Monterey County Delays Plan To Merge Hospital With Health Department
On Tuesday, the Monterey County Board of Supervisors postponed for two months a plan to merge Natividad Medical Center with the county health department, the Monterey County Herald reports.
The delay is intended to offer more time for community stakeholders to offer input on the merger, which supervisors say will almost certainly go forward.
Bill Foley, interim chief administrator for Natividad, presented the merger proposal to the board and explained that the consolidation could save $3 million to $10 million annually by eliminating duplicated services and increasing revenue through higher patient volume.
Foley said Ventura and Contra Costa counties use similar models.
Harry Weis, interim chief financial officer for Natividad, estimates that each one-week delay in the merger costs the county about $100,000 (Johnson, Monterey County Herald, 7/23).