County Ponders Corporate Management of Edgemoor

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday offered lofty praise for what it described as the rapid turnaround at Edgemoor Geriatric Hospital, and then expressed enthusiasm for a proposal to create a nonprofit corporation to take over administration of the county facility.

Under the proposed transfer of administrative control, current county employees at the Santee facility would not be guaranteed their jobs.

In effect, the move would give the nonprofit corporation, whose directors would be appointed by the supervisors, carte blanche to hire an entirely new staff at the hospital, which treats indigents and senior citizens requiring acute psychiatric care.

Earlier this year, Edgemoor was the target of scathing criticism by state and local officials investigating reports that improper treatment by the staff contributed to the deaths of two patients, one of whom drowned unattended in bathtub.

“If by contract, the county does require the nonprofit corporation to employ Edgemoor’s current staff, it could cast doubt on the independent contractor status,” said a report on the proposal.

Next week, the board is scheduled to approve plans to authorize hiring a consultant to study the nonprofit corporation proposal, which is patterned after administrative structures at the Truman Medical Center in Kansas City and the Shelby County, Tenn., Health Care Corp. Approval of the administrative shuffle could come as soon as next March.

Paul Simms, appointed by county Chief Administrative Officer Clifford Graves to direct the management restructuring at Edgemoor, said creation of a nonprofit corporation would promote “greater flexibility on personnel assignments” at the hospital.

“Truman Medical Center, Incorporated,” Simms said, “has an independent personnel system that recruits, employs and disciplines employees in a prompt and effective manner, and is considered superior to a traditional civil service system. This is considered to be one of the major advantages of the system.”

Supervisor Susan Golding, an early proponent of the nonprofit corporation proposal, said she was “delighted” that the proposal was receiving serious consideration.

Supervisor Brian Bilbray also expressed support for the administrative shake-up, and said the county should consider consolidating its psychiatric facilities with those at private hospitals.

By the end of the month, results of a state inspection of Edgemoor will be released.