County, Health Care Leaders Hold ‘Friendly’ Talk

Ventura County officials emerged from an hourlong meeting with health care leaders Thursday saying they had a “friendly” talk on ways the county could help seven regional hospitals weather tough financial times--but insisted they did not specifically offer to share a portion of $260 million in tobacco settlement revenue.

County Administrator Harry Hufford and the county’s health care chief, Pierre Durand, met with James Lott, vice president of the Healthcare Assn. of Southern California, and the group’s local president, Monty Clark, in Hufford’s office at the County Government Center.

In brief remarks after the meeting, Hufford characterized the talks as “a sincere effort to work together.”

Hufford declined to give details on what was discussed. But he said the talks revolved around a general theme of how the county could assist the private hospitals as they deal with declining revenues as a result of health maintenance organizations and managed care.

Specifics about money were not discussed, the county administrator said. Lott and Clark were not available for comment Thursday.

In recent days, representatives from local hospitals have said they want a guarantee all tobacco settlement money will be spent on health care, while Hufford and the Board of Supervisors want six of the hospitals to help block an initiative by the seventh hospital, Community Memorial of Ventura, that would divert all those funds to private health care providers.

The county has argued that six of the hospitals already are exempt from property taxes--money that would otherwise flow to county government’s treasury--and the county wants reasons to justify giving them more money.

On Thursday, Lott suggested that by month’s end Hufford and Durand would meet with each hospital’s executive director “to talk about areas of common interest and see if we can’t work out something to our mutual benefit,” Hufford said. The county and the hospital leaders agreed to that plan, he said.

Although Hufford said the meeting was friendly, he was reluctant to predict whether a compromise was in the offing.

“We want to see what the hospitals feel,” he said. “We’re willing to talk about strengthening the delivery of health care services.”

Mark Barnhill, spokesman for Community Memorial, said the meeting proves the hospital’s initiative has the county’s attention.

“It illustrates the points that the initiative makes, which is that the money needs to be spent on health care in the local community.”

County attorneys plan to submit by 5 p.m. today a title and summary of the initiative. The 500-word explanation of the initiative will be presented by petitioners to potential signers, Assistant County Counsel Robert Orellana said.

The hospital expects next week to begin gathering the 21,000 signatures needed to put the initiative on the ballot.

Supervisor Frank Schillo, who did not attend the meeting, said he is hopeful most of the private hospitals will back away from the get-tough initiative being pushed by Community Memorial.

“They don’t want to be seen by the public as the big ogre that is taking all of the money away from the county,” he said.