Last night I drove over to Palm Drive Hospital to join the candle light vigil protesting its closure by its elected Board of Directors. Even though it was 11:30 on a Sunday night it looked to me that over 100 citizens were there. I did not bring paper to make notes, and was holding a candle anyway. But what we were told was important for all of us to know and here are the high points as best I can remember them.
• The Board made the decision to close Palm Drive in a closed session. Such decisions are required by law to be held in open sessions. When reminded they had broken the Brown Act for public meetings one replied “Nobody enforces the Brown Act.” This means their actions were not accidental, they were a deliberate and unapologetic flouting of the law and the people who elected them. What are they hiding?
• Our Police Chief, Fire Chief, and DA all oppose the closure of Palm Drive. When the Board reportedly asked the police to plan on arresting peaceful demonstrators, they were told no way. The DA, Jill Ravitch, said don’t bother, I won’t prosecute.
• Those who know the hospital best, its physicians, believe they can run it on a sustainable basis. They have well over $1 million in funds raised to back them up. The Board argued that these physicians were not capable of providing the level of care that patients needed.
• Many physicians and nurses have made it clear they are willing to work for some weeks free in order to get the hospital up and running again since the actions of the Board are making this task much more expensive than it would be if they acted as genuine supporters of the community and of the people who elected them.
• Doctors and nurses will be providing emergency room service to people who need it from a desk set up in front of the hospital entrance. Other doctors have volunteered their offices nearby for those needing it.
• Many doctors and staff plan to refuse to leave the hospital when it is officially closed at noon, and will stay at their posts. Palm, Drive is a public building, not the property of a lawless Board of Directors serving some instated goal far removed from the well-being of the community that elected them.
• Palm Drive is being terminated when the closure of Hwy 116 at night is in the immediate future. Cal Trans will begin working on improving the bridge, and in the process limit the road to one lane while working. This will add considerably to the time it takes for ambulance service from Santa Rosa. Night time health issues will become much more threatening than day time ones.
• Any one thinking doctors cannot run a hospital because managers have secret skills mere mortals lack need to take a look at the history of worker run enterprises, the closest major example of which is the Alvarado Street Bakery. They generally do better than the corporate suit-run ones. Palm Drive is closing because the Board that mismanaged it is refusing to let anyone else prove it can be done better.
Not every Board member is acting against the interests of the people of Sebastopol and West County, but a majority is. All need to be contacted continually, politely, and incessantly, and urged to do the right thing and adopt ohe physicians’ plan to keep Palm Drive afloat. If they cannot do this they should do us all a service by resigning.
Again- the thing we need to do is not aggressively denounce them, one member supports us and another seems to have moved in our direction. From what we were told last night, only one more needs to shift. Community pressure, polite but unrelenting, is what is needed.
Jean-McG
04-28-2014, 03:33 PM
In all public discussions the Board of Directors refers to a Hospital. In so doing it applies sttandards associated with that definition. At the very least, let's use this existing resource to develop an ER for critical care & stabilization. Seems to me there was much more energy around drive up service that some don't want than keeping a life saving gem that already exists here. Our local treasure; local employees; local families; local business. Makes absolutely no sense to toss it away. Jean
Dianala
04-28-2014, 04:48 PM
I totally agree with Gus. Pay attention to what the District Board members are really up to. One or two of the district board members has/have a hidden agenda that must come out in the open. Ask them what their plan is that was formulated behind closed doors without public knowledge or comment. I am extremely disappointed in some of the elected district board members whose integrity is seriously compromised.
Write to these Board members now!
Last night I drove over to Palm Drive Hospital to join the candle light vigil protesting its closure by its elected Board of Directors. Even though it was 11:30 on a Sunday night it looked to me that over 100 citizens were there.
Again- the thing we need to do is not aggressively denounce them, one member supports us and another seems to have moved in our direction. From what we were told last night, only one more needs to shift. Community pressure, polite but unrelenting, is what is needed.
I'm a resident of Sebastopol for 14 years now, and have followed the ups and downs of Palm Drive over this period. I was privy to a conversation last night among others who were concerned about its closure, and I shared about having met PDH administrators at least twice, and on each occasion the CEO was employed by an out of state hospital management company. I said it was easy to see why local ideas may not have appealed to an out of state manager.
I am left wondering if the Board ever considered hiring a director in order to collect and implement local resources to develop a plan for the hospital's continued survival. Though I find it hard to believe this hasn't been considered, I am writing to offer this suggestion in the event that I may be wrong.
You can't expect a local solution to come from out of state management.
Jerry A. Green, JD
Greener Mediations
Medical Decisionmaking Institute
Post Office Box 72
Graton, CA 95444
707.824.4344
https://www.medagree.com (https://www.medagree.com/)
I am disturbed at the closed door actions of the Board. I have felt for some time, based on some extraordinary expenditures by the Board in the last few years, that we do not benefit by having this Board of Directors in place. Of course the doctors can run this hospital, and the community supports it. We need to have a community minded Board in place too. Let's start from scratch with a new Board. And, to the old Board, thank you for your service, and now we need to move on without you in a new direction.
Signed, A concerned citizen and longtime user of Palm Drive Hospital.
Eller
04-28-2014, 06:23 PM
Just sent my emails off. Hope others do too.
Eller
Dustyg
04-28-2014, 08:49 PM
I've contacted each board member by email too. dustyg
courtneyarnold
04-30-2014, 10:44 AM
Just sent my emails. Posting this thread to Facebook, too.
Imagery
05-01-2014, 05:37 AM
Perhaps I'm completely off-base here, but want to add my :2cents: in.
What has the objective of this hospital been for the last several years? In 2009, when I had my first heart attack, I wound up in the ER at Palm Drive. They had me transferred out of there for an expensive (and I considered it unnecessary) drive to Sutter within a couple of hours. Why? I felt the level of care I was receiving at Palm Drive Hospital was adequate, and they (Sutter) didn't even bother with the stent installation for another month.
At that time, I had a BMW policy (better than a Cadillac policy) for health insurance, so payment was certainly not an issue.
Each time I've been there, it's been a "stabilize and transfer" station. If they had to justify each transfer as much as they seemed to have to justify keeping me locally, they'd still be in business. I'm certain I don't have all the facts, and am not expressing my opinion like I do have them.
Please enlighten me...
Richard Nichols
05-01-2014, 07:52 PM
There are many reasons for the Palm Drive closure, but none of them are based on the hysterical "dereliction of duty", "remove them from office" attacks on the Board. Hospital finances are very difficult to understand and for reasons beyond me the CFO didn't even tell the Board that the hospital was totally broke and $6 million in debt until March. The rules governing hospitals are also complicated, so any last minute fix proposed was to late. The hospital is so broke it can't even pay PG&E.
That said, the BOD wants to see it reopen, the burning question, is there any business plan that makes sense in this miserable, broken medical system? If you read the Time Magazine article on the last year on the medical system, it explains how crazy the billing system is.
Anyway, everyone wants the hospital open. I'm 72 and 3 minutes from the ER, which sounds good to me. So let us get over the accusations and look for a solution.
Dustyg
05-02-2014, 08:06 AM
Hospital finances are very difficult to understand and for reasons beyond me the CFO didn't even tell the Board that the hospital was totally broke and $6 million in debt until March. The rules governing hospitals are also complicated, so any last minute fix proposed was to late. The hospital is so broke it can't even pay PG&E.
Again, I wonder, who is minding the store? How is it possible that the CFO didn't mention these drastic finances (if true). Doesn't the Board hire the CEO, and isn't that CEO accountable to the Board. And the CFO must be accountable to the CEO at least. I just think the hiring issues with CEO's has been out of whack for a couple of years...there was, and this my memory isn't great any more, something related to a $55,000 pay for a temporary CEO a couple of years ago. For a month? Or was it more?
I still believe we need new policies and definitely a new Board of Directors for Palm Drive Hospital. We need this hospital and we need people who are involved and good stewards to guide its future.
Richard Nichols
05-02-2014, 08:58 AM
Trying to remove the BOD comprised of very good community oriented people would be a huge, painful distraction from the real issue of how to get this thing straightened out and get the hospital opened. Everyone, including the BOD, wants that.
... I still believe we need new policies and definitely a new Board of Directors for Palm Drive Hospital. We need this hospital and we need people who are involved and good stewards to guide its future.
Dustyg
05-02-2014, 09:21 AM
This Board of Directors, God Bless 'em, has been in place for some time and we have gone from the frying pan into the fire. I do believe we need new leadership, new stewards, to guide us prudently into the future. I don't believe it is a distraction at all, but one of the elements that is not functioning well and needs review. It's like saying that a tenured teacher, even though no longer an effective teacher, should stay in place just because of tenure. Let's make some changes for the better, that is one of the things Sebastopol is known for...the courage to change things that need to be changed.
Richard Nichols
05-02-2014, 05:01 PM
I respect and understand this point of view. If you can prove that this BOD is in dereliction of duty, that they caused the financial failure, then I would agree. But the fact is that the hospital has been in trouble for years and this BOD did not create that, they just inherited it.
This Board of Directors, God Bless 'em, has been in place for some time and we have gone from the frying pan into the fire. I do believe we need new leadership, new stewards, to guide us prudently into the future. I don't believe it is a distraction at all, but one of the elements that is not functioning well and needs review. It's like saying that a tenured teacher, even though no longer an effective teacher, should stay in place just because of tenure. Let's make some changes for the better, that is one of the things Sebastopol is known for...the courage to change things that need to be changed.
Dustyg
05-02-2014, 07:14 PM
I have not said that the BOD is responsible for the financial situation. However much it inherited, I don't know, but what they did inherit they have not managed or resolved in a positive, prudent way. And I don't know just how much that was, perhaps more than you are willing to acknowledge. Why are you so attached to this BOD? They are decent people, no doubt, but they are not making decisions that move the hospital in positive direction. Only in March did they find out how disastrous the finances are? What's with that?????? If they were managing a small private company, they'd be out of business...
carolb
05-03-2014, 08:38 AM
I have not said that the BOD is responsible for the financial situation. However much it inherited, I don't know, but what they did inherit they have not managed or resolved in a positive, prudent way. And I don't know just how much that was, perhaps more than you are willing to acknowledge. Why are you so attached to this BOD? They are decent people, no doubt, but they are not making decisions that move the hospital in positive direction. Only in March did they find out how disastrous the finances are? What's with that?????? If they were managing a small private company, they'd be out of business...
