‘Vote No on Measure F,’ Urges Letter Writer

Letter to the editor

[Background Image By Johnny_Spasm ]

Welcome to our letters to the editor/opinion section. To submit yours for consideration, please send to [email protected]. Please consider including an image to be used–either a photograph of you or something applicable to the letter. However, an image is not necessary for publication.

Measure F, in Southern Humboldt, is a second attempt in about a year, by Southern Humboldt Community Healthcare District, to sell a property tax to the landowners and homeowners of SoHum.

Once again, an overwrought and emotional campaign, based on fear and deception, has been presented.

SHCHD, a shoestring healthcare operation, located on a back street in Garberville and which is mostly ignored and unused by the actual citizenry of Southern Humboldt, feels, apparently, that folks should continue to fund SHCHD’s operation for another 10 years.

From my point of view, SHCHD is a pretty poor excuse for a public agency, as it is operated by individuals who are out of touch with the community, and by a board which was seated by appointment instead of election.

Not only has this organization failed, year after year, to operate profitably and provide needed services, but, SHCHD also has failed to honor the trust of the community by applying SHCHD’s own internal policies. One only has to look at the photo on SHCHD’s website to assume that SHCHD only hires women, and read the content provided to see that SHCHD is primarily concerned with spin, rather than factual information.

The most recent foray into owning a CAT scan clearly shows how lost the board and administrators are!

CAT scanners have been installed at other district hospitals with notable results:

At Southern Inyo, the CAT scanner is credited with bankrupting the District, and, at Surprise Valley, the CAT scan steadily lost money until it was sold. Currently Surprise Valley Healthcare District itself faces being sold to investors!

In my opinion, the experience with CAT scans at SHCHD will be similar, and that the CAT scan in Garberville is mainly a loss leader, installed at the last minute as a showpiece to deceive the public into thinking that the facility is moving forward when it is actually sinking quickly! In six months, there will most likely not be a CAT scanner in Garberville…

And, the funds which paid for the property, the CAT unit itself, and the extra staff, could have been used for so many other things!

Similarly, the general staffing up and putting on a show, this will not last!

I am writing again to ask that the unfairly applied parcel tax not be approved at this time.

From my point of view, SHCHD is lost, and completely out of the control of the public.

If this entity is to exist going forward, it needs to evolve, it needs to hold elections for board members who are in some way qualified, it needs to hire strong leaders, and it needs to provide the services which the community requires and which it would actually consume.

Also, when SHCHD uses deception, trickery, and scare tactics to sell a tax, it pretty much indicates that SHCHD is a poor quality product, which we would be stupid to continue to support with our taxes.

SHCHD has failed. Why would we buy this?

VOTE NO ON MEASURE F!!

Paul Riley CLS

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Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago

I thought letters to the editor needed to be signed?

hum?
Guest
hum?
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Ya, where’s the name?

Pat
Guest
Pat
5 years ago
Reply to  hum?

I went to the Garberville hospital 5 years ago when I had a pain in my rectum, a doctor on duty named Doctor V. told me I had hemorrhoids , He did not check me out just looked at me, said I probably just wanted pain killers.

3 months went by, still pain, so I went to Saint Joseph Hospital, one visit to ER doc said with a tear in his eye, you have stage 4 rectal-colon cancer, Why does Garberville hire poorly trained doctors, and doctors who just don’t care ? I am better now, but the hospital is not better, the hospital need a heart replacement and a new soul to go along with their stinking flesh, a thousand dollars a year cannot help this corpse to revive.

Sorry bout your bum
Guest
Sorry bout your bum
5 years ago
Reply to  Pat

Too bad they didn’t have their new CT scan yet. Up to date tech could have caught that.

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago

Which they don’t have either.

Sorry bout your bum!
Guest
Sorry bout your bum!
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

They do have one now, just need a tech to run it. Big difference.

2 Redway Residents
Guest
2 Redway Residents
5 years ago

My grandmother, 90 yrs old, resident of Redway, uses the Lab once a month. The trip to Fortuna is hard on her lil frail body. Eventually she will have to go once a week. She’s thankful we have this facility here & I am too. We are voting YES!

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago

But it’s not just a black and white issue. Not just whether the hospital continues or closes. It is also about the quality of care. What can be done be done and what is better done elsewhere. A lab would likely exist without needing a hospital setting. For example.

2 Redway Residents
Guest
2 Redway Residents
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

Also my niece, when she was 5 yrs old, they saved her life with fluids that were dire, that minute. They let her stay for 3 days cause she was too frail at the time to move.

Then there’s the time my neighbor was going into labor. She wanted an at home birth but was frightened at last min, waddled her butt to the Er, where they provided a safe space to still have a home birth. She did have to sign a waiver since she still wanted to home birth. She was told if she changed her mind, to call them in. She finally relaxed bout anything going wrong & gave birth to her baby boy, in a safe environment provided by SHCHD.

Then there’s the time I was sick with pneumonia, the docs up north misdiagnosed 3 times!!!!! I finally went to SHCHD ER and the assigned doc, listened to my concerns, about the previous misdiagnoses and believed me, I knew something was severely wrong and it was not just a flu. He put me on fluids, ran more tests, gave me something to sleep and closed my currtains. I slept for 10 yrs straight. When I came to, I instantly could tell, what he did helped! He got me the correct medication needed and I fully recovered from there on.

Then there’s my friend who has stomach ulcers and other issues. He uses the Er a couple times a month when his stomach acts up. They give him fluids and meds and he’s better when he comes out. Also just in case your wondering, it’s not on your $, he has insurance.

No voters seem to only focus on what the ER hasn’t done for them lately, but it’s not just about them, it’s about what the ER does for the community. So I encourage anyone who has been helped by the ER, to share how the ER has helped you or a loved one. Whether it is daily health or a life saving situation.

Bob
Guest
Bob
5 years ago

Damn, you must have been REALLY sick for it to take 10 years to sleep off…

2 Redway Residents
Guest
2 Redway Residents
5 years ago
Reply to  Bob

lol, stupid auto correct. Its suppose to say 10 hrs not yrs

longtime local
Guest
longtime local
5 years ago

I am disappointed in Redheaded Blackbelt for publishing an unsigned letter to the editor. I can understand being anonymous in the comments section (as I am), but all newspapers require a name in their letters to the editor section.
This statement gets a headline and a prominent position, yet the writer seems unwilling to publicly stand behind what they say.
This particular letter is full of unsubstantiated statements, such as “…..which is mostly ignored and unused by the actual citizenry of Southern Humboldt”.
Just because the letter writer doesn’t use the hospital, they make an assumption, based on no actual facts. Many, many of us do take advantage of having a 24/7 hospital in our community, and would be unable to get adequate local health care without it.
To quote again, this writer “….uses deception, trickery, and scare tactics… ” to demean an absolutely critical institution in our community.
Along with other misleading statements, the writer also displays their sexist attitude “… assume that SHCHD only hires women…”

I own three properties in the healthcare district, and am glad to pay the fee X 3 to keep our hospital.
Please don’t be fooled or mislead by this anonymous person.
For the future of our community,
VOTE YES ON F!

longtime local
Guest
longtime local
5 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

Thanks Kym, that makes a lot more sense.
I withdraw my negative comments about the writer remaining anonymous.
Although I may disagree, I do respect for Mr. Riley for standing behind his statement.

