Hospital board candidates vie for three seats
In a competitive election cycle, there are six candidates for
three open seats on the Hazel Hawkins Hospital Board of Directors.
Incumbents Beth Ivey, Gordon Machado and Janet Vervaecke are joined
by Ernest Rivas, Parveen Sharma and Jim West. Pinnacle staff
e-mailed the candidates 10 questions and offered to run their
answers verbatim so that voters can find out more about their
experience and positions on issues from how Measure L funds should
be used to hospital budget cuts.
Hospital board candidates vie for three seats
In a competitive election cycle, there are six candidates for three open seats on the Hazel Hawkins Hospital Board of Directors. Incumbents Beth Ivey, Gordon Machado and Janet Vervaecke are joined by Ernest Rivas, Parveen Sharma and Jim West. Pinnacle staff e-mailed the candidates 10 questions and offered to run their answers verbatim so that voters can find out more about their experience and positions on issues from how Measure L funds should be used to hospital budget cuts.
Some of them stuck closely to the answers, while others meandered a bit. Below are their responses, verbatim.
Beth Ivey, 71, incumbent
I have been with the hospital for about 20 years, not on an unpaid status. For nine years I served as director of volunteers and am currently finishing up my 10th year on the board of directors. Chuck and I have lived in Hollister for 23 years.
My years as director of volunteers gave me a good understanding of day-to-day operations, which is very helpful in the policy decision of the board. All board members receive opportunities for training and education while on the board. In 10 years, you can be sure that much has been learned, just in the process of board governance over that period.
With all the stress of the regulatory and financial conditions in healthcare today, experienced and committed leadership is most needed to assure that San Benito Healthcare District stays strong. And I would like to be there to see the completion of the Measure L upgrades to the facility.
The most pressing problem for the district right now is reimbursement by not only Medi-Cal but other providers. Costs continually increase and cuts short of cost of care make it difficult. We have great administration and staff who work hard at keeping us going. But it is a continual challenge.
It has been a very difficult decision to rethink how we operate the nursing homes. It is our desire to keep them open. We have considered every option in that regard. The changes have been made so that we can keep them open. Hopefully the state will be able to improve its financial situation and reinstate reasonable reimbursement that will come closer to covering the cost of care.
Gordon A. Machado, 66, incumbent and a businessman
How long have you lived in the county?
Native son, born in the old Hazel Hawkins hospital 66 years ago.
What are your qualifications?
I have been involved in the community all my life which focuses you on the needs of the community. I have been on the hospital board for two terms and I’m very proud of being part of the hospital’s accomplishments during that period. Being in business for more than 40 year is another advantage. The hospital is big business.
Why do you want to be on the hospital board?
To continue with what is in motion and to provide the best healthcare possible for our residents.
What are the hospital’s most acute needs and what would you do about them?
The majority of patients are Medicare or Medi-Cal provided. There is a need for continued interfacing with our State and Federal representatives to be sure their reimbursements are equal to our expenditures.
How well do you think Measure L funds and hospital expansion is being managed?
I’m one of the two board members who sit on the Measure L oversight committee. The committee also has representatives from the community at large and the CEO and CFO of our hospital. With present construction ( Emergency and Support building) and the proposed Women Center, we are still within the Measure L budget.
What do you think about recent cuts in the hospital budget? Do you agree with the cuts?
Basically, the budget cuts were necessary to balance the cuts that are being implemented by the Federal and State reductions in the reimbursements of Medicare and Medi-Cal.
What do you think about the decision to reprioritize short-term care in the nursing homes?
The reorganizing of the Skilled Nursing Facilities (Northside & Southside) was done to be sure those service will continue to be available to those in our community when they are needed most.
How would you increase recruitment of nurses at the hospital?
Increase the scholarships and commitments and the participation in nursing programs in state and community colleges. Be aware of those nurses who live in our community and commute to other hospitals. Solicit them to work locally.
Janet Vervaecke, 51, incumbent
My family and I have lived in San Benito County since 1995. I actually took a position at Hazel Hawkins for a year when I moved here from Prunedale.
