THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, June 23, 1996 TAG: 9606210201
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Opinion
SOURCE: BY J. HUNTER BRANTLEY JR.
LENGTH: 88 lines
I am deeply concerned about many inaccurate statements concerning the past and most recent sale of Portsmouth General Hospital.
To characterize the recent sale to Maryview Medical Center as being motivated by greed and monopolization could not be farther from the truth. It is time to set the record straight and dispel the misguided and inaccurate theory that either sale was legally improper, underhanded or consummated with ulterior motives.
Radical changes in the delivery of health care over the past 10 or more years have seriously reduced the ability of hospitals and other health care providers to survive. This is not only evident in the Hampton Roads area but also across the country.
To maintain state-of-the-art professional services and equipment involves a staggering cost. Couple that with the fact that patients look for and expect the best possible medical care. In the past, a simple X-ray or lab test could be used as a diagnostic tool by physicians. Today, highly technical CAT scans, ultrasound tests and other sophisticated procedures are the norm rather than the exception. This comes at a tremendous cost in terms of equipment and highly trained technicians and physicians who perform the tests and evaluate them.
When the board of directors of Portsmouth General Hospital decided to sell the hospital in 1988, it was a painful decision that was given the most serious consideration. With declining revenue, a serious need to update many items of plant and medical equipment, a staggering indigent care load and a declining census in patient days, the future was bleak. There was an outcry of indignation by citizens and physicians at that time, but many had not utilized hospital services for years and were not acutely aware of the declining plant and financial posture.
When the hospital was sold to Tidewater Health Care in 1988, the sales agreement contained language that was geared toward maintaining the hospital in its current location unless the hospital incurred substantial losses over an extended period of time. Tidewater Health Care made a diligent effort to survive in an ever-declining patient atmosphere. Services were carefully studied and, where possible, combined with others, reduced or in some cases eliminated.
The hospital underwent several reorganizations aimed at more efficient ways to provide services with no loss in quality of care. The hospital has been in a declining financial position for several years, and these losses continued during the first quarter of 1996.
Not many businesses, and a hospital is a business, can survive a continuing down trend in revenue and remain solvent. The decision to sell was not publicized for many reasons. I suspect that a major reason was the tremendous emotional impact involved in losing a longtime institution that is near and dear to many Portsmouth residents, including myself.
However distasteful the loss is to many of us, I believe that Maryview will make a tremendous effort to minimize the loss and continue to provide quality health care at the lowest possible cost. They have also volunteered to meet with local groups and answer concerns about the future provision of health services.
Following the sale of the hospital in 1988, Portsmouth General Hospital Foundation was established with assets of approximately $7.5 million from the sale of the hospital. The foundation is a private foundation and is not affiliated with Portsmouth General Hospital. Its mission is to promote and support innovative as well as established health care programs that improve the quality of life in the Portsmouth area.
The foundation corpus is maintained through investments and no private gifts are solicited. A volunteer board of community members guides the foundation, assisted by a paid staff of two employees. The staff actively assists grant seekers in developing partnerships and securing additional funding from other sources.
The first grant was awarded in July 1989 and since then total grants exceeded $3.5 million. One such grant funded an assessment that led to a federal grant that established the Portsmouth Community Health Center in Southside. Other important grants have assisted school-sponsored student health programs and a litany of other equally important projects.
In summary, the sale of Portsmouth General Hospital was a painful undertaking by the participants but was dictated by massive changes in the delivery of health care. Spreading a sparse patient census between two under-utilized hospitals was a financial drain on both institutions. It is sad that some employees will have to seek other employment, but both institutions are working together to minimize the effects in this regard.
While we may not like what has happened, we must realize that in today's health care atmosphere, downsizing will become even more prevalent. We owe it to Maryview Medical Center to give them a chance to prove that they will continue to provide quality health care service to the Portsmouth community. MEMO: J. Hunter Brantley Jr. was a board member of Portsmouth General
Hospital for 17 years, serving as president of the board for three
years. He also served on the Portsmouth General Hospital Foundation
Board of Directors for eight years, the last year as its treasurer. by CNB