Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater
EDITOR: I believe that the major players in this drama have good intentions. I hope that people will stop demonizing each other. A hospital and medical care are deeply emotional issues.
Is it still possible to have a medical facility with urgent care services? Richard Power believes so, along with Dan Smith and Dennis Colthurst.
I just had a long conversation with Power. To my relief, I understand that his intention is to clean up debts (including those to laid-off employees) and to close the district, not the hospital itself, as the cost of running the district has presented a burden, rather than being a solution, to the finances of the hospital. Both Dan Smith and Richard Power seem to agree in the goal of transferring the hospital to other management as an urgent care facility, and when possible, closing down the district. Can they work well together in the transition, if both elected? Let’s hope so!
A hospital needs to be well run, transparent, accountable and solvent. And not a hornet’s nest!
Many of us in the community have valid concerns about disasters and hospital access — earthquakes and runaway wildfires to the east and north, especially given the proximity of Sutter and Kaiser in Santa Rosa. In the event of losing access, Sonoma West/Palm Drive Medical Center would be here for all — separated Russian River folks included — no Little Red Hens checking your district affiliation at the door.
I was also informed by Richard Power that an urgent care facility can get a temporary disaster upgrade to ER status.
So, can we please have a civilized and constructive public discourse, move forward, keep the baby and throw out the bathwater?
Carey Caccavo Wheaton, MSW, CMT
Sebastopol
Enough is enough
EDITOR: Enough is enough. When we took Palm Drive Hospital over in 1998, we had high hopes that we could operate the hospital and keep it in the community, but a few years later we were forced to ask the voters to create the Palm Drive Health Care District, along with a parcel tax to support the losses the hospital encountered. Then a second parcel tax was put on the ballot and approved by the voters. These two measures produced almost $4 million a year to support the operation of the hospital. In spite of this cash infusion, the hospital continued to lose money. Bankruptcy followed and after getting out of the first bankruptcy, the hospital changed management to a group headed by Dan Smith. Even with many millions of dollars put up by Dan, the hospital continued to lose money, basically bringing us to the present.
Well, enough is enough. We need to face the reality that Medicare, MediCal and the health insurers are against small hospitals, and no amount of “good ideas” are going to change that. It is time to close the hospital and sell off the property to pay off the General Obligation bonds and some of the debt and dissolve the Palm Drive Health Care District permanently. The parcel tax funds will then go 100 percent to paying off the debts that have piled up and eliminate the $300,000 overhead to keep the district in business.
Vote for Richard Power for PDHC Board of Directors. If you want your vote to count for even more, only vote for one — Richard Power — to assure that he is elected and can push for the close down of this failed experiment.
Frank Mayhew
Sebastopol
Who not to vote for
EDITOR: I am writing to urge West County residents NOT to re-elect Dan Smith and Dennis Colthurst to seats on the Palm Drive Healthcare District Board of Directors. Both men are wholly unfit to continue as directors as is evidenced by their past performance.
Together and separately, they have acted in blatant violation of California laws and regulations governing the behavior of publicly accountable board members. They have, without full board knowledge or authorization, conducted and concealed discussions with potential contractors and other entities, misrepresented the financial condition of the hospital, and repeatedly put the district’s finances and future in jeopardy.
Their blatant disregard for the legal and ethical responsibilities of the public board role has led to the hospital becoming involved in a highly questionable drug-testing scheme, a pending federal fraud investigation, a lawsuit by Blue Cross against the district’s operations contractor and more debt, disarray and, finally, cessation of hospital services.
Neither Dan Smith nor Dennis Colthurst deserves the public’s trust. Neither is qualified to serve on the District Board. Please vote for Richard Power — the only candidate of the three who is.
Jack Randolph
Sebastopol
Thoughts on present election for PDHC District Board
EDITOR: We are at a crossroads—for the district as for the country. Will “we the people” agree to oligarch-style leadership or do we wish to retain our democracy? Will we vote to further the personal economic agenda of the few or vote to keep a community health resource for the many?
Oligarchy, an operating/governing style through the ages, allows people of wealth and power to control all decisions—true in corporations (think Walmart) and in government—Russian Tsars, Saudi Arabia, most monarchies, all dictatorships, etc. Oligarchs make decisions to further personal power and wealth. There is no interest in the welfare of the people in general. We fought a revolution against King George and his policies for the colonies in order to gain democracy for “we the people.”
Here in West Sonoma County, we have a similar situation. We have a small vocal group of people, many of whom chose to detach from our health care district, who would close the hospital and the district—removing an important resource to our community.
Their major argument is that the hospital cannot be profitable and people pay up to $155 tax annually for a failing facility. Their position is if we but elect smart business people, represented by Richard Power, the problem will be solved because he promises to close the hospital and district. The sale of the property should help reduce (not eliminate) any outstanding debt, and people ultimately (not immediately) will save $155/year or the cost of a night out with dinner and theater. Never mind that the community will no longer have a healthcare facility; never mind that people will die.
Make no mistake — most of the loud voices promoting this concept have admitted they never used Palm Drive Hospital or its successors. They are Kaiser patients. Most detached from the district. They frankly don’t care that their money approach will deny community services to people who do live in the district.
