The threat to our healthcare - Imperial Valley Coalition for Sustainable Healthcare Facilities

...and the effort to save it

We are committed to the foundational principle that healthcare is a common need for all residents of the Imperial Valley. To achieve that, we believe that our healthcare must:

Prioritize better healthcare outcomes for our residents, particularly the most vulnerable. Whatever the solution(s), everything must start and end there.
Go above and beyond to inform and INVOLVE the public in shaping their healthcare solutions—as is their right.
Be based on a detailed plan to protect continuity of care and patient privacy.
Be supported by a realistic, equitable, sustainable funding model.
Not hobble the system with overwhelming debt.
Become a system that serves the people, not the financiers and hospital management industry.

We’re also committed to working with our community and elected leaders and the new IV Healthcare District interim board to find solutions to the County’s healthcare issues. AB 918 may be a start, yet much more must be done.

The Imperial Valley is poised for growth—if we find a way to provide every resident with access to the best possible care.

Financial/funding challenges

“The imminent financial collapse of the El Centro Regional Medical Center is a serious threat to the public health and safety of the residents of the region.”

—Text of AB 918

While ECRMC isn’t the only challenge, this is the core of the crisis, and understanding and addressing ECRMC’s financial issues should be job #1. But there is no requirement for ECRMC to be included in the new healthcare district.

Moreover, the law creates a brand new district from scratch without any identified funding plan in place. It also requires the dissolution of Pioneers Memorial Healthcare District which does have an established funding mechanism and does have the ability to expand.

In the event that a new entity does acquire ECRMC, the new district would likely assume its substantial debt. The funding model and regional service offerings must be carefully re-considered in order to create a single district that works for all stakeholders.

Merging strengths

The County’s healthcare districts, hospitals, and medical centers each have strengths to bring to the table. It will require expert, in-depth analysis to successfully merge them. The existing piecemeal studies are simply not good enough, nor does AB 918 provide the time or resources to do better.

Integrating healthcare staff, secure patient records, and billing systems is complex and always expensive. Above all, the most important part is avoiding any interruption in patient care.

Despite their best intentions, the politically-appointed Imperial Valley Health District Board simply does not have the information nor expertise to map out that process.

Timing issues

The law’s accelerated schedule compounds the challenge.

August 8, 2024 is the last date for the IVHD (working through Imperial County’s Local Agency Formation Commission, or LAFCO) to put a funding measure on the ballot as required by AB 918.

There is simply no time to develop an adequate funding model before the August ballot deadline. Nor is there time to make the case to the electorate, time to complete necessary steps in a complex merger before dissolution, nor time to ensure the public has a voice in their healthcare.

Protecting workers

While AB 918 protects the existing collective bargaining agreements with El Centro, it does not protect PMHD or HMHD workers. To address the concerns of employees, we also urge the inclusion of:

An Anti-Discrimination Clause, explicitly prohibiting discrimination against any healthcare provider to include all employees and physicians based on their status as an existing facility or their affiliations.

A Safeguard for Workers’ Rights, including provisions to protect the rights and benefits of healthcare workers during any transitions, acquisitions, or dissolutions.

Openness

The IVHD Board holds monthly meetings and has several statutory deadlines approaching, all of which will impact the sustainability of our healthcare facilities.

It is critically important that their deliberations and decisions are conducted in full daylight—with public input—and that they share that information broadly.

Changing the law

Now is the time to move beyond AB 918 to ensure that the County’s healthcare is strengthened, not weakened. We need to go back to the drawing board with new legislative representation, a fresh approach, and thoughtful and comprehensive community engagement driven by independent expertise and one that is not politically or financially motivated.

On the next page, we review how AB 918 is being implemented.