone pressed the issue trying to scrape a few dollars off the bill, sure, but then our reputation would be gone and no contractors want a bunch of irresponsible plumbers whose work reflects their very own survival.
That's not the way it is in medicine
This letter to the editor where this former volunteer alleges she took a fall following a "volunteer" meeting and knocked out her front teeth, is an absolute atrocity, but it's also a warning to those who go to KVHD: IF YOU ARE HARMED YOU WILL LIKELY LOSE YOUR CASE EVEN IF IT'S SIMPLY TO REPAIR DAMAGES CAUSED BY THE HOSPITAL.
In recent years the government has tried to cap damages in medical malpractice cases. They have wanted to take away what they call the "punitive damages" which are above the costs involved in the damages.
That makes this KVHD far more scary now doesn't it?
(These are a few of the cases against the Kern Valley Healthcare District. KVHD is desperately trying to avoid these costs, as it reaches a certain point, the costs are not paid by the insurer, they will become the debt of the hospital. And again, your reminder as a resident, if you don't take action, you will be paying for the debt the hospital accrues: (see your property taxes)
Lobbying and the big one: The American Medical Association
The AMA has so much power that it's difficult to even get any help, as they have opposed everything regarding patient safety and they have their people in political offices around the nation trying to make us believe they can harm us and get away with it.
But in other probably less damaging cases lawsuits hit the millions regularly.
Now if you say something sexual to a co-worker, something that would be outside the parameters most of us use in terms of work, you could get a "sexual harassment" suit against you. Say, if your supervisor said "you would be a happier person if you got laid," this would certainly be a lawsuit that could likely pay off far more than a medical malpractice case.
If you have enough evidence, pictures, witnesses, some of those sexual harassment cases have gleaned millions of dollars.
But people who complain about doctors, negligence, treatment errors, will expect to be fought every time as these court cases are expensive to try, and even more, with the "lack of honey" for the attorneys because of the monetary caps, they are not taking these cases generally unless it involves death or birth.
KVHD won't even pay for repairs?
I've been in the claim process recently with KVHD too as I have been damaged and require specialized help. I got a few letters from the KVHD CEO, Tim McGlew, that he had contacted Betagroup, that there were investigations underway I never heard another word about any of my "personal" complaints. I have heard back from other people I sent complaints in for, but not mine.
And in this sample of the letters going back and forth between the CEO and I, McGlew after having a conference call with Jim Gutzman, himself, and me, quickly dismisses Gutzman as not being affiliated with the hospital.
From what I understand, the PA finds patients in the acute care wing and hustles them over to the clinic, his boss is a board member, the KVHD hospitalist paid by the district, and the owner of Sienna Wellness Institute, but the CEO instantly separates the PA, and suggests I speak to Dr. Gross DO. How much conflict of interest is in this situation?
A McGlew email: PROMISES
Laura,
Have you attempted to contact the Pharmacy about your medication? I’m not familiar with your concern on this matter. Drugs are available from different manufacturers. Some come with scoring lines, which make them easier to cut, and other manufacturers do not. The pharmacist could tell you better.
I’m not aware of any comments that Jim Gutzman may have made to or against you. Jim is not an employee of the hospital. He is employed by Dr. Gross. If you have concerns with Jim, I would suggest you contact Dr. Gross directly.
I have contacted Beta regarding your concerns. I will see to it that you get the medical information release form sent to you. I have also asked Dr. Sacapano to review all of your concerns regarding your ED visits in December and January.
Tim
Instead, much like the author of the letter from the former auxiliary "workforce" who says she only asked for the teeth to be repaired, has been run through the mill even though she defended these people for many years, now she is doing a good job of defending herself.(Like I warn you all: one day you're the good guy because you are a believer in the KVHD propaganda, and then suddenly you need them, and they are long gone.)
If it's true that Tim McGlew offered this woman repairs to her teeth, but expects a discount from the dentist to do it, then...you people holding these huge bills from KVHD may want to get your discount too!
We can't do it alone
I have been hammered by KVHD, others have died, some are abused, many are defamed, and yet the community does not know what to do. In the letter to the editor, the person damaged said she felt, "humiliated" she has been jumping through hoops, doing everything possible.
The reason the only way to get this hospital under control or simply lease or sell it, is like the lions and the wildebeest out on the Serengeti , the big cats isolate one target and go after it, while the rest of the pack runs off taking cover within the group.
Now the lions cannot take on a whole group of sharply horned, and frightened animals. And sometimes you will see the pack run off the lions as it's all about the numbers.
The comments under the letter to the editor were from people who obviously would turn on their own kind...cannibals. They don't want to "get involved" or "look bad" which they already do. Kudos to the author for defending her actions which only the courageous can do.
I'm researching some information that I have shared with only a few people right now, that may make you feel more powerful come next week.
With a Kern County Superior Court civil claims department showing a growing number of cases being brought against the district, it is time to realize that only way to rid ourselves of the current administrators and board members who have not lived up to their "oaths" to represent the people of this district, is to come together.
I will share with you more options next week, and before you take a single step into the KVHD ER, know that you should never be there alone, and you should take notes, take down names, try to get them to give you ALL your records and tests, demand a diagnosis, alert your primary care physician, or do the best thing: STAY SAFE AND GO TO ANY HOSPITAL OTHER THAN KVHD UNTIL THE COMMUNITY WORKS TOGETHER TO CORRECT THESE PROBLEMS.
We need volunteers
For those of us whose health has suffered due to the negligence of this hospital, and it's insurer, Cal Mtg. who has swept away the money for the future, the people who have had billing issues, those who have not received medical records in a timely fashion or at all, communication with primary and ER, late prescriptions, fraudulent billing, it's time to volunteer to send out flyers.
The research now becomes how many people have suffered, and if we come together, we DO have options. Please email me and I will send you the flyers and an information packet on your patient's rights. Thank you ahead of time.
Letter to the editor: http://www.kvsun.com/articles/2011/09/03/opinion/letters/doc4e5d33eb7babd587688931.txt
Kern County Superior Court: KVHD cases growing...
http://www.kern.courts.ca.gov/home.aspx
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