There has been discussion in the community and comments made on this site regarding my decision to leave Tehachapi and concern raised about the timing of my decision to leave Tehachapi Hospital.  I would like for all who care to know that I remain very loyal to Tehachapi Hospital and to this community.  My decision is not due to disdain for TVHD and our community.  In fact, quite the opposite is true.  It is actually made due to love for our hospital and our community and my desire to do what is best for all of you.

There may be many in the community that do not remember what occurred in Tehachapi 9 years ago when there was a major power struggle between the Hospital Administration, Hospital Board and medical community.  That controversy nearly destroyed this hospital.  I was not here at that time.  I arrived shortly after the controversy but I heard all about it.  The Hospital Administrator at the time was the center of the storm.  Perhaps if that Administrator had chosen to walk away at that time then maybe this hospital and the community would not have experienced the pain and agony that it went through for many years afterward.  I am choosing to walk away at this time because I am beginning to see some of the same signs.  The first sign is the negative campaigning that is occurring during the current Hospital Board election.  Some on this website have said that only 1 faction is engaging in negative campaigning.  That is certainly not true as 2 other factions have engaging in negative campaigning by attacking me.  The election of Board members should not involve me.  Every voter in this District should make their decisions on who they think will be the best Hospital Board members not whether they like or dislike me.

I am very proud of my record at TVHD.  During the past 8 years, we as a facility have gone from the brink of closure in 1999 to becoming a model facility that dozens of hospitals in this State and others, are trying to emulate.  We are known for being 1 of the first critical access hospitals in California and for our successful Measure J Bond election in 2004.  We are known for being the pilot project of the Rural Health Design Network which brought over $100,000 in grant money to Tehachapi for the planning of our new hospital.  And we are known for a remarkable financial turnaround.  For those of you that remain unconvinced about the financial viability of TVHD I invite you to attend the next TVHD Board of Directors meeting on November 29, 2006 starting at 6:00 p.m.  At that meeting our Independent Financial Auditor will be on hand to present the findings of this year’s audit for the most recent completed fiscal year which ended on July 31.  I am very confident that the auditor will be presenting his findings that we have achieved a 5^th consecutive year of profitability.  Please come and ask him any questions that you may have about our write-off policy or ask him about our managed care strategy.  This auditing firm does a lot of hospital audits and they will be able to tell the public how TVHD compares to other hospitals.

And concerns have been raised regarding employee relations at TVHD.  Is every employee at TVHD happy?  No.  However, I think that anyone that is around TVHD on a consistent basis would recognize that the majority of the staff is very happy with their employment here.  I was overjoyed earlier this week when 1 of our nurses told me that she was coming back to work at TVHD after 1 year at CCI.  Sure they pay better at CCI but the working conditions are much better here.

The success of our District has not gone unnoticed and I have received attention from Hospital recruiters for years.  I have always had the belief in the past that I was needed here in Tehachapi.  I no longer feel that way.  I feel that it is now time to turn over the “reigns” of TVHD to a new Board of Directors that will be able to make their mark on our facility.  So when Mendocino called, I was open this time, to hear about new opportunities.

Finally, I want people in this community to know that I am still very much committed to the construction of a new hospital in Tehachapi.  We are so close to the construction phase of this project.  Within days we will be making our second submission of hospital plans to the State of California.  Most hospitals report that it has taken them years to get to the same point.  Sure, some of this has to do with the fact that we are a small facility.  But a lot of it has to do with the preparation and attention to detail that our architects have shown on this project.  I implore the entire community of Tehachapi.  Do not let up on the pressure.  Make sure that your Board of Directors and administrators continue to push this project forward.  I will be willing to stay involved to whatever degree is valuable to make sure that we get our new hospital in Tehachapi.

And thank you to all of you that have made supportive comments about me.  I cannot tell you enough how important that is.  Hospital administration can be very thankless work.  Thank you for your kindness.