Melissa Adrouny, MD/MBA
Ob/gyn
11/18/24
San Jose City Council
City Hall
200 East Santa Clara Street
San Jose, CA 95113
Dear San Jose City Council Members,
Subject: Support for Item 10.2 PDC22-132 & ER23-041 - Planned Development Rezoning of the Good Samaritan Hospital Site on Certain Real Property Located at 2333 and 2425 Samaritan Drive.
I am writing to express my strong support for the seismic retrofitting proposal for Good Samaritan Hospital. As a physician with 8 years of experience in this facility. It is critical that this proposal is approved in order to keep Good Samaritan Hospital open and in service to the San Jose community.
I have had the good fortune of growing up in Los Gatos my entire life. My father, Richard Adrouny, was a well respected oncologist in the community for 30 years and was proud to care for his patient at Good Samaritan Hospital. I have fond memories of tagging along with him to make rounds on weekends and have attended many community events that have been held over the years.
The positive impact of the services that Good Samaritan Hospital provides to patients cannot be stated enough and if this project is not approved, it stands to impact several patients and residents in a negative way by taking away critical service lines from our community.
The proposed retrofitting aligns with state requirements aimed at enhancing the safety and structural integrity of healthcare facilities, ensuring that we meet mandated standards.
I strongly urge you to approve this proposal. By doing so, we not only comply with state requirements but ensure the hospital remains operational for the residents of San Jose.
Thank you for your commitment to the residents of San Jose.
Sincerely,
Melissa Adrouny, MD/MBA
Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
City of San Jose
200 East Santa Clara Street
San Jose, CA 95113
Sent via electronic mail
RE:
Our community is in a mental health crisis - The City of San Jose and must prevent the Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) from making it worse. We must hold HCA accountable before Approving any of HCA’s Proposals for Good Samaritan Hospital
Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers:
We are asking for the creation of a Patient Protection Fund from HCA Healthcare to show their commitment to equitable healthcare services.
HCA Healthcare needs
to meet with community members and City Councilmembers to negotiate the Patient Protection Fund that will
restore acute psychiatric beds at Good Samaritan Hospital and will provide funds to restore any future services being divested from. The Patient Protection Fund must also have community oversight for how it is spent.
As it currently stands, the Planning Commission rejected HCA’s plans at Good Samaritan hospital because of their systematic divestment from communities across San Jose. By creating a fund with community oversight, HCA can prove that they will be good actors for the City moving forward.
The Planning Commission makes recommendations to the City Council on:
● Adoption or amendment of the General Plan and specific and redevelopment plans for the future physical development of the City; ● Adoption or amendment of land use and redevelopment regulations, including zoning and subdivision;
● Adoption of the Capital Improvement Program; and,
● Other duties as provided by the City Council.
We requested that the Planning Commissioners review the following Sections of the
Envision San Jose 2040 General Plan and
have HCA respond to the following
before the Commission makes any recommendations to the City:
Chapter 4, page 42, Health Care - Good access to quality medical services is an important resource for San José residents, advancing the Vision and the Healthful Community City Design Concept. The provision of quality medical care to the San José community furthers the Healthful Neighborhoods, Innovative Economy, Quality Education & Services, and Diversity & Social Equity Vision Elements. Access to medical services via public transportation is critical to promote equity and also furthers the Interconnected City and Environmental Leadership Vision Elements. While the City does not provide health care services, a healthful community has a higher quality of life and is more productive, therefore, facilitating the provision of health care services is an important goal for the City. The goals, policies, and actions in this section support the development of health care facilities and services for all in the San José community.
Chapter 4, page 42, Goal ES-6 – Access to Medical Services - Provide for the health care needs of all members of the San José community.
Policies – Access to Medical Services – Provide for the health care needs of all members of the San Jose community.
Chapter 4, page 42, Section ES-6.1 - Facilitate the development of new and promote the preservation and enhancement of existing health care facilities that meet all the needs of the entire San José community.
HCA’s model of health care services does not meet the needs of the San Jose community.
HCA has a pattern of divesting in specific underserved areas in San Jose.
HCA divested in San Jose Hospital and eventually closed the hospital.
About 4 years ago, HCA closed the maternity care services at Regional Hospital and at the beginning of 2024, proposed closing the trauma center and related services by August 2024.
HCA is currently divesting from Regional Hospital and selling it to Santa Clara County.
In 2023, HCA closed the mental health services and pediatric intensive care services at Good Samaritan Hospital. How long will it be before HCA leaves Good Samaritan Hospital and, again, disrupt the Santa Clara County Healthcare System? Chapter 4, pages 42-43, Section ES-6.2 - Maintain and update the Envision General Plan Land Use Transportation / Diagram as necessary to provide sufficient opportunities for hospitals and medical care facilities to locate in San José. Consider locating health care and medical service facilities, including hospitals, in residential, commercial, Urban Village, mixed use, Downtown, Transit Employment Center, Combined Industrial/Commercial, Industrial Park, and Public/Quasi-Public designations.
Compare how many hospitals are in the East Side Santa Clara County area and those in the West Side Santa Clara County area.
There is only one hospital in the East Side
while there are at least 6 hospitals in the West Side Santa Clara County.
