Measure H Passes with Overwhelming support

Yes, it will. All hospitals that don't meet standards have to be retrofitted or replaced by 2030 or the State will close its doors. It is not expected that the date will be moved back.

However, the state has realized that small, rural hospitals such as CIH are struggling to meet this deadline and they've offered a short extension. We have applied for the extension and are awaiting final confirmation. If approved, our new deadline would be January 1, 2033.

Nope. Only 5%-8% of ER patients are transferred to a hospital overtown by helicopter. Our ER and hospital are filling a real need in our community.

Absolutely not. CI Health does not have the intention of developing an outpatient plastic surgery center. The hospital does desire to develop a small operating room for outpatient procedures. Primary services that will be provided are endoscopy, orthopedics, GYN, and ophthalmology. NO FUNDS will be utilized to subsidize plastic surgery.

CI Health will contract with any insurance company that offers a fair and reasonable contract. It was disappointing that CI Health had to cancel the contract with THIPA. CI Health cannot provide care for free to large insurance companies and subsidize the profits of Torrance Memorial Medical Center. All patients will be seen for emergency services and all insurance companies cover the use of the Emergency Department for emergency care.

Projected costs are in line with what hospitals cost to build. The State of California requires healthcare facilities to be constructed at much higher standard than most buildings. Plus, healthcare equipment and materials are much more expensive than that of an average office building. Hospitals are also required to have system redundancies for electricity, water, and internet access that save lives.

An urgent care center will not meet the needs of Catalina and it will be extremely difficult to recruit and retain physicians to staff an urgent care. Primary care physicians, Family Practice, will not be willing to come to Catalina without the support services of a functioning Emergency Department. Family Practice Physicians are not trained to care for the patients with emergency needs, nor is the clinic designed or staffed for the patients that will come to the clinic. Family Practice physicians will not be willing to accept the responsibility or liability of providing care to acute cardiac, stroke or other emergency conditions. In addition, Paramedics will not transport to an urgent care center.

A standalone emergency department works well in a town where an emergency department will see 200- 300 patients a day. In order to have an emergency department it is necessary to have radiology and laboratory services. The volume levels of the emergency department are not large enough to have those services. In order to support radiology and laboratory the medical center needs to have a clinic, long-term care, acute care and new programs to create the volumes necessary to have an organization that supports itself financially.

Both the hospital and the city are financially audited by a Certified Public Accounting firm on an annual basis to ensure that funds are being spent appropriately in the manner they are designated.

The plans for the hospital are for residents and for visitors of the island. CI Health is not designing a facility to try to entice non-residents to come to the island for care.