HOSPITAL SERVING 1 PATIENT HIGH DESERT MAINTAINS ROUND-THE-CLOCK STAFF.Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer LANCASTER - Nearly three months after it was converted to an outpatient facility, High Desert Hospital is still taking care of one patient - a tuberculosis sufferer for whom a new facility couldn't be found. The lone patient's presence requires round-the-clock staffing. ``It's not a waste of money when someone needs the care. We are committed to the transition of patients in accord with regulatory requirements Regulatory requirements are part of the process of drug discovery and drug development. Regulatory requirements describe what is necessary for a new drug to be approved for marketing in any particular country. in a way that doesn't compromise their condition,'' said John Wallace John Wallace may refer to:
The county closed down High Desert's inpatient wards and converted the hospital to an outpatient facility July 1 to cut costs. After the closure, there were about a half-dozen inpatients left, between three to four skilled nursing patients and two in the tuberculosis ward, union officials said. The last patient was sent to another facility last week, leaving only the tuberculosis patient in the hospital, said Sarah Speck, a hospital supervising clerk and union steward Union Steward (aka Shop Steward) is the title of an official position within the organizational hierarchy of a labor union. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that rank-and-file members of the union hold this position voluntarily (through democratic election by fellow workers . Wallace said the tuberculosis patient's transfer will occur within the next few days. The cost to care for the patient was not available, but Speck estimated the cost at thousands of dollars a month for dietary services alone. ``They aren't saving one penny by closing the hospital and converting it to a glorified glo·ri·fy tr.v. glo·ri·fied, glo·ri·fy·ing, glo·ri·fies 1. To give glory, honor, or high praise to; exalt. 2. clinic,'' Speck said. Health care industry officials said High Desert is fulfilling its duty to place patients at other facilities before closing down totally. ``They have to make arrangements for the transfer and or discharge of all patients before they can close the door to being an inpatient facility. If there are any patients left, that's ... the process they are going through,'' said Jim Lott, executive vice president of the Hospital Association of Southern California Southern California, also colloquially known as SoCal, is the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Centered on the cities of Los Angeles and San Diego, Southern California is home to nearly 24 million people and is the nation's second most populated region, , which represents more than 200 hospitals. ``Every hospital that closes has an obligation to place all of its patients before it literally closes the door,'' Lott said. But if there is only one patient there, Lott recommended a cost-benefit analysis cost-benefit analysis In governmental planning and budgeting, the attempt to measure the social benefits of a proposed project in monetary terms and compare them with its costs. to see whether it's cheaper to pay to send that patient to another hospital than to maintain full staffing. ``Intuitively, one would think it would be less expensive to transfer the patient to a hospital and pay for it than to keep the hospital open,'' Lott said. Speck said employees were transferred to other county facilities when the hospital was closed, but the county had to rescind To declare a contract void—of no legal force or binding effect—from its inception and thereby restore the parties to the positions they would have occupied had no contract ever been made. rescind v. some of the transfers because the hospital still had patients. Speck said the hospital's license has been extended to care for inpatients. ``There's a licensure licensure (lī´s  nsh extension in place. They can't take any admits, but they can run and maintain it until all patients are discharged,'' Speck said. Karen Maeshiro, (661) 267-5744 karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com |
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