SAC MIN 1996-02-08 - Laserfiche WebLink

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funds would be monitored by the Board. He said Catholic Healthcare West would give the Board of Directors a portion of the sale proceeds which are obtained from District taxes. Mr. Britschgi estimated a decision needs to be made by mid-March and an election for affiliation with Catholic Healthcare West, if needed, would be on the November ballot. He said Sequoia is re-engineering the jobs at the hospital to make it the most cost efficient. He stated Sequoia wants to continue to give good caring service to the community. Mr. Britschgi said he is concerned that the issue of abortion will become the focal point of the decision to select either Catholic Healthcare West. He stated that only 17 abortions were performed at Sequoia Hospital last year primarily because there are several other providers of this kind of service in the community. The community forums will be co-sponsored by Sequoia Hospital and the League of Women Voters and will be moderated by the League. The Commissioners asked about Columbia and Mr. Britschgi explained Columbia has over 350 hospitals with the majority of its holdings in Florida and Texas, and they are especially interested in getting into the California market. Catholic Healthcare West has 17 hospitals in California. The Commissioners also asked if any analysis of these two organizations will be presented to the public at the public forums. Mr. Britschgi noted the Board has asked the Bond Council to provide that information in addition to obtaining information on their research findings. He noted that Medicare is currently facing big cuts and Sequoia provides a considerable amount of service to Medicare recipients, which means that Sequoia does not anticipate any revenue increases. Councilman Ruskin asked how Sequoia could remain a community hospital with Catholic Healthcare West. Mr. Britschgi mentioned their goals and community services are very similar to Sequoia's. In addition, Catholic Healthcare West has a larger purchasing and contracting ability than Sequoia which enables them to reduce operating costs. The Commissioners asked about any other scenarios envisioned at this time and Mr. Britschgi explained that HMOs have had a major impact on the way hospitals are run, technology has improved, and stays are shorter. Many procedures can now be done in the doctor's office or as an outpatient. Lynne Murphy of the Sequoia Senior Services Department explained they are developing a new Community Case Manager position to look at revolving, recurring high risk patients. This manager will look at managing these patients early on in their treatment with a focus on preventative measures and education.