I am a registered nurse for 28 years, but I was elected to the board in 1996. Soon after being exposed to the business side of health care, I went back to school and earned a master’s in business administration. I wanted to improve the quality, affordability and accessibility of health care at the district for my family and the community. I also feel it is important to give back to one’s community and this is an effective and useful way in which I can do so.
While it is important to address our hospital/district’s most acute present needs, it is also of paramount importance to anticipate and plan for future needs as our community grows and changes. We need to be proactive and not be in the position of playing “catch-up.” With that in mind, I advocate for:
· Continual physician recruitment
· Upgraded plans for recruitment and retention of nurses
· Balance needed services w/ funding available and budget constraints
· Coordination and negotiation w/ local employers and insurance carriers for rates that are fair and reasonable
· Improving our quality measures that benchmark our services w/ other hospitals to make our district attractive to consumers
· Increase our technical capabilities to remain competitive (ie. robotics)
· Safety measures and policies to deal w/ the increasing gang activity in our community
· Potential partnerships and joint ventures to capture/maintain market share to remain fiscally viable
· Participate in political process as a Board to advocate for health care issues
With the passage of Measure L, a citizen oversight committee was formed and meets regularly to review the progress and use of the funds. The finance committee, of which I am chair, also reviews this information and financials monthly. The project is going well, both fiscally and timely.
Hospital reimbursement is constantly changing and subject to the general economic climate. We respond by attempting to negotiate good rates with private insurance carriers, balancing expenses like labor, and developing profitable service lines to balance the ones that lose money. Some expenses are fixed through purchase and lease agreements and labor contracts. Our core business is the acute care hospital and quality in whatever services lines we retain. Rural hospital districts lobbied through the Association of California Hospital Districts and California Hospital Association, and the Medi-Cal cuts were reduced from 10 percent to 1 percent. We are developing outpatient clinics and the Women’s Center to increase revenue while we serve community needs.
For the same reasons, the nursing home had to be scaled down to minimize the losses sustained. Our patient mix may have to change slightly in order to remain viable. This change in focus toward physical rehabilitation is constant w/ industry standards of nursing facilities in neighboring areas and is needed here in San Benito County.
We have a nurse recruitment plan at the district, but I advocate returning to sign-on bonuses when needed, increasing nursing scholarships through the foundation and investigating sponsors for matching funds, increase our search pool area and job fairs to include the Canadian nurses (the Canadian nurses at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, where I work, have worked out extremely well!). I would like to establish a nurse committee to report to the board on staffing issues they see so we have a balanced view of what is going on. An official “Nurse Recruiter” position should be established, either full or part-time, and could be combined w/ other duties of someone we already employ. I know our Director of Patient Care Services does this duty, but I would like to see a person that could devote more time to it.
Ernie Rivas
Rivas did not respond before press time.
Parveen Sharma, physician
I have lived and practiced medicine in San Benito County for the past 20 years. As the only physician running for the board, I understand vital medical problems and am in a position to review medical care issues, to help the hospital avoid unnecessary lawsuits and costly litigation.
I will make sure that services are available to all residents (regardless of ability to pay) and in a culturally sensitive manner.
My one aim would be for the hospital in the future, to work closely with the Health Care Foundation to avoid unnecessary duplication of services. The same is true with the health department and private physicians. There needs to be active collaboration among the parties for the benefit of the citizens.
As one of the Directors on the Board of the San Benito Medical Associates acting as the Treasurer, I have negotiated contracts with Blue Cross and other major Insurance companies, and because I actually treat patients, I understand their needs and problems.
As a small medical practitioner I am very familiar with federal and state health care mandates, and the loopholes which can cost the hospital dearly in running the two skilled nursing facilities, hence avoiding some of the problems of the recent past, due perhaps to not enough physician oversight. No physician can tolerate poor care being rendered to his/her patients.
These are challenging times, no doubt. The hospital faces severe federal and state cuts in reimbursement. Nursing home admissions will be reduced by 20 percent, which will impact our hospital coffers by $700,000, depending on admissions. These cutbacks will offer new administrative challenges including staffing and implementation of growing cost control requirements. To cope with these the hospital will need to embrace quality management systems, utilization of nurses in critical areas, and non-technical personnel in non-critical positions.