Bc
Guest
Bc
5 years ago
Reply to  longtime local

Where’s you name ?

nunya
Guest
nunya
5 years ago

All I have to say is, if this hospital closes, depending on where you live in SoHum, you all can have fun driving at least an hour North to RMH or farther to St. Joe’s or South to Willits and then sitting and waiting a very long time if you need emergency services (the bigger the hospital the longer you wait). When you’re in pain every minute of that drive will be pleasurable. Plus other medical services that you might need will require an appt. which won’t be readily available for you in the near future and you’ll STILL be driving. The extra gas money and time you will use should be worth it right?

nunya
Guest
nunya
5 years ago
Reply to  nunya

Yes on F!

Veteran's friend
Guest
Veteran's friend
5 years ago

I agree completely regarding the CT scanner especially. It is redundant and the hospital cannot even find an operator for it. The position has been advertised for months. There is no way to bait someone to come here for the job unless they are willing to sleep in their car.

Central HumCo
Guest
5 years ago

Why not a Bribe, err Grant?

Perhaps the real deal – a promissory note
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDYgPXAc43Q&t=27s

Taxation is theft, plain and simple.

longtime local
Guest
longtime local
5 years ago
Reply to  Central HumCo

No, this is not the same issue. The last vote, that was defeated, was to increase the amount of money
for the healthcare district to construct a new hospital. This vote is to just continue the already existing
fee to keep our hospital open.
And also, no, tax is not theft. It takes money to provide the services we need as a community.
It’s more a matter of you get what you pay for.
I think we get the most value out of our tax dollars on the local level.
I want good schools, libraries, law enforcement, fire protection, and, yes, a local hospital.
Yes on F!

😂
Guest
😂
5 years ago
Reply to  Central HumCo

Theft is when you receive nothing. The tax provides a service to the area, which your a part of. Huge difference there Central HumCo Buddy

jojo
Guest
jojo
5 years ago

The hospital needs to be shut down. The employees there are not qualified. The service is horrible. We need to vote NO, put the hospital in check if they cannot figure out how to fund themselves without a property tax then the truth is we cannot support a hospital as a community and the hospital itself is not viable to operate without being subsidized by tax payers. VOTE NO!

😂
Guest
😂
5 years ago
Reply to  jojo

Just admit jojo, the real reason you don’t want to pay is cause you have to pay multiple taxes, on your multiple properties, with you multiple grow $. Last I checked you might be what’s wrong with this community, not SHCHD.

Richard Finch
Guest
Richard Finch
5 years ago

Couldn’t disagree with Mr. Riley more. This is a renewal of an existing parcel tax, not a new tax. I am not in favor of unnecessary taxation, especially parcel taxes, but this is an exceptional case.

Ten years ago, the district was in dire financial straits. Due to extraordinary dedication, it is now solvent, and a major employer in So. Humboldt. How do you think Redwoods Rural Health Center is financed? By grants funded by your taxes. They have an excellent doctor, but the atmosphere there is far less professional and confidence inspiring than at the clinic in Garberville. Cliquish is the word I would use to describe RRHC. Their board members and actions are far from transparent. I would like to see more co-operation between the two entities, so that they are viewed not as rivals, but as providing complementary services.

And RRHC doesn’t have an ER as the Garberville clinic does. I have had both satisfactory and unsatisfactory experiences at the ER in town, but I still am willing to keep paying $125 a year for the peace of mind it gives me as I age. I understand that some members of the community hold grudges against the local Healthcare District, but that is no reason to deny essential local services to those who need them. Every year I pay more than this for a “fire tax” which was levied without voter approval and from which I receive little or no benefit, living only a mile or two from the Briceland Volunteer Fire Dist. station. Now that tax I do object to. Last year it came in April, the same month as property taxes were due, seriously disrupting my cash flow.

In short, this is basically a referendum on whether or not to keep the ER in Garberville open, and that I am in favor of. That is why I have already voted Yes on Measure F and am willing to keep paying $10.41 a month, less than the cost of a six-pack of beer and not much more than a pack of cigarettes, to keep the ER open for the inevitable next time I need to use it.

Paul Riley
Guest
Paul Riley
5 years ago
Reply to  Richard Finch

Your argument makes about as much sense as SHCHD’s… They say,” just pay your tax since we need it” and you say “just pay the tax since I MIGHT need it”…

Fact is, nobody needs a facility which is this poorly operated, or which is completely out of the control of the public which provides funding, and which is supposed to be served by the facility.

You call RRHC “cliquish” but I call SHCHD a “Club for longtime locals” who want all the other folks, some 10,000 others present in SoHum, to pay taxes to support the club, so that the club members will be able to use the club if necessary!

Excuse me, but it is supposed to operate profitably, and not be dependent, forever and ever, on a “parcel tax”.

If it is in trouble, financially, it should be run better, and by different people! It is not my problem if they can’t do a better job, and I refuse to vote to support the mess they have made of the Healthcare District.

Not unless it changes, for the better, immediately!

SHCHD is wasting your money, trying to deceive you, and, attempting to scare the public into thinking that “it will close”. Nonsense.

If SHCHD goes broke, 10 companies will show up, wanting to take over, in very short order. These management companies will be operated by people who are way more capable than the current batch of incompetent, corrupt, and dishonest persons serving as Administrators and Board Members at SHCHD.

My suggestion is simple: Deny this funding, and then demand that SHCHD elect a new board, replace all incumbent administrators, and endeavor to move towards the future that SoHum needs from SHCHD.

If SHCHD is just keeping the doors open, they should probably be closed.

Wasting my money, going forward, is not an option!

VOTE NO ON F!

Dave Kahan
Guest
Dave Kahan
5 years ago
Reply to  Paul Riley

You have a right to your opinion, Mr. Riley.
With all due respect, my opinion is that the incoherency, tone, and lack of factual accuracy in your letter epitomizes what I have heard from the no on F contingent. As well as an apparent lack of understanding of how to frame an effective argument. I think that says something about the most commonly expressed “logic” of opposition proponents.
I am personally not an advocate of “insurance for everything bad that might ever happen,” but here’s some logic to consider: my home has not burned down yet, so why should I pay for fire prevention and suppression? This parcel tax is good bang for the buck.
One aspect of this discussion that I have not heard or read yet is that regardless of any negative past performances, the continued existence of the hospital does not assume or otherwise guarantee continued existence of negative performance. The possibility exists that any organization can improve or decline over time.
I voted both for the continuation of the present tax (already mailed my ballot) and for last year’s proposal to fund a new building as well. I can understand folks seeking to reduce their tax liability, especially if they have little respect for the practitioners of the service. I suggest working to improve the service. The board is elected, not appointed (hint, hint). This parcel tax is good bang for the buck. Rural hospitals all over are in dire straits. Southern Humboldt has its own set of unique circumstances that make attracting and retaining good help difficult. I know that all too well from maintaining a forestry crew for the past 30 years. I commend the board of this district for keeping the doors open to date and planning for improvement for the future. We are lucky to have a local hospital. My mama always told me, “don’t cut your nose to spite your face!” which I consider relevant to this discussion. To that I add today, if you do cut your nose be grateful you’ve got a place to get it stitched up.

Paul Riley
Guest
Paul Riley
5 years ago
Reply to  Dave Kahan

The point here , sir, is that you are already paying taxes, as a working person, which support your little hospital. Another tax, well, it’s extra tax.

