Kern County Grand Jury • 2024-2025 • Agency Response

Report - North Kern South Tulare Hospital District

Published: May 15, 2025 10 pages
View Original PDF

Findings and Recommendations 16 findings

F1
The District is still incurring excessive legal expenses due to pending litigation. These expenses could limit the amount of funds allocated to patient care and are detrimental to the District’s bottom line.
No recommendations for this finding
F2
The Administration recently instituted a purchasing freeze in order to increase profitability. Medical items such as testing strips and diapers were to be rationed as needed. This puts patient welfare at risk.
No recommendations for this finding
F3
The sudden resignations of the CEO and the DDSNF Administrator possibly puts the District at risk of losing certification.
No recommendations for this finding
F4
Plans to build an assisted living facility have been placed on hold in order to allocate funds to improve the quality of life for patients at the skilled nursing facility. Because the census at the facility is at almost full capacity, the community may benefit from an assisted living facility in the future.
No recommendations for this finding
F5
The violations listed on the CDPH Inspection report may indicate that some staff members lack training needed to perform their duties.
No recommendations for this finding
F6
At the September 23, 2024 Board Meeting, the Grand Jury observed a Board Member making a derogatory comment toward a member of the public. This disrupted the meeting decorum and may have offended members of the public.
No recommendations for this finding
F7
The District generated an RFP to hire a forensic accountant. This should provide public transparency for how legal fees were spent for the years 2023 and 2024.
No recommendations for this finding
F8
The Bylaws state the Board Members have fiduciary responsibility to the public; some Board Members are unsure of how to interpret the District’s financial statements. They relied on the 2024 Board President to inform them of the financial status of the District. This could lead to misinformation being disseminated to the public.
No recommendations for this finding
F9
Although the District has a website with contact information and Board Meeting Agendas, there are still several links with limited information. The links to the previous Board Meetings for years 2022/2023 became corrupt. This could lead to public frustration as it is not user-friendly. 2024-2025 Kern County Grand Jury Report 6
No recommendations for this finding
F10
The 2024 District Board Members were not given adequate time to discuss the 2023- 2024 Grand Jury Report in an open forum. The response was drafted before any discussion had taken place. This weakens the commitment to public transparency.
No recommendations for this finding
F11
The 2024 District Board members struggled to have items placed on the agenda as the Board President frequently vetoed some items before approving the final version. This created frustration among Board Members and limited their ability to act in the best interests of the public.
No recommendations for this finding
F12
A private investigator was hired without public discussion and Board approval to investigate the residency of one Board Member. This contributes to a lack of transparency.
No recommendations for this finding
F13
Because the Board Member under investigation provided proof of residency to the Kern County Elections Department after being asked to do so, the private investigator hired to determine residency could be perceived as a waste of taxpayer dollars.
No recommendations for this finding
F14
According to the District Bylaws §3.1.3, Resignation and Removal, a vacancy can be declared if a Board Member resigns, misses three of five consecutive Board Meetings, as per California Health and Safety Code §32100.2, or by voter recall. Therefore, posting a vacancy on the November 2024 Agenda was premature and had no merit.
No recommendations for this finding
F15
The legal fees reported on financial statements in the Board Meeting packets were difficult to track. Check registers and income statements shown did not coincide. This makes it difficult for the public to monitor the District’s spending. Furthermore, when asked about high fluctuations in consulting fees, Administration did not provide adequate information as to what the fees were for.
No recommendations for this finding
F16
Neither a Code of Ethics Policy nor a Decorum Policy is published on the District’s website. This may lead to confusion for all stakeholders as to what is acceptable conduct within the District. COMMENTS The 2024-2025 Kern County Grand Jury would like to thank the District Administration, the Board, and the staff for their cooperation in the investigation. The District is serving the community and is working to expand services in the future. It appears the bleeding has slowed; however, the wounds need time to heal. There is still a need to stop the “BLAME GAME,” as noted in the 2023-2024 Kern County Grand Jury Report. SET PERSONAL AGENDAS ASIDE and focus on serving the community. It’s time to build a foundation that focuses on patient care as the common goal. 2024-2025 Kern County Grand Jury Report 7
No recommendations for this finding

Comments 3