SAN LUIS OBISPO: Supervisors Vote to Form Hospital Authority
The San Luis Obispo Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 Tuesday to form a hospital authority agency to oversee the struggling San Luis Obispo General Hospital's operations and services. The San Luis Obispo Telegram-Tribune reports that the 11-member panel, which cannot be officially established until Jan. 1, 2000, is part of a "$28.5 million, three-year turnaround plan developed by Supervisor Katcho Achadjian to get General Hospital on its feet financially." However, Supervisor Mike Ryan, who believes the hospital's situation is hopeless, said, "This will be the vehicle that takes us to the place that shows us this is not going to work." Decreasing patient volumes, the trend away from inpatient care and increasing county subsidies led the board to vote 4-1 to close the hospital last year. However, Achadjian's plan, which received approval in March, "will include a series of benchmarks that success can be measured against." In addition to establishing the hospital authority, the county will hire a management team this month to oversee daily operations of the hospital and clinics (Hurly, 7/7).
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