I understand the frustration and the desire to replace the Board, but the question is, replace them with what? Those behind the recent negative campaigning would replace the current elected District Board with the board of a nonprofit Foundation, whose members are not elected, but select themselves. The District Board, because it is elected, has to follow the state Brown Act and hold meetings in public, make financial documents available to the public and so on. A nonprofit Foundation would not have to follow those rules (although they say they will) and can meet in secret if they like. They have no duty to be transparent with the public..
Dustyg
05-03-2014, 08:54 AM
How transparent has this Board been? It was not even aware of the state of the finances of the hospital until March. Who was minding the store? Replace them with whom, you wonder? Well, Sonoma County in general, and West County/Sebastopol in particular, have a population of creative, conscious, community-minded people who are generally well educated--if not formally then certainly wise in the ways of the world. Let's be creative and do some new thinking....a doctor run hospital could work. Sebastopol had the first all-green City Council in the United States, and we have been first in many other ways too. We have the courage to step up and do the right thing. We need an effective, accountable Board of DIRECTORS, effectively directing our hospital into the future.
carolb
05-03-2014, 09:49 AM
How transparent has this Board been? It was not even aware of the state of the finances of the hospital until March. Who was minding the store? Replace them with whom, you wonder? Well, Sonoma County in general, and West County/Sebastopol in particular, have a population of creative, conscious, community-minded people who are generally well educated--if not formally then certainly wise in the ways of the world....
I'm not arguing, but the people you mention need to stand up to the plate and run for election. What I'm trying to say is if you have publicly elected officials, you have some rights, however feeble. If you have a privately run hospital, you don't even have that. A doctor-run hospital would be a privately run hospital.It's just a case of whether ratepayers want any say in hospital operations or not. Maybe that's not important. And of course there's the whole overarching question about whether the economics and demographics will support any kind of hospital, or whether we need to focus on keeping an emergency room or an urgent care center or something like that.
carolb
05-03-2014, 09:54 AM
Just FYI, the Board got rid of the out of state management company about 18 months ago. We have had a local CEO at the helm since September 2012.
My husband had a hernia repaired at PDH. We found the medical care and service to be outstanding. Without any question, we need a hospital in this part of the county. Is it realistic to hope that a consortium of doctors could take over PDH?
Gus diZerega
05-03-2014, 06:55 PM
I don't pretend to be an expert on Palm Drive, but I am bothered by the fact that the Board made its final decision in secret and think it likely the doctors have more knowledge than anyone else how to make the hospital solvent while keeping it effective. Many seem quite confident they can do the job- why not let them try?
My husband had a hernia repaired at PDH. We found the medical care and service to be outstanding. Without any question, we need a hospital in this part of the county. Is it realistic to hope that a consortium of doctors could take over PDH?
Dustyg
05-03-2014, 07:10 PM
I agree with the last two posts. Why not let them try? They have a vested interest in keeping Palm Drive gonig and healthy, and so does the community. We've done the traditional, current Board of Directors, and when all is said and done, for whatever reasons, the hospital is on the verge of a shutdown, certain insolvency.
Let's try something different...we certainly have the resources in doctors, technology, and a caring community who want their local hospital to be here, be well. The Doctors take an oath to do no harm, so should the Board of Directors. When in doubt, go to the community. The closed door work the Board has been doing is against transparency and community. Let's get going on a new tack; let's let our doctors direct our hospital.
Richard Nichols
05-04-2014, 07:15 AM
While docs may be qualified to treat patients, that does not mean that they are qualified to run a business.
My husband had a hernia repaired at PDH. We found the medical care and service to be outstanding. Without any question, we need a hospital in this part of the county. Is it realistic to hope that a consortium of doctors could take over PDH?
Gus diZerega
05-04-2014, 07:35 AM
Petaluma has the Alvarado Street Bakery. Been around 30 years. Bakers run it. They make about $80K a year and their CEO gets no more than 3X the lowest paid worker. They manage just fine in good times and bad and have far less technical education than any doctor.
In Spain similarly operated worker managed businesses range all the way from Europe's largest R&D operation that works in nanotechnology and with Microsoft to a university to one of Spain's largest (and most solvent) banks.They have done this for over 50 years. The Mondragon Cooperatives number about 80X worker members along withn many other worker cooperatives operated on somewhat different principles. The magnificent art museum in Bilbao was built by worker cooperatives.
I imagine doctors can do as well with an operation in which they have both expertise and maximum personal stake. And as I understand it it is far less radical than these successful examples of worker management,
And the business types have not exactly impressed anyone with their expertise or even respect for the law with their secret meetings.
But perhaps you would rather have no hospital at all?
While docs may be qualified to treat patients, that does not mean that they are qualified to run a business.
Richard Nichols
05-04-2014, 06:37 PM
I could do without the rhetorical flourish about whether I would have no hospital at all.
The point is to find a way to get the place back on its feet, but none of this is easily solvable given the complexities of law and finances and the broken medical system. Do doctors really have facility operations expertise? I'm sure some do, but I'd guess that's the exception.
The cooperative idea sounds interesting, but within a cooperative there are still different skills. A good bakery, for instance would have good bakers, a good book keeper, a good personnel person and so on. A cooperative hospital would be the same: a surgeon goes surgery, a janitor does cleaning, an executive does management. And they all cooperate to make it work.
Petaluma has the Alvarado Street Bakery. Been around 30 years. Bakers run it. They make about $80K a year and their CEO gets no more than 3X the lowest paid worker. They manage just fine in good times and bad and have far less technical education than any doctor.
In Spain similarly operated worker managed businesses range all the way from Europe's largest R&D operation that works in nanotechnology and with Microsoft to a university to one of Spain's largest (and most solvent) banks.They have done this for over 50 years. The Mondragon Cooperatives number about 80X worker members along withn many other worker cooperatives operated on somewhat different principles. The magnificent art museum in Bilbao was built by worker cooperatives.
I imagine doctors can do as well with an operation in which they have both expertise and maximum personal stake. And as I understand it it is far less radical than these successful examples of worker management,
And the business types have not exactly impressed anyone with their expertise or even respect for the law with their secret meetings.
But perhaps you would rather have no hospital at all?
Gus diZerega
05-04-2014, 06:52 PM
Not just a rhetorical flourish. The directors have closed it. So far as I know the only people who have offered a plan to keep it open are the doctors who work there. I imagine doctors are aware of the need for other skills you mention - and since it is not a cooperative of the Mondragon sort,they can hire people to do the work, very much like what is done today. Maybe even the same people.
Why do you think doctors cannot figure this out and hire people to do that work?
In my opinion buying into the supposed necessity of business organization as usual has two severe costs. It blinds us to alternatives even when they are very successful and it encourages us to think that managers have special talents that other people cannot hope to approach, hence justifying their obscene salaries.
It even seems able to blind people to the point of preferring closing it down to trying alternative organizational structures proposed by the people who work there.
I could do without the rhetorical flourish about whether I would have no hospital at all. ....
carolb
05-04-2014, 08:51 PM
Just wanted to point out that the doctors' proposal (YouTube: Palm Drive Hospital, A New Beginning) increases the number of managers in the hospital administration. Now, Palm Drive has a CEO and a CFO. Under the proposal, there would be a CEO, a CFO, a CAO and a COO.
Gus diZerega
05-04-2014, 10:03 PM
The issue is not managers, the issue is whether they are so special that the rest of us mortals should be subservient to them while paying them princely incomes. Managing is an important skill but it does not mean they should be superior to the rest of us.
I am not an expert on Palm Drive finances, nor do I want to become one. But that the alternative at this point seems to be closing it or having doctors run it, and since variants of that approach have many successes in different contexts, why not try it?
The resistance to the doctors' proposal mystifies me. People praise their professional care and judgment but assume they are incompetent in terms of business. Yet the professional mangers have not done a very good job or it seems to me we would not be in this situation.
Why oppose giving them a chance? What is really going on here?
Just wanted to point out that the doctors' proposal (YouTube: Palm Drive Hospital, A New Beginning) increases the number of managers in the hospital administration. Now, Palm Drive has a CEO and a CFO. Under the proposal, there would be a CEO, a CFO, a CAO and a COO.
carolb
05-05-2014, 08:05 AM
Maybe we're talking about two different things. I have absolutely no problem with the idea of doctors running the hospital, and I support the idea of cooperatives. The problem I have -- and that's why we may be talking about different things -- is with the proposal now being considered that calls itself a physicians' proposal but would actually have the board of a nonprofit foundation run the hospital. There are no doctors on the board of that foundation.
The issue is not managers, the issue is whether they are so special that the rest of us mortals should be subservient to them while paying them princely incomes. Managing is an important skill but it does not mean they should be superior to the rest of us. ...
dominus
05-05-2014, 08:20 AM
I imagine a big part of the problem is that each hospital has a certain amount of beds which must be filled and if they are vacant due to lack of need, there isn't enough revenue coming in to pay the bills. This can't be an isolated experience. It has to be happening elsewhere as well.
carolb
05-05-2014, 08:21 AM
Sorry, I misspoke. It is an 11-member board that is being proposed to run the hospital. One of the board members is a medical doctor and one is a PhD.
... There are no doctors on the board of that foundation.
Gus diZerega
05-05-2014, 08:34 AM
I am not in any sense an expert or deeply informed on Palm Drive's specifics. I attended the night time vigil because I had heard about the doctors' having come up with a plan for keeping it open and wanted to suupport them for twoi reasons. First, Palm Drive is a extremely important part of Sebastopol and West County. Second, the record of organizations managed by those who work for them is very good. One physician spoke at the gathering and explained that he and other doctors had developed a plan where physicians would essentially run the place and the Board for whatever reason preferred shutting it down.
The doctors were putting their time where their mouths were, as in keeping ER connections going in front of Palm Drive.
