Persistance and Tenacity, requires a new chapter, a new beginning....

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

State halts Medi-Cal cuts...KVHD Feb. 2012 board meeting

The Kern Valley Healthcare District must be breathing a sigh of relief as California District Court Judge, Christina Snyder, has temporarily halted the 10% reduction in Medi-Cal compensation which would have reduced compensation to doctors and adversely effected the hospital's Skilled nursing facility.

The reduction was part of Governor Jerry Brown's attempt to balance the state's budget and if the court rules against the lawsuits filed by the California Medical Association and others, the cuts will be retroactive to June 1, 2011.

The reductions, according to an article in today's "California Healthline," would save California 623 million a year.

However, deep cuts to the program will hamper hospitals and clinics from making ends meat, thereby, risking losing providers for Medi-cal recipients.

The article delineated that budget cuts could be made to providers and pharmacies as well. The Mt. Mesa Clinical Pharmacy has itself been on the chopping block and these cuts would likely not help the problems at the struggling retail outlet.

The KVHD board of directors are scheduled to meet, Wed. Feb. 1, 2012, in the cafeteria of the hospital at 5:30 pm. Comments and public input are always important to KVHD...(not really, but go anyway-see if they still have a pulse!)

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

KVHD board member, hospitalist, Dr. Gross now interim at Rural Health Clinic

If you're a patient of the Rural Health Clinic in Mount Mesa, Ca, then you've been through a lot of changes in the last few months, as former clinic manager, Dr. Jack Nadler, headed out for new pastures leaving a big gap in local healthcare.

One patient seeing new RHC PA, Christine Black, looked at her prescription when she arrived home to find Kern Valley Healthcare District, board member, hospitalist, and owner of Sienna Wellness, Dr. Robert Gross' name on it.

Gross, who owns Sienna Wellness, just down the street from the Rurual Health Clinic, has been working all angles recently as he is reported by KVHD attorney, Scott Nave, to be the interim doctor for the beleaguered clinic.

You may not see him, he must be quite busy as he is watching the hospital, his own clinic and now rural health, but he's the man behind the medications for the PA who came on after the clinic lost Stacey Bohn PA and shortly after, Dr. Nadler.

What kind of conflict could this cause, other than patients wondering how Dr. Gross' name appeared on their medication when they not only didn't know he was practicing at the clinic, and also have never seen him as a patient?

I tend to wonder if Dr. Gross has not overstepped this time taking on the clinic along with all his other responsibilities. And to continue to be in a position such as board member would seem to put him in a constant state of conflict of interest as he would be expected to objectively vote on many things that would concern the hospital and clinic... not to mention his own compensation.

But I suspect the question would be better put to Dr. Gross himself who maybe running the "Gross Healthcare District" soon. What's next? Board member, David Derr, working in the kitchen for extra cash or Victoria Alwin taking a percentage of the district's next desperate attempt at taxing valley residents, Measure Duh?

I'll email him now and get the response to you as soon as possible. FYI, the question has been put to KVHD, CEO, Tim McGlew, and so far, there has been no response. (McGlew must still be in meetings...)

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Who is watching the SNF?

I've been honest with you readers about all that I've written on this blog. There are those who don't want to face the truth. These people work at KVHD and for the government.

I can't make them suddenly realize that they could have, should have, done many things that could make the future of the hospital more solid, more real. It's also not my job. I pointed it out, and they could NOT handle the truth.

However, there seems to be another rumor floating about since I have had some problems with the hospital personally.

First, let me say that what occurred between me and KVHD on November 9th of last year has been put in my "forgiven pile." What that means is that I can't do anything about it, therefore, I let it go.

There is one good thing, I can't seem to remember exactly what happened. I am starting to get snippets of the incidents, but as of yet, I still don't know. I remember a few things enough to make my hair stand up.

I don't know if I've told you but I decided to remove all "doctor dope" from my life and I did it in one day. What a day! I'm now clean of all those prescriptions, and as an added bonus, quit smoking cigarettes too. But what a way to do it...LOL

In one day I threw away all the pain killers, sleep aids, stomach meds, and cracked right after. There were incidents which lead to all the drama, some of them still inexplicable. I don't understand all that happened, but I'm happy to report I no longer have to play the pharmacy game.

In the course of this craziness which occurred because of my desire to get off the "doctor ride" I have been told that certain things happened. I don't know how true they are as I've asked to have these occurrences verified, and I also asked to apologize to anyone who was hurt, or just butt hurt.

However, I've not gotten a straight answer to any of this. Time will tell all secrets...

One thing, however, that has been taken to the gossip mills happens to be my visit to the skilled nursing facility about a month ago.

I walked in to the SNF and met a woman with a serious wound on her forehead. She was in a wheelchair and kept asking what had happened to her. This woman relayed to me that she has asked the staff repeatedly what happened and nobody seems to know.

I quickly told her, "me too!" I asked for answers about what had happened to me and got the run around too.

By the size of the wound on this woman's forehead, she must have taken a pretty serious fall. The wound itself was ugly and looked like it had bled a lot.

