Now that politicos such as Coy Harville have started expressing concerns about healthcare issues in the area, it's interesting to look back at some of the dialogue between Lifepoint and Danville City Council (especially considering that Dr. Wayne Williams has a foot in both worlds as a physician and as mayor). So, on this (almost) anniversary of then-CEO Tod Lambert's appearance before City Council, I thought it would be interesting to revisit the dialogue between Lifepoint leadership and Council.
From the Feb 7, 2006 minutes of City Council:
"Dr. Williams recalled that several months ago, LifePoint, Inc. purchased Danville Regional Medical Center. After the purchase some changes were made and many of those changes led to significant concerns among hospital staff, physicians, and the community. Dr. Williams advised that two and one-half weeks ago, a meeting between physicians and hospital administration led to very open and honest discussions that ended on a positive note. Dr. Williams felt the community needed to hear from LifePoint and he introduced Tod Lambert, CEO, Danville Regional Medical Center. "
Lambert went on to tell Council "that good patient care was still available at the hospital and LifePoint was in the process of rectifying a number of things that were done too quickly and without adequate communication. He stated if anything was carried away from the meeting tonight, let it be that the hospital administration knows mistakes were made in the plan for the hospital’s operation and employee treatment. Mr. Lambert said one of the high fives the hospital was so proud of for dealing with its patients, staff and community got ahead of the other four. Fiscal responsibility, which is the last of the high fives, became the first in the way the transition was approached. "
So, flash forward seven months...from the September 5, 2006 City Council minutes...
"Mayor Williams stated many problems had not yet been addressed and had reached a critical point. Dr. Williams said changes needed to be made and soon...[a]t the request of Vice-Mayor Saunders, Mr. Doloresco stated he would keep Council updated on these and other issues involving DRMC."
Seems to me, it's about time for an update. Let's keep tuned in to City Council meeting agendas...perhaps it would be good for some employees (and maybe recent patients) to be in the gallery when Lifepoint meets with our city leaders.
If you'd like to read the full text of the City Council minutes, they can be found here:
Feb 7, 2006
http://www.danville-va.gov/l_City_CM.asp?menuid=2816&sub1menuid=2841&sub2menuid=2907&cid=5082
Sept 5, 2006
http://www.danville-va.gov/l_City_CM.asp?menuid=2816&sub1menuid=2841&sub2menuid=2907&cid=9699
Also, in an article in the Register & Bee the next day:
"But Councilman Phillip Smith said he thought LifePoint should have known what it was getting into when it bought Danville Regional. He said that the company had a chance to see the size and clinical sophistication at the hospital when scouting the facility prior to purchasing it.
“I feel that a lot of the damage has been done,” he said. “I hope you all can put the pieces back together.”"
http://www.registerbee.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=DRB/MGArticle/DRB_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1137833952500&path
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12 comments:
The damage is done and it is too late to fix. Nurses and other staff have left by the dozens over the last few months and most have vowed to never return as long as Lifepoint owns the hospital. I can't blame them one bit, I was one of those nurses. The administration just sat by and watched as nurse after nurse left and was never replaced. Guess that meant more money in their pockets. That practice has continued to this day. Most of the floors are running on less than a skeleton crew with not even enough staff to take care of the current patients let alone admissions. Yet they continue to give you more and more patients. The public needs to be very aware that patient safety is not at the top of the list when nurses are drowning with the ridiculous patient loads. Nurses on some floors have reported having 12-14 patients to be responsible for. If that's not unsafe then I don't know what is. Lifepoint hire a consulting firm "Insight Advantage" to come in and tell them why they were losing so much money. Well what do you think they told them. Too much nursing staff and ancillary staff and nurses were paid too much. Well if they think that they can run the show without the nurses then have at it. Most hospitals that I have talked to started nurses out at $2-4 more than DRMC. So its not like we were making a killing. Maybe if administration and the likes were not paid such outrageous salaries they could make the company some money. I don't know what the answer is anymore. It's too late to get those great staff members back. The administration should have started doing something about it 12 months ago. City coucil should have a meeting called with former staff members to get the real truth into what is going on inside the hospital. Most of what they have been told is sugar coated lies. The truth lies in the hearts of the great staff members that have left for greener pastures. I have worked for other for-profit hospitals and have never seen anything like what is going on at DRMC. It's an outrage and the public needs to know what it's getting into when they go there. Safety for patients and staff is not a priority. Please be very aware.