I trusted and am trusting their ability to know the institution's needs better than I ever will, and likely better than just about anyone else.
Given that the alternative as presented is closing Palm Drive, my position is to trust the doctors' judgment. If they cannot manage it, the place will close down anyway. They and Dan Smith claim the money exists to finance their plan. I take their claims seriously both because Smith has donated a great deal to keep it going in the past and because the Board apparently made its final decision in a meeting closed to the public.
But I am not privy to the details of their proposal- only to the way it has been presented to those of us at that meeting.
Rustie
05-05-2014, 08:57 AM
Well said Gus, thank you - I suspect that we might find privatization at the root of the boards actions & decision.....
Petaluma has the Alvarado Street Bakery. Been around 30 years. Bakers run it. They make about $80K a year and their CEO gets no more than 3X the lowest paid worker. They manage just fine in good times and bad and have far less technical education than any doctor.
In Spain similarly operated worker managed businesses range all the way from Europe's largest R&D operation that works in nanotechnology and with Microsoft to a university to one of Spain's largest (and most solvent) banks.They have done this for over 50 years. The Mondragon Cooperatives number about 80X worker members along withn many other worker cooperatives operated on somewhat different principles. The magnificent art museum in Bilbao was built by worker cooperatives.
I imagine doctors can do as well with an operation in which they have both expertise and maximum personal stake. And as I understand it it is far less radical than these successful examples of worker management,
And the business types have not exactly impressed anyone with their expertise or even respect for the law with their secret meetings.
But perhaps you would rather have no hospital at all?
Richard Nichols
05-05-2014, 09:31 AM
The Hospital is a public institution and the voters would have to approve privitization. That charge has no basis.
The BOD was forced to close becuase the hospital ran out of money. The question is how we can help get the hospital open. No easy answer to that one, but I do believe attacking the BOD is a waste of time. They are intelligent community oreinted volunteers.
Would somebody help us understand what the Foundation proposal involves. All I know is that the foundation would run the hospital, but the BOD would be responsible for what?
Well said Gus, thank you - I suspect that we might find privatization at the root of the boards actions & decision.....
Dianala
05-05-2014, 09:35 AM
One piece of information I heard at the vigil is that the current District Board has their own plan to replace all current staff with an outside clinic for urgent care at the hospital site. The existing clinic already operates in Occidental and this would be an expansion of their business. If this is true, shame on the Board for not presenting their plan to the public well ahead of closing the hospital down. This is in violation of their mandate to oversee the hospital, which to me includes CARING about the doctors, nurses and staff. And, who knows how this violates the Brown Act. The Board needs to come clean with what they have been planning asap. If this is an unfounded rumor, clear it up now!
Richard Nichols
05-05-2014, 09:52 AM
There is so much information and rumor flying around that I really don't know what to believe. I do know that there are good people on the BOD and I find it hard to believe that they have purposely created this mess.
So please, those making accusations, give us some evidence and not just accusations. I also call on the Board to clarify thier actions.
carolb
05-05-2014, 10:09 AM
Thank you! Now I understand better what you mean. Great!
I am not in any sense an expert or deeply informed on Palm Drive's specifics. ...
carolb
05-05-2014, 10:12 AM
You can read the entire proposal by Googling Palm Drive Hospital, A New Beginning, It will take you right to it. It's easy to read, a lot of ideas.
...Would somebody help us understand what the Foundation proposal involves. ...
Dianala
05-05-2014, 10:18 AM
Yes, I think that is the Foundation's proposal and idea sharing. What is the District Board's plan?
You can read the entire proposal by Googling Palm Drive Hospital, A New Beginning, It will take you right to it. It's easy to read, a lot of ideas.
carolb
05-05-2014, 11:02 AM
Yes, we'd all like to know that! I think they are planning on holding community meetings.
Yes, I think that is the Foundation's proposal and idea sharing. What is the District Board's plan?
Rustie
05-05-2014, 09:40 PM
It is my understanding that the board already thumbed their nose at “the laws” that supposedly govern them when they made their decision to shut down Palm Drive in a closed session. Why the unlawful secret session?
It is also my understanding that the board was not forced to close the hospital. There was a proposal on the table which included $1 million in financial backing. The boards' argument against the physicians proposal was that the physicians could not provide an adequate level of care to meet patients needs. So how does no hospital meet those needs?
If I may speculate for the purpose of addressing the requirement of voters approval for privatization – how long would Sebastopol residents hold out against privatization with no local emergency services or facility?
With all due respect Richard I believe that your position suggesting that the BoD have acted beyond reproach has little basis. Thus far, in my opinion, the board has not acted honorably. They first hold an illegal closed session then, flippantly respond to the people when questioned about their actions in violation of the Brown Act. Secrecy breeds contempt, I think it unwise to deem the consideration of the possibility of malfeasance on the part of the board a waste of time, but that's just me.....
The Hospital is a public institution and the voters would have to approve privitization. That charge has no basis.
The BOD was forced to close becuase the hospital ran out of money. The question is how we can help get the hospital open. No easy answer to that one, but I do believe attacking the BOD is a waste of time. They are intelligent community oreinted volunteers.
Would somebody help us understand what the Foundation proposal involves. All I know is that the foundation would run the hospital, but the BOD would be responsible for what?
Richard Nichols
05-06-2014, 08:38 AM
I never said they acted beyond reproach. Under certain circumstances elected boards can meet in closed session. I honestly don't know the situation. My main point is that they don't deserve a public lynching. Energy is better spent on trying to fix this awful mess.They have nothing to gain by closing the hospital and were forced to do it by the simple fact that the district is broke. I believe they are open to finding a solution, but given how complex the issues are, it won't be easy, and just throwing more money at it won't work.
...With all due respect Richard I believe that your position suggesting that the BoD have acted beyond reproach has little basis. ...
Dustyg
05-06-2014, 09:06 AM
I do not believe anyone is 'lynching' the Board. We are reviewing their conduct, their leadership, the results of their 'direction' of Palm Drive Hospital. According to the reports we read, among other decisions that did not serve us well, they had hired people from out of town at princely salaries to manage the hospital. It is prudent, in light of the drastic circumstances of a closed hospital (which the community wants and needs to have open and running) that the decisions that have been made (or not made) by this Board have not served the hospital or the community well. Let's move on with some new ideas. ASAP.
Rustie
05-06-2014, 10:35 AM
To my knowledge this was not one of those circumstances in which the board could meet and act in a closed session. Furthermore they were aware of that fact and yet they chose to act in violation of the laws that govern them. How do you know that they do not deserve “a public lynching” or more aptly stated, to be replaced, if you are not willing to examine the possibility?
As I have already illustrated in one possible example, there could be a great deal to gain by closing the hospital if privatization is a consideration. In fact if the simple fact is that the district is broke privatization might well look more appealing than a community “co-op” facility operated by local physicians, nurses and other medical professionals.
One unlawful closed session has left us with no local hospital facility. I think it prudent to keep a close eye on the board, ask hard questions, demand complete transparency and be willing to consider their replacement.
I never said they acted beyond reproach. Under certain circumstances elected boards can meet in closed session. ...
Barry
05-06-2014, 06:07 PM
You can read the entire proposal by Googling Palm Drive Hospital, A New Beginning, It will take you right to it. It's easy to read, a lot of ideas.
As for my :2cents:, I can't speak about management structures aside from I like the idea of at least 1 active Dr. sitting on the board.
My house is around the corner from Palm Drive, and I'm getting older, so I really like that it is there. But that said, I think it should only be offering services that are not duplicated at the Santa Rosa hospitals unless the closer location is critical, rather than merely convenient. And the service should be emergency triage and stabilization and then transported to Santa Rosa if needed/appropriate.
It can also services that are not offered at the Santa Rosa hospitals.
Location dependant services that come to mind are:
- Cardiac/stroke triage
- Birth Center (If we were planning a hospital birth for my second daughter, she would be been delivered someplace on Hwy 12!)
- Urgent Care
- I'm sure there must be others where the 30 minutes can make a difference.
Unique services that come to mind include:
- Advance alternative and complementary medicine
- telemedicine
I'm OK with the current level of public support. If more support is needed, I think more oversight is needed as well.
(https://ehrinternational.com/PDPhysicians/PhysicianProposaltoReinventPDH.pdf)
Dustyg
05-12-2014, 07:07 AM
I'm upset. We still have a Board of Directors, but no hospital. I believe we should have a hospital and excuse this Board of Directors....we need a new start without them.
Richard Nichols
05-12-2014, 06:10 PM
What's new, everyone is upset. I don't think excusing the BOD will help, but others do. Since the hospital district requires a BOD, who will take their place?Energy better spent on finding solutions. We can get some form of the hospital back probably.
How about a Kaiser satellite?
I'm upset. We still have a Board of Directors, but no hospital. I believe we should have a hospital and excuse this Board of Directors....we need a new start without them.
Dustyg
05-12-2014, 06:28 PM
While this BOD was at the helm, we went from operating to out of business. What is the problem with replacing this BOD. West County, Sebastopol, has a plethora of talented, successful, thinking, conscious people who have been leaders...both quiet and extrovert....we have the talent...what on earth makes this person think that this current BOD, who steered us into closure, cannot be replaced???? Stop and think for a minute! Look around you....check out our history here....we're known for courage and the willingness to do the right thing..certainly not how our current BOD is known. If it works don't fix it, but if it doesn't work, FIX IT.
Rustie
05-12-2014, 08:37 PM
Kaiser satellite - that would be privatization now wouldn't it..... and please explain to me how that would address the emergency and medical needs of the entire community?
What's new, everyone is upset. I don't think excusing the BOD will help, but others do...
jbox
05-13-2014, 07:37 AM
I'm upset. We still have a Board of Directors, but no hospital...
At this point I'll settle for a property tax refund.........though I bet the taxes everybody pays for Palm Drive go on for another 30 years regardless of whether it is open or shuttered. Good money spent badly long ago.
Bryan
05-13-2014, 10:04 AM
I volunteered with the Hospital starting in 2000 on and off for over 10 years, although not in the recent 3-4 years. Some of what I understand is based on talking with folks I know there.
