Panel Undecided on Use of County Health Funds

As $23 million in health care funding sits idle, a citizens’ committee advising the Ventura County Board of Supervisors can’t agree on how to spend it.

Although supervisors laid out their preferences, the committee can’t decide after three months of meetings whether to go along with the board. Whatever the committee finally recommends, the supervisors will make the final decision.

This has prompted some to question whether the committee is clear on its role in making sure the money is doled out. County executive Johnny Johnston said he will remind the group Monday that a funding outline exists--and that health care providers are running out of patience waiting for the committee to act.

“There is an existing health care system--public and private,” Johnston said. “We don’t need to reinvent it.”

Even some members of the committee are getting frustrated after listening to hours of testimony from community groups that want a chunk of the money.

“These are wonderful people and their sincerity is 100%,” said Barry Hammitt, one of 11 committee members. “But we as a committee need to decide where we are going and which route we are going to take to get there. Otherwise, we are a debating society.”

Committee Formed by Board Last Fall

The committee was formed by supervisors last fall as county voters prepared to cast ballots on Measure O, a hotly contested attempt to shift control of $250 million in tobacco settlement funds from supervisors to private hospitals.

Hoping to persuade voters the board would do a better job with the money, supervisors passed an ordinance requiring every dollar to be spent on health care. The ordinance also called for creation of two citizens’ committees, one to advise on finances and the other on spending priorities.

After defeating Measure O, supervisors appointed volunteers to the committees. But the allocation group did not begin meeting until March and the three-member finance committee has yet to meet.

At a recent session, members of the allocation committee said they were still unclear on where the money is most needed. They asked for an in-depth assessment of health care needs in Ventura County, even though they still have not agreed whether they will follow the supervisors’ funding plan.

Committee Chairman David Maron said the group is doing its best and hopes to send recommendations to the Board of Supervisors this summer.

“We have been working prudently to do what we can,” Maron said. “While perhaps we could have moved faster in certain areas, rushing to make decisions would not serve the interests of the people of Ventura County.”

The tobacco settlement dollars flow from Ventura County’s participation in a states’ lawsuit against major tobacco companies. Ventura County’s share is about $10 million per year, or $250 million over 25 years.

One emerging area of contention is whether the committee will follow a plan adopted by the Board of Supervisors that targets 60% of the annual funding for health care programs run by the county.

Under the supervisors’ proposal, another 22% would go to private hospitals and doctors to compensate for charity care, and the rest to local nonprofit health care groups.

How Much Should County Receive?

While Hammitt said it is clear supervisors intended for the county’s public health system to receive the majority of funding, there are some on the committee who disagree.

“The sense I get from some is that the county ought not to get a red cent,” Hammitt said.

Maron said there have been long discussions on that point, and that the supervisors’ plan merely says the money should go to “community” health care programs.

“There are a variety of organizations that provide some of those services,” he said.

Johnston said he will review the spending blueprint designed by the supervisors and try to untangle any confusion about the committee’s role.

The ordinance places Johnston in charge of both committees.

“I’ll give them my overview and see if we are in agreement,” he said. “But I think the time has come to provide some guidance and confidence to make decisions.”

Another pot of money generated by a tax on cigarettes is distributed by the Ventura County Children and Families First Commission.

That group receives about $11.7 million annually for programs benefiting young children, but is unaffected by the decisions of the tobacco-settlement committees.