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1st appeared 6 August 1999 Support Voiced for Restructuring UCSF Stanford The request by UC and Stanford presidents that their staffs review the structure of UCSF Stanford Health Care was greeted with support yesterday by members of the campus and community.
Haile Debas, dean of the School of Medicine, who is on sabbatical in Oxford, England, participated in Thursday's UCSF Stanford executive board meeting via telephone and is in full accord with the decision to reassess UCSF Stanford’s structure. Debas will also make a recommendation on the future of Mount Zion to UCSF Stanford at the board’s regular Aug. 27 meeting. "The goal is to try to work out a structure that will enhance and retain those activities that are in the best interests of UCSF and Stanford," said Neal Cohen, UCSF vice chair of anesthesia and chair of the faculty council. "For the UCSF School of Medicine, under the leadership of Dr. Debas and UCSF Stanford administration, the plan is to define a structure that will continue to support all the academic and clinical programs that are traditionally provided on the north campus and to optimize the efficiency of services at both Parnassus and Mount Zion." "Restructuring from the faculty perspective," Cohen says, "will allow us to determine the most effective use of the Mount Zion site since we acquired it to expand programs." At separate meetings held Thursday at Parnassus and Mount Zion, Bill Kerr, chief operating officer of UCSF Stanford, said that the reassessment process of UCSF Stanford and any decision on its restructuring is up to the parent universities. Under terms of the merger agreement, both the University of California and Stanford have the authority to determine the organizational structure, bylaws and to appoint the board of directors. Currently, both UCSF and Stanford have an equal economic interest in UCSF Stanford’s financial performance, assets and liabilities. The reassessment is expected to be completed and a decision made by October 1. Kerr said there is a sense that UCSF facilities may be able to benefit from state financial assistance if they were subject to public governance. "Regardless of our structure, our job continues to take the best care of patients as we can," Kerr said. "I think it’s fair to say that the vast majority of our work will proceed as usual." Members of the Mount Zion community hope the decision to reassess the merged structure will bode well for the 113-year-old hospital. "This is the most positive thing that could have happened in terms of preserving Mount Zion’s community hospital roles," said Ernest Ring, assistant chief medical officer and associate dean. "While it’s still not guaranteed that Mount Zion can be turned around, it’s now possible if we can marshal the state and community resources. Both the state legislators and community have been outspoken in their support of Mount Zion and I hope we can convert that into action." Ring’s biggest concern, he says, is staff morale. "People are leaving," he said. While several nurses have resigned to find jobs elsewhere, physician activity is harder to gauge, Ring says. Ring and Jeffrey Pearl, chief of staff, met with Mount Zion employees last Friday to share the latest developments. "It was the first time I felt truly optimistic that we had a chance of keeping Mount Zion open," Ring said. Ring hopes that the recommendation on Mount Zion will take into account the suggestions mentioned in the report from Lee Goldman, associate dean for clinical affairs and UCSF faculty representative to the UCSF Stanford board of directors. That report suggests that Mount Zion be converted into a hospital that specializes in women’s and children’s services, cancer care and community services. And although Mount Zion still faces uncertainty, Ring says faculty and staff appreciate the level of interest in the hospital. "It has been very heartwarming to receive the community support. The silver lining in all of this has been the kind of public outcry and attention Mount Zion has received. It really has highlighted the things that the faculty have come to admire about Mount Zion -- its tradition, its values and its role in community care." Senator Jackie Speier (D-San Francisco), who along with three other lawmakers called for a state audit of UCSF Stanford’s finances, says she’s concerned about maintaining the integrity of UCSF’s patient care, teaching and research. "These missions were quickly being eroded by a relationship that had different priorities and a level of mismanagement," she said. Speier says she believes the review will further Mount Zion’s chances of keeping its doors open. "I think the lifeline of Mount Zion is enhanced by this decision," she said. "I don’t know if it will continue to operate exactly the way it is today, but in terms of providing access to care to the underserved, it is far more secure under a UCSF leadership than a UCSF Stanford leadership." Speier says she will schedule a public hearing on UCSF Stanford in the next week or two. Links: UCSF and Stanford to Reassess the Merger Atkinson and Casper Letter to UCSF Stanford Board Mount Zion Supporters Breathe Sigh of Relief Board Postpones Decision on Fate of Mount Zion Daybreak UCSF Stanford archives Source: Lisa Cisneros, Newsbreak Editor |
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UCSF
faculty said they believe the reassessment will give UCSF more on-site
autonomy to plan for the future of the north campus hospitals -- UCSF
Medical Center and UCSF/Mount Zion -- and decide how services are delivered
across both sites.