Feb 25, 2007 - Danville Register & Bee
To the editor:
You are selling this community short when you editorialize that sooner or later we will have to make peace with LifePoint Hospitals Inc. (“A big job,” Feb. 18, page B8). Though it should perhaps be a goal, we do not necessarily have to make peace with LifePoint. Your newspaper, as well as Mayor Wayne Williams’ new commission, will make a serious error if other possibilities are removed from the table.
Several things can happen. LifePoint can sell Danville Regional Medical Center to another hospital chain and leave town on its own. Or the LifePoint chain can be acquired by another hospital chain, and that’s the end of LifePoint in Danville. Either scenario leaves us in the grip of a new group of outsiders who care first about profits for shareholders and second about good services for our community.
We could well be worse off than we are now.
On the other hand, strong and creative community leadership should examine the possibility of making happen what should have happened back when Danville Regional was sold to LifePoint without any input from the community. Such leadership should examine the possibility of forging a union of Danville Regional with one of the superior not-profit community hospital groups on our doorstep that are starting to attract our high-paying customers. Moses-Cone and Centra come to mind as promising possibilities.
Forging such an alliance with a compatible community hospital - in effect retrieving Danville Regional from LifePoint - would take a huge amount of money. But we have our mysterious new $200 million Danville Regional Foundation that supposedly is dedicated to the health and welfare of this area. The civic-minded folks who control it should jump for a chance to sit at the table to discuss this.
The foundation has hired North Carolina consultants to figure out how to spend the $200 million. It has hired a North Carolina headhunter to find a CEO to run the foundation. One would assume that the people in charge of the money do not have any hard and fast ideas about what to do with it.
Now is the time for a vigorous, creative examination of all possibilities, including this one. Nothing should be counted out.
The figures you cite in your editorial concerning the deterioration of staffing at Danville Regional leaves out one extremely important set of numbers. LifePoint’s rampant slashing of people also has taken a significant toll on the critically important role part-time employees have traditionally played in providing good services. Leaving them out of the calculations risks painting a brighter picture than is deserved.
One other point, from The Wall Street Journal earlier this month in a report about the purchase by private investors of the Triad Hospital chain in Texas. The Journal writer reported how very few small hospital chains were left in the United States that might be picked up by private investors (“Hospitals Look Healthy - for Now,” Feb. 6, page C3). Only two such hospital groups were cited, and one of them was - you guessed it - LifePoint Hospitals Inc., of Brentwood, Tenn.
COY HARVILLE
chairman
Pittsylvania County Board of Supervisors
http://www.registerbee.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=DRB%2FMGArticle%2FDRB_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1149193367485&path=%21news%21editor
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
22 comments:
Well, alrighty then Mr. Harville! You are indeed "da man". It is inspiring to me that you are not intimidated by lifepoint or the boys at the bank and their shrink. It certainly makes me proud that not every elected official can be bought off. biker.
Mr. Harville, I would like to commend you for your effort in wanting to make Danville a better place. A place where lifepoint is not welcomed. Thanks for standing strong and not letting the "powers to be" run away with the show. Stand strong as you are and continue to ride lifepoint and lets hold them accountable for their actions.
I don't know Mr. Harville personally, but I find it impressive that Pittsylvania County has produced a leader with the courage and intelligence to present a plan to find a solution. It is puzzling that so-called leaders in Danville have huffed and puffed and have yet to come up with anything approaching a sensible line of reasoning.
Mr. Harville's suggestion may have all sorts of flaws that are not readily apparent to me. But at least it calls for getting the people who are holding our $200 million to sit down and discuss what can be done to save DRMC.
I've read a lot about Bob Ashby on this site. He and the Hospital Board members cannot possibly be pleased with the outcome of their precipitous action in selling to Lifepoint.
A couple of obvious questions:
1) Why hasn't the newspaper called on Dr. Ashby and his colleagues to come forward with their ideas?
2) Why hasn't City Council done this?
In a perfect world, these men would come forward and concede their error and offer to try another solution. Is it really so bad that perhaps they need encouragement?
My hat's off to Mr. Harville for offering some original thinking, and I hope we will see other leaders step forward to consider what he has to say.
--County Resident
While Harville's "ideas" are entirely appropriate and I couldn't agree more , they are hardly "original". These actions are what anyone with business training or common sense would have and should have proposed in the beginning ,before the sale .But..when you
1) sell something that you don't own and
2)sell it by "dark of night " for the profit that you are promised
the community is put in danger by self proclaimed "business men" that produce absolutely nothing of value , they are merely leeches.
What is all this c--p about being nice? Look what these unelected, self-appointed idiots have done to this community! People should be enraged! City Council should be enraged! And where in the h--l is whoever is supposed to enforce the laws? If Bill Fuller won't do anything, and City Council is to scared and gutless to make these "bank boys" and their shrink Ashby come clean, then why doesn't the Attorney General investigate this scandal? Danny Marshall is a big Republican, and why can't he make the Attorney General get into this thing?
