Timeline:
On Tuesday, May 22nd, a concerned citizen delivered documentation denoting the alleged impropriety of Methodist Hospital in Henderson. The documentation delivered to the VIP indicated that there is a possible merger/partnership/buy-out taking place between Henderson’s Methodist Hospital and Evansville’s Deaconess, and taking the local control of the hospital out of the hands of the city and giving it to out-of-state physician-recruiting and hospital consulting firms.
On Thursday, May 23rd, Henderson City Council Commissioner, Robert Pruitt, revealed that the current Mayor, Steve Austin is on the Methodist Hospital Board of Directors. In fact, he is the Vice-Chairman of the board. Pruitt asked the mayor to act with transparency, and to hold a public meeting in which the Voice of the People could be heard.
On Friday, May 24th, Methodist Hospital announced that the vote regarding affiliation would not be taking place in their meeting on that day, but they also announced that they would be holding an “open forum” at 5pm May 31st (that’s today) and that “the public is invited to attend this forum” “to share their thoughts on an affiliation between Methodist Hospital and Deaconess.”
However, on Saturday, May 25th, they changed their minds. They issued yet another announcement stating that Methodist Hospital would now replace the open forum to the public with an alternative option… that members of the community would NOT be able to let their voice be heard, but that they would have to send in their comments via email or private message to the Methodist Hospital Marketing Manager, Brandi Schwartz, at bschwartz@methodisthospital.net.
Brandi Schwartz Methodist Hospital Marketing Manager
The announcement went on to say that this new, silent method would “allow the community more time to voice their thoughts and opinions while also allowing those who would not be able to attend an open forum to be heard.”
According to one citizen who wishes to remain anonymous, “This is nothing more than a power play, an attempt to sweep the concerns of the community under the rug. Email is where the people’s voice goes to die.”
Commissioner Robert Pruitt, who has articulated the same sentiments has questions about these actions that he feels “deserve some answers.”
Commissioner Robert Pruitt
Questions that need answers:
“Why would the Mayor of the city of Henderson allow the Citizens’ Voice to be silent? He is the Vice Chairman of the Methodist Hospital board!
How did Methodist Hospital become a hospital that was losing six to seven hundred thousand dollars a month while the CEOs were taking home golden parachutes?
When was the last time Methodist had an outside audit? We might be surprised at what they’d find.
Why won’t the board allow the citizens to have input when it comes to their health care? The board members of Methodist have failed the citizens of Henderson just like the Mayor and board members of our Electrical Department failed and bankrupted our electrical company.
Why did Methodist Hospital change their mind on the public meeting? Why did they lie to the people when they said they were going to let them speak at the meeting? What exactly are they afraid of?”
Previously published questions that have thus far still been unanswered:
Did the Methodist Hospital Board of Directors fail to provide due diligence for the Deaconess deal when they would not even entertain an alternative offer sent from representatives of Owensboro Health?
Henderson Mayor Steve Austin
Did the representatives of the Kentucky Association of Counties (KACo) Leasing Trust fund also indicate an interest in taking on the $23 million bond, and did Methodist Hospital’s board also turn a blind eye to that option?
Is the Deaconess agreement with Methodist sitting in a vaulted room with extremely tight security that disallows any records from leaving and very few to see it?
Despite prohibitions by Kentucky law for Deaconess to purchase Methodist Hospital, is it true that they plan to reduce the size of the local board of 27 members to just 9 members, with 3 representing Deaconess, 3 representing an out-of-state physician firm, and only the final 3 members will represent local control of the hospital – going from 100% local control to 2/3 of the representation being held by out-of-town interests?
Are these out of town interests planning to ship out-of-town doctors in and planning to reduce the local care that residents of Henderson and beyond have come to appreciate from their local physicians?
Will Henderson’s hospital no longer be locally owned and locally managed, and will this lead to further losses of local health care jobs to out-of-town workers?
Does Deaconess intend to sell to Methodist Hospital – at a cost of $20 million – their proprietary EMR software called Epic which has not been generally received well where it has been implemented?
Isn’t Epic ill-regarded by physicians in Evansville especially due to the loss of proper patient focus, in addition to being received poorly by the press, has led to efficiency losses, does not change outcomes for critically ill patients, and even includes a gag order prohibiting discussion of the software once adopted?
Will that software soon put independent Henderson physicians on the hook for a new $2.35 per patient fee (according to Congressional testimony) to access their own patients since Henderson will be leaving the CommonWell Healthcare Alliance?
Will the newest part of Methodist Hospital – the north tower – be used exclusively for Deaconess personnel if this deal goes through?
Is Henderson’s Mayor, Steve Austin (who is Vice Chair of the Methodist Board) already in hot water over previous deals like Big Rivers Electric which just recently set Henderson back since they have now decided to shut down Station 2 requiring Henderson residents to buy power elsewhere (such as Vectren who put new high voltage lines in last year)?
Hasn’t the mayor’s opponent, Henderson City Councilor Robert Pruitt, said “I believe the citizens of Henderson deserve to have a say in what’s going to happen to Methodist Community Hospital, and I hope the board doesn’t let Steve Austin destroy our hospital the way he allowed Big Rivers to destroy the Electric Company.”
Will Henderson residents who do not stop these efforts that undercut employers actually be on the hook directly to make up the difference… including with the all-new Nickel Tax that barely passed last year (since it is not locked in at the $.05 per $100 taxed like many in Henderson County believed) and is in fact a “sliding rate determined by a formula”?
And if Methodist Hospital collapses due to the efforts of the past poor administrations and boards, won’t the lower income portion of the population in Henderson be forced to travel to Owensboro or Madisonville because many of the state health programs will not reimburse in nearby Evansville?
These questions and many more would have been asked in the open-to-the-public forum originally scheduled for this evening.
So now, the biggest question that the people, the citizens, the constituents of Mayor Steve Austin and the city of Henderson are asking is… “Where is the transparency?”
For questions or comments regarding any of the above information, please contact Methodist Hospital Marketing Manager, Brandi Schwartz, at 270-831-7836, comments@methodisthospital.net, by private message at facebook.com/methodisthospital, or by email at bschwartz@methodisthospital.net. Public comments via private message concerning the affiliation will be accepted between now and Friday, June 8th.
