In one of my previous articles, I mentioned that the interim Board for the Imperial Valley Health Care District (IVHD) will have a significant amount of work in a very short time. Additionally, this newly appointed board has never worked together. It takes time to build a team and achieve unity of a single purpose. Reorganizing two hospital organizations under one banner is a very complex task that will take time to do it right without interruption of healthcare delivery. IVHD recently released a press release on the first step of the formation of the new healthcare district. The press release named six of the seven board members, with the seventh one yet to be appointed although the second round of applications for that seat was due January 10, 2024.
In a continued effort to inform the public of the monumental task ahead, my team has created a timeline of the following tasks, deadlines and status since Assemblymember Garcia’s AB918 was signed by the Governor October 10, 2023. It is not a comprehensive list, but simply the key items.
| DATE | ACTION REQUIRED | STATUS |
| 2023 Oct 10 | AB 918 signed & IVHD must follow Cortese-Know-Hertzberg Completed Local Gov. Reorg. Act of 2000 | Completed |
| 2023 Dec 8 | Language & tax % or funding mechanism must be submittedto Imperial County’s Election Department | Missed |
| 2023 Dec 10 | Initial Board must be formed | Completed: Seeley/Ocotillo appointment pending |
| 2024 Jan | Board to address the following items:
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| 2024 Feb | Inform residents of funding source and potential ballot measure. | Pending |
| 2024 Mar 1 | IVHD first of 3-4 required public meetings in 2024. | Pending |
| 2024 Mar-Nov | Start negotiations with ECRMC & identify:Actual value of assets and liabilitiesCollective bargaining agreements, Retirement plansOperational contracts and Licenses and certifications | Pending |
| 2024 May | Propose voting districts in collaboration with LAFCO. | Pending |
| 2024 Jun | Set Public Hearing regarding voting districtSet date to dissolve PMHD & HMHD | Pending |
| 2024 Jul 1 | Codify voting districts with LAFCO. | Pending |
| 2024 Aug 2 | Provide language, tax % or other funding mechanism and submit to Imperial County Election Department | Pending |
| Candidates for the new elected board must file requisite paperwork to Nov 2024 election cycle. The appointed board members are not eligible. | ||
| 2024 Oct | PMHD last payment on $15 M bond | Pending |
| 2024 Nov 5 | Finalize acquisition of ECRMC. The IVHD Board or ECRMC/Bond Holding Company may not agree acquisition term | Pending |
| A Public Meeting needs to be conducted if voters approve the ballot measure | ||
| 2024 Nov 7 | Last chance for ballot measure tax % or other funding source & 1st vote for elected board. | Pending |
| 2024 Dec 31 | Annual report due to LAFCO | Pending |
| 2025 Jan 1 | PMHD and HMHD Dissolved | Pending |
Please note that many of these activities are dependent on the completion of work by LAFCO. The troubling issue is the lack of information for the two authorized studies. The first commissioned by the County for LAFCO to complete is flawed as noted in an earlier article. The second, the infamous Kaufman-Hall has not been provided to LAFCO, the County, and PMHD or, to the best of my knowledge, the Initial Board. These are fundamental documents by which the Initial board and LAFCO must rely on for any funding source to place before the voters. These timelines are unrealistic and unachievable. This does not create a stable foundation to launch the new district. In less than one year both Hospital Districts will be dissolved. We encourage Assemblymember Garcia to either change the timelines or have additional legislative corrections to make his creation succeed.