I spent a lot of time after the earlier bankruptcy helping the CEO and the CFO work through the financial problems exacerbated by their computer system.
I learned a lot about healthcare finance. I see the issues of private insurance companies and government medicare are played out nationally with major local consequences. Most insurance compensation to hospitals is based on medicare - did you know that your insurance uses medicare rates plus some percent above to reimburse your doctor and hospital? We are all effectively getting medicare 'plus' now while people want to think they are paying for better, 'private' insurance.
When the current Board learned in March that their financial projections from the financial staff were wrong, they found themselves in crisis. From what I understand, they owe $6 million more than after the last bankruptcy. When I hear how 'we were profitable recently', I have to wonder how then did we need to borrow $6 million? I assume because we needed to borrow.
There were apparently significant changes recently in Medicare reimbursements substantially lowering rates to hospitals. That trickles down to private insurance reimbursements eventually since they follow the leader.
Additionally, much if not most of the money coming from our taxes was borrowed against during the earlier crisis. During several weeks, the PD BOD held executive sessions to review their situation. They brought in outside advisors - which is NOT the first time this happened at PDH. They were already in management contracts with Marin General but that couldn't fix this situation. PDH has tried numerous times to partner with other hospitals, starting with Warrick (now closed and being converted to SAY project).
The BOD did not violate any Brown acts afaik, as they OFTEN have executive sessions to discuss business issues that require the entire board in session but some privacy just like a regular business.
Eventually they must reveal the nature and results of these closed door sessions.
While I believe that this closure was a huge issue, folks should not all act completely surprised.
Palm Drive has had declining business while costs keep going up. The current board did not borrow against the taxes but they didn't have that resource to continue to buttress up the finances. While PDH does get money based on utilization, it does not have any financial equity in some of the profitable practices that use the hospital. Instead, it is reliant on insurance reimbursements. So if a main practice is effectively outpatient, but the hospital is staffed for beds, there is a huge gap in business structure. I know there were recent cutbacks (Jan 2014?) but really the hospital needed to be recreated with different restrictions. Many of the existing requirements of a hospital were created 30 years ago to keep doctors from draining off profitable surgeries. It seems to me PDH, by having our ER, fell into a financial trap over time due to legal requirements that were never meant to damage small hospitals. Rural designation was an issue with getting lower medicare (and insurance) rates, although I don't know if that was ever resolved in PDH favor either.
When a business BOD is repeatedly told that things are fine by its financial staff, and then find out that the bottom has dropped out, and they have no resources to turn to , a closure is almost inevitable.
I do believe PDH needed to more aggressively build its business - but I see plenty of people who needed to actively work on that, not just the BOD or the CEO. However, the competition from Sutter (who put an office into Sebastopol to drain patients to its own hospital) and Kaiser is quite fierce.
Now, I believe the board should make arrangements with the foundation to reopen the hospital.
I am not personally involved in any of these discussions. I do know the foundation really needs some cash in the bank to reopen. I believe Dan Smith and his wife Joan Marler recently made a strong financial commitment at the recent Sebastopol city council meeting. They should be congratulated for stepping up again to help.
I also know that the hospital really needs the various doctors to have a stronger direct stake in the finances. Otherwise these doctors will have to turn to the bigger players in Santa Rosa for their practice. Many local doctors struggle financially, while others are doing well due to how our insurance decides who to pay and who not to pay.
Together they would be stronger if they chose to see the need to build a business together, as opposed to the existing model. As an optimist, I hope that the local doctors, ALL the doctors, now see that they can work together to build their own business under the Foundation.
Right now, much of the local business is being drained away by Kaiser and Sutter. Memorial is now also positioning itself to take the rest - if Memorial leases out PDH, for an urgent care, we won't have our emergency room and the 'profitable' surgeries will be done in Santa Rosa. Local doctors may close as they prefer to be close to a hospital where they can visit patients that are admitted. Note that under Kaiser, your doctor will never visit you in the hospital - they assign a hospitalist to act as your doctor for everyone on the floor.
I also strongly support changes in state laws to exempt small hospitals like Palm Drive from the very expensive add on requirements of an emergency room. I have talked with 2 legislative aides of Marc Levine, our assemblyman, who is very willing to help PDH and waiting for us to let them know what is required.
I don't know if the foundation has put together a list of changes /exemptions to these requirements.
I also support moving to a more Kaiser business model and hope new insurance vendors like Western Health can more fairly compensate small hospitals. Parity is a big issue as bigger chains get more money from your health insurance than small independent hospitals. When PDH lobbied Sacto about 10 years ago for parity, we got our *ss handed to us by the insurance lobby in those hallowed halls.
I don't know exactly what is holding up the new deal with the foundation. To my mind, this is a simple business transaction requiring due diligence on the part of the board. Given that most of the staff was already employed directly by the board,
they have done that work. There is liability as always, but as a public agency, the board has a lot of protection and also carries its own insurance. I feel their concerns should be in writing to the foundation so it has an ability to resolve outstanding concerns.
I hope we all hear some specific issues around these negotiations.
Victoria Street
05-13-2014, 07:07 PM
<br><br>
Kaiser satellite - that would be privatization now wouldn't it..... and please explain to me how that would address the emergency and medical needs of the entire community?
I am a Kaiser member and, I like it. It's consistent, streamlined, I know my costs upfront, and I know that I will receive care in an emergency. Is it perfect? Of course not! Do I feel frustrated sometimes? Sure! And sometimes I have had to go elsewhere, and pay for treatment (out of my own pocket) that they do not provide, but that is the rare exception. Their infrastructure is second to none. Their website, online appointment scheduling, drug refills, etc. is great. With Covered CA, my premium is now HALF of what it previously was (Thank you Obamacare). If you take a proactive approach in your own healthcare and go to your medical appointment prepared with questions in hand, you won't need to be in the doctor's office chewing the fat for hours! I would love to see Kaiser in Sebastopol. They have it together. Unfortunately, Palm Drive didn't, and as a payer of property taxes, I really dislike paying for an entity that really should have been taken off life support long ago...
Rustie
05-14-2014, 08:57 AM
My point is not the pros & cons of Kaiser but rather the idea that a Kaiser satellite is not an appropriate replacement if you are attempting to service the entire community with local emergency services and a hospital that is open all, regardless of which health insurance pirate they have chosen.
Is it your intention to suggest that a private, member only facility such as Kaiser would be a valid replacement for the local, non-profit hospital that serviced the entire community? Is the notion that all Sebastopol residents in need of &/or desiring access to their local hospital should simply convert to Kaiser as their health care choice? But then that wouldn't really be a choice now would it.....
And since you brought it up – let's talk Obamacare..... I'm guessing you sing the praises of this bizarre legislation because you, and possibly many or most of your friends and colleagues have been in the class of lucky recipients of reduced premiums. This of course is not true for all people but good for you. However, has it occurred to you what is really happening in this paradigm? Your premiums have dramatically dropped because the federal government, by way of your tax dollars, is picking up the cost difference. No problem with that, better spent there than on funding the war effort, right? But think - where are those federal funded dollars going? Correct, directly into the pockets of the private health insurance industry's coffers. Long story short, we are subsidizing private, for profit health insurance conglomerates like Kaiser, Blue Cross, Blue Shield and Health Net, just to name a few in the very short list of participating insurance giants. This is one of the most blatant shill games of corporate welfare that I have ever seen and the public seems to be dancing in the streets with glee over their new low insurance premiums rather than screaming for National Health Care.
I am a Kaiser member and, I like it. It's consistent, streamlined, I know my costs upfront, and I know...
Victoria Street
05-14-2014, 09:56 AM
My point is not the pros & cons of Kaiser but rather the idea ...
Thank you, Rustie, for your thoughtful reply. I am sorry you felt a need to be snarky. I was simply responding to your negative remark about a Kaiser satellite. Yes - Kaiser works for me. No - it is not a replacement for a community hospital. Yes - I am glad we have Obamacare. No - it is not perfect and I am sorry that not everyone directly benefits, including yourself. Yes - I am glad that more people than ever in the history of this country have affordable health coverage, including myself. No - I do not have a problem with "for profit" entities, as long as I am getting value for my investment. Yes - I would like to see a "nonprofit" community hospital flourish, but so far this hasn't been the case here locally, hence this discussion. Yes - Kaiser considers itself "nonprofit", but hell - you and I both know better than that! So please - before you go gettin' your tie dye all in a wad, just remember - I am not the enemy! I would LOVE to see a community hospital here locally. But it would need to be financially solid before I would willingly trust it with my life.
treasure
05-14-2014, 10:52 AM
I live next door to Palm Drive Hospital and would be extremely disappointed if it turned into a Kaiser satellite. Would only be helpful to members of Kaiser, right?
treasure
What's new, everyone is upset. I don't think excusing the BOD will help, but others do. Since the hospital district requires a BOD, who will take their place?Energy better spent on finding solutions. We can get some form of the hospital back probably.
How about a Kaiser satellite?
Richard Nichols
05-14-2014, 05:01 PM
I have no idea how a Kaiser satellite would work, but because PDH is a public hospital, something would have to be worked out.
Anyway, I just tossed the Kaiser idea into the mix to see if there are any coherent comments.
So far, other than a rant here and there, not much in the way of how it would work. Does anyone have any idea how such a thing could legally work? Maybe not at all.
For the sake of disclosure, I'm on medicare and I use Kaiser. Please don't jump on my case for that. I've been with Kaiser since I was a little kid.
I live next door to Palm Drive Hospital and would be extremely disappointed if it turned into a Kaiser satellite. Would only be helpful to members of Kaiser, right?
treasure
Victoria Street
05-14-2014, 06:48 PM
I have no idea how a Kaiser satellite would work, but because PDH is a public hospital, something would have to be worked out...
Since Kaiser is funded by paying members, I can't imagine it being an option. So everyone CAN RELAX! In a recent article in the PD regarding the closure of Palm Drive, it mentioned low bed occupancy as one of the "problems". At first I thought "Great! People are healthier!", but of course, no, that wasn't it. People are choosing the larger hospitals in Santa Rosa (yes, like Kaiser for example...) Fine for those of us who make that choice. Not so fine when we need emergency care here. I wanted to support Palm Drive. I really did. I pay $188 a year with my property taxes to support them, which I voted in favor of twice. But the continual financial situation did not instill confidence in receiving quality care. I am not alone in this regard. People chose to go elsewhere. However - we still need a community hospital.
