PALMDALE MEDICAL CENTER - ON THE WAY, DESPITE AVHD
updated 12/26/06

Hospital Progress Continues... Cranes tower over the site, as 60 foot deep piles are driven into the earth for seismic safety.

Universal Health Care and the City of Palmdale continue progress on our new state of the art, first class hospital near Palmdale Blvd and Tierra Subida/10th West. This is a full service hospital, complete with the largest E/R in the Valley, on a fast track to meet our growing health care needs.

AVHCD has lost nearly every legal battle. From Brown Act violations, and Breach of Contract awards, it's blatantly obvious that the AV Hospital District in Lancaster was merely attempting to de-rail Palmdale's successful efforts to obtain quality medical care facility for the residents of Palmdale and the rest of the Antelope Valley and quash its competition.

In a stunning revealation, AVHCD admitted it never had any plans to build a full service hospital in Palmdale. Furthermore, we have learned they plan to close their east side Clinic and Urgent Care Center at the end of 5 years operation, despite never fully complying with the terms of its contract with the city for 24 hour service and stand-by ambulance coverage. They lay staffing shortages at the foot of the County, but the AVHCD has done little to encourage upgraded coverage.

Doctors and othe health care professionals in and outside the AV know a good thing when they see it... the new medical offices are nearly completely pre-leased, including a major cancer treatment center and a pediatric clinic. Service providers, pharmacies, and specialty tenants are equally excitied about the new opportunities - to be in on the ground floor of one of California's newest and most comprehensive hospitals, rivaling many well known facilities "down below".

Street improvments and site grading are basicly nearly complete, and on-site improvements are obvious on a nearly daily basis. The new senior housing facility to the north and the medical offices will be providing the critical synergy to make this new hospital a success from day one.

HISTORY - First, a little background and history, followed by the latest shenanigans by the AV Health Care Board... This is all public record and private recollection. Sorry, no secret stuff here. Besides, the public record is outrageous enough by itself! You can't make this stuff up.

CITY ATTEMPTS TO PARTNER WITH AVHD - We've been trying to get AV Health Care District to partner with us for years for improved health care in the south valley with little results. In fact, I remember a forum with the County Supervisor Antonovich, the Health Department and AV Hospital representatives, where the AV Health Care District rebuffed my call to design and build their new east Palmdale facility to enable expansion to a full service hospital. "Over 80% of the E/R patients are not admitted" we were told by their experts. "You only need outpatient clinics to meet the need."

AVHD FAILS SOUTH VALLEY COMMITTMENT - Skeptically, we agreed to partner with the AV Health Care District to create the east Palmdale clinic. It was to open part time at first, and eventually expand its operation to 24 hours a day and have an ambulance on-site for immediate transfer critical patients to a full service facilty. In exchange for the public benefit of a 24 hour facility, the City provided numerous benefits to the District, including street and intersection and other infrastructure improvements. That dealine has come and gone long ago, and it's still only open part time! They are in breach of their agreement with Palmdale citizens, in that they continue to fail to meet their required 24 hour service levels and have a stand-by ambulance on-site. That is now the subject of another legal action.

SOUTH VALLEY REPEATEDLY SNUBBED BY AVHD - When it came time to submit RFP's for the new Palmdale Regional Medical Center, AV Health Care District didn't even bother to respond, thumbing their noses again at the south valley. They had no problem taxing for years to build their icon in Lancaster. While they continue to whine, remember we made the same offer to them as to others, they just didn't bother. We eventually selected UHS, a national health care provider with a demonstrated record of success. Studies suggest as many as 3 additional hospitals could be supported in the AV, and an additional RFP for an east-side hospital has also been ignored by the AVHD.

STARS ALIGN - UHS GETS GO-AHEAD - Around May '05, the AV Health Care Board watches as the sun and the moon and the stars align, and we finally get the go-ahead with the plans approved by the State to start building, the road dedications are finalized, and the contracts are issued for the off-site improvements. Suddenly they discover that, lo and behold, these UHS guys are serious and the City of Palmdale is serious! They're really going to build this hospital!

PALMDALE FIRES BACK - Our City Attorneys filed a number of court actions. First, they challenged the AVHD's Brown Act compliance. How can they make an offer to purchase our property, without discussing it? If they did discuss it, where was the required notice? Furthermore, the AVHD had a habit of routinely burying critical discussion in their consent calendar as "trade secrets" and fail to disclose the parties in "legal action". They have been busted by the DA before for inadequate public notice and violating Public Meeting Laws. AVHD has been required to submit their agendas to the DA's Public Integrity Division for review!

AVHD FORCED TO IMPROVE PUBLIC NOTICE - A judge recently dropped the Brown Act court action, after AVHD abruptly recinded the actions in violation and "cured" them with a new resolution. But, the court action achieved the desired effect - the AVHD has changed their noticing procedures. Although they still fall far short of what most Palmdale residents are accustomed to, they have improved.

NO SOUTH VALLEY PROJECT PLANNED! In its reply to the lawsuit, the hospital advised the court that 'there is no clear, present and ministerial duty on the part of the (hospital) to comply with (state environmental law) at this time since there is no (construction) project, there is no (project) approval, the district does not own the land, (the district) is not actively attempting to acquire the land and (the district) has taken no steps to acquire the land by eminent domain." Ah-ha! So, just as we long suspected, but were unable to prove, despite their public posturing, offers, denials, and mail campaigns, the AV Helath Care district actually had NO PLAN for a hospital in the south valley, never did have a plan, and does not contemplate a plan!

AVHD PROVED OUR POINT - So while we get them to prove it for us, Les Wong, their spin doctor, portrays this dismissal as some kind of a win for them. It had exactly the effect we wanted... to get into the public record - and the AV Press - the fact that the AVHD had no intention of ever providing a comprehensive health care facility for the south valley. Their overtures on our UHS site were exactly what we said it was; a covert attempt to torpedo our hospital, and an attempt to maintain their place as the sole provider of health care in the entire Antelope Valley.

WE WERE JUST KIDDING - The AV Press reported that, according to (Palmdale City Attorney) Ditzhazy, that means the hospital's press release asserting that residents should oppose the city's plans for a private hospital and support the immediate construction of a public one "was disingenuous. If you take the (hospital's) press release, they were sure shading the truth," he said. "My definition of 'immediate' and their definition are vastly different. Ten years in the future is not immediate. Technically, we won, because their excuse was, 'We didn't really have a project. We were just kidding,' "Ditzhazy said. (AVHD Admnistrator) Wong declined to respond, saying doing so 'detracts from the judgment the judge made." Not a surprising non-response, because he knows Ditzhazy is right.

AVHD'S DUPLICITOUS POSITION - While AVHD reps continue to complain about Palmdale's investment in infrastructure improvements for the UHS site, they (AVHD) had no problem accepting similar street and infrastructure improvements for their east Palmdale facility. The AVHD will probably never voluntarily complete the upgrades promised in exchange for Palmdale tax dollars, but the UHS complex is on a fast track to completion. The return on our citizen's investment for the UHS infrastructure improvements will result in hundreds of millions of tax dollars benefiting Palmdale residents, and far outweighs the meager return on our investment in the AVHD clinic.

COMING SOON - Nevertheless, before you know it, you will be able to pull up to our new 250 patient capacity, five story facility, have the valet park your car, the concierge assist you and your family, and be admitted to one of the private beds, and be attended to by a motivated staff eager to serve you in one of the finest facilities around. Almost makes you want to get sick and check it out!

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