The hospital board, in Garberville, was mostly appointed. No person has been installed on the board by election, since 2013, according to my information. Both Gary Wellborn’s and Barbara Truitt’s seats, replaced by appointments in 2018. I did not see any mention of the qualifications offered by the new members…

I get called a lot of things, including a “working professional with over 40 years of experience”, “a nice older man”, but hardly ever “incoherent”…

Thanks for the laugh!

Janet
Guest
Janet
5 years ago
Reply to  Richard Finch

Richard, I’d like to invite you to RRHC’s board meetings. They are usually the 4th Wednesday of the month at 3:30 and our minutes are posted on our web page. We are a very transparent organization and are supportive of cooperating with the hospital. The hospital is an absolute necessity for this community and we’re looking forward to sending our patients to Garberville to use the CT scan, as we continue to use other services there.

Paul Riley
Guest
Paul Riley
5 years ago
Reply to  Janet

I also wanted to offer my applause to RRHC for offering outpatient rehab, counseling, and Suboxone management.

This is exactly what I advised Harry Jasper to work SHCHD towards back in 2012, as well as advising SHCHD to offer pharmacy, women’s health, and pain management services.

I congratulate RRHC for moving forward, offering needed services, and being responsive to the community.

RedWoods
Guest
RedWoods
5 years ago

I VOTED NO on F ! I also voted NO on every new tax & could care less what the current sob story is. Living on a fixed income & approving more taxes for a decade or more is a fast track to being homeless!

Buying that million dollar piece of property is pure insane in this local meltdown. I notice NONE of the PRO F crowd has bothered to inform the public just how much tax money will be demanded from us to PAY for building this new hospital!!! I’ll bet they will be crying for $500 or a $1000 a year for decades to pay for this building & equip & fund it for eternity.

How much will the next big bite into our finances be to fund the grand schemes,consultants & advertising to shame taxpayers into paying just a little bit more?

VOTED NO on F & proud of it!

Say What?
Guest
Say What?
5 years ago
Reply to  RedWoods

Me, Me, Me, is all I hear!

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  Say What?

That was a personal attack on a voter’s thoughts.
For every finger you are pointing at others, there are 4 more pointing back at yourself.

Wow!
Guest
Wow!
5 years ago
Reply to  shak

So an opposing opinion is an attack? ya that makes sense!

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  Wow!

I know an opposing opinion when I read one, and that wasn’t one.
This would fit the description of an opposing opinion, fwiw. Try this on for size:
“I see where you’re coming from and I partially agree, but I fail to draw the same conclusions as you. This is where we differ… bla bla bla”
Try it, you’ll like it.

okkkkk
Guest
okkkkk
5 years ago
Reply to  shak

I see 2 opinions and 1 has a control issue.

Sohum living
Guest
Sohum living
5 years ago

We need a hospital in Southern Humboldt are you people crazy? Well I know you are cheap as f..k $135 a year really? I would give that if only one old lady needed a nursing facility to stay in, or one old guy needed a defibrillator to get going again. I really don’t like any hospital I have ever been in and try to stay out of them but with this logic they would all need to go. The whole idea that if we shut it down it will be easier to get a better one is also insane. Buy less candy and soda and support the meager services we are lucky enough to have for Gods sake.

Dave Kirby
Guest
Dave Kirby
5 years ago

The continuation of the existing tax to keep the services we have is a no brainer. I know of no other community as small as ours that supports a 24 hr. Emergency Room. If we want to keep it we need to step up again. VOTE YES ON F.

Paul Riley
Guest
Paul Riley
5 years ago
Reply to  Dave Kirby

The “community” does NOT support the facility!

SHCHD is largely supported by Medicare, Medi-Cal, a few cash paying and insured persons, some Government Grants, some donations, and, by the Parcel Tax.

The “community” has little to do with it, and TAXES paid by wage earners and business owners, the “Citizens of the US”, actually support SHCHD!

Dave, you are as lost as SHCHD! Parcel taxes are not a requirement, they are a privileged subsidy agreed to by property owners.

I think that it is pretty clear the the “community” does not support SHCHD! (See Measure W)

DON’T BUY THIS! NO ON F!

😂
Guest
😂
5 years ago
Reply to  Paul Riley

Oh, is this on a national vote? I didn’t know the entire US has a say on whether SHCHD stays open or not.

😂
Guest
😂
5 years ago
Reply to  😂

Ever think maybe it’s just you? Like, maybe you need to take a walk more often or need someone to talk to, other than just griping into the internet. By all your negative reviews posted Everywhere online including AARP, I’m gonna assume your just biased against this lil town because of a couple bad experiences. You say you do your best to stay away from Garberville, why not do your best to stay away from Humboldt. You sound like you’ll be way happier living anywhere else.

Paul Riley
Guest
Paul Riley
5 years ago
Reply to  😂

Thanks for the Garberville “treatment”. Have a beautiful day!

😂
Guest
😂
5 years ago
Reply to  Paul Riley

If giving simple advice, for ones mental health, is Garberville treatment, then your welcome Sir.

Dave Kirby
Guest
Dave Kirby
5 years ago
Reply to  😂

Paul you know as well as I do that we cannot keep the services we have without the Parcel Tax. There is no mystery to that fact. As long as we are required by law to treat anyone who presents at the E.R. it will continue to lose a significant amount of money. State and federal reimbursement is not enough to float the boat. It’s unfortunate that you were fired from the district but your bitterness and thirst for revenge is inappropriate for someone who pretends to care about healthcare delivery.

Paul Riley
Guest
Paul Riley
5 years ago
Reply to  Dave Kirby

Let’s see if I am keeping up…

I am just supposed to care about keeping the hospital available for persons who can’t pay, but I am expected to pay for services for myself, as well as pay taxes on my property in addition to the already high taxes I pay to live, well, live life wherever?

Dave, this isn’t personal, and it’s not about me, or even you. It’s about a district hospital staring at the results of it’s incompetent and corrupt operation, and it’s inability to change, move forward, evolve, to operate in the black…

Where are we now? In a situation where giving our funds to SHCHD will only support SHCHD’s poor decisions and mishandling of resources. These folks, in charge and on the board, seem only interested in flying the district right into the ground! And, the Board and Administrators at SHCHD, they do not care about you or me, or the community, they only care about their infantile infatuation with the “status quo” and keeping things “the same as ever”.

The Board and Administration have admitted that the community will not support a district tax, but here you all are, asking for one!

Sorry, Dave, not at this time! Get a new board, an elected one, and some new leaders who haven’t been working there for years and years. Then maybe a tax will pass!

Whatever happened in the past, it’s over! Get ready for the future!

If I am to live in SoHum, I just can’t afford to pay for this facility! Not the way it is operated now…

No matter what justification, it is not worth taxing myself extra. I am happy to transport to Willits, or Fortuna. SHCHD is superfluous, not necessary. If it can be operated profitably, fine. If not, hand it over to someone who is able to make it go! Just like any business!

Asking your neighbors to be altruistic, to be generous, is absurd! If YOU want it, find a way to pay for it which is fair, equitable.

The parcel tax is ending, get used to it!

Happy trails, Dave!

DON’T BUY THIS! VOTE NO ON MEASURE F!