We have a growing need for new primary care physicians, who are the backbone of our medical system. The hospital has the means of attracting new members, specially now ironically, that the housing market might be more affordable to newcomers.
I am a minority small business owner, and understand the difficulties of running a business and staying afloat in these fiscally challenging times. I will take a common sense approach to prudent use of district funds. We may need to re-examine costly projects in light of changes in the economy and where necessary make hard decisions. I have been involved in community medical issues like Medi-Cal Alliance; health insurance; governance of the local medical group –and am a lot more informed than people that have only “used” the medical system.
I will emphasize more preventive health care programs:
Use of screening exams for diabetes neuropathy is an example here. I would want the hospital to work closely with the health department and health care foundation to provide routine screening; childhood immunizations; colon cancer screening. I have facilitated bringing the Strides for Life Foundation into the county to offer free colon cancer screenings for people without insurance. As a result, several lives were saved and hundreds of thousands of dollars of care was avoided.
I would use my position on the board to help publicize and expand these types of services.
Jim West, 65, public affairs officer
How long have you lived in the county?
10 years
What are your qualifications?
I have served on Hazel Hawkins Hospital’s Foundation Board for six years; I worked to win public support for the hospital’s expansion (Measure L) and am on the bond oversight committee, working to ensure that those public funds are used wisely. I will bring more than 40 years of business experience to the board’s decision-making process.
Why do you want to be on the hospital board?
For our Health Care District to be effective, we must have people serving on the board who are in touch with and understand our broader community. I currently serve on the board of the San Benito Chamber of Commerce, the San Benito Parks and Recreation Commission, the San Benito Leadership Board of Directors and Rotary.
I am deeply involved in San Benito County and understand the needs of the community and will ensure that those needs are reflected in the board’s important decisions.
What are the hospital’s most acute needs and what would you do about them?
Money! The state of California cut between $1.3 and 1.8 million from the District’s funding, while mandating increased levels of staffing for most departments. It’s these kind of unfunded mandates that create the biggest threat to our ability to service San Benito County’s health care needs.
We need to look at our countywide services and identify duplication for cost saving and marketplace stability.
I will continue to seek financial donations to bring more money into the District and use my business experience to ensure that we are getting the biggest bang for our dollars.
How well do you think Measure L funds and hospital expansion is being managed?
As a member of the Measure L oversight committee, I am proud to say that at 20 percent completion we are on schedule and on budget. This is quite an accomplishment when you consider that almost every aspect of construction from the cost of fuel to the cost of steel have gone up drastically since Measure L was approved by the voters. Unlike so many other hospitals in California, we have not had to scale back our proposed project or go back to the voters for an increase in our bonding amount. This is really very impressive when you look at many other health care districts in the state.
What do you think about recent cuts in the hospital budget? Do you agree with the cuts?
No one likes to see cuts in any hospital’s budget, but if budgets don’t balance, doors don’t stay open! We are currently in the midst of some very difficult and uncertain financial times and while I have worked for years to raise money for the hospital an have even donated my own money to the hospital – staffs have to be paid, lights have to be kept on and belts will have to be tightened. Do I like budget cuts? No! Would I make the cuts necessary to keep the District financially sound? Yes!
What do you think about the decision to reprioritize short-term care in the nursing homes?
I agree with the necessity of this decision. The overriding goal of the Health Care District is to provide maximum health care services to all county residents given our limited medical recovery resources. To service the growing list of patients needing less than 100 days of in-hospital care the decision was made to balance the admission needs of short-term patients with those of long-term patients.
How would you increase recruitment of nurses at the hospital?
I will continue to work with the Hospital’s foundation board to provide scholarships and tuition assistance to San Benito nursing students at the junior college level and provide student internships at the hospital to create strong bonds between new nurses and their hometown hospital.
I would also look at in-house continuing education programs to upgrade and keep experienced nurses.
