News and editorial articles from across Imperial County.
What we saw Wednesday, July 10, 2024 at the hastily-called Imperial Valley Healthcare District press conference was a self-serving, congratulatory pat on the back for the seven appointed board members of the Imperial Valley Healthcare District (IVHD), Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia, and Senator Steve Padilla. While the purpose of the deeply flawed, poorly drafted legislation known
On Thursday June 13, 2024, the Imperial Valley Healthcare District (IVHD) passed a resolution to recommend the dissolution of the Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District (PMHD) on December 1 and Heffernan Memorial Healthcare District on October 1, 2024. This action was taken in following the mandates established in AB918. What does “dissolution” mean? Section 32499.95(b) states: “Effective on
Assemblymember Eduardo Garcia and Senator Steve Padilla continue to focus on health care and its financial situation. Assembly bill 2098 authored by Garcia has recently been approved in the Assembly and moves to the Senate for Padilla’s management of it. The summary states, “Under existing law, the California Health Facilities Financing Authority Act (act) authorizes the
In April 2024, Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District (PMHD) filed a writ of mandate in Imperial County Superior Court, seeking declaratory relief from Assembly Bill 918, which the district claims has adversely affected its operations and threatens to undermine healthcare in the Imperial Valley. AB 918 resulted in a set of special laws applicable only to
During the Imperial Valley Healthcare District meeting held on March 11, the Kaufman Hall feasibility study was reviewed and discussed. One of the participants via Zoom was Patty Maysent, CEO for UCSD Health and a current member of the El Centro Regional Medical Center (ECRMC) Board of Trustees. While Maysent had some pertinent information to
For months now the Imperial Valley Coalition for Sustainable Healthcare Facilities (CSHF) has warned of the consequences of a rushed, ill-advised implementation of AB918. We have provided detailed information on the flaws in the new law and the consequences of its implementation. This week, Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District filed a lawsuit against the newly formed
From the Calexico Chronicle, 3/19/24: The long-awaited Kaufman Hall report was presented at a special meeting of the Imperial Valley Healthcare District Board of Directors last week but was overall deemed inadequate after an anticlimactic summary left everyone — directors, healthcare officials and members of the public — with more questions than answers. The IVHD
Flaws abound in the AB 918 law which is mandating the dissolution of Heffernan Healthcare District and Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District by the end of the year. Here are the some of the flaws of the law: The new board of IVHD is under marching orders from our Comrades Eduardo Garcia and Senator Steve Padilla
The much anticipated Kaufman Hall Study finally arrived, albeit the summary only. So what do we now know? Just as a refresher, this Kaufman Hall study was commissioned by Preston Hollow, the bond holder for ECRMC in an effort to determine if merging the districts was feasible. As such, it is a proprietary work product subject to Preston
At the February 22, 2024, Imperial Valley Healthcare District (IVHD) board meeting, ECRMC Board member and El Centro City Councilman Tomas Oliva stated to the Board and audience that Pioneers Memorial Hospital (PMHD) and Heffernan (HHD) need to “turn over the keys” to their facilities and dissolve as soon as possible. This is pretty rich coming