About three dozen people braved the rain last night to attend the first of three special meetings held by the Hi-Desert Medical Center about the hospitalâs plans to affiliate with Tenet Healthcare. Managing editor Tami Roleff says after hearing a short presentation by the hospitalâs CEO Bob Tyk, nearly a dozen peopleâincluding doctors, current and former hospital employees, former directors, and political representativesâurged residents to vote yes to approve the affiliationâŚ
Bob Baker, director of facilities for HDMC, warned residents what would happen if the hospital doesnât affiliate. âLetâs face it, in todayâs market, we cannot continue the way we are going right now; weâll be closed in a few years if we donât do something. I encourage you to vote yes on affiliation.â Mickey Luckman agreed. âChanges in the whole economic thing made it almost impossible for stand-alone hospitals like us to survive. The alternative, I fear, is the hospital will go away and anytime we need medical care weâll have to go down the hill.â Dawn Rowe, field rep for Congressman Paul Cook, and Mike Lipsitz, field rep for County Supervisor James Ramos, said they and their politicians supported the affiliation. Board director Marge Doyle urged residents to come to the meetings. âWe want to hear from the community, and we also want the community to understand whatâs going on because we canât lose our hospital.â Board director Martie Avels warned residents of the consequences if the affiliation vote is not approved: âThis affiliation will not cost our residents, but if we donât affiliate, it will cost us our hospital.â
The hospitalâs Board of Directors will hold two more special meetings where residents can discuss the affiliation. Tonightâs meeting is in Twentynine Palms at Little Church of the Desert, 6079 Adobe Road, and on Wednesday night in Joshua Tree at the community center on Sunburst Avenue. Both meetings start at 6:30 p.m.