I wish I could sign my name, but I have a family and one of them has a job with one of these people.
But I wish our so-called LEADERS would do their duty!
I am sorry that so many people have to be afraid, especially since this is not a communist country, to speak out against what has happened to DRMC and the money that is now held in trust to virtually the same "men" who sold the hospital. It is sad to me that non-elected, self-appointed "leaders" can wield this much power. I have tried to take inventory of what they can actually do in retribution to those who speak out. Things like turn down loans, call in loans, falsely ruin credit ratings, refuse sale of home heating products, telephone services and security systems, sabatoge repairs of Ford Motor Company products and jack up the prices of new vehicles. Refuse your admission to the local hospital. Worst of all they can fire employees or relatives of employees that speak up. I have also taken inventory of what they cannot do. Things like stop another bank from loaning money, appeal to have credit reports corrected, stop other car dealerships from providing you good service and fair prices. There are also other home heating fuel companies, telephone and security system providers. I guess they could refuse you treatment at the hospital, but I don't think they would. And don't forget we are within an hour of excellent medical facilities in any direction. Not much you can do about the firing except hope that you do not work for someone that has absolutely no moral integrity or appreciation for a wonderful employee (I would question then why I even worked for them in the first place). BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY the one thing they cannot do is CHANGE my mind; that one thing is totally under my control and jurisdiction. I was always warned by my parents not to burn bridges; I'm burning one now just like the Revolutionaries did with the British, the Confederates did with the Yankees, US Armed Services did with the Nazis and so on goes history. If what I ALONE can do changes just one thing for the better in this hospital and/or this community then burning MY bridge was worth it. It saddens me greatly that wise saying "If we don't hang together we will surely hang separately" is coming to fruition right here in Danville, Va. simply because of fear. And I guess this is what the "powers that be" counted on when all of this happened. Dixie S. Doss, RN 214 Whittington Drive, Danville, Va. 24541 434-799-4335.
I am sorry that so many people have to be afraid, especially since this is not a communist country, to speak out against what has happened to DRMC and the money that is now held in trust to virtually the same "men" who sold the hospital. It is sad to me that non-elected, self-appointed "leaders" can wield this much power. I have tried to take inventory of what they can actually do in retribution to those who speak out. Things like turn down loans, call in loans, falsely ruin credit ratings, refuse sale of home heating products, telephone services and security systems, sabatoge repairs of Ford Motor Company products and jack up the prices of new vehicles. Refuse your admission to the local hospital. Worst of all they can fire employees or relatives of employees that speak up. I have also taken inventory of what they cannot do. Things like stop another bank from loaning money, appeal to have credit reports corrected, stop other car dealerships from providing you good service and fair prices. There are also other home heating fuel companies, telephone and security system providers. I guess they could refuse you treatment at the hospital, but I don't think they would. And don't forget we are within an hour of excellent medical facilities in any direction. Not much you can do about the firing except hope that you do not work for someone that has absolutely no moral integrity or appreciation for a wonderful employee (I would question then why I even worked for them in the first place). BUT MOST IMPORTANTLY the one thing they cannot do is CHANGE my mind; that one thing is totally under my control and jurisdiction. I was always warned by my parents not to burn bridges; I'm burning one now just like the Revolutionaries did with the British, the Confederates did with the Yankees, US Armed Services did with the Nazis and so on goes history. If what I ALONE can do changes just one thing for the better in this hospital and/or this community then burning MY bridge was worth it. It saddens me greatly that wise saying "If we don't hang together we will surely hang separately" is coming to fruition right here in Danville, Va. simply because of fear. And I guess this is what the "powers that be" counted on when all of this happened. Dixie S. Doss, RN 214 Whittington Drive, Danville, Va. 24541 434-799-4335.
Thank you for this site. The P R machine is John Lambert who engineered the PR before the sale. Big Dog Ashby then insisted he come back and spin lpnt after they got rid of the first ceo.
Too bad, the truth was ugly but at least it was the truth. Are we accredited or not. What are our staffing ratios. Any wonder no one trusts Art or Jess or even or new O , Ruth? Just tell us the truth-- we are over the secrets and lies which have been part of our fabric way before lpnt. Coy Harville is right , hold these people who sold us for top dollar accountable and force them to make it right.
How-- read a little Martin Luther King!! Confront in peace and march in the streets until their ways are so embarrassing they must sit down and negotiate an end to this madness.
Where are the other community leaders---I mean you ministers who talk big!!Now is the time for all good men to come forward and join Coy Harville. When I quit my job I will begin writing letters to the editor and participating, but for now I must feed my family like so many.
Here's what would help.
No one should blame people with families and jobs for being terrified of speaking up in a public forum. One way or the other, Ashby and the Bank Boys can make you and your family suffer. And they can do it in ways that leave no trails.
What you can do is to call City Council members and urge them to get behind a real investigation. Urge them to call in the bank Boys and Ashby to explain how they got us into such a mess. If they won't cooperate, then the paper should report it. Urge City Council to follow some form of Coy Harville's suggestions in today's paper.
