(note:
"Kevin" refers to Dr. Kevin Caldwell, who was advised by a
hospital Board member that Dr. Caldwell could not release any
committee information to anyone)
"Kevin, you don't need anybody's permission to share
our communications.
Anyone who thinks their words/actions should be kept
secret should probably reconsider those words/actions. I will
certainly be perfectly candid if anyone cares enough to ask me what
has transpired in our committee."
"I have been tight-lipped, but I fully understand
your frustration. All the secrecy is counterproductive.
Do some think they need to make decisions for the community without
the community's knowledge because they are so much smarter than the
lowly people who just wouldn't be able to understand their
wisdom? Or maybe they are ashamed of their actions and know
that anyone with knowledge will recognize that those actions are
indefensible?"
"I've tried for years to be understanding, but it's
time to call a spade a spade. It's convenient and comfortable
to criticize Sutter Health, the big nebulous corporation in Sacramento,
rather than our friends and neighbors. But Sutter Health is not
primarily responsible for the decline of Sutter Coast Hospital over
the past few years. Sure, they could have been more open and
spoon-fed us with the negative aspects of their plans, but why should
they? They are a corporation whose Board is responsible for the
success of that corporation. Their primary concern is not
Sutter Coast Hospital or our community. That responsibility
belongs to our local Sutter Coast Hospital Board."
"In defense of our Board, it is a tough job.
Nonetheless, it is our Board's responsibility to protect the
interests of Sutter Coast Hospital, and by virtue of the hospital's
charter, the local community. Whether by ego, ignorance, ineptness,
laziness, cowardice or combination thereof, our local Board has
failed miserably in that responsibility."
"Some board members still believe that Sutter Coast
Hospital is owned by Sutter Health. They either don't
understand their responsibility as Trustees of Sutter Coast Hospital
or they choose to ignore it. They weakened their powers, and
thus their ability to meet their responsibilities, by accepting the
Bylaws changes of 2011; they tried to give them away completely by
voting for regionalization; and they voted for Critical Access, a
designation that burdens our community. Then when confronted
with opposition they chose to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars
on a carefully-orchestrated, dependent "study" carefully
constructed & interpreted in the then-CEO's office to support
their position before hunkering down behind a wall of secrecy.
They chose to ignore the physicians and community with whom they
clearly (should) have common goals and instead listen to the lawyers
of Sutter Health, a corporation whose goals are, although generally
aligned with, not the same as those of Sutter Coast Hospital."
"Our Sutter Coast Hospital Board is at odds with our
community - fighting us on behalf of Sutter Health. Until the
majority of our Board is once-again composed of community-focused
individuals who are capable of independent thought, our efforts on
the Conflict Resolution Committee are a waste of time. I
am truly sorry about the events of the past 4-5 years for all of
us. However, 4 years is enough of rehashing the facts and
having them repeatedly ignored. I had hoped to contribute to
resolution of our conflict, but I hereby admit my failure to
meaningfully do so and submit my resignation from this
committee."
Larry Eninger,
M.D.
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