Mike D’Allara questions Mendocino Coast District Hospital Strategic Initiatives 2017

MCDH Planning reviews goals & priorities

The main focus of the May 15 Mendocino Coast District Hospital (MCDH) Board of Directors Planning Committee was a review of the MCDH Strategic Initiatives 2017 document and the 3rd quarter status. This presentation by CEO Bob Edwards covered the same basic information discussed previously.
MCDH STRATEGIC INITIATIVES 2017 5 16 2017

Committee member Mike Dell’Ara asked how these goals and priorities related to the $80,000 study the Board & Community participated in prior to Edward’s arrival. The Quorum project, had staff, board and community input, whom identified 123 Initiatives for MCDH to replied to be financially stable, successful and survive. Edwards replied to Mr. Dell’Ara, by stating that the Planning Committee initially made the motion and approved these current, ‘9 Strategic Initiatives’, which then were approved by the MCDH Board, regardless of their relationship to the previous ‘Quorum Study’.

I wonder who made the motion to accept these priorities, given the fact they were written and presented by paid staff. The fact that CEO Edwards is a voting member of the Planning Committee and often initiates motions is exactly why most organizations do not allow paid staff to serve as voting members on board committees.

Watch as Mr. Dell’Ara brings up a critical community concern, that the hospital spends large amounts of money to gather data and then, “It sits on a shelf” he said. He wanted to know how those priorities relate to “MCDH-STRATEGIC-INITIATIVES-2017”. “Financials are one measure, which have improved but the other measures are also important”, he said. CEO Edwards dismissed Mr. Dell’Ara with the assurance that The Planning Committee would have the opportunity to make changes next year.

Mr. D’Allara was concerned that huge resources were wasted and, if the study not taken seriously, waste these resources and waste years of planning direction and result in MCDH still not being viable.