Can the doctors run it? Perhaps. How much more is it going to cost us? A hospital is not a bakery. I thought that doctors had enough on their plate - too much paperwork and not enough time for patients. How are they going to find the time and energy to run it? I'm not saying it can't be done, but rather than reinventing the wheel, it would be worthwhile to investigate other examples of doctor run facilities - both successful as well as unsuccessful. Only then, in my opinion, can intelligent dialogue take place.
Rustie
05-14-2014, 08:35 PM
Sorry you refuse to respond to the actual content being posted and rather choose to presume non-existing perspectives and attitudes as a justification for your agenda. My initial comments were neither negative or positive about Kaiser they simply stated two facts 1) A Kaiser satellite would be privatization, a point I had previously presented which was addressed by some as not likely and thereby unreasonable to mention 2) A member-only facility such as Kaiser would not respond to the needs of the entire community. How you derive a negative remark about Kaiser out of that is beyond me.
My apologies for misinterpreting your previous comment that you would “love to see a Kaiser in Sebastopol”. I now understand that you do not think that Kaiser would be an appropriate choice to replace Palm Drive, thank you for clarifying that point.
Meanwhile you never bothered to address the government subsidy of the private health insurance industry that Obamacare is now providing. Instead you tried to turn this into a conversation about the acceptance of “for profit” entities and the value of investment. This is very disingenuous on your part. At no point in my discourse did I suggest in any way that I am an adversary of for profit business. I merely pointed out that the federal government, via Obamacare, is now utilizing public funds to subsidize private for profit entities, specifically the giant health insurance corporations. In my opinion this is inappropriate. I don't believe that our tax dollars should be given to private industries to ensure their bottom line profits and CEO bonuses.
This is not about investments for which you are getting value and it is offensive that you attempt to color it as such. An investment and any value derived from said investment is a personal choice – Obamacare is a federally mandated law. Aside from that subtle distinction it might behoove you to notice that your “investment” in the for profit health insurance industry is not providing you a value. Case in point, health care costs in the U.S. are double that of any other industrialized nation which has National Health Care. This reality is a direct result of our health insurance “for profit” model. And don't kid yourself that the value is in our outstanding medical services. The U.S. is ranked number 37 in the quality of care provided. That means there are 36 nations ahead of us, all with National Health Care, that provide better medical services for less money. You might want to re-think your investment strategy.
I don't see you as the enemy, I see you as misinformed and overly eager, as are many, to accept the rhetoric spewed by self serving interests to sell a fatally flawed health insurance system. Why do you accept the premise that a local community hospital must be independently financially solvent yet you are willing to subsidize the private health insurance industry? Under a National Health Care system Palm Drive Hospital would have never closed.......
And for the record, I personally did benefit from Obamacare and I don't wear tie dye.
Thank you, Rustie, for your thoughtful reply...
Victoria Street
05-14-2014, 08:55 PM
Sorry you refuse to respond to the actual content being posted and rather choose to presume ...
1. This is a thread about Palm Drive - not Obamacare.
2. By "investment" I was talking about the bang I get for MY buck - be it medical or otherwise.
3. I support a national healthcare system. I'd wave it, but my magic wand is in the shop...
Sheesh...:peaceman:
Rustie
05-15-2014, 09:47 AM
Singing the praises of a system designed by industry insiders and sold to the public by deception and lies serves only to divert attention away from our health care crisis and the vital importance of implementing National Health Care. The current system in this country that we pass off for health care has in fact a direct relationship to the closure of Palm Drive. We can't fix this situation without identifying the culprit destroying the machine. Conversations considering Kaiser, or similar institutions as a replacement, rather than our local community medical professionals, is the antithesis of supporting a national healthcare system.
You don't need a magic wand. Just stop waving your staff of diversion by willful ignorance.
1. This is a thread about Palm Drive - not Obamacare.
2. By "investment" I was talking about the bang I get for MY buck - be it medical or otherwise.
3. I support a national healthcare system. I'd wave it, but my magic wand is in the shop...
Sheesh...:peaceman:
gardenmaniac
05-15-2014, 05:34 PM
thanks for the disclosure, Richard. I'm on medicare and I don't have Kaiser, so I don't think that solution would serve me ...
...For the sake of disclosure, I'm on medicare and I use Kaiser. Please don't jump on my case for that. I've been with Kaiser since I was a little kid.
Richard Nichols
05-16-2014, 09:45 AM
What I wonder is if something like Kaiser could operate the hospital, be under the jurisdiction of the Hospital Board, and have PDH open to the district residence even if not Kaiser customers. Just asking questions and not promoting it. There are many ideas floating about.
thanks for the disclosure, Richard. I'm on medicare and I don't have Kaiser, so I don't think that solution would serve me ...
Beverly Schenck
05-16-2014, 12:24 PM
Victoria
Some people become a really stinking tirade if you don't agree to their interpretation of the "Facts". What happen to free speech, or the rights to your own opinion, or respect for others. When calling people names you only belittle yourself.:hmmm:
1. This is a thread about Palm Drive - not Obamacare.
2. By "investment" I was talking about the bang I get for MY buck - be it medical or otherwise.
3. I support a national healthcare system. I'd wave it, but my magic wand is in the shop...
Sheesh...:peaceman:
Gus diZerega
05-20-2014, 06:10 PM
Given the article by peacetown jonathan that has appeared describing how the board handled mediation requests and the dishonest arguments of their very non local lawyer, I think the only reasonable position at this point is that enough of the Board is corrupt as to make it actively destructive of the interests of the people of Sebastopol and of Sonoma county. No wonder they meet in secret. They need to resign immediately and run for re-election, or be recalled of they do not. I will help gather signatures.
Richard, my hope for the ideas floating around out there is that we can, as a community, come to a consensus that the only ideas that we ought to seriously consider are those that include reopening an emergency room and acute care facility at Palm Drive ASAP. Do you agree with this? Do you feel that there is a consensus among the people you know in our community about this? Thanks! :Yinyangv:
What I wonder is if something like Kaiser could operate the hospital, be under the jurisdiction of the Hospital Board, and have PDH open to the district residence even if not Kaiser customers. Just asking questions and not promoting it. There are many ideas floating about.
christine bauman
05-21-2014, 02:01 PM
I never understood why Palm Drive didn't advertise and market their programs more aggressively. They had a "a state-of-the-art robotic telemedicine program directed by James Gude, MD. Robotic telemedicine helps... physicians consult immediately with on-call specialists throughout the San Francisco Bay Area...", a stroke program, many community programs, terrific physical rehabilitation, etc. I worked with an amazing certified rehab hand therapist with impeccable training. Kaiser patients could be treated in the ER, etc, etc, etc.
Course what hasn't emerged in this conversation is why the hospital had so few beds occupied. Their outdated marketing was one factor but also the insurance company reimbursements were so low or them not paying for months on end. My broken arm surgery Palm Drive billed Blue Cross Blue Shield $20,000 for the related costs of the operation such as operating room, drugs, gloves etc. and Blue Shield paid $6,000. Not sure how much my operation really was but I am sure they didn't make a huge profit on my operation.
As for my :2cents:, I can't speak about management structures aside from I like the idea of at least 1 active Dr. sitting on the board.
My house is around the corner from Palm Drive, and I'm getting older, so I really like that it is there. But that said, I think it should only be offering services that are not duplicated at the Santa Rosa hospitals unless the closer location is critical, rather than merely convenient. And the service should be emergency triage and stabilization and then transported to Santa Rosa if needed/appropriate.
It can also services that are not offered at the Santa Rosa hospitals.
Location dependant services that come to mind are:
- Cardiac/stroke triage
- Birth Center (If we were planning a hospital birth for my second daughter, she would be been delivered someplace on Hwy 12!)
- Urgent Care
- I'm sure there must be others where the 30 minutes can make a difference.
Unique services that come to mind include:
- Advance alternative and complementary medicine
- telemedicine
I'm OK with the current level of public support. If more support is needed, I think more oversight is needed as well.
(https://ehrinternational.com/PDPhysicians/PhysicianProposaltoReinventPDH.pdf)
christine bauman
05-21-2014, 02:25 PM
I support an immediate recall of the Palm Drive Board members. I don't feel they are capable of dealing with this crisis. They do not seem to have the ability to work with the community or to come up with different solutions than the one they keep repeatedly and adamently proposing. It is a tough situation. We need a Board that consider without bias ways of re-opening the hospital with the emergency room with new modelling. I think the Palm Drive Foundation proposal is a good start but we need a District Board who can work with the Foundation, not oppose every step they try to take.
Given the article by peacetown jonathan that has appeared describing how the board handled mediation requests and the dishonest arguments of their very non local lawyer, I think the only reasonable position at this point is that enough of the Board is corrupt as to make it actively destructive of the interests of the people of Sebastopol and of Sonoma county. No wonder they meet in secret. They need to resign immediately and run for re-election, or be recalled of they do not. I will help gather signatures.
I believe Palm Drive Hospital's situation must be happening to small hospitals all around the country. Many beds are going unoccupied thus there is a lack of revenue.
sun1lev
05-21-2014, 09:47 PM
Richard, my hope for the ideas floating around out there is that we can, as a community, come to a consensus that the only ideas that we ought to seriously consider are those that include reopening an emergency room and acute care facility at Palm Drive ASAP. Do you agree with this? Do you feel that there is a consensus among the people you know in our community about this? Thanks! :Yinyangv:
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> Thanks so much for your investigation.
From your report it looks like a scheme to acquire a very valuable asset. An old fashioned land grab!
<!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]-->
Sara S
05-22-2014, 05:04 AM
Dear Friends,
The Palm Drive District Board has called an important meeting on very short notice concerning
the future of our hospital.
