Mendocino Coast District Hospital Board of Directors March 30 2017

Comments

1. Dear Friends,

   Wow. The hubris here is unbelievable. Especially Steve Lund, who presided over the Hospital Foundation for six years as it starved the Hospital into bankruptcy.

   I’m hoping that we can all get some kind of discussion going here where we’ve got more than twenty minutes to be heard. Sorry for sounding angry, but this really pisses me off. So here are some observations:

   1:04:50 — Trustee Kevin Miller said the Hospital needs, “Some kind of advertising to get positive things out there in the community.”

   Really? You’re a friggin’ physician, Dr. Miller. How about the truth? Thanks to nebbishes like Steve Lund, MCDH is a run-down hospital. Like TV ads from big Pharma, you’ve got a moral obligation to publish disclaimers with any such advertising.

   1:12:40 — “What is the risk to the overall health of the Hospital?”

   OMG. Since when is the health of any Hospital a priority? How about patient outcomes? This makes my head explode.

   1:14:50 — Steve Lund responded to reporter Malcolm Macdonald, “I’ll give an opportunity for public comment when I decide to give an opportunity for public comment.”

   News Flash, Mr. Lund. Malcolm is a newspaper reporter. You just shot yourself in the foot — and the Hospital along with it. Either take a course on anger management, or watch a White House press conference with Sean Spicer to see where an attitude like this leads.

   1:38:11 — “The financial viability of this hospital is at risk.”

   It sure is. Thanks to Mr. Lund’s complete lack of performance at the Hospital Foundation. I’ve got Form 990s showing that he was a trustee there for eleven years. Spending $144,000 in contract labor on a two-day event — Winesong! — staffed by volunteers. Right.

   1:38:52 — “We do not know of any hospital who’s gone through bankruptcy twice and survived.”

   Then why doesn’t Mr. Lund direct his CFO — Wade Sturgeon — to start filing Form 990s for the Hospital? It’s been a nonprofit since 2010. Nothing has been filed since then. Missing three consecutive years of Form 990s is mandatory revocation of nonprofit status, according to the IRS. Sturgeon should know this. He’s filed them for Carson Valley Medical Center and Orchard Hospital — while he was tanking them. Why not file them here?

   1:39:11 — “The financial viability of this hospital has to be our core mission.”

   For people who get $10,400 a year in health insurance benefits to serve on a board, yes. But the “our” in this case seems to be limited to self-dealing trustees and get-rich-quick executives like Wade Sturgeon, Bob Edwards and Terry Murphy.

   1:40:25 — “I’m committed to seeing that this hospital remains viable.” — “If that means making a difficult decision, I’m prepared to make it.” — “As the voters, you can decide what to do after that.”

   Then how about firing the Hospital Foundation, Steve? You’ve got your own nonprofit now. Why not start raising money to keep OB open? Mister Lund can’t make difficult decisions. In fact, he can’t make ANY decisions. That’s the problem.

   1:40:52 — Regarding a parcel tax, Mr. Lund said, “That’s a reality. That’s coming.”

   No it’s not, Steve. You and your lazy-ass buddies are holding OB hostage. We’re not stupid. We also know how incompetent you are. That’s obvious. So you’re not getting a parcel tax. Period. File your Form 990s — all seven years worth — and pray to God the IRS doesn’t shut you down first. Then go out and raise $50 million in donations. Or else close your doors forever. That’s a reality.

   Kudos to Peter Glusker. The only trustee who brought the word “morality” into this conversation. And shame on the other trustees who’ve tried to silence decent people like him and Kate Rohr.

   A couple of articles I’ve written here might be helpful. The first one is titled, ‘Jackpot’ and talks about how easy it is to exploit Hospital Foundations:

   https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bxf2TM2uxGxFZ2E5TmY3bzZWRDA/view?usp=sharing

   The next one is titled, ‘Off the Charts’ and talks about Wade Sturgeon’s contributions to hospitals he’s worked for in the past. And how they’ve all managed to line his pockets:

   https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bxf2TM2uxGxFSm5haWJFc3pyS00/view?usp=sharing

   Sincerely,

   Scott M. Peterson
   Mendocino