Chapter 4, page 43, Section ES – 6.3 - Recognizing that healthcare is a regional issue that crosses jurisdictional boundaries, work with the County, non-profits, and other governmental and non-governmental organizations to ensure that adequate, affordable health care facilities are available for all San José residents.
Per this section of the Envision San Jose 2040 General Plan, we are requesting that the
City of San Jose work with Santa Clara County, our group of non-profit organizations, and HCA to ensure that adequate, affordable health care facilities are available for all San Jose residents.
Chapter 4, page 43, Section ES – 6.6 – Encourage the location of health care facilities and hospitals in areas that are underserved and lack health care facilities.
This Section asks the Planning Commission and the City to consider the location of health care facilities and hospitals in areas that are underserved and lack health care facilities.
HCA has done exactly the opposite and is divesting from Regional Hospital.
Chapter 4, page 43, Section ES – 6.7 – Discourage health care facilities or hospitals in areas where their operations can have adverse impacts on surrounding uses or where surrounding uses can have adverse impacts on health care facility patients, workers, or visitors.
HCA’s operations have clearly impacted patients, workers, and the surrounding communities both at Regional and Good Samaritan Hospitals.
HCA’s proposals should
be denied or delayed until they provide the Commission, the City, indirectly, the community with what services will be available to the community, based on HCA’s proposed changes to the current hospital infrastructure.
What other services are they
planning to cut as part of their new design?
Chapter 4, page 43, Section ES – 6.10 – Encourage potential hospital facilities to consider the impacts of a new facility on existing hospitals’ service areas, demands, and capacities.
HCA clearly does not care that they damaged the reputation of Regional Hospital and that they have disrupted the Santa Clara County Healthcare System by having the
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FW: Letter from the Behavioral Health Contractors' Association regarding 11-19-24 Agenda Item 10.2 From City Clerk <[email protected]>
Date Tue 11/19/2024 7:43 AM
To Agendadesk <[email protected]>
1 attachment (324 KB)
BHCA Letter to SJ City Council re Item 10.2 on 11-19-24 Agenda.pdf;
From: Elisa Koff-Ginsborg < >
Sent: Monday, November 18, 2024 5:31 PM
To: The Office of Mayor Ma Mahan <[email protected]>; District1 <[email protected]>; District2 <[email protected]>; District3 <[email protected]>; District4 <[email protected]>; District5 <[email protected]>; District 6 <[email protected]>; District7 <[email protected]>; District8 <[email protected]>; District9 <[email protected]>; District 10 <[email protected]>; City Clerk <[email protected]>
Subject:
Le er from the Behavioral Health Contractors' Associa on regarding 11-19-24 Agenda Item 10.2
You don't often get email from . Learn why this is important A ached please fi nd a le er from the Behavioral Health Contractors' Associa on (BHCA) regarding item 10.2 Good Samaritan Hospital on the 11-19-24 Council agenda.
Elisa
--
Elisa Koff-Ginsborg
Execu ve Director
Pronouns: She, Her, Hers
11/19/24, 9:49 AM Mail - Agendadesk - Outlook
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Behavioral Health Contractors’ Association
of Santa Clara County
Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers
City of San Jose
200 East Santa Clara Street
San Jose, CA 95113
Sent via electronic mail
November 18, 2024
Dear Mayor and City Councilmembers:
In early 2022, Santa Clara County adopted a resolution declaring mental health and substance abuse a public health crisis in Santa Clara County.
Since that time, nonprofit providers have been part of a comprehensive response to address the mental health and substance use treatment needs of County residents. T ogether with the County, local cities, and private providers we have worked to strengthen and expand our continuum of care that is an essential element for vulnerable residents to get the right care for their needs. At the same time that so many people and organizations have been working to expand the continuum of care, HCA has undertaken efforts that do the opposite.
Patients with the most acute needs require hospitalization in order to stabilize and be able to take advantage of community based care. T oo often Santa Clara county residents were having to go to other jurisdictions -- far from their families and support networks – to find acute care due to insufficient treatment options. HCA added to this difficult situation by closing Good Samaritan Hospital’s 18 inpatient beds.
HCA’s actions have also contributed to the worsening of our community’s mental health. Constant worry about potential health problems and the inability to seek treatment can lead to high levels of stress and anxiety.
Feeling overwhelmed by a lack of control over one's health, coupled with the inability to address physical symptoms, can contribute to depressive symptoms.
Item 10.2 on the agenda offers the City Council the opportunity to do it’s part toward addressing the behavioral health emergency and hold HCA accountable to start addressing rather than exacerbating the emergency.
HCA needs to join all of us to strengthen the continuum of care - not deplete it.
2 The creation of a Patient Protection Fund from HCA Healthcare would show their commitment to equitable healthcare services. HCA Healthcare needs to meet with community members and City Councilmembers to negotiate the Patient Protection Fund that will support the restoration of acute psychiatric beds and will provide funds to restore any future services being divested from.
The Patient Protection Fund must also have community oversight for how it is spent.
The Behavioral Health Contractors’ Association (BHCA) urges you to follow the Planning Commission’s lead and reject HCA’s current plans at Good Samaritan hospital because of their systematic divestment from communities across San Jose while providing a venue for HCA to prove their commitment to being part of the solution through a community patient protection fund.
Sincerely,
Elisa Koff-Ginsborg
Executive Director