HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 09281993 - 1.61 7RECEIIVED
03 1751 Fisher Drive
Concord, CA 94520
CLERK nNSORS
TRA COSTA CO�
September 18, 1993
County Board of Supervisors
651 Pine Street
Martinez, CA 94553
I would like to say that it is an irresponsible crime to
impose the building of an $82 ,000 ,000 new county hospital on
the taxpayers of this county when -the three district hospitals
cannot begin to fill all of their existing beds. These three
hospitals have taken Medi-Cal patients in the past and they
have said they will take as many more as necessary in the future
so that none in the county would have to go without needed
medical care .
In addition to more beds , the proposed new hospital would have
to include millions of dollars of duplicate high-tech medical
equipment for laboratory testing, up-to-date imaging machines
of all types, emergency room facilities , etc. At the same
time, these services in the other three hospitals are operat-
ing away below capacity.
Such duplication is senseless--a total waste of taxpayer money.
So the proponents of a new hospital claim the money will come
from federal and/or state funds instead of county funds .
Where do they think those funds come from, if not from us ,
the taxpayers?
As a retired occupational therapist I am a volunteer at Mt.
Diablo Medical Center. I know first hand that the daily census
there. has been very low for a long time. It has been down to
50% of capacity on the ward where I work several times this
summer. According to the chart on page 7A of the Contra Costa
Times in the August 25th issue, the census is routinely very
much lower even than that at Brookside and Los Medanos hospitals .
Icannot understand why you people in charge of the decision
as to whether to build or not to build a whole new hospital
cannot add up the figures that show as plain as day that a new
hospital is not needed nor wanted (except perhaps by the
potential administrators of such a project! ) , let alone not to
be afforded in these days of overgrown public debt.
Sincerely yours ,
Betty P_ g Y. Ila pe a en