We always knew that a small rural hospital was not a profitable situation. That was why we taxed ourselves. “We the people” agree that the public welfare is improved by having a hospital in the community and, as democracy is messy, we chose deliberately to fund a resource rather than looking at personal financial gain.
Just as several American systems make no real larger economic sense for the US budget or corporate bottom line, such as Social Security, Medicare, etc., “we the people” see these as important to the public welfare, and we are willing to tax ourselves because we are committed to the greater good of our community and our people as nation. So, also, for our district. We have the same choice now … to keep our hospital and health care district or to succumb to the financial arguments of the few who want to save $155/year in taxes instead of investing in community healthcare.
Democracy beats oligarchy every time. “We the people” need to demand that our elected officials continue to keep healthcare in our community. The hospital is currently building and thriving under new management, including elective surgeries, laboratory outpatient services, imaging and 3-D mammogram. It is providing long-term acute care for patients in Sonoma County. Soon it will add a robust urgent care unit which will serve 90 percent of the cases formerly served by our emergency department.
Please stand with me and support Dennis Colthurst and Dan Smith for district directors. They have both devoted hours and made huge personal sacrifices to keep a hospital in our community. Vote Colthurst and Smith.
Gail Thomas
Sebastopol
Support Smith and Colthurst
EDITOR: This election, we once again have a chance to influence what is going to happen to our local hospital. Two factions are asking for our support, Dan Smith-Dennis Colthurst and Richard Power-Jim Horn. Colthurst is an incumbent running for reelection.
As a small rural hospital, Palm Drive has had a difficult history. The fractured structure of its management has not helped. There has been a lot of rude and unpleasant behavior by its management and by individual board members.
Which group has the most realistic vision for keeping Palm Drive operating in some form? I am going to rely on the endorsement of Dr. Richard Powers (not to be confused with the attorney, Richard Power), who has a long and respected association with the hospital. He supports Smith and Colthurst.
Kevin Dwan
Sebastopol
Why I am running for the board of the Palm Drive Health Care District
EDITOR: The Palm Drive Health Care District is a mess. The hospital is now on its second name change and fourth management company in the four years since it was reopened as Sonoma West Medical Center. The more I learn about how terribly the district has been mismanaged by its current majority — Gail Thomas, Dennis Colthurst and Dr. Powers — the worse it becomes.
The current board has dumped taxpayers’ money down a rat hole for the past four years, trying to reopen and run the hospital, when it could have sold the assets and moved to fully pay off its debts.
If the assets had been sold, it appears that there would have been enough money by now to have completely paid off everyone, including the bankruptcy claims that are over four years old. Instead we are looking at another 15 to 20 years of parcel taxes to pay off all the debts that have accumulated — about $22 million at this point.
The district board has not even come up with a financial plan to resolve the bankruptcy that is acceptable to the Bankruptcy Court.
Worse yet, because of the district’s recent decision to contract with AAMG to convert the hospital to a long-term acute care hospital, taxpayers will be on the hook for at least another $5 million while AAMG seeks new licensing.
The current business deal with AAMG is fraught with ambiguity and licensing problems. It illustrates what happens when financially unsophisticated people wait until the last minute to respond to a financial crisis, either ignoring advice they were given or about which they were myopic.
If I am elected, I will work with the appropriate agencies to dissolve the district as soon as possible. This will not end the parcel taxes or the debts that have been run up, but it will relieve taxpayers of the $300,000 to $500,000 cost of district overhead each year.
That money can instead be used to pay down and eventually pay off district debts. That will be the job of the County Tax Assessor, once the district is dissolved.
Letting the current Board majority continue to mismanage the district is as bit like letting someone who has been arrested for driving under the influence drive home before going to jail. This must stop.
If you think that the district has been competently run for the past four years, don’t vote for me. If you think the situation is as bad as I do, I would appreciate your vote for board member of the Health Care District on the November ballot. I suggest you vote for me and just me. I know that the ballot says vote for two, but a vote for either of the other two candidates is a vote for the status quo and diminishes my chances of being elected.
Richard Power
Sebastopol
Need change at Palm Drive Health Care District
EDITOR: I’ve been watching Palm Drive board meetings for some 10 years; been a patient, volunteered awhile, helped re-open, seen a lot. I met a lot of blessed, dedicated people at all levels — and some not-so.
I haven’t been privy to closed meetings/private dealings, but it’s sounding like some of the Palm Drive District Board (and SWMC governing body with same players) also did not know—and were deliberately kept from what was going on.
Now, reading of secret, off-books, alleged kickback payments made to a Florida company; attorney and treasurer warnings of illegal transactions; resignations—all going on since mid-2017. Outrageous behavior — in taxpayers’ name — and alleged by Anthem Blue Cross to be fraud!
County Voter Information Guide shows two of three candidates for PDHCD Board say the district has served its purpose; it and the board (and director) should go away; that the hospital should be sold to pay off debt as best as possible; no other uses of assets (or management time) should be allowed. I agree.
Maybe AAMG will buy the hospital. They fill a needed long-term acute care need, and they seem to have a plan … if not frustrated by a meddling board.
Immediate change to add my friend Richard Power will help balance the board, ensure all are heard, and make change happen.
Richard’s experience as an attorney and his early familiarity with the hospital will bring focus to some of the relevant past dealings and provide transparency.
Tom Boag
Sebastopol