Thursday, May 22 ~ 5:30 pm
Location:
Sebastopol Center for the Arts
282 S. High Street, Sebastopol
Please come if you can and wear or hold a small sign
that says 'OPEN OUR HOSPITAL' to support the physicians and the Foundation in reopening Palm Drive.
Come early to find a seat. Space will be limited.
To find out more about the Open Our Hospital campaign, click on www.openourhospital.org
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> Thanks so much for your investigation.
From your report it looks like a scheme to acquire a very valuable asset. An old fashioned land grab!
<!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman";} </style> <![endif]-->
Barry
05-22-2014, 09:51 AM
The second article in our investigative series has been published here:
Behind Palm Drive Hospital’s Closing Part II: Wells Fargo Bank & the Shutdown Playbook (https://www.waccobb.net/forums/showthread.php?105367-Behind-Palm-Drive-Hospital%92s-Closing-Part-II-Wells-Fargo-Bank-amp-the-Shutdown-Playbook&p=179834#post179834)
John Eder
05-22-2014, 11:57 PM
Okay, the corner property CVS/Chase wants, the burned out hulk of Frizelle-Enos (whatever happened to the guy who allegedly caused the fire?), and now Palm Drive's board-driven closure. I do not generally see conspiracies around every corner but I must wonder about this chain of possible coincidences.
<!--><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> I understand your concerns completely. I experience a similar sense of suspicion every time I see two or more traffic signals turn the same color simultaneously. I typically find myself wondering, “Who is behind this? What is [I]really going on here?”
Your fears are not unfounded. I have it on good authority from a renowned investigative reporter that the invisible flying saucers parked in the Laguna are behind the recent events taking place at CVS, Frizelle-Enos and Palm Drive Hospital.
All in good fun, surely, you jest? I grew up in El Ay and knew from my father's family of the story of how the area was able to grow. Chinatown, remember? And I've been here during the time of great growth possible only by Warm Springs, which closed down the gathering areas for the first people here and did away with the great salmon runs. There's a good sized difference between nonsensical fantasies and old fashioned land grabs. And I'm not saying it's so. But I was at the meeting last night on Palm Drive and glad of it. The board received a thrashing from the public and the "slick attorney" sat with serious space on each side of him. A long way of saying I won't put on the tin hat.
<!--><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> I am relieved to hear that you have not fallen prey to this diabolical campaign of disinformation. My own extensive investigation, conducted over a period of ten minutes, proves beyond any doubt that the gullibility of the masses is not only essential, but easily exploited when attempting to get them to believe the opposite of reality.
From The Atlantic 26591
Tin Foil Hats Actually Make it Easier for the Government to Track Your Thoughts
Matt Soniak (https://www.theatlantic.com/matt-soniak/)
Let's say some malevolent group -- the government, powerful corporations, extraterrestrials -- really is trying to read and/or control your thoughts with radio waves. Would the preferred headgear of the paranoid, a foil helmet, really keep The Man and alien overlords out of our brains?
The scientific reasoning behind the foil helmet is that it acts as a Faraday cage, an enclosure made up of a conducting material that shields its interior from external electrostatic charges and electromagnetic radiation by distributing them around its exterior and dissipating them. While sometimes these enclosures are actual cages, they come in many forms, and most of us have probably dealt with one type or another. Elevators, the scan rooms that MRI machines sit in, "booster bags" that shoplifters sometimes use to circumvent electronic security tags, cables like USB or TV coaxial cables, and even the typical household microwave all provide shielding as Faraday cages.
While the underlying concept is good, the typical (https://imgur.com/XL5zX) foil helmet fails in design and execution. An effective Faraday cage fully encloses whatever it's shielding, but a helmet that doesn't fully cover the head doesn't fully protect it. If the helmet is designed or worn with a loose fit, radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation can still get up underneath the brim from below and reveal your innermost thoughts to the reptilian humanoids (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Icke%23Reptoid_hypothesis) or the Bilderberg Group (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bilderberg_Group%23Conspiracy_theory)...
The full article can be found here: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/09/tin-foil-hats-actually-make-it-easier-for-the-government-to-track-your-thoughts/262998/
26590Researchers at MIT, using a network analyzer, tested the impact of tin foil helmets on receptivity of radio-frequency signals. They highlight the method and results in the study abstract:
Among a fringe community of paranoids, aluminum helmets serve as the protective measure of choice against invasive radio signals. We investigate the efficacy of three aluminum helmet designs on a sample group of four individuals. Using a $250,000 network analyzer, we find that although on average all helmets attenuate invasive radio frequencies in either directions (either emanating from an outside source, or emanating from the cranium of the subject), certain frequencies are in fact greatly amplified. These amplified frequencies coincide with radio bands reserved for government use according to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC). Statistical evidence suggests the use of helmets may in fact enhance the government’s invasive abilities. We speculate that the government may in fact have started the helmet craze for this reason.
[I]The above was taken from: https://www.howtogeek.com/114037/researchers-prove-tin-foil-hats-boost-receptivity-to-government-signals/
As you can see, I have conclusively proven that, as with all grand conspiracies, the “truth” is out there, and will eventually emerge if you look hard enough for it.
Please note: All quotes shown above were acquired from the internet, so you can be assured of their validity and accuracy.
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Gus diZerega
05-23-2014, 01:45 PM
Thursday’s gathering at the Veterans Center was remarkable in its unanimity. For the hour and a half I was there the large crowd, alerted on such short notice, opposed the Palm Drive Board’s actions, and did so without exception.
How could this Board of volunteers have gotten so far out of touch with its community? I find it difficult to believe they sought their positions in order to act in bad faith. How could it have happened?
As I pondered this question I remembered an episode from my college days in the 60s. I and a few other anti-war students organized a student party to take over student government and use it for anti-war purposes (along with its traditional functions). We won. As I should have known, almost immediately the student organizations that continually set up information tables on campus to seek student support and cash disappeared. Their people began hanging around the student senate office because we decided where the student activity fee would go.
I was alarmed at the collapse of campus-wide educational tables, and so proposed a measure where students could ranks the categories of organizations to receive student senate funds during enrollment, with a requirement that the student senate respect those collective judgments. This meant organizations with a visible presence would probably receive more funding than those that simply sought to ingratiate themselves with student senators.
The proposal was voted down in the student senate and the reasoning given is what is interesting today. Average students were deemed too uninformed and too self-centered to be trusted with such ‘power.’ These claims were made by people whom I had often personally begged to run so we could offer a full slate, people who had never distinguished themselves for any initiative on their part beyond being anti-war.
Later, when I went to Berkeley for my Ph.D., I saw the same problem and worked with the student treasurer to develop an even better proposal to do the same there. Again student senate members disparaged UC students’ ability to make these judgments. I remember one saying students would give everything to the pom pom squad. UC Berkeley, as most know, is the Flagship campus for California, attracting many of the best students in the state.
Afterwards I thought if being elected to student government could do this to someone's judgment and intelligence what must be the case when someone finds themselves elected to a real position of authority and power? There seems to be something about being elected that goes to most people’s heads and gives them the illusion that those who elected them suddenly fell in IQ and judgment while theirs suddenly increased.
Back now to our Board.
If the same dynamic worked with them (and unlike student senators they have genuine power and serious responsibilities) then over time they began to see themselves as islands of sagacity within a potentially turbulent community of ignorant and short sighted simpletons.
Being puffed up by their election, they were amenable to having their egos stroked by the sociopaths in banking and their dishonest lawyer, people whose loyalties were demonstrably not to them or to us. Those ruthless folks long ago left any ethics they might have once possessed at the door, the better to seek wealth by manipulating, tricking, and lying to others. That's what big bankers and those who serve them do these days. I can well imagine some Board members being pulled aside to be told now that they were now 'insiders' and needed to 'grow up' and grasp how the 'real world' worked. They needed to cozy up to those with power and wealth, not with those who elected them.
A Board of elected volunteers would be putty in their hands. And so the Board embarked on a pattern of bad faith to their constituents while turning their judgment over to people who did not live here and had not the slightest bit of concern for the well-being of this town and its surroundings. They trusted those who treated them with bad faith while operating in bad faith towards those who trusted them. They rejected mediation and held meetings in secret. They worked with outside organizations to manipulate public perceptions. They acted dishonorably for (in their minds) the noblest of ends: doing for us what we were too stupid or emotional to understand needed to be done. If only we were as bright as they were supposedly we would appreciate them.
This is a perpetual problem for anyone who finds themselves elected to any position of authority, and is why no politician, professional or volunteer, should ever be completely trusted, especially when they say “trust us.” As individuals and as a species we handle power poorly.
Sara S
05-23-2014, 02:33 PM
(quote): "And so the Board embarked on a pattern of bad faith to their constituents while turning their judgment over to people who did not live here and had not the slightest bit of concern for the well-being of this town and its surroundings."
This is just like "our" (now retired) County Public Works director, Phil Demery, who's not from here, and who decided that, since money was tight, he would only maintain 150 miles of the deteriorating county roads, and said the rest "could go back to gravel".
Gus diZerega
05-24-2014, 02:18 PM
I almost shared this a month ago, but it's still good. I have somewhat distant relatives living in Carmel. They sent me an email that said among other things:
"Thought you would like to know that Palm Drive Hospital is one of 15 listed in Consumers Report of top rated hospitals!
"The CR issue also advises that lots of folks die each year in hospitals due to medical errors with 440,000 deaths!
CR: "The hospital you choose really matters". I think we should think about moving to Sebastopol."
The Board really did a grievous disservice to our community. If they weren't blinded by their egos they would resign and get out of the way. If it turns out they were right they could then say "We told you so." That they are refusing to do this suggests they are not sure they are right, but their pride comes before anything else.
peggykarp
05-24-2014, 02:58 PM
Councilman Eder,
It's easy to ridicule something if you rely on cheap jokes about conspiracy theories and avoid any reference to facts.
Jonathan Greenberg's exhaustively researched report on the likely conflicts of interest that lay behind the advice given to the Palm Drive Board by its PR consultants and the actions of PD hospital attorney Michael Sweet, to mention only two of the most sensational revelations in the report, is nothing short of brilliant. Sebastopol owes him a big debt of gratitude.
