HOSPITAL BOARD HOPEFULS AIR VIEWS CHALLENGE FROM PRIVATE FACILITY, CONFLICTS OF INTEREST AMONG ISSUES.

Byline: KAREN MAESHIRO Staff Writer

PALMDALE -- Staying fiscally solvent while facing competition from a new private hospital and possible conflicts of interest were some of the issues raised in a candidate forum for the Antelope Valley Hospital board election.

Three of the five candidates who appeared were in general agreement that the valley's growing population will mean the need for more hospital beds and services, even after Universal Health Services builds its proposed hospital in west Palmdale.

``If the Palmdale hospital is built, we will be short by 100 to 150 beds. We are in desperate need of beds in the valley,'' said Dr. Don Parazo, one of the two incumbents. ``The only way I can see is to partner with other health care organizations.''

Challenger Roger Berger said the new Palmdale hospital will help but said there is room for more medical facilities in the region.

``It doesn't address a large portion of the population on the east side of Palmdale,'' Berger said.

In response to a question from a member of the audience who spent 1 1/2 days in the Antelope Valley Hospital emergency room, incumbent June Snow said that was not an uncommon experience.

``It stems from a lack of strategic planning. The solution is we need to have more beds,'' Snow said.

Snow said the hospital is doing that by converting a skilled nursing facility into an obstetrics center, which will add 40 medical-surgical beds in the main hospital building.

Parazo, a family practice physician with High Desert Medical Group, and Snow, a retired nurse who worked at Antelope Valley Hospital, ousted two incumbents in 2002 in a costly hospital election campaign marked by negative radio and television advertisements and anonymous attack mailers.

They are facing Berger, a retired fire paramedic who unsuccessfully ran for the hospital board in 2004 and served as Snow's campaign treasurer in 2002, and two other challengers: Deborah Rice, a nurse practitioner who was elected to the board in 1996 and 2000 but did not seek re-election in 2004, and Maricela Tisbert, a clerk.

Rice and Tisbert did not appear for the forum sponsored by the A.V. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce at the Palmdale Woman's Club.

Berger said he felt Parazo has a conflict of interest by sitting on the board and being employed by High Desert Medical Group, with whom the hospital has contracts.

Fellow directors Dr. John Manning and nurse practitioner Berna Mayer, who were both elected to the board in 2004, also work at High Desert Medical Group.

``Three members from a medical group do not represent the best interests of the entire community,'' Berger said.

Parazo defended his record as a director, and said voters elected two more people to the board from the same medical group.

``If the community saw fit to give me a chance, I hope they see my track record. Decisions were made for the best interests of the community,'' he said.

Snow said she has looked into matters concerning High Desert Medical Group and has not seen ``anything that looks shady or bad in any way.''

She added that High Desert's contracts, as with those of other medical groups, do not come before the board.

Universal's facility is the biggest challenge to Antelope Valley Hospital's bottom line, said Larry Chimbole, a former hospital director, at the forum.

Hospital district officials have said they fear that the new private hospital will draw off patients with insurance, leaving Antelope Valley Hospital caring for a higher percentage of patients unable to pay for their treatment.

``I'm sure they will provide good services but there is no incentive to provide services that are desperately needed in south Antelope Valley,'' Chimbole said.

Parazo and Snow said having a second hospital in the area will help somewhat by adding more hospital beds.

``They will get the paying customers,'' Parazo said. ``It may be bad for Antelope Valley Hospital, but it will be good for the (hospital) district. We are going to have beds.''

Snow added that Antelope Valley Hospital did $54 million in uncompensated care last year. ``We are going to have to find some way to make money,'' Snow said.

Berger said the hospital would be better off financially if it had done more oversight on construction projects that went over budget.

``What I've seen over the years is a failure of financial oversight,'' Berger said. ``Millions of dollars were wasted.''

Parazo said when he was first elected, he wanted to elevate the vision of the board to look at issues it faces not just on a regional basis but also at a national level.

``We need to get all the medical organizations working together,'' Parazo said.

Berger stressed that one of his biggest concerns is providing health care services for residents of Palmdale and the eastern part of the Antelope Valley. Services that the hospital used to have, such as a pediatric intensive care unit, should be restored.

Berger said he wants the clinic in east Palmdale that is operated jointly by the hospital and the county to operate 24 hours a day.

Parazo said in response that the hospital is discussing with the county that very idea. ``We are moving forward in that direction. The gist is services will increase in that facility,'' Parazo said.

Snow remarked that the current board has developed a cohesiveness, a characteristic not evident in some past boards when the hospital was marked by political turbulence.

``This is a board that's open to public scrutiny. We are not only coping, we work pretty well together,'' Snow said.

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(1 -- color) PARAZO

(2 -- color) BERGER

(3 -- color) SNOW