Lea este articulo en español aquí.
San Benito County residents will wait another two weeks for a decision on the future of Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital.
In a 4-0 vote, with Director Devon Pack absent, the San Benito Health Care District Board of Directors voted to extend negotiations with the county’s Joint Powers Authority (JPA) and Michigan-based Insight Health Systems, which will add a lease option to its letter of intent. The board, which governs Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital, agreed to gather in two weeks and discuss the results of negotiations.
“I would have loved a little more clarity about the negotiations with the county,” San Benito County Supervisor Angela Curro told BenitoLink after the vote, “because to move forward, both parties have to be in agreement. Curro explained that the first step toward negotiating a management agreement will involve the formation of the JPA.
Dayne Walling, Insight’s public policy and government relations director, said Insight is still interested in moving forward.
“We believe we have a lot to offer the board, doctors, nurses and community as a whole,” Walling told BenitoLink. “We look forward to further discussions and negotiations.”
During a May 20 special meeting of the hospital board, Atif Bawahab, Insight’s chief strategy officer, said his company would be open to an interim management period with the county.
The vote to extend negotiations with both entities was followed by a failed motion by Director Jeri Hernandez, who proposed extending negotiations with Insight, excluding the JPA. Director Bill Johnson did not agree to move forward without including the county’s proposal.
 100vw, 780px”><figcaption class=)
San Benito Health Care District Board of Directors discussing the future of Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital. Photo by Monserrat Solis. “Are we discounting the JPA offer?” Johnson asked Hernandez about her initial motion. “Or are we going to continue to look at both sides?”
Director Rick Shelton also wanted to keep the county’s offer “on the table.”
” data-image-caption=”
Director Rick Shelton during the San Benito County Board of Directors meeting on May 23. Photo by Monserrat Solis.
” data-medium-file=”https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_8773-scaled.jpg?fit=300%2C200&ssl=1″ data-large-file=”https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_8773-scaled.jpg?fit=780%2C520&ssl=1″ src=”https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_8773.jpg?resize=780%2C520&ssl=1″ alt=”Director Rick Shelton during the San Benito County Board of Directors meeting on May 23. Photo by Monserrat Solis.” class=”wp-image-101990″ srcset=”https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_8773-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C683&ssl=1 1024w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_8773-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C200&ssl=1 300w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_8773-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C512&ssl=1 768w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_8773-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C1024&ssl=1 1536w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_8773-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C1365&ssl=1 2048w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_8773-scaled.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&ssl=1 1200w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_8773-scaled.jpg?resize=1568%2C1045&ssl=1 1568w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_8773-scaled.jpg?resize=2000%2C1333&ssl=1 2000w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_8773-scaled.jpg?resize=400%2C267&ssl=1 400w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_8773-scaled.jpg?resize=706%2C471&ssl=1 706w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_8773-scaled.jpg?w=2340&ssl=1 2340w, https://i0.wp.com/benitolink.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/IMG_8773-1024×683.jpg?w=370&ssl=1 370w” sizes=”(max-width: 780px) 100vw, 780px”>
Johnson addressed the results of a survey that was circulated to Hazel Hawkins physicians. Of the 66 physicians at Hazel Hakwins 46 voted, with 42 in favor of the county’s proposal. He voiced concern that doctors misunderstood Insight’s proposal.
“For reasons that I don’t understand, the doctors voted 42 to 4 for JPA” he said. “I have to wonder whether or not they understood the offer; what it could do. That we weren’t jeopardizing people.”
Insight’s founder, Dr. Jawad Shah, visited Hazel Hawkins in March where he and his team hosted a town hall for the community. Sonia Duran, a registered nurse at Hazel Hawkins and a member of the California Nurses Association, said hospital staff were also invited to a meeting with Shah.
Johnson expressed hope that the delay and modification of the agreement might lead to consensus.
“I think what it does is, it buys us time. It gives us the opportunity to get with the doctors, to get with the nurses, to allow the news media to get the actual information,” Johnson said. “Until we have that, until we have the doctors, the nurses and our community behind one or the other. I can’t vote for one over another.”
Before the vote, 11 meeting attendees spoke, with 10 in favor of the JPA.
J.P. Smith, who was the spokesperson for the Alliance-Ovation group, one of four organizations who submitted a nonbinding proposal to the district, claimed that the board violated the state’s open meeting laws by changing the agency’s letter of intent to include the option to lease the hospital without restarting the letter of intent process.
George Fendler, who said he’s been a resident of the county for more than 40 years, said the hospital’s finances don’t warrant a buyout.
“I believe that selling our hospital should be about the absolute last thing we should be considering,” Fendler said.
“The hospital is doing better than it was when the cash-flow crisis occurred,” he said. “The current board and management team is doing a spectacular job of turning things around. Quitting now simply doesn’t make sense.”
Diane Beck, a registered nurse and chief representative for the California Nurses Association, said the board’s decision would impact county resident’s lives.
“I’m here to state that it is vital that we keep Hazel Hawkins public rather than privatizing it,” she said. “This decision affects our local nurses, healthcare workers and everyone that depends on this facility.”
We need your help. Support local, nonprofit news! BenitoLink is a nonprofit news website that reports on San Benito County. Our team is committed to this community and providing essential, accurate information to our fellow residents. It is expensive to produce local news and community support is what keeps the news flowing. Please consider supporting BenitoLink, San Benito County’s public service, nonprofit news.
