Tuesday, December 2, 2008

But, wait....I thought the Healthcare Leadership Council said that everything was hunky-dory at DRMC?

From the Nov 6 City Council minutes:

"COMMUNICATIONS FROM VISITORS
Former Mayor Sam Kushner appeared to ask City Council to get involved as a Committee of the Whole in order to find answers to concerns circulating about Danville Regional Medical Center (DRMC). Mr. Kushner said residents felt a great deal of insecurity due to the lack of transparency about the hospital’s business and it was felt the hospital had lost its heart and soul. He said citizens wanted to know wait times in the emergency room, how many doctors had relocated to other hospitals, and the nurse-to-patient ratio, among other concerns. He said these and other statistics were not available from LifePoint and said businesses seeking to relocate in our area would want to know about the hospital. He asked Council to communicate with the hospital administration and participate in conversation about what the facility is now doing and what it plans to do in the future.
DRMC Board Member Frank Campbell said he wished Mr. Kushner had come to him with his concerns. He said the board cared about DRMC and that it was unfair for Mr. Kushner to say the hospital had lost its heart and soul. Mr. Campbell advised the hospital was operating in the black, wait times in the Emergency Room had improved, and doctors had been hired to replace those that were lost. He invited Council Members to meet with the board and ask any questions it wished.
Dr. Miller said building up the public’s trust was important for the entire community and if the attitude of mistrust in the community was not changed, it would not matter how good the hospital was.
Mayor Saunders advised he and Interim City Manager Lacy had scheduled a meeting for Monday, November 10. He asked Council Members to submit questions for LifePoint to him or the City Clerk. He said would report to Council about the meeting. "

And from the Nov 18 City Council meeting minutes:
"Mayor Saunders advised that he and Mr. Lacy had a fruitful meeting with LifePoint on Monday and stated there would be another meeting with LifePoint officials. He encouraged Council Members who had not done so to provide questions for the hospital officials. "