Sam Kaufman, Key West City Commissioner for District II, joined Good Morning Keys on KeysTalk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about what’s been going on in the city.
Kaufman is heading up the Lower Keys Hospital District Board.
He said, “We have a task force that’s advisory to me as the vice mayor and I’ve just been convening resident local residents, which comprises a lot of medical professionals, local doctors, folks with a lot of expertise in the area of medicine, and hospitals and so on. The governing agency is called the Lower Keys Hospital District board and they have some decisions to make soon, with regard to the renewal process or selection process of the successor tenant who will operate the hospital. As everyone knows, this is really a critical issue, because we all really need the best potential medical care in Key West and the Lower Keys, and a hospital that needs to be modernized and really a whole new facility needs to be built. I think most folks in the community want to be sure that whoever will get the next lease has the financial resources and the commitment to do what it takes to provide the quality of medical care that we need.”
How long have the current administrators been in place?
Kaufman said, “This lease has been in place since 1999. But the current operators, they had a buyout of the previous operator called HMA, I’m not sure how many years ago, but it’s been a number of years.”
Are there concerns that prompted the current discussion?
Kaufman said, “This is just my perspective. But I would say the staff at the hospital is fantastic. I don’t think anyone thinks that the nurses or the quality of doctors we have in our community is poor in any way. I think most people who have interactions at the hospital have positive experiences. That’s because of the staff. The nurses are great. The doctors are great. That’s not really the issue I think that people have. The real question is, we have a more and more outdated facility of a hospital that needs to be modernized. Medicine improves over time, the facility and the equipment in the hospital has to be up to date. I think that that takes a financial commitment and the financials that we saw from the operator last year, was a net profit of $31 million, all of which goes to Brentwood, Tennessee, where their corporation is located or a lot of it does. I think a lot of people would like to know, what is the financial commitment to replace the physical facility and modernize the hospital? I think a big concern is as many of your listeners know, there’s been no cancer treatment available in in Key West or the Lower Keys for the past seven months, which is really unacceptable. There are options for hospitals, many hospitals, including the size and location of our hospital, provide cancer treatment. I think there’s a lot of other areas that, despite the challenges with housing, which is obviously something that needs to be addressed and confronted with the resources and the net profits that the hospital make there needs to be accommodations for the full variety of medical care that we need to keep residents feeling confident about living here. I hear people say that, well, they have to move away because they don’t feel confident in our medical care here, or that there’s enough to provide the services that they need, so people move away. That’s what we really want to address is that we’re trying to make sure that the hospital has the facilities, and the medical services needed to make sure people feel confident that they can live and work here in Key West.”
Is it incumbent upon the operator then to provide all the capital to upgrade the facilities even though they’re leasing that facility?
Kaufman said, “Sure. This is a for profit enterprise. Last year, they netted $31 million and I think as a governing board, this is an opportunity for the Lower Keys Hospital District to see and compare what other operators would offer. That’s really the main point is I really don’t care which operator it is, it could be the current operator, and that’s fine. But the issue is, what are the measuring points here, which operator can provide the best potential commitment and plan to replace the hospital facility, to modernize it, make sure that all the equipment that’s needed for the doctors, that they can do the work that they need to do for us, and that they have a plan to recruit and retain staff. Because that’s a major issue. I have no issue with the hospital making money. That’s okay. If they netted $31 million, that’s great. But we want to see in the entire process, what is the plan to be sure that what needs to be done is done, and that cancer treatment is provided and at the Lower Keys Hospital District Board has a plan for cancer treatment. There shouldn’t be a gap of seven months or a year or two years without cancer treatment in Key West. I don’t think anyone thinks that’s okay or acceptable. We need a first class Cardiac Care Center, which we don’t have. There are things that we can have here, given the size and the resources of our community that a comparison can really bring to light and then the Lower Keys Hospital District Board, we hope will make the best decision for our community.”
What’s the next step as the deadline comes up?
Kaufman said, “It’s a very important meeting tomorrow. The Lower Keys Hospital District Board has their meeting at 3pm. They’ve moved it to the Harvey Government Center, which is on the corner of Truman Avenue and White Street, on the second floor, in the county commission chambers there. I’m hopeful that they will give a clear direction as far as what their decision will be, as far as comparing the potential operators for the future and be clear to the public what their intentions are. Because I would much rather spend our time on focusing on gathering public input as far as what the services that are perhaps lacking or needing improvement or what types of equipment were really needed. We have a lot of expertise in our community for medical professionals that should be providing input for that. That would be really great progress for us if we could focus them in on, what that comparison should be, what are the criteria points that the hospital district board should be looking at?”
The current lease expires in 2029.
Kaufman said, “It really is a process because it’s very complex actually. If there is a new operator and a transition period, there are issues of insurance and coverage and billing systems and so much more that goes into this, that if there is a transition that probably takes a year or two just of that. Then there’s a year or two of a selection process. So it’s not like a regular landlord tenant relationship where maybe within a few months or a month or two, there could be a transition. I don’t think that that’s this type of process.”
Who ultimately makes the decision as to how to move forward? Is it the governing board?
Kaufman said, “We think so, but there is some legal analysis that the hospital district board has been given that there are other factors involved as well, as far as the decision. So that remains to be finalized, I think. But that’s another reason why it’s so important for the public to pay attention to this, because we really want to make sure that the decision really serves the best interests of our community.”
Strategic planning is also being discussed in the city. What are some of the priorities?
Kaufman said, “Certainly, for me, number one, and you’ve heard this from me so many times, but housing is number one, and anything and everything that we can do to support affordable housing, that is what we should be doing. So that that includes, supporting the relatively few but new projects that that will be coming forward to the commission, but also policies that can encourage and reward employers and landlords that are providing affordable housing to our residents. Everyone says it’s a crisis, but every year, it seems like it’s gotten worse from the year before. So I don’t know what the word is beyond crisis. But that’s kind of where we are. Then I think our infrastructure really needs to be focused on. That’s why this bond referendum in November is going to be so important. The fire station on Kennedy Drive needs to be replaced. Our Martin Luther King pool needs a full renovation. We have our project on Duvall Street for flood mitigation, all our streets and our sidewalks, so many needs to be repaired. The list goes on and on. What we don’t want to do is raise property taxes every year to try to chip away at these needed projects. So that’s something I could say that should be a priority.”
A potential Economic Development Council similar to the Tourist Development Council could be discussed for the city as well.
Kaufman said, “That has been a discussion item in the past. There are economic development resources on the mainland, there are consultants and experts in this area that can help give some advice about what types of trades or what types of industry might be able to help our economy, but at the end of the day, we still have housing as a key component of whatever the economic engine is. Just look at the hospital as one example, you have pretty good paying jobs. You have doctors who can’t afford or can’t have the lifestyle that they are maybe accustomed to on the mainland when they move here. That’s a challenge for the hospital to retain and recruit doctors. It can’t only just be a plan with regard to the industry or the type of employment, but we have to also have a housing plan.”
The agenda for this Thursday’s Key West Council meeting has 51 items.
Kaufman said, “For me, it’s a little bit nostalgic, because for the past 10 years, I’ve been going to City Commission meetings and four of my colleagues will not be sitting there come two months from now. So our last official City Commission meeting will be next month. For me, I think that’s what I’ll be thinking about on Thursday is the leadership that my colleagues have provided over the years and I certainly will be missing them come August.”