County to pay 50% for joint healthcare district study, asks districts to fit other half
EL CENTRO – The Imperial County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to begin the process of performing a study to determine the specifics of a countywide healthcare district.
While the county is beginning the process, they will not be completing this alone, insisting that the three major health care organizations, El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC), Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District (PMHD), and Heffernan Memorial Healthcare District (HMHD) help fit the bill.
In an Imperial County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 7, the Supervisors voted to cover for 50% of the up to $200,000 cost, while suggesting the other 50% be divided up among the three local medical service groups for reimbursements to the county.
While the three local medical service groups are expected to pay their fair share, the county has also agreed to move ahead with the study immediately, without the formal agreement of the other organizations, due to the urgent nature of the hospital crisis.
“I know this is important and time is of the essence, but I think our hospitals need to have a little skin in the game,” District 1 Supervisor and Board Chairman Jesus Escobar said.
The purpose of the study will mainly focus on determining what amount of taxation would be reasonable for the residents of Imperial County to bare in order to support this new district.
PMHD Interim CEO Damon Sorensen said that covering their share would be a challenge, but that the hospital would figure out how to cover their share, while HMHD had no representatives to speak on the subject.
ECRMC Board Chairman and El Centro City
Council member Tomás Oliva continued his pattern of being resistant to support being offered by the county, criticizing Escobar for his word choice, and voicing his concern that the county wasn’t covering the entire amount of the study.
“I don’t like that phrase, ‘skin in the game….’ Hasn’t El Centro gone through enough? How much more skin can we put in this game?” Oliva said.
Escobar and District 2 Supervisor Luis Plancarte responded with a quick “a lot” at Oliva’s words, displaying their disapproval of how ECRMC has handled their fiscal crisis.
The County of Imperial began the process of exploring the development of a unified healthcare district after ECRMC faced a financial crisis which forced the closing of their Maternal and Child Services Department, or “merger” with PMHCD, as was previously toted by ECRMC.
After weeks of unanswered rumors led to public panic and outcry around the base hospital status of ECRMC, ECRMC announced the removal of their base status via a City of El Centro press release, and then rescinding that removal later at an El Centro City Council meeting.
A no base hospital status would have left Imperial County without paramedics or advanced life emergency life support.
ECRMC reinstated the base hospital status but only until March, demanding that the county and the other Imperial Valley municipalities pay for the service.
Eventually the County of Imperial gathered many of the major healthcare organizations in the Imperial Valley for a round table discussion, where Oliva repeatedly avoided answering questions or agreeing to meet with the experts necessary to form the independent, countywide healthcare district that he claims to support.
In the end, Oliva stood firm in saying that he could not commit to paying for the study in any amount without first meeting with the other ECRMC Board of Directors.
“Like I said so eloquently earlier, you need to have a little skin in the game,” Escobar said.