If you have a quarrel with any of the facts Greenberg laid out or any substantive corrections to make, I'm sure we'd all like to hear them.
<!--><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:SnapToGridInCell/> <w:WrapTextWithPunct/> <w:UseAsianBreakRules/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--> I understand your concerns completely. I experience a similar sense of suspicion every time I see two or more traffic signals turn the same color simultaneously. I typically find myself wondering, “Who is behind this? What is [I]really going on here?”
Your fears are not unfounded. I have it on good authority from a renowned investigative reporter that the invisible flying saucers parked in the Laguna are behind the recent events taking place at CVS, Frizelle-Enos and Palm Drive Hospital.
It's easy to ridicule something if you rely on cheap jokes about conspiracy theories and avoid any reference to facts...
What do you have against Geraldo Rivera?
scamperwillow
05-24-2014, 08:56 PM
Seems to me it would be pretty chicken shit to resign in the middle of a crisis with no one to replace them. Can we just come together as the strong smart community we are and work out a solution without making enemies of each-other?
I almost shared this a month ago, but it's still good. I have somewhat distant relatives living in Carmel. They sent me an email that said among other things...
Gus diZerega
05-24-2014, 10:38 PM
Did you read my earlier post on how honorable people could get swept into something like this? Please do so.
IF they can honestly work with people seeking to reopen Palm Drive I would be 100% in favor. They have so far proven unwilling to do this. They were elected to represent a community that so far as I can tell has lost faith in them. NO ONE spoke in their defense while I was at the Thursday meeting and so far as I know they have been unwilling to change their approach.
If they are unwilling even to have a mediator they are incapable of performing their job as the people's representatives. If they are not our representatives they should resign because they are representing third parties or they are so ego filled as to be unwilling to listen to those who care about Palm Drive.
Seems to me it would be pretty chicken shit to resign in the middle of a crisis with no one to replace them. Can we just come together as the strong smart community we are and work out a solution without making enemies of each-other?
Rustie
05-25-2014, 04:45 PM
In 2010 Nancy Dobbs ran for re-election stating “Crisis management and bankruptcy are behind us” and “Palm Drive is no longer running at a deficit”. Four years later the hospital is closed. In August of 2009 the Tennessee based management firm, Brim, was brought in to save the then failing hospital. By May 2010 the Palm Drive sinking ship was saved.
While Brim management firm certainly did a fine job “back in the day” it appears, in my layman's opinion, that there were some questionable circumstances surrounding the facelift. One interesting contractual tidbit was the clause that explicitly allowed Brim to purchase medical supplies and services from a purchasing organization run by Brim for which Brim received up to a 3% kickback. Standing on it's own that seems, to say the least, a bit odd to me but perhaps I'm old school when it comes to competitive and fair business practices. However, juxtapose that against the grounds for the controversial ousting of Jim Russell just prior to the Brim contract and suddenly “odd” as a descriptive is a polite understatement at best. Jim was dismissed, officially without cause, after concerns were raised about staff contracts awarded without competitive bidding. It seems to me we jumped from the pot into the fire on that one. Certainly it would appear that something had to be done to remove Mr. Russell considering that the contract signed with Brim, just seven days after Jim's dismissal, stipulated that the Palm Drive permanent CEO must be an at will Brim employee. The Brim contract was signed for 3 years and it is my understanding that controversy over this contract was at the root of some of the board's vacant seats in 2010. One might notice and ask, this is all water under the bridge so why stir up the pot? I think it lends credibility to the question of the board's ability to perform. Some of these current players have been calling the shots since the troubles began. Long story short, Palm Drive's administrative and board's history and current activities might well be suitable material for a few segments of General Hospital but where does that leave our real life drama here in Sebastopol?
Currently, the board's actions: illegal secret meetings, hospital closure, legal council with a conflict of interest, mediation refusal, saving Wells Fargo's financial interests over serving the public's best interests and finally misrepresentation of the communities needs and desires, I'm sorry to say, leaves me with little confidence that the board can be trusted with this time sensitive and crucial decision. It would appear that there is sufficient evidence to support this allegation and that debating the pros and cons of niceness is of little consequence given our present circumstance. In light of the board's questionable actions coupled with the urgency of the situation is there not some mechanism that might allow a public vote to accept or reject the doctor-led foundation plan?
peggykarp
05-25-2014, 05:26 PM
I agree with Gus and others that the Board members are susceptible to community pressure. Sent this to them today and urge all to contact them.
Dear Palm Drive Board members,
The events leading to the Board's decision to close Palm Drive are extremely troubling. The decision was taken without any public meeting. The consultants and lawyers had major conflicts of interest which should have disqualified them from representing the hospital.
Now is the time to publicly admit mistakes were made and make amends.
Sebastopol residents have shown overwhelming support for keeping an emergency care facility open.
I urge you to engage in mediation with the Palm Drive Foundation on the possibility of re-opening Palm Drive Hospital as an acute care facility.
theindependenteye
05-26-2014, 11:50 AM
I greatly appreciate Jonathan Greenberg’s investigation and Gus's commentary.
There’s one element alluded to in his analysis on which I haven’t seen any commentary. As I read it, the lawyer’s advice to the Board suggested that they might have a “fiduciary responsibility” in the matter if they didn’t act on his advice.
What does that mean? It’s my understanding that while board members are normally shielded from personal liability for debts of the corporation, they might be personally subject to lawsuit on the grounds of malfeasance or willful neglect of their responsibilities — this is why there’s a huge market for “board liability” insurance. If I were one of those board members, I could readily imagine that, if I risked a decision that went against my legal advisors and approved a plan that resulted in a loss to the bondholders, could not the bondholders sue me personally for “neglecting my fiduciary responsibility”? The threat would surely be there, and I think it’s implicit in that lawyer’s words. How’d I like to be subject to being bled dry by the legal eagles of Wells Fargo Bank?
I don’t know if this was a factor in the Board’s punchdrunk stumble on this issue — destroy the village to save it — but it seems a possibility. Hope I’m wrong, as that would make any voluntary reversal of their decision even more difficult.
Is there any movement toward legal action against the Board for the Brown Act violation? And are we inextricably trapped into paying a parcel tax to keep Wells Fargo Bank in operation? Might the bank at least open a drive-up window for ER services?
Cheers—
Conrad
christine bauman
05-26-2014, 02:04 PM
I hadn't thought about the ramifications the board being personally responsible if they went against the lawyers' advice. That would really make it very hard for them to do anything but whatever 'advice' was handed down to them. Hence the stonewalling maybe.
I might take my bank accounts out of Wells Fargo. I am not liking the big boys right now as much as I did before all the hospital went down. I know its about money and risk. The hospital is a risky business (ironic isn't it) and I guess banking is also but this is also about living in a town and community of people needing basic services.
There’s one element alluded to in his analysis on which I haven’t seen any commentary. As I read it, the lawyer’s advice to the Board suggested that they might have a “fiduciary responsibility” in the matter if they didn't act on his advice. ...
robome
05-26-2014, 04:36 PM
I don’t know if this was a factor in the Board’s punchdrunk stumble on this issue — destroy the village to save it — but it seems a possibility. Hope I’m wrong, as that would make any voluntary reversal of their decision even more difficult.
Is there any movement toward legal action against the Board for the Brown Act violation? And are we inextricably trapped into paying a parcel tax to keep Wells Fargo Bank in operation? Might the bank at least open a drive-up window for ER services?
Cheers—
Conrad
:waccosun:Not being a Sebastopol resident - I live in Cotati - I don't pay a tax that keeps the wonderful, safe, hometown Palm Drive going, but I always choose it over any other nearby hospital. I had been to all of them except Kaiser, that I won't join even after several dozen mailings by them trying to attract me in. Having had to use many hospitals over my seven+ decades, I know a great one when I'm treated in one. Palm Drive - May We Revive It and help it thrive, specialize and enrich us as a community, has got itself an excellent reputation over these many years, as so many showing up to community meetings have expressed.
Why the Board has not got this message is an open question; Gus' shakedown of their behavior is spot on, judging from my own experience, also in a college and university setting. I have played a small part in recovering Antioch College from the indifferent and massive gobbling up by Antioch University; we are on our way again there with the best efforts of thousands of Alumni who also know a great and progressive community asset that they've been helped and nourished by. Palm Drive is in this same wonderful tradition.
I do wonder why more people needing medical care in this area, especially West County, have not chosen to use Palm Drive for an array of services. Are people so entranced by 'bigness' that they pass up a treasure right next door, right under their very noses, so to speak? I have chosen Palm Drive while being loaded into an ambulance and barely coherent, when looking for the most reliable and up to date surgical doctors and teams (3 times so far), to get blood tests, for Physical Therapy - an area that my own training allows me to
evaluate closely; and more.
If it is possible to hold a new election for a new Board, even perhaps allowing members of the existing Board to run again, while being held to a higher standard of competency, people in the voting area might want to develop a kind of questionnaire for candidates. It seems more than reasonable that there be a mandated position on a new Board for a Palm Drive Doctor, one who can get it across to other members the meaning and impacts of any decisions to be made. Another would obviously be how to select a more competent CEO; another would be how to, and who to, hire for legal services that are not in direct conflict with the hospital's wellbeing. Others would be a searchable resume of qualifications, possible conflicts of interest, statements of intent for the good health of the community. I'm sure others can add to these ideas.
Here's a great quote to partially suit the situation that has developed. It's from a letter written by John Adams in 1815 to Thomas Jefferson. They had a long and rich correspondence and died on the same day, July 4, 1826:
"The fundamental article of my political creed is that despotism, or unlimited sovereignty, or absolute power, is the same in a majority of a popular assembly, an aristocratic council, an oligarchical junto, and a single emperor."
I am not trying to make this quote fit exactly to the actions or inactions of the present Board members, but am putting it out as a reminder to citizens to keep track of the doings of those they've elected, perhaps with a watchdog group that can report to the community as a whole. Obviously, with the Brown act giving people the opportunity to sit in on all meetings, it's better to apply this openness in an ongoing way. When most journalism these days seems to suck at its job, the PD and Sonoma papers cannot be at all relied on in their present configurations to deliver the depth of information one would hope for, even expect. Thank you Jonathan Greenburg for your excellent digging and reportage. Apparently these are the times that try our souls with half-hearted 'news' that more pointedly serves corporate entities. Having once taught a course on "Media as Propaganda", I know that we all at least need be wary of what's dished to us. Believe me, 'propaganda' is so often the hidden code at the limits of reportage, that one wonders if the Fourth Estate is ever not the property owned by those who buy-to-own information itself.
