June 2006 Vol. 25. No. 6

Published by the Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka, California. HSRC is a non-profit community-based organization offering services for senior citizens, multi-generational families and caregivers.

Meeting health needs of the future: Introducing the New Alzheimer's Center

Rural representation: Eureka man named to California Commission on Aging

Happy 25th anniversary, Silvercrest!

Designing for Alzheimer's

Get healthy in McKinleyville this month

Think About It: Health district option is being explored

Delivering care - Single payer is the way to go

Pick up a copy today! Better yet, subscribe and never miss an issue!

Brought to you by

We all wish the clock could turn back and there would be no problem with hospital care or layoffs here. By now it is common knowledge that St. Joseph Hospital is in financial trouble. The hospital administration has assured the community that staff cutbacks will not reduce the quality of care at the hospital, and we hope that is possible.

Joe Mark, interim CEO, has laid out three options: 1) Continue to operate under the Sisters of Orange with cost reductions and possibly financial support by the community. 2) Sell the hospital to an entity from outside the county. 3) Sell the hospital to the community.

St. Joseph's might find the community reluctant to use tax money to support the continuation of a Catholic hospital because of strong community sentiment in favor of reproductive choice. It is possible that a buyer from outside the community would not materialize, or that a potential buyer would seem more of a threat than a comfort if the aim is to increase referrals to a hospital elsewhere while weakening local options for care. The bottom line of a for-profit hospital chain is profit.

That leaves the long-shot option of community purchase of the hospital, a complicated and lengthy process with challenges and opportunities.

Community ownership of St. Joseph's could involve formation of a health care district, a governmental entity independent of city and county government with the power to enter into contracts, purchase property, issue debt, hire staff and impose taxes with the consent of voters. Health care districts can own and operate hospitals and they can also be involved in other aspects of health care in a community.

The Humboldt County Board of Supervisors has taken the lead in investigating the possibility and advisability of forming a health care district. They have asked the Community Health Alliance (CHA) and me as health officer to assist in the process that should be inclusive, including a broad cross section of the community.

CHA is advising formation of a steering committee with advisory groups for feedback and task forces for research. Community outreach involving the media, open meetings and questionnaires will insure the process is transparent.

The groups will be asked to take a comprehensive look at what essential services we can realistically support in our community. The focus will go beyond coordination of hospital services to consider out-patient medical care, emergency services including ambulance and home health services, assisted living and skilled nursing facilities, training of staff and health promotion.

It can take three years or more to form a hospital district. Hopefully, we can come up with a fair assessment in six to eight months as to whether forming a health care district to take over St. Joseph Hospital as a publicly run facility is feasible and likely to be supported by Humboldt County voters.

If the prospects look good for a hospital district, and other options offered by St. Joseph's are stalled, we can ask St. Joseph's board and the Sisters of Orange to offer the community "right of first refusal" before selling to someone else. Of course, it is possible that St. Joseph's could be sold to an outside entity or works out its own finances while this research is underway. In that case, we will hope to use our research and evaluation to work with the owners of the hospital to insure continuation of essential services in our community.