By KATHERINE PETERSEN
Four members of the El Camino Hospital District Board on Dec. 20 named a fifth board member and officially served its conflict of interest lawsuit against Camino Healthcare. The lawsuit was filed Oct. 30 in Santa Clara County Superior Court.
The district board voted 3-1 to appoint Peter Pollock to fill the position vacated on Oct. 26 by former board member Dale Brown. Board member Dianna Adair dissented.
Brown's resignation came just after the board decided to pursue litigation against Camino Healthcare to void the 1992 transfer of the hospital from a public entity to a nonprofit corporation. Board president Dr. Paul Hoar and members Mark O'Connor and Dr. Dominick Curatola approved the motion. Dianna Adair dissented. Brown abstained.
O'Connor said Pollock was his first choice among five applicants to replace Brown because of his familiarity with the issues. Pollock is a homemaker who manages the medical practice of his wife, Dr. Susan Hansen, a neurologist who contracts with El Camino Hospital.
"He has been attending meetings and reading minutes. He has a firm grasp of the issues. We're at a critical time where we needed someone who could jump right on board," O'Connor said.
Pollock, 53, said he shares his wife's concern for the future of El Camino Hospital and the quality of care at that community institution. "I tend to stay fairly alert with things happening in my community," he said.
Pollock said he hopes the district board and the Camino Healthcare board of directors can work matters out amicably, but if it comes to all-out combat, the facts will speak for themselves.
"I hope from the bottom of my heart it does not come to that because it will hurt the institution. But, in my opinion, the alternative would be worse," said Pollock, who holds a law degree from the University of California, Berkeley, School of Law.
Pollock said Camino Healthcare had been sending mixed signals.
"They said they wanted to settle matters amicably yet have not been forthcoming with information. They're talking peace, but haven't seemed to be cooperative so far," he said.
O'Connor agreed, adding that the district board has met with the Camino Healthcare board of directors, but negotiations were fruitless.
"They seemed to feel that any changes we made meant we were trying to destroy the integrated delivery system. There seemed no reason to talk unless we agreed with them that no fundamental changes were necessary," O'Connor said.
He said the integrated delivery system could continue, but it is necessary to neutralize the hospital. He said the hospital needs to be a place where all physicians are welcome and treated equally.
Arian Dasmalchi, a spokeswoman for Camino Healthcare, said this is an unfortunate situation that Camino Healthcare had tried to avoid through discussions.
In a statement issued Dec. 21, Doug Usher, chairman of the Camino Healthcare board, said: "We were very disappointed with the district board's decision to sue the Camino Healthcare community board, especially after our repeated attempts to resolve issues with the district board members.
"I do not believe there were any conflicts of interests at the time of the district re-organization, and I know that everyone involved in creating Camino Healthcare did so with public support to protect the future of El Camino Hospital. I feel this litigation is a waste of money that should be used for community health services."
Camino Healthcare is a nonprofit public benefit corporation governed by six volunteer community members and three physicians who practice in the community. Camino Healthcare was introduced in September 1994 and is the result of joining El Camino Hospital with Camino Medical Group, a physicians group made up of Sunnyvale Medical Clinic and Shoreline Medical Group.
This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, January 3, 1996
©1996 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.