Home  Documents HRC News Bulletins Open letter from Vince Taylor about the Feb. 9 Board Meeting
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Open letter from Vince Taylor about the Feb. 9 Board Meeting |
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Friday, 10 February 2006 |
Dear Community Member,
I wanted to give you a quick update on the special meeting held last night by the board of directors of our Mendocino Coast District Hospital.
I'm sad to report that the board retreated behind its castle walls to shoot at those who were trying to help them. Friends of the board and administration were there in greater numbers than those supporting reform.
The handwriting was on the wall from the start...
The board put discussion of the recommendations of the Hospital Resource Council at the end of the agenda and unanimously denied a request at the meeting to move the item forward.
The board had refused the Council's repeated requests over the last two weeks to list the eight recommendations of the Council as separate action items.
Listing them separately would have allowed the public to comment on each recommendation prior to a vote by the board. Instead, they were all lumped under a single non-action item, misleadingly titled "Community Concerns Report."
When this agenda item finally reached the floor, the board and administration went through each of the recommendations, with no allowance for public input or discussion, and dismissed every one as either irrelevant -- "We are already doing it." -- or unnecessary -- "We've turned the financial corner and there is no urgency."
Public comment was allowed only at the end, after the one-hour, one-way presentation by the board. Public comments were limited to strictly three minutes by the chairperson.
In my few moments, I said, "The Hospital Resource Council appears to have succeeded in one respect. We have unified the board to close ranks and reject all advice from the Hospital Resource Council and to defend your business-as-usual approach." I reiterated that saving the hospital required quick and decisive action with deadlines and milestones. This fell on deaf ears.
At this meeting, the board unanimously approved the second $25,000 of a multi-phase consulting contract on hospital affiliation. The consultant will be paid $250 per hour. The study will cost at least $75,000. No potential affiliators will be invited to make proposals before the end of the third phase, in May. The board refused to say how many phases their might be to the consulting contract or how much it might eventually cost.
The board rejected our advice to speed up the process and save money by immediately inviting affiliation candidates to make proposals to the hospital.
Adventist Group has already told us they would quickly respond to a request for a proposal. Requesting proposals is efficient and money saving.
The conduct of the board and administration at this meeting exemplies the disfunctionality of our hospital. Rather than treating the Council's well-researched and thoughtful recommendations with respect, using them as a basis for a dialog with the Council and the public, the board treated them as personal attacks and went into battle mode. It closed its mind and devoted itself to justifying its actions. This was a loss to the hospital and our community.
To change this attitude, many more people in the community need to come forward. Do want to become a supporter of our effort to save the hospital? Are you willing to help with letters and meeting attendance. If so, please reply to this email saying, "Yes, I want to help," or words to that effect. We will keep you in informed of our ongoing studies and findings and call on you when your help is needed.
Working together we can save our hospital.
Sincerely,
Vince Taylor
The members of the Hospital Resource Council are Tom Birdsell, Mike Dell'Ara, Dr. Richard L. Miller, and Vince Taylor. The goal of the Council is to help resolve the current financial crisis and help transform our hospital into a model of excellence. |
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