Remember to get yourselves over to the Wednesday community meeting, on 5/28 at Sebastopol's Community Church. Palm Drive is by no means a lost cause, considering all the positive forces who have shown up to make it happen. The Palm Drive Foundation should be heard! Deeply and rightly considered!
And led by the people who have worked and studied and supplied so much to bring us the real thing, the one needed by so many members of the surrounding community - our own community supported hospital with a long and good track record, excellent service and fine doctors and staff. Make yourself one of this dedicated group in any way you can. Please and thank you.:wink2:
robome
unclebillballadeer
05-26-2014, 11:06 PM
Thanks, do you know what time the meeting starts ?
...Remember to get yourselves over to the Wednesday community meeting, on 5/28 at Sebastopol's Community Church....
Peacetown Jonathan
05-26-2014, 11:13 PM
Conrad, you ask one of the most important outstanding questions in our community's collective search for answers into why our hospital closed--and why this Board rejected the doctor led foundation plan to keep it open.
If any member of the Board reads this and can provide the answer to it as a reply, or anyone reading it knows a Board member and can ask them to answer this question and reply for them, please do so:
Have Palm Drive's Board members been told, as I have reported from a second hand source, that they have no legal choice but to NOT allow a Foundation group re-opening the hospital to use future tax revenues to keep an emergency room open? Has this lie which we see told by bankruptcy attorney Michael Sweet in a video of the April 23 meeting (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9GriEyudP5A), become the received legal advice of this Board?
The Board members may have been told that this is "privileged information" and that they cannot disclose it.
This is untrue. Michael Sweet, our taxpayer-financed $520 attorney from Fox Rothschild (which also represents Wells Fargo Bank) is bound by attorney client privileges, and cannot reveal this information. But the Board, which was elected to serve the voters, can disclose what they want to the public. Indeed, in my view, given the urgency public interest of having n emergency room, and the apparent false information they were provided in public, they have an obligation to disclose it.
If any Board members reading this agree, and wish to comment, you would be doing a service to us all to do so on this thread as a reply to this post. The longer it takes for you, our Palm Drive Board members to reveal the truth behind why you decided to reject the doctor led foundation plan to keep the emergency room and hospital open, the more the sense will grow, among your neighbors, that you are doubling down on misleading advice, and acting secretly, against the interests of our community.
Attorney Michael Sweet's legal advice, instrumental in getting the Board to reject Dr. Gude's plan on April 23, is a deliberate distortion of what Chapter 9 bankruptcy law clearly states. The fiduciary responsibility of this elected Board is to operate a hospital with an emergency room. That is primary. The legal advice, given By Mr. Sweet, of Fox Rotschild (a law firm that also represents bond trustee Wells Fargo Bank) was that they could not approve the doctor led plan because they had a fiduciary responsibility not to "raid the kitties" and not to "squander" tax revenues due this coming year to support the operations of the hospital and emergency room.
Here, again, is Mr. Sweet's public LEGAL advice on this matter to the Board:
"Those funds just aren't available to startup this new process. What falls on the shoulders…of the board, is your role as a fiduciary, and the knowledge that right now that money is available is the concern that the money could end up being squandered or spent on something that the return isn't clear and could leave us in a very complicated situation down the road if money was available today to pay the creditors and fund the plan and exit the bankruptcy, and that money is spent in a way that the court might conclude was done imprudently… I think that the board puts itself at risk as a fiduciary for doing that; it could create complications for us in the bankruptcy case going forward.”
The law clearly states the OPPOSITE of this; (https://www.uscourts.gov/FederalCourts/Bankruptcy/BankruptcyBasics/Chapter9.aspx) that a Section 9 bankruptcy court has no power whatsoever to determine how a municipal entity uses its tax revenues for its operations. Indeed, federal bankruptcy law was WRITTEN to PREVENT creditors from shutting down vital government operations, like emergency rooms!
As I suggested at the most recent public meeting of the Board last Thursday, the Palm Drive District Board needs to fire Fox Rothschild, Wells Fargo's law firm, and hire one that honestly represents the taxpayers and citizens of our community.
We need a bankruptcy lawyer like the one Palm Drive hired in 2007, whose mission is to work through bankruptcy while re-opening the hospital.
Not a lawyer hell bent on running through a shutdown playbook, while rejecting a doctor led Foundation plan that would keep the emergency room open, alleging it is economically "unviable" because it uses the hospital's tax revenue to operate. Instead of, as Mr. Sweet so deceptively advised, keeping the hospital closed while using our future parcel tax revenues to pay off the creditors, the largest of them the bondholders Wells Fargo represents.
Palm Drive Board members: the people of your community need you to do the right thing. Fire these conflict of interest encumbered attorneys.
And use our tax dollars to find someone to represent the people of Sebastopol.
I greatly appreciate Jonathan Greenberg’s investigation and Gus's commentary.
There’s one element alluded to in his analysis on which I haven’t seen any commentary. As I read it, the lawyer’s advice to the Board suggested that they might have a “fiduciary responsibility” in the matter if they didn’t act on his advice.
What does that mean? It’s my understanding that while board members are normally shielded from personal liability for debts of the corporation, they might be personally subject to lawsuit on the grounds of malfeasance or willful neglect of their responsibilities — this is why there’s a huge market for “board liability” insurance. If I were one of those board members, I could readily imagine that, if I risked a decision that went against my legal advisors and approved a plan that resulted in a loss to the bondholders, could not the bondholders sue me personally for “neglecting my fiduciary responsibility”? The threat would surely be there, and I think it’s implicit in that lawyer’s words. How’d I like to be subject to being bled dry by the legal eagles of Wells Fargo Bank?
I don’t know if this was a factor in the Board’s punchdrunk stumble on this issue — destroy the village to save it — but it seems a possibility. Hope I’m wrong, as that would make any voluntary reversal of their decision even more difficult.
Is there any movement toward legal action against the Board for the Brown Act violation? And are we inextricably trapped into paying a parcel tax to keep Wells Fargo Bank in operation? Might the bank at least open a drive-up window for ER services?
Cheers—
Conrad
Barry
05-27-2014, 10:02 AM
....Remember to get yourselves over to the Wednesday community meeting, on 5/28 at Sebastopol's Community Church...
This meeting has been Rescheduled for Monday, June 9th at 7pm. Stay tuned for details.
John Eder
06-06-2014, 03:58 PM
I received a card in the mail inviting me (okay, inviting "Local Postal Customer"...) to the Palm Drive Health Care Foundation meeting this coming Monday evening at the Community Church of Sebastopol. I appreciate the invitation, and I intend to attend.
I was disappointed, however, to see that this mailer was produced by PrintingCenterUSA.com, based in Great Falls, Montana.
What ever happened to GO LOCAL?
During my campaign for City Council, I used Sprint Copy Center in downtown Sebastopol for my literature. They offered excellent service from great people at surprisingly competitive rates. They are an amazing local privately-owned business, and a member of GO LOCAL. It doesn't get any better. Find them at: https://sprintcopycenter.com/
For mailing services, I had to leave town for Santa Rosa. Here I used AD-Vantage Marketing, Inc. They are another local, privately-owned business that provides excellent service at great rates. Find them at: https://ad-vantagemarketing.com/
I believe that it is important to keep our money in our community and help employ our friends and neighbors as much as possible.
Recycled paper/card stock would help out Mother Earth as well.
Sara S
06-06-2014, 09:15 PM
Sprint made the signs I brought to the last meeting (Open/Save Our Hospital), and did it in a hurry for me...
I received a card in the mail inviting me ....
bsmith
06-07-2014, 04:01 PM
Mr Eder,
With all due respect, as a city council person in Sebastopol I hope that you will begin to lead by example. Rather than continue the negative, biased attacks please help find a solution to reopen our emergency room. People are dying while the pettiness continues.
I received a card in the mail inviting me (okay, inviting "Local Postal Customer"...) to the Palm Drive Health Care Foundation meeting this coming Monday evening at the Community Church of Sebastopol. I appreciate the invitation, and I intend to attend.
I was disappointed, however, to see that this mailer was produced by PrintingCenterUSA.com, based in Great Falls, Montana.
What ever happened to GO LOCAL?
During my campaign for City Council, I used Sprint Copy Center in downtown Sebastopol for my literature. They offered excellent service from great people at surprisingly competitive rates. They are an amazing local privately-owned business, and a member of GO LOCAL. It doesn't get any better. Find them at: https://sprintcopycenter.com/
For mailing services, I had to leave town for Santa Rosa. Here I used AD-Vantage Marketing, Inc. They are another local, privately-owned business that provides excellent service at great rates. Find them at: https://ad-vantagemarketing.com/
I believe that it is important to keep our money in our community and help employ our friends and neighbors as much as possible.
Recycled paper/card stock would help out Mother Earth as well.
Sciguy
06-08-2014, 05:52 PM
In a recent posting, bsmith accused Mr. Eder of mounting a "negative, biased" attack because Mr. Eder begged people to Buy Local when printing flyers.
In my opinion, bsmith has it completely wrong. Mr. Eder submitted a positive and openminded and well-justified criticism. Perhaps bsmith would prefer to ignore Buy Local issues, regarding the hospital closure as more pressing. That is surely defensible. But it is not helpful to throw around adjectives like negative and biased when there is no justification for that. Bsmith could have argued for different priorities without resorting to an ad hominem attack which only brings the discussion down. Personally, due to my own experience, I am always suspicious when anyone unnecessarily injects emotionally freighted arguments into a calm discussion.
Mr Eder,
With all due respect, as a city council person in Sebastopol I hope that you will begin to lead by example. Rather than continue the negative, biased attacks please help find a solution to reopen our emergency room. People are dying while the pettiness continues.