Say What?
Guest
Say What?
5 years ago
Reply to  Paul Riley

Waitttttt a minute, you can’t afford $10.61 a month towards the parcel tax, but you can afford the gas it would cost, to drive to Fortuna or Willits? Ummm Hummmm!

And again with the Me, Me, Me, Me, I cant afford it, who cares about the numerous claims from community members, who do & have benefited, from the ER in this community, just Me Me Me! I think there’s more to your motive here, as implied above by others, than just you trying to save a few bucks, for your pocketbook.

nunya
Guest
nunya
5 years ago
Reply to  Paul Riley

Hey Paul,
Hope you don’t get any medical issues in the future cuz just a few trips to either one of those facilities will end up costing you the same if not more in gas alone than the yearly parcel tax. Obviously the extra time involved with commuting won’t affect you seen as how it appears you have nothing better to do but trash a small hospital that’s probably doing the best it can with what resources are available. BTW – you might want to consider that those bigger ‘corporate’ hospitals are usually much more corrupt, as you put it.

yesmeagain
Guest
yesmeagain
5 years ago
Reply to  Paul Riley

Many people talk about wanting an elected board but how many come forward as candidates? You can’t elect a board if no one wants to be on it. If you don’t like the people currently on the board, and if you are registered to vote within the SHCHD boundaries, you can run for the board. Expect to put in a lot of work and to take a lot of flak from the public.

Road Weary
Guest
Road Weary
5 years ago
Reply to  Paul Riley

“The Community” Does include lots of people who’s healthcare is provided by Medi-Cal and Medicare. That doesn’t exclude them from being part of ‘the community’. The poor and elderly have much greater difficulty with transportation north. In addition, lots of practices elsewhere do not except Medi-Cal or Medicare; both RRHC, SHCC, and JPCH do and I’m proud of that. Mr. Riley is dead wrong about the board being appointed. There are staggered elections for board members, as required by California Law pertaining to special districts. If a board member steps down before the end of their term the board may appoint a replacement for the remainder of that term. If the board chooses not to act, a board member is appointed by the county board of supervisors. Just like in other offices, if only one person runs for a board position there is no election. Maybe Mr. Riley would like to run for a contested board seat. Then he could participate in an enlightening debate sponsored, I’m sure, by the League of Women Voters.

Dave Kirby
Guest
Dave Kirby
5 years ago

One thing that really makes my ass tired is these folks talking about throwing out boards. Would that we had lines of people willing to run for these thankless positions. We have, over the decades, had the good fortune to have had some outstanding citizens pitching in spite of the sniping from people who can’t seem to get off their butts and put their energy where their mouth is. This is a small and fragile community its frankly amazing we have the services we do. You don’t like the way its going then run.

Westside Pratt
Guest
Westside Pratt
5 years ago

Ok…here’s my two cents…
I went to the ER once with a restriction of my urethra. I couldn’t pee. Do you know how terrible that is? They helped me. My husband went to the ER once in extreme pain from a kidney stone and they gave him medication so he could be transported without pain. Another time he was hit by a tree and was in terrible pain and danger again. They stabilized him and an ambulance took him to the trauma unit in Santa Rosa. We would not have been able to endure these situations without our local ER to help us. And it was compassionate, professional, wise help at that.
And the lab, where I currently go for a blood draw every month, is convenient, clean, efficient, super friendly and kind. Todd and his crew are a jewel in this community and I urge you all to try them. I’ve never had to wait longer than 10 minutes for the lab and their hours are great! I also had a mammogram there and the new equipment and technician were excellent…not the old smasher, if you know what I mean.
Anyway, F is better than a good idea. It’s crucial. Vote for it, please!

2 Redway Residents
Guest
2 Redway Residents
5 years ago
Reply to  Westside Pratt

Thank you, for sharing your positive outcomes, had it not been for our local ER!

yesmeagain
Guest
yesmeagain
5 years ago

Thank you. I had a series of urinary tract infections, peeing blood in the middle of the night — why always the middle of the night? — incredibly painful and potentially leading to more dangerous conditions like kidney infections. It’s not a difficult diagnosis and the treatment is antibiotics and a specific pain med — but one must see a doctor or nurse practitioner to get them. I was so grateful that the hospital was there when I needed it. Another time I cut myself (at 8:30 p.m.) and could not stop the bleeding by myself; I was able to get to the hospital quickly for one stitch and a tetanus shot, back home in bed by 10:00. Lots of people have stories like these. For something complicated and life-threatening I would expect to be taken by ambulance to a larger hospital with more facilities and specialists; it’s being treated close to home for those scary, painful, sudden second-tier emergencies that so improve our quality of life in small towns and rural areas.
The CT scanner seems like a mistake. But that’s not a good reason to lose services desperately needed by the community.

2 Redway Residents
Guest
2 Redway Residents
5 years ago
Reply to  yesmeagain

Thank you for sharing too!

Paul Riley
Guest
Paul Riley
5 years ago

In the first place, I never said that the hospital should be closed. What I said is that it needs to operated honestly, transparently, and profitably, by persons who are competent, reasonable, ethical, and qualified.

It is convenient, to show up at the ER in the middle of the night! But let’s be realistic.

People who live in a remote location need to be prepared! If you have a chronic condition, or just frequent medical needs, you need to have a relationship with a provider, a stock of medication, a plan!

Relying on a rural ER for routine and emergent care is very short sighted!

AND: Those people there, in the ER and on call, they all get paid. The Lab staff, the Xray guy, the ER doc, they are all paid around the clock to be available!

It is expensive to operate a hospital!

The cost to care for your Urinary tract infection at 0200, is WAY higher than the cost to care for you in the clinic, at 0900, in the morning… YOU are responsible to consume care, as you need it, and with some planning if possible!

That Doctor in the ER, he gets $10,000.00 per week to be there. SHCHD is hoping you come in, so that they can bill $5000.00 for your visit…

It costs and costs, so who then should pay for the shortfall?

Should you pay? Say, pass a sales tax? How about a big jar at the entrance to throw in $125.00/year on the honor system? Do you have a suggestion?

Why, do you think that only the property owners in SoHum, should be responsible for paying the general costs for operations? Especially when the district so obviously wastes the money on stuff like $1,000,000.00 CAT scanners that will only be used occasionally, which require an operator to be paid 24/7, and which was installed by a Board and by Administrators who do not seem to be cognizant of the real needs of the community, or able to care about the community at all?

There is a lot of difference between developing and providing a core of basic services that the public needs and desires, and just going off willy-nilly, wasting our money to build pet projects, and then stage elections to collect more money, raise our cost of living!

SHCHD only insults the public, which has no control!

Who should pay for this mess? Who should pay for the results of poor planning, bad decisions, incompetent, overpaid corrupt administrators, poor HR policies, an unqualified and un-elected board? WHO SHOULD PAY FOR THIS?

You? Me? The “poor and elderly”? Who would you like to be responsible to pay for your services?

Taxpayers already pay, folks! Your Medicare, Medi-Cal, taxpayers pay the costs.

It is not just $10.00/month! The costs NEVER end! YOU may not pay the costs, but SOMEONE does!

Hospital Districts are completely out of control all over California! They are broke down, struggling, going under, being sold off!

SHCHD is one of the worst! Do YOU have a reasonable plan to save it?

