A New Direction for Valley Health System

By Clyde B. Osborn, Sr.

The Problem and My Solution

I became a political activist fighting the monopoly with a few like-minded friends. In 2005 Measure I was defeated, a $480,000,000. municipal bond issue that would have added $15,700 of taxes to every residence in the hospital district over a 40 year period. This Board-approved measure was immoral. They wanted to pay off previously issued revenue bonds used to build two additional hospitals that voters had not been allowed to vote on.

In 2006 the Board added 15 years to a contract with the medical monopoly to the financial detriment of our hospitals They approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the SEIU union granting them huge raises without making any provision to increase revenues to pay this additional $9,000,000. cost over the next 12 months thus guaranteeing bankruptcy. But this action ensured the re-election of the incumbent Board members by getting the union's support.

In 2007 the Board tried to sell the Hospital District to a private party for $135 million without competive bidding when its replacement value was more than $900 million. This Measure was defeated in a Special Election, so the Board voted to sell Moreno Valley Community Hospital for $47 million to this same private party knowing they would flip it to Kaiser for $53,000,000 depriving our Hospital District of $6,000,000.

My Platform

1)Support Quorum, our new management company, that is working out so well, in their financial turnaround of our hospitals with my financial expertise.
2)This will lead to exiting bankruptcy and the long overdue upgrading of our facilities and equipment.
3)Serve VHS' multiple constituents: our taxpayers who own the hospitals, our patients who need it, our employees whose jobs must be secure, rewarding and appreciated, and our doctors who must be protected from politics, favoratism and financial blackmail.

My one term in office will be dedicated to this vision.