In-Depth: Valley Healthcare Vote and the arguments for and against Measure AA
Voters throughout the Coachella Valley will be asked to decide the fate of Measure AA on November’s ballot. If approved, Measure AA will authorize the Desert Healthcare District to enter into a $646,231,750 30-year lease-to-purchase agreement with Tenet Healthcare for Desert Regional Medical Center.
If not renewed, the current agreement for Tenet to operate Desert Regional ends in 2027 and would lead to an uncertain future about who will operate the healthcare facility. Tenet's lease payments of $646 million would ultimately lead to Tenet owning the hospital facilities. The question now is, is this the best healthcare solution for the Coachella Valley?
Ads promoting both arguments are in people's mailboxes, and on television, and are even being sent to cellphones via text message and social media.
The California Nurses Association urges a “No Vote” saying Measure AA would remove local control of Desert Regional Medical Center and prioritize Tenet Healthcare’s profits over patients.
Deborah Edwards has worked in the hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) as a Registered Nurse for 25 years. She speaks for the California Nurses Association in urging a ‘no’ vote.
“They have not been a good company for us, and there are other options," Deborah Edwards a Registered Nurse of 25 years in the hospital's neonatal intensive care unit said. Edwards added, "They want to make us believe that there are no other options and that all the services will just go away. But that's not true.”
Hospital spokesman Richard Ramhoff argues there are many reasons to vote ‘yes’ on Measure AA including Tenet’s already demonstrated investments in staffing and facilities. Tenet built the region's only level one trauma center here, brought in upgraded stroke care, and made a $1.8 million donation to double the size of the nursing class at COD. And it’s upgraded care at its other network hospitals including JFK in Indio and Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree.
If approved, the deal will continue the hospital’s lease with Tenet beginning in 2027, and include in the sale the El Mirador Surgery Center and Desert Care Network physician clinics.
There are a number of other arguments for and against Measure AA's passage. This is a preview of Jeff Stahl's in-depth story Valley Healthcare Vote. Tune in and see it airing Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. on KESQ News Channel 3.