And, Dave, I volunteered to serve, when Barbara and Gary resigned. I received no response from SHCHD. In my memory, no Board member has been seated by election, since 2013. In my opinion, the Board does not want qualified persons to serve, and SHCHD does not want progressive or competent persons to work for the District. They just want the cheapest people, the lowest cost, so they will have more resources to waste…

How would you fix this? Overwrought, emotional outpourings from end users doesn’t help, especially when they want someone else to be responsible!

We need suggestions, workable plans, reasonable thought. Just slapping another tax on a few people won’t change anything and will not result in the future we need!

WE NEED A BETTER PLAN FROM BETTER PEOPLE! VOTE NO ON F!

😂
Guest
😂
5 years ago
Reply to  Paul Riley

That sure was long, winded, repetitive and unrealistic . Let me get this straight, people are suppose to behave differently in their daily lives cause you think they should be prepared differently or all of a sudden change and conform? You sure seem to be demanding of people to conform to your ideas and ways, habits, & life. Ironic, cause isn’t that what your preaching against? You being forced to pay something you don’t believe in or use already.

😂
Guest
😂
5 years ago
Reply to  Paul Riley

That sure was long, winded, repetitive and unrealistic . Lets get this straight, people are suppose to behave differently in their daily lives cause you think they should be prepared differently or all of a sudden change and conform? You sure seem to be demanding of people to conform to your idea,, habits, & life. Ironic, cause isn’t that what your preaching against? You being forced to pay something you don’t believe in or use already.

Paul Riley
Guest
Paul Riley
5 years ago

Thanks for your opinion, twice.

If you love the hospital, pay for it yourself.

I am not asking you to change, I want the Hospital District to change.

Thanks so very much for your very kind consideration!

😂
Guest
😂
5 years ago
Reply to  Paul Riley

And thank you so much for your kind consideration of senior citizens and others who already do benefit from this hospital, besides just you.

Some of the worst atrocities started with the best intentions. Your demand will disrupt the lives of hundreds of citizens, while you sit in the comforts of your home and won’t ever have to face those disrupted by this. So easy for you to say, “Your not asking me to change!”, Your actions and words is what will disrupt the lives of others, not just myself.

P.s. I do love this hospital & am paying for it, every year with my parcel tax.

SoHum resident and proud hospital supporter
Guest
SoHum resident and proud hospital supporter
5 years ago

Does anyone else find it odd that Paul Riley is actively opposing a healthcare facility in a district in which he does not live?
It’s reprehensible that someone who will never be in the area, therefore, has other healthcare options, is actively trying to close our only Emergency Room within an hours drive (minimum, for some much further).
It must be real easy for someone who does not live in SoHum to not care whether we have an emergency room. I for one see the value of having an ER; as a tax paying resident and a mom.

YES on F!

Plus, how will closing our hospital and ER affect our economy — potentially 88 plus people unemployed. Not sure about you, but I don’t have the ability to hire 88 people.

Wow!
Guest
Wow!
5 years ago

You nailed it, SoHum resident & proud hospital supporter!!!

A simple internet search, shows he sold his Oakridge Dr. property in Dec 2017, and now lives in Lake County. Mr. Riley is complaining about a tax, he no longer has to pay. He doesn’t have to worry about an ER facility, not being available near by! It also looks like he’s been living in the East Bay for the last 7 yrs, where he had access to a few different ER facilities.

You know what? Ed moved away too & at times can be a lil rough, adding his input, but at least he offers practical solutions, vs spiteful, antipathy, idealism!

Why not leave the community to decide, what to do with our hospital Mr. Riley! Good day!

Paul Riley
Guest
Paul Riley
5 years ago

I do not oppose the operation of hospitals. I oppose extending the parcel tax.

Life is a process of changes. Embrace them, and you will have an easier time.

Anyone who tells you that the hospital, the ER, will close without Measure F, is not telling the exact truth. It will not close. The ER, will still be there, right there, on Cedar St, just where you left it…

It is obvious, since SHCHD spent a million dollars on a CAT scanner, that SHCHD is not broke. Yet.

If they go broke, which they almost certainly will, either a management company, an investor, or some combination of these, will take over.

Being overwrought and emotional, this will not solve anything.

Just paying the tax, won’t change anything.

The hospital you purport to love, wow, it is screwed up!

You should want to see it improve!

Denying the funding is about the only control the community has over SHCHD, and SHCHD does not care about SoHum, it’s needs or desires. SHCHD just wants to have “business as usual”, tax payments, as usual.

And what the heck are they doing with 88 employees? At a 3 bed hospital with a 6 bed SNF? Sounds like too much staff to me!

Here is your chance to affect a change! Embrace it!

DON’T BUY THE LIES! VOTE NO ON F!

Wow!
Guest
Wow!
5 years ago
Reply to  Paul Riley

Go outside, the sun is shining Mr. Riley. Let a community tend to itself, since it affects you no more. I’m sorry you lost your job, but holding onto spiteful revenge, on a community you no longer reside in, is not good for your health, especially at 65. Its not good for your blood pressure and can cause unnecessary stress. Take care of yourself & have a better day!

An actual taxpayer/homeowner
Guest
An actual taxpayer/homeowner
5 years ago
Reply to  Wow!

Mmmm love the internet! Full of useless and inaccurate info…

I know you all wanted me to just go away, but these days, I do what I want.

I have worked so many jobs, I can’t even remember them, but my time in Garberville stands out as probably the most stupid and puzzling.

I do have an interest in moving to Miranda, which looks to me like the best part of SoHum, and which contains the most culture, so I may have an interest in not continuing to pay the tax that I paid for 6 years. We shall see.

The thinly disguised antipathy, the antisocial tinge of your comment, reveals that it is you who is spiteful. Maybe a little hypertensive yourself… Peace be with you.

I work elsewhere now, will continue to serve my brothers and sisters, as I have for over 40 years. Garberville set me back, for a day or two, but potential employers call me every day, folks who would actually value my services. The people of Garberville were always saying thank-you for your service, which was nice!

When your hospital constantly hires and fires, you really just compound your problems. The real job of HR, and Administration, is to develop staff, to recruit and retain. Turning over staff, gets you a bad reputation, and creates folks who will oppose you, forever.

There are things I do not know. What the heck SHCHD, and Harry Jasper wanted, these are things I really do not know. I moved on, and finally I did move out.

Living in Garberville/Redway is geographically nice, but logistically difficult, after all…

Humboldt is an attraction for me, and when I find the right location, I will return. Can’t wait to see you at the Farmer’s Market!

Your hospital will still be there, but you may not recognize it!

VOTE NO ON MEASURE F!

Wow!
Guest
Wow!
5 years ago

Yawn!

SoHum resident and proud hospital supporter
Guest
SoHum resident and proud hospital supporter
5 years ago

Stop using different names, we all know this is another Paul Riely post.
Regardless of what you call yourself, you don’t live here, don’t own property here, and yet want the rest of us to do without a medical emergency facility. Leave our comunity alone. You don’t live here and should not be aloud to have a say in what is right for our community.
Go away Paul Riley!

An actual taxpayer/homeowner
Guest
An actual taxpayer/homeowner
5 years ago

THERE’s that good Garberville attitude! That attitude will really work for change, improvement, evolution.

Thanks for that!

I’m moving to Miranda, or Northward. I know you don’t care, but it’s still in SHCHD. Since I can’t individually opt-out like Blocksburg, I still have an interest.

