BOARD STUDIES OFFER SEVEN HOSPITALS WILLING TO SHARE WITH COUNTY.

Byline: Krystn Shrieve Staff Writer

VENTURA - County supervisors on Tuesday accepted the signatures for a proposed initiative to transfer tobacco settlement money to the county's private hospitals and ordered that a study be done on its financial impact within 30 days.

Also Tuesday, the seven private hospitals that would benefit from the November ballot measure said they want the county to back off its opposition to the measure with the assurance that the Ventura County Medical Center would receive a portion of the $250 million.

A representative of the hospitals said they were concerned that the Ventura County Medical Center would have been locked out of receiving any of the county's tobacco settlement money under the ballot initiative.

``The private hospitals were concerned about VCMC,'' said Jim Lott, executive vice president of the Healthcare Association of Southern California, who is representing the private hospitals. ``They agreed they would support the initiative if a viable mechanism could be designed to recognize the role of the county hospital as part of the county's safety net system.

``We believe the initiative will pass,'' Lott said. ``So at this point what we'd like to have happen is have the county buy into the principle, and then we'd sit down and work out the details of exactly how VCMC would be included.''

However, Supervisor Frank Schillo of Thousand Oaks said the county has nothing to gain by agreeing to the hospitals' suggestion.

Schillo, who opposes the initiative with the rest of his colleagues, said he doesn't know what steps will be taken after Supervisors' report is completed - but said he's confident the issue will end up in court.

``If we were to back off and they were to support this, what's in it for us?'' Schillo asked. ``We don't get anything. There's nothing in the initiative guaranteeing anything for us. What good is that?''

The ballot initiative calls for diverting the county's tobacco settlement funds - an estimated $10 million a year over the next 25 years - to the county's private hospitals. Supporters say it ensures that the money would be spent on health care. But opponents say it takes county funds for private use.

Dr. Michael Baskt, president of Community Memorial Hospital, which is proposing the initiative, said the 30-day period during which a report is expected is opportune.

``I hope the county officials have the wisdom to agree to hospitals' proposal,'' Baskt said. ``The agreement suggested is that if the supervisors support the initiative, then the county can and and should be included.''

But Schillo said he doesn't trust the hospitals because there's nothing making the hospitals hold up their end of such an agreement.

``This is the time for them to say, if we oppose it, what do we get, not the other way around,'' Schillo said. ``If they support it and it loses, they can be out all that money.

``They want us to say we're for it and then maybe later on we'll get some money?'' Schillo asked. ``They're saying, trust us, but why should we?''