I have this best nurse, she has helped me so much, she's my friend and customer, and she gave me some advice you can take or not.
No names, but she told me you don't tell this community about all your issues or nobody will help you. The doctors and nurses stick together and they will lie.
She is the hardest working nurse I know, she's one of the smartest people I know. I respect her so when she told me not to report a molestation by a doctor I got mad real mad.
I felt like a victim, she's wrong and you don't report it they walk all over you, and that ain't okay. But I got to have a doctor, I have a lot to live for, I want to be here with my grand babies.
I know if I speak up I won't be able to get healthcare.
My husband agreed that if we stay here we can't let our business out for everyone to know in this small town where they talk about us. We decided to complain to the nurse board because theres no choices around here we thought it would be safer this way.
We gave the state board our complaint two years ago then no kidding we got a letter 3 days ago. That made me want to write this to our valley.
What took all these years to type a stupid letter only backed the doctor saying they did nothing wrong. My friend hit the nose that they protect each other, and the state board what a fake.
Our family planned on retiring here around the lake, but if we do we have to shut our mouths about what happened.
It's a crappy feeling being afraid to tell anyone but our advice is to be picky picky picky when you look for a doctor. When we had to change doctors we did it by asking around I even talked to the staff. We feel lucky it is worth the drive to feel safe again.
Complaints are the answer
Laura Hart here...
I've heard so many stories over the last five years I've had dealings with the Kern Valley Healthcare District, that I will continue to urge this community to take back its hospital district, its tax money, until there are measures taken to satisfy all safety, HIPAA, requirements and even a "drop" of quality to bring it back together.
The more complaints I receive, the more chances this community has to recover it's healthcare district and make it into something that has transparency in all it's financial dealings, leading to proper staffing, level salaries, and even a neighborly atmosphere.
Sadly, this story hit me as it is so typical of what I have encountered since I began investigating this district. FEAR.
What did they do with all the complaints I sent?
In a question to the hospital about how they handle complaints and grievances, where the information goes, to who or what, I was rather unhappy with the answer and will pursue this information further.
I expected to hear about a clear and fair playing field, where complaints aren't always promises which never manifest, where investigations actually take place with data to provide information and the response was that most of our complaints hit the round file unless you're ready to move into a court room and likely lose the battle.
So, when CNO, Mark Gordon, glows about his few patient surveys, he is not talking about all the material, because they are not tracking it I found out. They seem to have lost pictures a woman sent to me with a complaint as there were used syringes on the floor under her daughters gurney in the ER.
And when I asked Michael Philps the strategic planner who rode up the mountain on his SHIP to impart his knowledge of KVHD's future, he expressed that in his sessions with the community he wanted ONLY positive comments.
We just read a story about a woman who is afraid to complain, yet that is the answer to actually creating solutions. If we had no problems we wouldn't need Mr. Philps, therefore, any information derived from this type of selective surveying, is useless.
But we need more people to step forward. Until there is significant support and a plan of action on the part of the community, I will keep all correspondence anonymous unless directed to reveal your names.
White collar crime
Well, if anyone should be able to tell both sides of this mountain hospital drama, politics and medicine, it would be me. However, it would have been over and done, possibly solved problems, had there been more complaints and more voices.
But the author of the story is correct, she has a small town to live in, and only one hospital, planned on living rural, and if she wrote a letter to the editor with her name, exposing her situation, immediately she would be a healthcare pariah, along with her family.
The employees of the hospital who have known the activities of this district for a decade or so, have followed the KRV staple, "don't ask, don't tell." It's common in white collar crime situations for people to use the excuse, "I was only following orders."
I have not completely done all the research on the ROC laws, but their intent is to keep people from saying just that: "I didn't know." The government has chipped away at the rights of patients, creating caps on lawsuits, obviously the California oversight needs a serious optometrist, and this makes it "dangerous for patients."
These laws are interesting, but they are not the only ones the feds or the California AG could have used to clean house so that there was a chance of survival, which is waning. These are the same people in charge of the new "healthcare reform" which means if they can't reform a small, rural, unsafe hospital, then we can expect widespread failure in the coming years.
Put the board on the stand
In an ironic way this hospital and community had a chance to make great changes to this district when the 2007 elder abuse case came to light. Had there been interest from law enforcement, or maybe our current Governor who has a penchant for penny pinching, we could have taken action.
There could have been a way to charge more people such as nurses who knew the situation at the nursing center, but again didn't want to lose that $10 an hour job, over an elderly persons health.
Nurses went out on stress leave and somehow got away from this case, yet they were the very ones overseeing the situation, daily. One nurse, of course, was the mother of a long time employee, so she hit the road before the storm, as I'm sure she was notified.
Employees lied to the DOJ, and a few even admitted it. But then that was probably not included in the Public relations releases from Sacramento.
And we all know three members of that board colluded and obstructed the investigation while letting the former CEO, Pam Ott, who had diploma mill credentials, go off to Sierra Kings in Reedley and take them down the road to bankruptcy.
Sierra Kings survived: they voted
As KVHD hits the skids, unable to make debt payments on their "new and improved" 6.8 million dollar loan (but they say it's not a loan even though we pay interest and borrow money?) there is much to be discovered as to how we can "force" proper healthcare in this valley.
While Ott is alleged to have managed to get into the GOB the Reedley taxpayers paid for expansion, and also the employee pension fund which cost some people their retirement, the Kern Valley Health Care district allowed her to walk away from a serious situation and knowingly put another community in jeopardy.
But the fighters in Reedly, unlike the divisive KRV, came together and found a way out, and now in the last two years while KVHD CEO, Tim McGlew, and CFO, Chet Beedle, were street peddling for local tax dollars, they went thru a bankruptcy and leased their hospital and are open for business.
And together they saved healthcare for their residents.
I need your complaints and have sympathy, actually more empathy, for all who have had to endure the lack of quality, safety, defamation, negligence and improper billing practices.
There are many solutions to these problems, but when you see the same mediocre practices, lack of vision (due to a crystal ball shortage they say) for the future, and little or no true communication with the people of this valley, the only way out is actually using this democracy to take action. (yes, we need instructions)
So, I'm going over the "stratragic" planning plan, that looks awfully familiar, like all the others we paid for, and I will bring up the options, ALL the options, we have if we intend to create quality healthcare in this valley.
The only way is to unite, stay away from petty differences, and mull over the true options, we the debt holders of the district, meaning we are the owners in every sense, have an obligation to each other in terms of taking responsibility for this mess.
Critical Access Hospital Network CCAHN Strategic Plan 2010-2011
Draft – CCAHN 2010-2011 Strategic Plan. By MJ Philps & Associates January 29 ...
http://www.ccahn.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/CCAHN_Stragegic_Plan_DRAFT_2010-2011.pdf
No comments:
Post a Comment