People like you are why I left [edit]/Redway. And all those Meth-Dealers….

And that’s my real name.

LOL
Guest
LOL
5 years ago

LMAOF! You think Miranda will be different! Your killing me here!

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago

In another week or two, prescription prices will drastically fall.
In another span of time, the federal reserves will fall.
Combine the two, and we’ll be back to paying 5k for a pickup, and 50k for a home. The zero’s added to the cost of a vehicle and a home are taxes. Inflation is a tax. Inflation is a tax that ‘pays’ back the unconstitutional federal reserves bank that is neither federal nor has reserves.
Imagine how far a 100 dollar bill will go again. Back to the normal America once knew where workers could afford to donate to their local communities instead of being forced to donate to slush funds that fund endless wars and one world government.
I don’t know about the rest of you, but as for me, I don’t want to tie up my neighbor’s parcels in a tax scheme for years on end. I’d rather see them donate generously and get it done right.
Slaves no more.

Wow!
Guest
Wow!
5 years ago
Reply to  shak

Slaves, have or had, no choice. The community has a choice!!!!!!

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  Wow!

Debt slavery: Every child is born with a debt of $50,000 give or take, thanks to the national debt. As they mature, the purchases they make are so inflated they never truly own anything. As it is we all work for nothing. Our future generations will owe the devil until eternity ends. This, my dear, is slavery. http://www.fortliberty.org/born-into-debt-slavery.html

Physical slavery: Those who are not afforded real citizenship are bound to the slave masters who took them in. Calif is a slave master, in the sense that they refuse to afford citizenship to those who seek it, and instead create sanctuaries where they are stuck. They are not free to live, work and play anywhere except in the sanctuary areas the slave masters provided for them. They are not free.
Here’s a great discussion on slavery, without insults or fighting. Very enlightening and thoughtful. https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/2i5sqb/eli5_if_slaves_in_america_were_so_expensive_why/

Taxes are theft. People are forced at gunpoint to pay taxes. Their only choice is pay it or be arrested. Most people don’t mind a few taxes as long as the taxes are spent as promised which is usually for safety.

Debt slavery, tax slavery & physical slavery are thriving in Calif.

LOL
Guest
LOL
5 years ago
Reply to  shak

I decided to not have a kids. Guess you choose your predicament.

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  LOL

That $2 hot pocket your mommy just nuked for you while you’re banging your keyboard in your mommy’s basement, will go back to costing a whopping 5 cents.
Just think of all those hotpockets you could be slathering down.
The cost of the basement would also decrease by truckloads of money, which means mommy can afford to stay home and bake them fresh from scratch like in the good old days before either of you were born.
Some prefer to spend $5 on a loaf of bread today, knowing it will cost them $10 in a few years for the same brand. Others prefer to pay 50 cents today and no more than $1 in the future. There are communities that love spending other people’s money on $10 loaves of bread, but good luck finding the people who love being forced to pay $10 for a 50 cent loaf of bread.

LlOL
Guest
LlOL
5 years ago
Reply to  shak

Grown up and own a house. I comment on my breaks at work. Nice try though. Thanks for the laugh this morning. I needed that.

Paul Riley
Guest
Paul Riley
5 years ago
Reply to  shak

Thanks Shak, great ideas…

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  Paul Riley

I wish it were my idea, but I can’t take the credit for it. It’s definitely where we are headed… well, where the rest of the nation is headed, it’s hard to see much hope for Commiefornia.
Those whom I’ve stolen the credit from all suggest we purchase silver and gold and be prepared for the day. As most know, the printed paper money isn’t worth the paper it’s printed on. Wheelbarrow loads of $100 bills will trade the same value as wheelbarrow loads of $1 bills. The paper itself will be the value. Stock up your pantry, pay off your bills, and purchase silver and gold.

Central HumCo
Guest
5 years ago

Is this a “pep” talk? It is. It most certainly is.

Think BIGGER. A 2% foreign imposed tea tax touched off a revolution. In the last 50 years, We, the People, have surrendered our rights via taxation of 3% tax, to well over 50%. We pay more in Administrative Taxes than we do for clothing, housing, food and water combined. This is overall, across the board. The comfortably numb will remain blinded by the light.

Make no mistake. The “Black market” – is brokering debt instruments -counterfeit currencies and “derivatives,” that cause unnecessary suffering. It has been so insurmountable that it has served to quash business and growth.

Think about this a bit; Commiefornia has issued $1 billion in reparations to the illegals via Cap and Trade. Taxes are being redistributed to people who refuse to become ‘legal’. Here, in The County OF Humboldt, the ‘legals’ (via manufactured consent), are taxed on a right to plant. It’s a ‘legal’ conundrum cluster.

Meanwhile, while we haggle and tune-in, for communication sake, defining taxe$, criminal$ and thieve$, the $tate’s level of corruption, the flower indu$try, bribe$, hepititu$ C, $hrink interpretation$, and “$ustainable”, in fact, and, in fiction . . . Eden is burning.

Frequency Armageddon
Pesticide poisoning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvI_X3PbYKU
Death by vaccination and popping pills
Clear-cutting continue$ at break-neck speed
Rock and gravel mining is now 24/7 –365, while Humboldt’s roads fall into disgraceful dis-repair, all along The County invests $344,931,776 out of the People’s Public Treasury (pg. 40 Notes to Basic ‘Financial Statements’).

The Supe’s year-end report card, on all four fiduciary Public Servant duties, remains at F, a dismal failure. 1)Protect the airspace above Humboldt, 2) the rivers and 3) forests, and, 4) repair and maintain the roads. All else is/are control freaks outta control.

At the end of February, 18,510 sealed indictments were filed since the end of October 2017. 530 are listed in Northern California. Military tribunals are coming for the wicked. We are the ones to stand, boots on the ground, at-arm’s-length, as witnesses. Possibly a list of names for identi-fiction purposes. This is where ‘Federal’ comes in, by invitation of the state. Not a Mayor, a Supe., a (pretend) Sheriff double-dipping as a Coroner, or Gov., has authority to call on a Federal Marshall (not U.S.). This motion and movement has to arise from the people in the manner and steps in which is laid out for us. We are the ones to gather in the ‘spirit’ of the law.

The California Army National Guard may summons a Federal Marshal. It’s a sweeping non-violent event. After all, we’re talkin about persons that spend the majority of their life at a desk, or coercing the people at public meetings. Private males and females masquerading as Public Servants, caged in the Matrix . . a cake walk.

There’s no sitting on the fence of the plantation. Our county/state is in ruins because of the son of perdition known as Jerry Brown. Evil is rampant but will lose in the end.

Taxation is theft – it’s not up for debate.

shak
Guest
shak
5 years ago
Reply to  Central HumCo

I think the USA sealed indictments are now over 33,000.
The Notable resignation (& fired) WW list is up to 2616 and counting.

Shel
Guest
Shel
5 years ago

Why does the taxes always fall on property owners? Really? I always wonder about this type of ‘funding’. Why not a straight tax on every soul that lives in the district? Now that seems fair. If it is to be for the community then this shouldn’t be a problem with the community paying for it from all individuals, not just the property holders. This seems reasonable IMHO.

Paul Riley
Guest
Paul Riley
5 years ago
Reply to  Shel

Taxes fall on property owners because they are sitting ducks.

