MARCH 25, 2013
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LATEST NEWS ON SUTTER HEALTH'S REGIONALIZATION AND CRITICAL ACCESS EFFORTS
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SUTTER HEALTH ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION OF HOSPITAL CEO EUGENE SUKSI
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Summary of the past three weeks:
3/4/13: Hospital physicians notify Board of Directors of Sutter Coast Hospital
that the Board's purposeful exclusion of interested parties from their decision
to transfer hospital ownership to Sutter Health violates Medicare regulations and
Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation standards, and that Sutter's Regional
bylaws violate California law which protects patients from corporate employees
with no medical training having authority over patient care policies.
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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
LATEST NEWS ON SUTTER HEALTH'S REGIONALIZATION AND CRITICAL ACCESS EFFORTS
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
SUTTER HEALTH ANNOUNCES RESIGNATION OF HOSPITAL CEO EUGENE SUKSI
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Summary of the past three weeks:
3/4/13: Hospital physicians notify Board of Directors of Sutter Coast Hospital
that the Board's purposeful exclusion of interested parties from their decision
to transfer hospital ownership to Sutter Health violates Medicare regulations and
Joint Commission on Hospital Accreditation standards, and that Sutter's Regional
bylaws violate California law which protects patients from corporate employees
with no medical training having authority over patient care policies.
3/5/13: Del Norte County Board of Supervisors draft a letter to the California
Attorney General asking for an investigation of Sutter Health's activities in our
region.
3/7/13: Hospital Board acknowledges receipt of physicians concerns, but takes no
corrective action. Instead, Sutter Health attorney Michael Duncheon states that
he will prepare a response for the Board.
3/25/13: Sutter Health Sr. Vice President Mike Cohill announces resignation of
Sutter Coast CEO Eugene Suksi.
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You may be wondering what prompted the resignation of our CEO. Based on the timing,
I doubt the resignation had anything to do with physician input. Local doctors,
including those employed by Sutter Health and Sutter Coast, asked Mr. Cohill to
bring in a new CEO for our hospital last year, but Mr. Cohill took no action.
I believe it is all of us in the community standing together that makes Sutter Health
nervous.
Our local elected leadership deserves credit
for relaying your concerns
to statewide agencies. The local response has been universally positive, but in
particular, Kathryn Murray and Kelly Schellong have been working with the City Council,
Roger Gitlin and Martha McClure with the County Supervisors, and Dwayne Reichlin
and Kevin Caldwell with the Healthcare District. Sheriff Dean Wilson and District
Attorney Jon Alexander have both written strong letters of support, and Richard
Enea and Mike Sullivan each submitted recent letters on behalf of city and county
leadership. The Director of the United Indian Health Services, representing seven
local Native American tribes, wrote an excellent Declaration in support of the litigation
opposing Sutter Health. Most of all, the more than 2500 local residents who signed
our petition to oppose Sutter Health should know your voices are being heard. Next week, I will send a copy of the petition to state and federal representatives.
to statewide agencies. The local response has been universally positive, but in
particular, Kathryn Murray and Kelly Schellong have been working with the City Council,
Roger Gitlin and Martha McClure with the County Supervisors, and Dwayne Reichlin
and Kevin Caldwell with the Healthcare District. Sheriff Dean Wilson and District
Attorney Jon Alexander have both written strong letters of support, and Richard
Enea and Mike Sullivan each submitted recent letters on behalf of city and county
leadership. The Director of the United Indian Health Services, representing seven
local Native American tribes, wrote an excellent Declaration in support of the litigation
opposing Sutter Health. Most of all, the more than 2500 local residents who signed
our petition to oppose Sutter Health should know your voices are being heard. Next week, I will send a copy of the petition to state and federal representatives.
Here is the update on the litigation between the Healthcare District and Sutter
Health:
You may recall
that during the most recent hospital Board meeting, the Board
voted to "postpone" their efforts to transfer hospital ownership to Sutter Health.
But the Board did not rescind their three prior votes in favor of Regionalization,
nor did they agree to set aside litigation in the Court of Appeals, where Sutter
Health is trying to lower the Injunction that is blocking them from taking hospital
ownership or implementing Critical Access designation.
voted to "postpone" their efforts to transfer hospital ownership to Sutter Health.
But the Board did not rescind their three prior votes in favor of Regionalization,
nor did they agree to set aside litigation in the Court of Appeals, where Sutter
Health is trying to lower the Injunction that is blocking them from taking hospital
ownership or implementing Critical Access designation.
Next, some good news: Based on letters of concern from community members, I was
contacted by the offices of State Senator Jim Nielsen, and U.S Congressman Jared
Huffman, who offered their support. If you want to have a say in the future of
healthcare in our region, please consider writing to Sen. Nielsen and Congressman
Huffman. If you need help putting your thoughts on paper, send me an email at drgjduncan@yahoo.com or call me at 707-465-1126.
Finally, the best news of all: If we keep working together, something good will
come out of this struggle. If we can expand and improve healthcare in our region,
every resident and visitor to our beautiful North Coast will benefit.
Thank you all again for your advice, support, and prayers.
Greg
Gregory J. Duncan, M.D.
Chief of Staff
Sutter Coast Hospital
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