Measure O

* As a parent, what do you do when a bully grabs your youngster’s lunch money? Do you stand idly by and do nothing, or do you take appropriate parenting action?

What would be appropriate action? Well, first find out what your child did to come to the attention of the bully. Second, find out what the bully is doing to your child. Third, seek help and take appropriate action to put an end to the situation so that your child is safe.

We have a parallel situation in Ventura County. The county took an expedient action that was seen by many to be inappropriate. The supervisors earmarked the first-year payment of the tobacco settlement money to go into the general fund to pay some outstanding debts.

Community Memorial Hospital stepped in with Measure O to grab all the money for itself. Hospital leaders say they would share some it with other private hospitals based upon a formula heavily weighted in their favor. Bully!

The hospitals say they would use the money for health services, but the first priority is to pay their outstanding debts. Sounds just like the county’s approach to me. Any money left after paying hospital debts would go to pay debts of doctors. Only after these had been paid would money become available to pay for nursing care for the elderly, immunizations for children and nursing scholarships in that order of priority.

The voters of Ventura County are the “parents” in this situation. Are you willing to give total control of an estimated $10 million a year for 20 to 25 years to the private hospitals without any public input? This is what Measure O requires.

Or are you better served by working with the county and keeping that tremendously large amount of money in the form of public funds where we can have some voice in how it is used?

The county did learn! Supervisors have adopted a plan to use the money, beginning next fiscal year, for health services, and they are seeking input as to how it use it.

Measure O is not good for the people of Ventura County. It must defeated so that we can work together to provide improved health care for everyone.

HELEN L. BEEBE

Simi Valley

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Re “Medical Group Comes Out Against Measure O,” Sept. 21.

I am shocked by the actions taken by a few members of the Ventura County Medical Assn., and by the presumption that their vote represents the position of all of the members. I have been a member since 1989 but was never made aware that a vote would be taken concerning Measure O. What a sham.

Measure O would meet the needs set out in the position statement by the medical society board, in that it is the only way to ensure that the tobacco settlement money would be spent on health care. Measure O would pay the private hospitals for the care they provide to those who cannot pay, and would pay physicians for their care to the uninsured. No money has been allocated to Ventura County Medical Center because it already receives approximately $42 million each year, in order to be the safety net.

I urge my fellow members of the Ventura County Medical Assn. to learn the facts and support Measure O.

JAMES D. WOODBURN

Ventura

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Measure O is a scheme of selfish greed that, if passed, would severely hurt the delivery of health care services to those most in need.

It would be a tremendous hardship on Ventura County Medical Center and serve only to support the self-centeredness of Community Memorial and its executive director, Michael Bakst. (This is not a reflection on the excellent care provided by the staff of Community Memorial.)

I applaud the Ventura County Medical Assn. for taking a stand against Measure O.

JUDITH L. ALEXANDRE

Ventura

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Measure O is not about patient care, it is about hospital welfare. Vote no on O.

RACHEL ULRICH

Ventura

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In her letter published Sept. 27, Joy Kobayashi questions why the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn. would endorse Measure O.

The answer is simple. The tobacco settlement money is being paid to mitigate the cost of treating those whose health has been damaged as a result of using the industry’s products. We believe the appropriate use of the money is for health care. Measure O would see that the money goes directly to expanded health care services.

To this end, when faced with a choice of trusting the money to one of the worst-managed counties in California or to the private sector, we’ll choose the private sector every time.

JON COUPAL

President

Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Assn.

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I could support Measure O if it said that private hospitals should receive some of the tobacco settlement money. However, to say that all of this money should be given to private hospitals--and not all private hospitals at that--is ridiculous.

BETTY C, BLACK

Ventura

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Measure O is a blatant money grab for Community Memorial and some of the other private hospitals in Ventura County.

Measure O says that no money from the tobacco settlement can be used for county health programs. The county health programs provide 90% of the medical care for poor and uninsured.

Measure O will use most of this taxpayer money to pay private hospitals’ bad debts. No new health programs or services must be provided by these hospitals.

The county has made some mistakes as to how some of the funds, in the first year, have been spent. We all make mistakes in our lives, and the county is no exception, but they are working toward more accountability in how the tobacco settlement funds will be spent in the future.

PETER ROGALSKY

Camarillo