Your only defense: VOTE NO ON F!

Julia M
Guest
Julia M
5 years ago
Reply to  Shel

Unfortunately a parcel tax is the only way this special district can have a tax – like fire and schools districts.

We’d need to have a municipality for a sales tax. And income tax is managed by the state and fed.

At least this money stays local – eureka, sacramento, d.c. won’t get a cut. It’s the democracy we have to work with.

Paul Riley can’t vote here, but I can. YES on F!

Keyboard warrior
Guest
Keyboard warrior
5 years ago

Anyone who knows anything about Hospitals getting reimbursed should know Medi-cal, and medicaid DO NOT pay for the whole hospital bill. They pay a set amount the hospital takes a loss on the rest. So to ask a small ass hospital to stay a float on what they are reimbursed is pretty silly and not realistic. I was born at JPCH, lived in Garberville till I was in my 30’s. I moved because of my career, however I still have family there and elderly folks. So I give a shit that it stays open. If the ED were to close there would be a chain reaction of events. One of them an Ambulance can only operate if they have a base ED…the ED goes, in theory the ambulance could go. Just food for thought.

NO $0.34/DAY FOR SHCHD! NOT THIS TIME...
Guest
NO $0.34/DAY FOR SHCHD! NOT THIS TIME...
5 years ago

In health care, you do have a loss, on paper. We call these “write-offs”.

If you have enough write-offs, well, you don’t make a profit, don’t “make money”.

So, no net income, no taxes!

The hospital wants YOU to pay taxes, but pays none itself! Nice!

The hospital will not close. The ER will be there. SHCHD may go under, but competent business-people will take over.

Paying to continue the current mess in Garberville is the real write-off!

DON’T BUY THE LIES! VOTE NO ON MEASURE F!

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  Kym Kemp

How to make a non hospital zone:
1) Trade jobs for welfare- because, once a place has frittered away the capital that prior generations accumlated, it’s income that keeps services. And too large a proportion of people not putting income in while too many are taking income out means that outside interests must cover the shortfall. There was such coverage for rural places but it was eliminated by the ACA with the double whammy of added requirements. The government will no longer do anything but direct health dollars by population. Rural places lose out in the most equitable of decision making based on population.

2) Create an entitled, drug addicted population that waits for someone to come save them but constantly complains about not getting their wants serviced instantly when they create their own problems. They drain the good will of those who are motivated to help until nothing’s left to give. And such an environment repels those who just want to live in good place while doing their work. Like the constant whining about religious based hospitals making rules they do don’t like when there would be so little care without them. If your area is a charity case, then who do you think is going to offer that charity?

3) Have too many voices demanding magic acts like universal single payer health care as a solution. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/0954026021000046001 – “He also pointed out that there is no real market in the British healthcare system, especially in rural areas, leaving many patients at the mercy of their local hospital regardless of its quality.” Sound familiar? Just because everyone (not really but theoretically everyone) is due the same coverage does not mean they have access if the care is not there. Which was a constant complaint from people I spoke to in the UK whose access was limited to a very few government provided practitioners.

Dependency is the flip side of government benefits. And rural people are not seen by government as worth the effort they require any more. The romance of the independent rural resident as the backbone of society is gone. So doing more ourselves is the place to start. But doing it effectively for the most people rather than focussing on the most problematic is the place to start. Ask not to be saved by government but rather ask how you can save yourself.

Taurus Ballzhoff
Guest
Taurus Ballzhoff
5 years ago

These hospitals close because the locals couldn’t make them operate. Just like SHCHD.

Whining because the past is over, well, this will not help.

Even a corporation like Adventist Health, trying to operate a brand new hospital in Willits:

Can’t get staff. Or competent Physicians.
Has Administrators who constantly tell lies and deflect.
Employs long-time locals with poor work habits and psych disorders.
Exists in a drug-addicted community with poor values and needy patients.
Struggles to house and retain the employees it does manage to hire.
Treats their employees VERY poorly.
Is operated top down by persons out of touch with the community.

The Administrators and Officers of Adventist Health want to CLOSE Howard Hospital, and make everyone go to UKIAH!

And Adventist Health does not care about you, they just want your money! Just like SHCHD!

Hospitals used to be supported by the government, but then, there used to be a tax base to pay into the government.

Now we have a nation of salespersons and farm-workers, software writers and recruiters. Nobody young needs healthcare, and nobody old can afford it. Healthcare may in fact only exist to make money and not to take care of people!

We, the end users, need to advocate, prioritize, and demand that the few facilities we actually have become responsive to our needs. Otherwise, we are going to have to transport to care.

Just having a little, poorly-operated hospital, may not be better than not having it.

Go work there, volunteer to raise funds, learn something!

I have worked in 5 different NoCal District Hospitals. They were all very similar, and all very messed up. The communities are all full of the same people. Everyone everywhere has the same needs!

I don’t have a short solution, but just paying your taxes will not save your hospital! You will have to get involved in operating it, controlling it, and elect a set of legislators and create a government which will support needed services. Do something! Stop complaining and get involved!

If you do nothing else, write a check and donate it!

A lot of people dedicate their lives to caring for others. Thank them.

Being selfish, emotional, needy and entitled, this won’t keep your hospital open!

VOTE NO ON F! DEMAND BETTER SERVICES AND MORE PUBLIC CONTROL!

You WILL see this on the ballot again!

LOL
Guest
LOL
5 years ago

Funny! Those descriptions, “Being selfish, emotional, needy and entitled” all project from your writings too!
Thanks for helping me start the day with a good laugh, you too Paul!

Guest
Guest
Guest
5 years ago
Reply to  LOL

No it doesn’t at all. Insulting people is not an answer. It’s toddler thinking. All it does is make people look away in embarrassment.

Taurus Ballzhoff
Guest
Taurus Ballzhoff
5 years ago
Reply to  Guest

You know, some people care.

SHCHD, this is something that nobody, beyond the older folks in Garberville/ Redway, and the employees and families of SHCHD employees, even cares about enough to wade through a complicated ballot to find the local issue.

Interestingly, about the same number of votes were cast for Measure F, as were cast for measure W. For some reason, nobody bothered to oppose Measure F…

Like everybody is saying, I don’t live there, don’t work there, don’t really care much myself. I was seriously screwed over by SHCHD, by Harry Jasper, just like many, many other people. But, I was well paid, made money on my retirement account, bought and sold a home, at a significant profit.

So why do I care?

Because YOU will be the one to lose, either through poor care, or pure apathy, if you do not participate in operating your little hospital!

Eventually, the old people will expire, or leave to long term care in other areas. The younger people, there are not enough of them, and obviously, they are not a cohesive influence upon your hospital.

You can ignore it, and it WILL fail. Just voting to tax, well, someone else, will eventually not keep SHCHD going!

IT HAS TO CHANGE.

If YOU don’t care enough to cause this to happen, the forces of economics, the changing healthcare environment, the lack of interest: all these things will eventually destroy your facility!

Get involved, make a donation, support the staff, fund-raise. Sitting around complaining and ridiculing others will never work.

Good luck SHCHD! You will need it! Hospital employees everywhere are beautiful, awesome, terrific! Support them and say “Thank you!”.

