Less than a week before an assessment of OCH Regional Medical Center is presented to county supervisors, the hospital's medical staff published a resolution asking the county halt "its efforts to engage in a lease and or sale arrangement of OCH."
Published on Wednesday, the resolution is signed by 38 of 62 OCH physicians, including the physician leadership. The memo states the medical staff's opposition to the assessment process, and describes why a possible sale or lease could be detrimental to the county.
"The Medical Staff believes that ownership by a private corporate entity may lead to a tendency toward less flexibility and independence of medical practice, profit-driven reductions in services and employment, and even a reduction in access to healthcare services for those lacking adequate insurance coverage," the resolution states.
For more, see the Oct. 13 edition.