RSS FeedCIBOLA COUNTY - Not an amended agreement, but a new one, was signed by the hospital and county officials after a year of fighting between the two came to an end last week.
 County Commission Chairman Eddie Michael signs the new agreement between the county and Cibola General Hospital Corporation late Tuesday following a special commission meeting.BEACON / JARAMILLO |
The new agreement is nearly double the number of pages than the previous. The primary change from the previous agreement is that the county now has the ability to directly appoint three members to the hospital board.
What originally started as the county commission wanting more representation on the hospital board ended with other issues such as 'who owned the hospital' and the county wanting more 'openness and accountability.' Commission Chairman Eddie Michael said he feels that the county has received more than what the commission originally sought.
“They gave us more than what we first asked for,” Michael said after signing the contract.
“In spite of the differences,” County Manager Scott Vinson added, “I am glad that we are able to move on while both parties feel the agreement is fair.” On Tuesday, the commission voted a unanimous yes for the new agreement. The day before, the hospital board voted in support of the new agreement.
“There are now projects that we can jointly work together on,” said Vinson.
Commissioner Antonio Gallegos said, “Everything was blown out of proportion . . . it (the new contract) is good for me.”
A smiling Patrick Simpson, also a commissioner, on his way out the door said, “I'm glad it's all over.”
Many residents of Cibola County echoed Simpson's remarks as the saga dragged on for about a year. A citizens' action group was recently formed by resident David Vitale, a husband of a doctor, because he felt that negotiations were going nowhere and it was starting to affect hospital relations and quality of services as doctors were threatening to leave. The group, 'Save Cibola Hospital,' is primarily in support of the hospital board.
The group announced it is staying organized despite the settlement and is strategizing political opportunities for upcoming elections.
Nevertheless, Chairman Michael appeared hopeful on Tuesday evening as he said, “We at all times negotiated in good faith. Unfortunately, we had to issue the 180-notice to get to this point. We can now go on to other business. Today, the people of the county are the winners.”
The motion by Commissioner Simpson to approve the new contact was also a motion to rescind the 180-day notice to the hospital board. Commission Walter Jaramillo seconded the motion.
Commission Lloyd Felipe was not in attendance. However, Vinson said that Felipe told him he was in support of the new agreement.
On Wednesday, hospital board chairman Ann Mattila said, “On behalf of the hospital board, we are relieved that we've come to an agreement . . . there are so many other projects that we can now focus on.” Mattila added that the disagreements between two parties took a lot of time and energy and those now can be used elsewhere. She said that the hospital wants to put more focus on recruitment, the quality of care and building projects.
Ken Cochran, CEO of the hospital said, “Cibola General Hospital looks forward to continuing to build on progress to further improve quality for the community we serve. I thank the commission for rescinding the 180-day notice.”
A copy of the new agreement is available at the Beacon.
For more information about the new agreement, call 287-9431 for county administration or 287-4446.
Comments
Sal wrote on Feb 7, 2010 10:22 AM:
Disgusted wrote on Feb 6, 2010 12:21 PM:
Still Disappointed wrote on Feb 5, 2010 6:12 PM:
anonymous wrote on Feb 4, 2010 10:54 PM: