Tanner Andrews,
P.O. Box 1208,
DeLand, FLA 32721.
West Volusia Hospital Authority,
Chairman and Commissioners:
Refs:
cert
#2403,
13-May-2002
Volusia Review
pg 19;
§197.122(1), F.S. (excerpted below);
Andrews
hosp0203.txt
of 29-May-2002;
Corbyons
[no file id]
letter of 01-Jun-2002 (not 02);
Andrews
hosp0204.txt
of 03-Jun-2002;
misc earlier Andrews letters, as cited.
I am pleased to provide updated information from the County and other sources that during the week of the tax sale, and more particularly on 31-May-2002, taxes were paid on the property relevant to the referenced certificate.
I am also informed by the County that it takes a few days to process those payments made during the week of tax sale, so that they may be reported ‘‘unpaid’’ for a few days following the sale. In fact, I believe the taxes were paid after my first cited letter, but before my second cited letter; the County had however not fully processed them so that the computer still reported them as unpaid when I called on 03-Jun.
I am glad that the taxes have been paid, even if it was two months late. However, we are still faced with the underlying problems: First, that the records of the Hospital are not open to inspection; Second, that we lack direct evidence of long term soundness of our hospital and its financial well being.
Our evidence to hand (deadbeat doctors closely allied to the hospital are paying their taxes very late) is discouraging. Either the docs are doing well, but are too cheap to pay, or they are not doing well, and thus can not timely pay. More direct evidence is hard to obtain. A concerned citizen or Board member can look at the lack of census numbers, lack of patient mix information, lack of expense and revenue projections, lack of debt service coverage information, &c., and be left with uncertainty about the Hospital’s future.
You will recall that it took about five and a half years for Ormond’s collapse to become public. We knew in advance that it was likely: see hosp9605.txt, 05-Nov-1996; hosp9702.txt, 19-Jan-1997; hosp9802.txt, 01-Jun-1998; hosp9902.txt, 22-Mar-1999; hosp9929.txt, 30-Dec-1999; hosp0004.txt, 24-Feb-2000.
We had an advantage there, however, in that the facility reverted to the public in case of failure: there was no motivation for Ormond to fail.
Contrast the present situation, where the facility does not return to the public. Worse: if Adventist manages to cause our hospital to fail, they are then free to move our beds (Certificate of Need) to another facility or even to sell them. In short, Adventist is motivated to fail, that they may steal our beds away. It is vital, therefore, that we watch every sign and indicator that is available, in order to do what we can to protect our taxpayer-constructed Hospital.
Without making any actual statement, Corbyons seems to suggest that our hospital is now solvent. However, neither he nor Adventist Health Systems offer any evidence for that proposition. I suggest that the Authority seek such evidence, that we avoid surprises.
Yours,
Tanner Andrews
CC: Steve Deluca / Delco Oil / ... / DeLand 32720
CC: Sidney Pittman / ... / Deltona 32738
CC: Danny Gainin / ... / DeLand 32720
CC: Rick Tonyan / DeLand Beacon
CC: Tom Corbyons / ... / DeLand 32720
Posting of this letter is
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P.O. Box 1208,
DeLand 32721,