Can a Doctor-run takeover of Palm Drive Keep Our Hospital Open? Why Not Try It?

I read about this, excerpted below, in the PD today, here

If the hospital board could NOT vote tomorrow to close our hospital, but instead move toward a doctor-run takeover of the hospital, the Sebastopol may be able to preserve a service that our community, even when far smaller, supported since 1941.

I am tired of hearing how diminished expectations have become the new normal for services that matter to our community, to We, the People, because of the profit-mongering manipulation of private health insurance companies and their enablers that we pay to staff our government.

Let's model something different! Palm Drove Board members need to give this a few more days--and consider a bold alternative that is the slow death march of administrator-led, bigger is better, "modern" health care system.

I have met Dr. Gude and I would bet that a doctor managed system would get the losses cut pretty quickly--probably by firing the layer of highly paid administrators that have done such a poor hub of it. From this article:

Doctors have drafted a proposal to take over control of the hospital, Hurst said.

On Friday, Dr. James Gude, a pulmonary and critical care specialist with strong ties to Palm Drive, urged hospital officials not to close the facility.

“I think it will be a catastrophe,” Gude said Friday during a meeting at Palm Drive with hospital officials, including CEO Thomas Harlan.

In a preliminary proposal Gude drafted last week, he suggested that management of the Palm Drive facility could be put in the hands of the Palm Drive Health Care Foundation, a nonprofit founded in 1999 when a group of local investors rescued it from closure. The following year, voters created a public agency to buy the hospital and approved a property tax to pay for it.

Under Gude's proposal, inpatient services and the emergency department could be replaced with outpatient services and an urgent care center, possibly under current licensing.

“Rent it to us and let us run with it,” Gude said.

That is such a good idea. I totally support it. I've been using Palm Drive Hospital for almost 40 years, and if it closes, I'm sunk! I applaud getting rid of the overpaid, ineffective stream of self-serving administrators we've had for some time~! Let the Doctors run it with the support of those of us who use and need it. Kick those administrators down the road, and let's get back to being right sized, and caring, of our community. dustyg

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Posted in reply to the post by Peacetown Jonathan:

I read about this, excerpted below, in the PD today, here

If the hospital board could NOT vote tomorrow to close our hospital, but instead move toward a doctor-run takeover of the hospital, the Sebastopol may be able to preserve a service that our community, even when far smaller, supported since 1941.

I am tired of hearing how diminished expectations have become the new normal for services that matter to our community, to We, the People, because of the profit-mongering manipulation of private health insurance companies and their enablers that we pay to staff our government.

Let's model something different! Palm Drove Board members need to give this a few more days--and consider a bold alternative that is the slow death march of administrator-led, bigger is better, "modern" health care system.

I have met Dr. Gude and I would bet that a doctor managed system would get the losses cut pretty quickly--probably by firing the layer of highly paid administrators that have done such a poor hub of it. From this article:

Doctors have drafted a proposal to take over control of the hospital, Hurst said.

On Friday, Dr. James Gude, a pulmonary and critical care specialist with strong ties to Palm Drive, urged hospital officials not to close the facility.

“I think it will be a catastrophe,” Gude said Friday during a meeting at Palm Drive with hospital officials, including CEO Thomas Harlan.

In a preliminary proposal Gude drafted last week, he suggested that management of the Palm Drive facility could be put in the hands of the Palm Drive Health Care Foundation, a nonprofit founded in 1999 when a group of local investors rescued it from closure. The following year, voters created a public agency to buy the hospital and approved a property tax to pay for it.

Under Gude's proposal, inpatient services and the emergency department could be replaced with outpatient services and an urgent care center, possibly under current licensing.

“Rent it to us and let us run with it,” Gude said.

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Yes indeed. We have a very successful worker operated enterprise only a few miles away- the Alvarado Street Bakery- 30 years old, over 100 worker managers, and last year the average person there made around $80,000 while their CEO is paid only 3X the lowest wage paid there. A bakery is less complex than a hosputal., but the Mondragon cooperatives in Spain that inspired them long ago now have 80K worker operators, and over 50 years have only closed down two enterprises- one, recently, due to the problem of super cheap Chinese labor. Further they operate the largest R&D department in Europe, dealing with nanotechnology and with Microsoft.

Joseph Tuck, CEO of Alvarado Street should at least be called in and asked his views as to whether physicians and others in the health field could run their enterprises better than the bureaucrats who have failed. In addition Dr. Julianne Maurseth is well acquainted with Mondragon, has been there, and teaches in the Green MBA program at Dominican College. Finally the Praxis Peace Institute in Sonoma arranges annual tours to Mondragon.

We are in a wonderful place with medical people who want to do it and local experts and businesses with plenty of experience and expertise to explore how it could be done. It would be a crime against the county and particularly the voters who have supported Palm Drive to not try it at this point.

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Posted in reply to the post by Peacetown Jonathan:

I read about this, excerpted below, in the PD today, here

If the hospital board could NOT vote tomorrow to close our hospital, but instead move toward a doctor-run takeover of the hospital,...

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The Board voted to close the hospital; despite pleas form many, including Sebastopol's Police Chief Weaver. Coverage in PD here.

But a rescue plan that will retain a top quality urgent care capacity is afoot. Many of us in this community are unwilling to accept what we are told must be "the new normal." Our community has supported this West County facility for nearly 75 years. It employs 250 people and is the largest employer in West County. We are not ready to fold our cards and call it quits.

Stay tuned, friends :waccosun:

Questions from Elizabeth --

Does anyone know where I can find answers to these? What is the annual administrative payroll of Palm Drive, representing how many people? What percentage of annual operating budget does that represent? Who are the Board members, and how and when were they chosen? Do they serve without pay (as is common with non-profits, but I don't know Palm Drive's status)? Do any of them have connections with other area hospitals?

Thanks for any forthcoming help - - Elizabeth Fuller

As President of the Homeowners at Fircrest MH Park, what would our seniors here do without a local hospital?

Sunday one of my neighbors drove herself to Palm drive, having a heart attack. Yesterday they did surgery on her...Would she have made it to Santa Rosa? Most likely not.

Praying for solutions to keep our hospital!

Karilee Shames RN PhD
Sebastopol