Mike
Guest
Mike
5 years ago

Being against F doesn’t necessarily mean your against the hospital, I would of supported a increase in sales tax to support it but I’m against taxing only one group for something that everyone uses (in theory). Come up with a better way to fund it that actually makes sense and maybe it’ll pass, but they’re just continuing to run in circles both with how they run the hospital and how they want it funded

Paul Riley
Guest
Paul Riley
5 years ago

Here is a great account, however accurate it may be, of another district’s interesting journey to having a hospital in a remote location…

https://khn.org/news/outsiders-swoop-in-vowing-to-rescue-rural-hospitals-short-on-hope-and-money/

Even when they say they are helping you, beware!

Taurus Ballzhoff
Guest
Taurus Ballzhoff
5 years ago
Reply to  Paul Riley

Here is another sad story, from Sebastopol, where a donor gave more than $10million to “save the hospital”. Didn’t work, couldn’t work with the management they selected…

http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/8329877-181/palm-drive-health-care-district

VOTE NO ON F! FIND SOME QUALIFIED & CAPABLE PERSONS TO SERVE ON THE BOARD AND TO BE ADMINISTRATORS BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE AND NOBODY CAN SAVE IT!

Someone
Guest
Someone
5 years ago

The hospital you are mentioning in the letter, surprise valley health care district. I worked there for many years. The reason they are so close to being closed is due to years of poor management, people stealing and misspending funding. The state came in there and forced them to fire half their management for trying to cover up elder abuse complaints and handling hippa violations incorrectly. They drove off all their good and highly credentialed nurses. They tried to run a cna class without proper certifaction and got slammed by state and even lost their medical /medicaid reimbursement. The cnas there fought for a $1 raise only to have the entire hospital later take a 10% paycut. Surprise valley hospital has been run by people who dont know how to run a hospital and 90% of its board members are farmers. They have also had many drs work there who have gotten them in huge trouble. A co worker and i about 6 yrs ago there requested a copy of their financials as our insurance kept getting cancelled while the hospital was still taking our money. It was very obvious funds were being stolen and misspent. Making that public knowledge got us put under attack and any nurse or cna that actually wanted to keep their license had to quit before we were sabotaged. I was there the day the ct machine was set up. That had nothing to do with why surprise valley hospital is failing. It is all because of bad management, state regulations not being kept up with and followed. Which results in huge fines. All the cnas at the hospital nearly lost their licenses because our human resources didnt think they needed to store the aids ceu’s and elder abuse files and a nurse who had quit there years ago had to come in and fix everything before all the aides lost their jobs due to someone not doing their job. If the local hospital here is having any of the same issues with management as we did at svhcd then no amount of money will fix it. We tried to get teamsters to have an entity to keep tabs on our management. They spread around that we only wanted teamsters for more money, and we lost the vote and shortly after shit hit the fan. State forced our director of nurses to step down for shredding elder abuse complaints about her nurse buddy, and our administrator was also force fired by the state. Surprise valley hospital is far more rural than humboldt county. The town has a population of 400. You cant even deliver a baby in modoc county, you have to drive over 100 miles to get to a hospital that can deliver a baby. They need the hospital. But they sunk their own ship and all the taxes put on the town didnt help a single iota. Just some info from a former surprise valley health care district employee of 7 years.

LOL!
Guest
LOL!
5 years ago
Reply to  Someone

Let me guess, your one of Paul’s or Shak’s friends, here to add 2 cents after hearing them gripe? No coincidence you just happened to comment on our town, from out of the area, so sure!

Someone
Guest
Someone
5 years ago
Reply to  LOL!

I grew up in willits. I moved to modoc county and lived their for about ten years. When we moved out of modoc we came to miranda. Been living here for about 6 yrs now. Nice try though. Just stating that IF like surprise valley, the hospitals debt is truly a staff caused problem that it will continue despite the taxes. At one point in svhcd we had a group of cnas that didnt think doing their charting daily and correctly was important. They didnt know the charting codes. So they just copied (we were still on paper charting) so they didnt do 8 months worth of charting. And they were marking patients that were completely dependant for care as people who could function all by themselves. Do you have any idea how badly that bit of laziness affected our funding? Massively. Theres more to it than people realize. And pathetically all that was reported to the director of nurses multiple times and nothing was done because they were her friends. The people who reported it got written up instead. It took 3 rns reminding their boss that charting is how we get our medical reimbursement. None of them ever even got in trouble for it.

Someone
Guest
Someone
5 years ago
Reply to  LOL!

And also im not saying this is the problem in humboldt. Im not saying vote no on f. Just shedding some light on what really caused the near shut down of a rural hospital used as an example in this letter because i just so happened to work there as it started falling apart. And it was not at all because of a new ct machine. Thats a laugh. Their problem was all staff related. And they ignored that problem for so long that now their only option is to sell out. If they dont they are done. If they close they cannot reopen as they arent up to code with earthquake safety and cant reopen with out rebuilding. Even after all the hell i dont want it to close. That would be terrible for the community. Same for humboldt. I would just hate to see this hospital head down the same self destructive path.

Taurus Ballzhoff
Guest
Taurus Ballzhoff
5 years ago
Reply to  Someone

Not much different at SHCHD, actually.

I have also worked both places.

Surprise Valley had corrupt and incompetent board members, and a lying Administrator.

So does SHCHD.

I also worked at Palm Drive Hospital in Sebastopol. Lots of local love for the facility will not make up for poor management, unqualified board members, or dishonesty. No matter where the hospital is…

AND: The hospital can waste and mismanage ANY amount of your money!

NO ON F! FORCE IMPROVEMENTS AND ELECTED BOARD MEMBERS BY KEEPING YOUR MONEY!

Someone
Guest
Someone
5 years ago

When i started there it was great. We had a good dr and a good don. Dr died. Don stepped down. Place went to shit. They tried to do everything but run it professionally. They were so rural so they thought they could just do things their own way. Hospitals are run by state regulations. You most certainly cant just do whatever you want because you are “rural”. Working there was like working in a viper pit of venomous back stabbing 12 yr old little snobby girls. Certainly was not a professional work place. I considered working here but after the stories ive heard that remind me so much of surprise valley i quickly abandoned that notion. Its hard to grasp the inner workings of a hospital from outside the hospital. The function of a health care facility is heavily reliant on staff, not just funding. And having bad staff can put you in huge debt when the state surveyors keep finding violations and piling up the fines. In those cases it is unfair to put that on the community to bail out your debts. Certainly hasnt worked for surprise valley.

groba dude osnt trustafarian
Guest
groba dude osnt trustafarian
5 years ago

I’ll say it one more time:

Elect a qualified, competent, ethical board. Expel all incumbents.

Hire a CEO with decent experience, not an overpaid clueless puppet who lies and hires his family members.

Expel the old COO. He’s the worst influence in the building, and the least likely to change.

Get someone honest and competent to be HR Director. Have them develop a staff and focus on staff retention.

Hire highly qualified locals, men AND women.

Develop a core of essential services which you are able to deliver 24/7/365.

Abandon the old thinking, evolve, move forward.

Demand that your public facility develop services that the community desires, Pharmacy, Women’s Health, Behavioral Health, Pain Management etc.

Watch out for charlatans wanting to “buy your hospital and bill lab services”.
Kiss of death!

Good luck!

Meanwhile:

VOTE NO ON MEASURE F! SHCHD IS TOO BIG OF A MESS!