I think that the community cannot comprehend the magnitude of the permanent damage that has been done to our hospital. Lifepoint has intimidated the middle managers to a point that they just carry out Lifepoint's orders and they have manipulated the nurse managers into zombie robots. One department that was making the 2nd highest profit in the hospital is in shambles. The staff has been reduced from 19 employees to 7 and they still haven't met lifepoint's "target" figures. The nurses there were continually being told cryptic bits of information that the nurses mgr. had been told about the pool, early retirement and future plans to cut staff. As each experienced staff member resigned and left none were ever thanked for their service asked if anything could be done to prevent the resignation. All that was said "Turn in your badge and keys" before you leave. But the crucial thing here is that the physicians utilizing this area became so frustrated, angry and under served that they made places in their offices to take care of their patients. Now, think about this...these Profit Mongers actually ran off a lucrative part of the business over their bunch of antiquated policies and procedures and equipment and supplies and this could go on forever....I feel that Lifepoint actually gets a kick out of messing with peoples minds, like the Marines. But they underestimated this southern locale...we can be long on memory. I actually heard one CEO call us a podunk hospital in a podunk town, well we had the last laugh when his ass went out of town on a rail.Biker.
Good stuff from The Sentinal on refreshing people about what Lifepoint has said in the past to City Council. But it is not fair to lump Coy Harville in with the "politicos" who have said nothing during this disgraceful period. Harville is the ONLY elected official who has been speaking out from Day One, and he deserves credit for that. Had they not been terrified of the American National despots who sold our hospital, city council members might have raised questions and demanded answers from the first moment word of the pending sale leaked out. But no. They said absolutely nothing. They showed themselves to be gutless cowards in representing the citizens. Now, two years later, when the bank boys are mired in disgrace, city council wants answers. We should encourage City Council at every turn, but please don't lump Coy Harville, the only politician who tried to do the right thing, with those cowardly weasels who stood by and watched this happen. --Dry Fork
I think Sentinel's point is that people like Coy ARE paying attention and speaking up. He's gotten kudos a couple of times in this blog. Interesting that no "politico" in the city is making any noise. Go Coy!
--County Resident
I hope you are right, County Resident, because anyone who will speak up as Coy Harville has needs to be supported and encouraged. You are right that Danville elected officials have been so afraid of the American National Bank guys that they have said nothing. But when one of them takes on this issue, I suspect he will instantly find he has a huge following. You would think Adam Tomer would grab the issue. He stood up against the whole establishment on the screwing the City was giving residents on electric rates, and he got a huge vote. I'm surprised he has not grabbed this issue, which is by far the most important issue in the region--and one in which (with the exception of Coy Harville) we have seen no support from the so-called leaders. --Dry Fork
I'm told by a source at Moses-Cone in North Carolina that Moses Cone is trying hard to buy DRMC for $170,000,000--$30,000,000 less than Lifepoint paid for it. When people have asked Lifepoint about it, they strenuously deny it and say they will never sell no matter what--that it would ruin them in the business. I also hear that the offer is still on the table. The Lifepoint people have proved to the community that only fools would believe what they say, so their denials mean nothing.
Have others heard these same reports?
To Dizzy Cow,
It is true that MCHS did bid on the hospital when the filthy five sold it....the bid was $151 million. Before the original sale, I approached one of the five and asked if MCHS was trying to buy us and he told me no. It was a lie but the boys at the bank went for the bigger money at our expense. I have been told that the offer stands but MCHS is watching the influx of patients now utilizing the Reidsville and Greensboro facilities and the damage that has occured here...I'm not sure how long the offer will be open.Biker.
Don't forget, city council was just looking at the tax dollars that they would be recieving.
It's such a shame that a few unelected people have so much power in this community. Their decision has caused financial hardships for our family so I have changed my bank as well as avoided the other businesses owned by these people. I hope others will do the same. I used to want to support local businesses, but when they stab you in the back like they have our community why should I? By the way, did any of them profit from the sale in any way? If so, was it illegal?
I have heard that the "Boys on the Board" received an one percent finders fee from Lifepoint. I wish there were some way to verify it.
Tim Rice, Moses-Cone Health Systems' CEO, has denied there exists interest in DRMC. That health system is deeply involved in competition with High Point Rgional Health System for a more lucrative deal in northwest Guilford County (NC).
As for JUST the "guys at the bank" knowing about the "deal to sell" to LifePoint. Please, don't kid yourselves.....there were other "prominent" memebers of the community that knew.
Yes, prominent and honorable people like Landon Wyatt who had the integrity to quit the chairmanship of the hospital board when the Bank Boys decided to sell it. You might argue that he should have stayed and fought, but truth is he was hopelessly outnumbered if you look at the players. (And who but real insiders know how hard Wyatt fought before he threw in the towel?) And you are right about other members of the community being in on the sell-out--primarily the tax-and-spend crowd in City Hall hungry to get their hands on the taxes. --Dry Fork
I don't know when Tim Rice denied interest in DRMC because he told me face to face in Jan. 2006 about their bid and continuing interest.
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