Wanting to follow up on our county hospital’s financial situation I went to their web site and looked at the Tuesday, October 14, 2014 board agenda.
This graphic comes from the first page:
The meeting was video recorded. Watching it I saw the chief executive officer addressing the board. He made a point of turning to the camera and recognizing that the citizens were able to watch the meeting also. It was clearly a great step toward transparency.
Not so fast
Our county hospital is in financial trouble. Part of the problem is their relationship with the children’s hospital. The children’s hospital cannot pay what they owe to the county hospital. The county hospital has been operating as though the bills can be paid. The result is that the county hospital took the drastic action of getting a payday loan to get it through this year. Yes, they borrowed money against next year’s property tax receipts. How they will somehow make things even next year is a mystery.
The above portion of the board agenda shows that the review of the hospital’s financial statements was handled through the consent agenda. Watching the video of the meeting I saw that there was absolutely no discussion from either the board members, the hospital staff, or the public concerning the financial statements.
Out of sight
What they did was fulfill their requirement to review the financial statements without the public learning any of the details.
This board should be ashamed.
We deserve better
Brutus
elpasospeak 
Playing to the camera is different than having respect for taxpayers and a genuine commitment to transparency. Playing to the camera, like the current public obsession with selfies, is simply an indication of narcissism. Now, if the CEO were to resign and issue a public apology for this mess, that would be a step toward transparency and resolution. The lack of discussion regarding the financials proves once again that the board and the CEO are irresponsible and have no sense of honor and accountability. Just because they ignore the problem doesn’t mean it will go away.
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What is not seen is the education of Medical Students and Residents, Fellowships and Research that will benefit El Pasoans now and for the future! Not to mention the many faculty and staff= JOBS. And a First Class Facility and Campus to support them….Healthcare is not free and YES is supported by our Tax dollars. No apologies needed.
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Do work there? Sounds like it. It seems to me that the hospital has refused to train the anesthesiology students and interns by hiring an out of town firm. There should be an apology for that.
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Ask the TTU Dept of Anesthesia and they are not talking….
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I would still like to know why Childrens has to pay rent to UMC.
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Because Childrens Hospital said they would pay the Taxpayers back…
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Yes, they should be ashamed . . . . the citizens and children of El Paso do deserve better.
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FYI:
http://www.kvia.com/video/what-went-wrong-with-el-paso-childrens-hospital/29593320
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