While walking through the SNF I also noted the list of "activities" for the residents. I asked why there was a "cooking class." A nurse told me that the residents like to cook. I wondered what they cook and in what kind of oven. I was told they "stir" batter. Okay?

Then I noticed "bowling" was also on the list of activities. Gee, how much bowling do people of that age, physical and mental health, do? Again, okay.

I noticed the time was 3 pm and the schedule of activities showed "word games." Why I just love word games so I went to the recreation area to find, Sarah, director of these games, writing on a white board. There were about 6 women sitting, watching her.

The writing on the board showed a word game I could not understand. It was strange, but then I never got the time to really understand, as CNO, Mark Gordon, came to remove me.

A couple of residents who still have the gift of speech introduced themselves, and the others stared off, as I sat down. Gordon called to me and tried to tell me I am NOT ALLOWED IN THE SNF.

He questioned why I was there.

Why not? If I were running this crack SNF that we pay CEO, Tim McGlew, big money to run along with the rest of the impressive hospital, then I would want my biggest critic to see it. I would want ME to be impressed.

I was not impressed. I was taken aback at their lack of truth. Gordon and DON, Edith Cecil, were both afraid to have me in there. Again, for what reason?

In our parting conversation Gordon asked again why I was there. He also had a resident calling for help, and the Maintenance man, yes the maintenance man, took care of her. When did maintenance begin to work in the SNF? Again, not impressed.

When I was young, I used to visit nursing homes with a church group, and then I started going by myself. I even wrote a short story called, "the convalescent Caper" as a result of one of these visits. It was always tough to go in and see people sometimes dumped off by their families, in a state of mind and health that will only lead to the end. I enjoyed helping these people, and that is probably why I took the "murders" in our SNF so seriously.

Gordon ushered me to the CEO office and out popped, Secretary and keeper of the big lies, Heidi Sage.

Sage, who has more daring than Gordon, argued with me that I COULD NOT BE IN THE SNF as I would not like it if my father were there having his privacy breached.

Umm, most of the people are past privacy breaches, but on the other hand, I would prefer that outsiders who CARE, are allowed to be in with my father. Sorry, but I would not want only reports from those who are employed or have a vested interest. I would and do recommend private people come and look in on our residents at the SNF.

Now, Sage told me if I know someone in the SNF then I can come back...Hmm, let's see about that.

In defense of me, the stories that go around have made me out to have caused a disturbance.

I did not.

In fact, I quietly came in and looked at the staffing, one RN to six CNA's, and did NOT enter anyone's room. I was in the hall.

Much like in 2006, when this SNF had people locked down in physical restraints, prior to the chemical restraints for which they are in trouble, I was not received well even though I was a friend of that dysfunctional administrative family at the time.

Again, KVHD what are you hiding? It's not me, then it must be you...

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

what a strange trip it's been...and still is!

Some things are ridiculous...

Since the 2006/2007 KVHD elder abuse case flopped on it's face last year we now get to see such players as Pam Ott gassing up her diesel truck at Costco. Perhaps on her way to work. Where does one who is charged with eight counts of criminal elder abuse happen to be employed?

The California Department of Justice initially overlooked Ott as a defendant in their case in 2009. The DOJ hauled in three other defendants in February of that year, but Ott get caught at the helm of a sinking ship at Sierra Kings District Hospital in Reedley.

As I've stated repeatedly, Ott as CEO, left Sierra Kings at the edge of bankruptcy, and others allege she took money from that hospital's General Obligation Bond money along with employee pensions! That's big time crime from a small town criminal. I would have hoped the Fresno DA would have been more open to getting a case together. Ott slipped out of that noose too!

More tales of the bizarre that the three elder abuse defendants, a doctor, a nurse, and a CEO, all seem to have been able to gain employment back into the business they failed: healthcare.

Others who were scapegoats or simply run under the KVHD bus, have not fared as well as their former employers.

What we have here is a case of reverse justice. It's simple that the bad guys won the first rounds. We waged a righteous war (or I did), and somehow this ended up on it's head.

I've never seen so many cowards in my life!

The people who would not speak out or come forward, the one's hiding in the shadows preying on the tiny healthcare district, caused the problems getting true justice. I won't say their names, maybe just their credentials, CEO, CFO, CCO, CNO, board member, DA, Governor, Assemblywoman, Senator, etc...

Instead of helping the people effected such as the family of the people chemically restrained, these same cowards ignored these people. I took on the role to help families heal their pain. I made sure they were heard by someone, their pain understood and action taken.

Whatever the state and the attorneys who will profit from this fiasco think of their case it's not as real or thorough as what I put together. However, they do not want my case, they want their own cases. I'm afraid that's the lesson here, they have the cases they want to have. They will begin the spin! It's no longer about truth or justice.

So, what does an elder abused charged CEO do in her off time? Murder isn't murder anymore, we are half way to ending the lives of our family who can no longer fend for themselves. It's a true scenario to put these people "to sleep" "out of their misery." KVHD accomplished this task. And with the help of the CEO, who maybe working at a healthcare district or hospital near you!