Romney confirmed that CMH “made a proposal to us to affiliate, but I’m not inclined to negotiate this in the newspaper.”In fact, he added, “I’m disturbed that their proposal has in any way been made public,” and the fact that copies of the letter were sent to public officials Romney found “disheartening.”The proposal is just that, he added, and the SPMH board “will be motivated by what is in the best interest of the community. . .this is the beginning of a process that would include exploring all our options with other facilities and organizations. We will speak to other hospitals and clinics as well, it’s not exclusive.”“The five-year guarantee,” of continued SPMH operations is “less than looking forward,” said Procter. “The community would want assurances of something more permanent: my question to CMH would be after five years, then what?”Procter said Drescher’s letter “didn’t contain enough detail for me to make an informed assessment one way or the other, but on the face of it, it didn’t sound like much of an offer.”Procter also found it curious that Drescher wrote that the letter to Romney was prompted by “Not wishing to provide the media as a focal point for discussions. . .”“I thought it curious Mr. Drescher didn’t want to make it a media focal point and then cover copied it to elected officials,” without language asking that the missive be kept private, Procter noted.Santa Paula Councilman Ray Luna was unavailable for comment.The SPMH board “of course, has to consider these things,” said Romney. “They will evaluate it and then come up with an appropriate response,” at their Feb. 11th meeting. “The real message is to use the hospital, keep after your doctor and make sure any procedure you might have is performed at the hospital. . .if everyone did that we’d be in wonderful, wonderful shape.”The average daily patient count climbed sharply in January, he added, and February is expected to do as well or better.
|
Community Memorial Hospital in Ventura has made an offer to Santa Paula Memorial Hospital to form an alliance of the two hospitals. A letter dated January 31, 2003 from Phil Drescher, President of the Community Memorial Hospital Trustees, was sent outlining a proposal to help Santa Paula Memorial Hospital with their financial problems. See letter Page B3. Photo by Don Johnson |
CMH: Letter to SPMH offers ‘alliance,’ five-year service commitment
February 14, 2003
Santa Paula News
By Peggy Kelly
Santa Paula TimesAs the business of treating the sick increases at the troubled Santa Paula Memorial Hospital, another health care facility has offered to enter into an apparently time-limited “alliance” to keep the doors of the Santa Clara River Valley’s only hospital open.Open for five years, that is, according to the letter by Community Memorial Hospital board President Phil Drescher sent to SPMH board president Phil Romney.Santa Paula Memorial Hospital is facing depleted reserves, a dip in patients and a growing controversy over the costs of the out of state management firm. In late December the SPMH board sent out a letter asking for donations and noted that the hospital might shut its doors if financial help was not forthcoming in the next 90-days. It was later learned that the hospital needed $600,000 to cover short-term operating costs.In recent weeks, an unprecented joint meeting of the Santa Paula and Fillmore city councils resulted in the formation of an ad hoc committee to study hospital issues. The ad hoc committee is meeting Wednesday, Feb. 12th at 6:30 p.m. at Fillmore City Hall.The Jan. 31st letter offered various points of discussion, including the five-year commitment to keep the “Hospital on the Hill” open, during which time CMH “reserves the right to analyze services but commits to sustaining a basic medical/surgical hospital with diagnostic capabilities befitting the needs of the community.”In addition, “CMH pledges to bolster the services of the Emergency Room at SPMH, which will operate as the focal point for trauma in the Fillmore/Santa Paula corridor.”“Where feasible,” Drescher wrote, “CMH will take over operational contracts to enhance the cost-effectiveness,” of SPMH, including administration with an onsite administrator; finance and purchasing would be evaluated and incorporated at CMH, with a “presence at Santa Paula.”Santa Paula physicians will have river valley-based insured patients assigned to them in “keeping with the desire of Santa Paula physicians.” For ER services, “these Santa Paula doctors will be reimbursed from the CMH physician reimbursement pool,” enabling them to rate the higher fees provided by CMH.At least three members of the Santa Paula and Fillmore communities would be “provided seats” on CMH’s present 21-member board. Who would have proprietary rights over the 15-prime acre hospital campus overlooking the river valley was not addressed as a talking point in the letter.“I believe our goals and missions are the same for our respective communities, and together, by forging an alliance, we can build a system that far exceeds anything that currently exists,” noted Drescher’s letter.The letter was cover-copied to Santa Paula Mayor John Procter, Fillmore Mayor Evaristo Barrajas and Santa Paula City Councilman Ray Luna.