There are some things you can do without risking your family's security and welfare. --Been There and Gone
BEEN THERE might have been somewhere, but he sure don't know much about around here! What he says is correct about the power click, plus Ashby, that runs every thing arounbd here. The point he misses is that the yo-yos on City Council are more terrified of them than anybody else! These are the guys who put most of them there! It is nieve to think they would stand up and demabnd anbswers. The only hope is the newspaper, but they are bought off by all the ads. The only hope is just to get the hell out of here, which is probably what BEEN THERE is talking about when he says he's BEEN THERE.
I think that Been There is giving these men more credit than they deserve. I wonder if they have time to be dangerous with all the "good" they are doing for their fellowman and this community.
Been there, too and laughed about it.
Coy Harville is right that several things might happen to change the equation. A couple of those things would mean the LifePoint Liars would be out of our lives forever, but those are things we cannot control.
Bottom line is that the only thing we might control must be done through the guys who got our money from selling the hospital. Surely they know now what a terrible disservice they have done. Surely as a medical doctor, Ashby feels more pain and humiliation than any of them.
If those guys, who've got the $200 million, would just come to the table and try to help make things right, my bet is that a large part of the community would appreciate their recognizing their terrible mistake and appreciate the fact they wanted to make things right.
The newspaper and City Council should at least invite them to the table and see what they say.
Now, one of you can take a blast at me for being a silly optimist.
It is about time for the cowards to come forward and speak to the hell they have created. Why didn't the attorney general investigate or listen to the community before the sale? We will probably never know the finacial gain these guys got from the sale. What was that trip to Vegas for prior to the sale? Was money transfered under the table? If I were a betting person I would say you bet. So to the infamous five thanks for screwing the community. Why was it such a hush hush deal, the community new nothing until it was a done deal. Stand strong citizens of Danville and we will rise again. And for you who sold us off, pack your bags and move elsewhere you are not worthy of this community. Pissed
L iars
I nconsiderate
F oolish
E vil
P rofit
O ffensive
I diots
N eglect
T yrants
For my money, Coy Harville and the last guy talking about trying to get them to the table are right. Has anyone ever even tried to get the board members who sold the hospital to come forward? Are they still in town? As bad as what they did was, it is just as bad if no one is AT LEAST asking them for answers. Whats the City Council for? Whats the newspaper for? If they cant give fix the mess at the hospital, at least they should raise questions.
An old rumor circulating in the medical community outside Danville is that the Board was forced to sell the hospital because it feared prosecution for compliance issues that had taken place on their watch. They sacrificed the hospital to protect their own hides. This could be plausible but wouldn't the bad deeds follow those nominally responsible? The other publicily stated reason for the sale was the loss of jobs in the community and the loss of profit for this small hospital which could not compete with the larger groups in our area. Well now DRMC is part of a large for-profit and losing money at an unheard of rate. Instead of ensuring the hospital's survival the Board may have doomed the hospital. As a consumer of healthcare in the area I would like to "buy local" but despite starting with a good product, the Lifepoint owners are losing the support of the employees and of the patients. The silence of those "wise" men who started us on this path is deafening. The council probably does not have jurisdiction to change things but Lifepoint shareholders will. Hopefully it will not be too late at that point.
You folks are finally coming down with a case of good ideas. Whoever's got the money in this deal is going to prevail. If you want anything to happen, you better start kissing the backsides of what yall call the Bank Boys, and then maybe they'll do a little tango with you on getting the mess straightened out. Nobody but an idiot would use that hospital as it is, so you have to fix it fast or you won't be able to dump it.
The strength and weakness of any weblog is that it wanders along the country roads taking in all the sights. The string at hand is a good example. I hope people throughout the community will try to focus on finding a solution, either with LifePoint or without it. Coy Harville, in his letter above, lays out some reasonable starting points for discussion.
That said,there's one point that should be made more strongly. LifePoint Hospitals, Inc., is doing well financially. It is not a big company, holding a market cap of around $2 Billion. Investors the world over are becoming increasingly hungery for places to put their money.
We should all keep our eyes on the possibility that LifePoint could sell itself or be acquired. Thus, in the blink of an eye, we would have no connection at all with the new owners.
That's why it's vital to get these possibilities on the table, and to include the original DRMC Board who sold the hospital and who now control the $200 Million.
That's the only hope for our having any voice in the future of healthcare in our region. --LOOKING AHEAD
SCOREBOARD
LifePoint 1
Local yokels 0
Mr. Harville, I would like to commend you for your effort in wanting to make Danville a better place........
WILL
YOU REMEMBER US
ON YOUR WAY TO A
LARGER POLITICAL FUTURE ?
Would God only bless us with men like Coy Harville in the larger political scheme of things!
Whoah!!!! Coy Harville is right where we need him. If you're going to do any praying, just pray that some of the City Council members will start using their bully pulpits to get things moving in the right directon.
Post a Comment