Lawmakers, community discuss state of Kona hospital

BY Erin Miller, WEST HAWAII TODAY, emiller@westhawaiitoday.com

Two Big Island legislators told a group of about 40 community members that had Kona Community Hospital decided against layoffs and waited until money ran out in December, they would have voted to give the hospital sys-tem more money, rather than allowing the hospital’s doors to close.
     Representatives Josh Green, D-North Kona, Keauhou and Kailua-Kona, and Cindy Evans, D-North Kona, South Kohala, said yes Sunday when asked if they would have voted to keep the hospital’s doors open.
     That was the scenario facing the hospital, Dr. Alistair Bairos said during the meeting at Kealakehe High School. Earlier this year, when hospital and Hawaii Health Systems Corp. officials asked for supplemental funding, legislators took four and a half months to respond, Bairos said.
     “The hospital would have someday in December come to a crunching halt,” Bairos said of what would have happened if the board had not addressed the $3.7 million shortfall, as well as mounting debts. “They board did what they had to do.
     "In the past, the hospitals all operated under one board, and if one hospital needed some additional money, it could be moved from another hospital’s bud-get. A law creating the regional boards to oversee hospitals in geographic areas was...

● Hospital: Rep. Green says he will call for audit of HMSA

recently, and money from one region can no longer be shuffled to another like that.
     Worries about patient care at arose again, this time expressed by patients.
     “How can this board justify who has the right to take what I deserve away from me,” Gail Getchius asked.
     Getchuis also wondered why Hawaii Medical Service Association, the state’s largest insurance provider, couldn’t tap some of its $600 million reserves for higher reimbursements for hospitals.
     “They have all this money in reserve,” Getchuis said. “The hospitals aren’t getting paid. They’re upping our premiums and giving us less coverage.
     " Her comments echo what Green has said before and said again Sunday. Green said he would again call for an audit of HMSA; a previous bill he submitted to the House Consumer Protection and Commerce Committee did not advance out of that committee. Another Big Island representative, Bob Herkes, is that committee’s chairman.
     Green said he asked Gov. Linda Lingle to ask HMSA to tap its reserves to help the state-run hospitals.
     Evans disputed the sentiment that Oahu legislators don’t understand the magnitude of the impact of budget cuts to HHSC hospitals on Neighbor Island residents. And, she said, she would like to see HHSC Chief Executive Officer Tom Driskill answer the community’s questions. Driskill, she said, should look “internally” at the corporate structure and see what financial cuts can be made at that level, instead of coming to legislators each year with a plan to ask for money, then blame the Legislature if the money isn’t available.
     HHSC did lay off 15 per-cent of its corporate staff, the same day Kona Community Hospital announced a similar percentage of layoffs.
     Physical therapist Barry Fackler said he understands Evans’ position.
     “I can understand the Legislature not wanting to send money down the rat-hole,” Fackler said. “It does come down to top heavy management.
     "Barry Blum, medical director at the hospital, addressed comments he has heard from employees wondering why people were not offered a chance to quit before lay-offs began, as well as questioning the firing of entire groups of employees, like the emergency medical technicians. The “rules of engagement,” as he described it, of working with the employees’ unions prevented discussion of the layoffs, and of selectively laying off one or two employees from a particular job. Instead, he said, “the only way to do large reductions is by category.
     " After hearing several hos-pital employees describe the work the EMTs do in the emergency room, West Hawaii Regional Board chairwoman Liz Heiman Zagorodney said that while she and the board don’t have the authority to reinstate or lay off people from specific jobs, she would bring up the concerns that the EMTs were providing direct patient care.
     Community members offered suggestions, including an in-house clinic to deal with nonemergency patients who come to the emergency room for treatment. Green said he also asked the Department of Health to provide money from the state’s tobacco fund to cover the short-term cash shortfall at the hospital.
     “We do have time to influ-ence the governor to release a small amount of money,” Green said. “The government does respond to pressure. There has to be enough money to go forward."