Monday, October 25, 2010

The 5 projects listed on the MOU between "SU and City"

The five projects that were made public back on November 6, 2009 are the following:
 
·        Creating a new entrance to Winchester and Shenandoah University from Millwood Avenue.

·        Examining the tennis and basketball courts in the city park to improve usage and safety for the university and city residents.

·        Renovating and programming for the amphitheater in the park.

·        Examining and improving traffic flow around Jubal Early Drive and Millwood Avenue.

·        Creating housing, classrooms, and/or performance spaces in the downtown area. 


The two articles were in print on November 6th and 13th of 2009 in the Winchester Star.


Building benefits
City, SU to cooperate on renovation projects
11/06/2009

http://winchesterstar.com/pages/view/build.html

Council to honor FOIA regulations
Aug. 18 closed session violated meeting rules
11/13/2009
http://winchesterstar.com/pages/view/foia.html

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

WMC had a profit total of $311.7 million for years 2000-2008

Just discovered this website: http://www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#, that had profit figures that were documented for years 2000-2004 as the Winchester Medical Center had a 9yr profit total of $311.7 million during years 2000-2008.

2000 $11,917,127
(per www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2001 $4,262,944
(per www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2002 $25,868,766
(per www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2003 $35,113,921
(per www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2004 $46,711,931
(per www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2005 $54,346,679
(per IRS990 & www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2006 $57,422,789
(per IRS990 & www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2007 $66,617,961
(per IRS990 & www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2008 $9,500,911
(per IRS990 & www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2009 N/A

Total: $311,763,029
WMC's profits 2000-2008










To download a 11x17 PDF file of this information on the Winchester Medical Center, click of the following document: Winchester Medical Center financials 2000thru2006_via_www.faqs.org.pdf

Monday, October 11, 2010

A Handbook of The Winchester Public Schools (The Handley Schools)

History on the only endowed public school system in the United States, the John Handley Foundation.

A Handbook of The Winchester Public Schools (The Handley Schools)

(Judge Handley also left money that constructed the Frederick Douglass school which this author did not share)

Thursday, October 7, 2010

No pay increases for Nurses/staff at WMC since 2007?

According to sources inside the Winchester Medical Center, nurses/staff have not received a "cost of living increase" since 2007. 

There is some conflicting information whether or not the nurses/staff were promised a pay increase after meeting the Magnet Designation announced back on September 16, 2008 and more recently, another pay increase for the nurses/staff meeting the American Hospital Association requirements.

The perception is that due to the lack of pay increases is the reason why some nurses who reside in Winchester and Frederick County are leaving the WMC and going across the mountain for better pay.

For the record, The Pub has advocated that the nurses and blue collar workers are under compensated.  Reference this link dated October 14, 2009 ...


The “Winchester Medical Center” has been very profitable for years 2000-2008:
2000 $11,917,127
(per www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2001 $4,262,944
(per www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2002 $25,868,766
(per www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2003 $35,113,921
(per www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2004 $46,711,931
(per www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2005 $54,346,679
(per IRS990 & www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2006 $57,422,789
(per IRS990 & www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2007 $66,617,961
(per IRS990 & www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2008 $9,500,911
(per IRS990 & www.faqs.org/tax-exempt/VA/Winchester-Medical-Center.html#)
2009 N/A


Maybe the short comings in WMC’s profits in 2008 led to the Valley Health officials in not giving a "cost of living" pay increases for the nurses/staff.  Based on these figures above, it's the only thing that seems logical.

But for some WMC and VHS executives, they still received some type of pay increase from 2007 to 2008 and most notable, the former CEO/PRES compensation package increases.
Valley Health System's Top Salaries and Top Contractors

For the record, there has been no rebuttal featured in the Winchester Star toward Mrs. Luttrell's commentary since it appeared in print on January 17, 2009.

Short of nurses

I am writing this letter concerning the Jan. 10 article in The Star headlined “Nonprofit paradox.” I understand the “pie” Valley Health community benefit. I understand the hospital is a nonprofit hospital. But the
Winchester Medical Center is very short of nurses.

Several times when my husband has been a patient, I overhear in the hallways, “We are short this shift.” There has been one nurse at a time on a floor to handle 12 rooms. That is one reason, as a care-giver, I stay 24/7.

The point I am getting to is the CEO and administrators whose salaries were posted in the paper could take a lesser pay and see that the money goes to the nursing income. This would make it more inviting to the nursing community to nurse there.

I know of several nurses who are leaving the area because of the pay. These people who get these big salaries have only a medical back ground in books. They are not like the nurses who take care of patients to see they are well. They are short-paid!

I think this “nonprofit” hospital needs to reline its incomes to help the community get more nurses and pay them well enough to want to stay here.

I am not saying my husband did not get good care, because he did. But I was with him 24/7 during his stay. I welcome any response to this letter. If I am wrong, please do not hesitate to answer.


FRANCES LUTTRELL Frederick County
January 17, 2009
Winchester Star's Letter to Editor

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Breaking down VHS's 2008 Community Benefit figure of $58,349,282

Does the majority of the local citizenry even understand the meaning of this huge "community benefit" number?

To get a better understanding how the Valley Health System's 2008 $58,349,282 regional community benefit was derived, the following Schedule H's for WMC, Hampshire Mem'l and Warren Mem'l Hospitals will help to break it down per hospital.

Warren Memorial Hospital, 2008 Schedule H Community Benefit breakdown 

Hampshire Memorial Hospital, 2008 Schedule H 

Winchester Medical Center, 2008 Schedule H

Valley Health's 2009 Community Benefit Report

The 2009 Community Benefit report featured in the Winchester Star did not have a line that read "Excess of Revenue over Expenses (Profit)".  Valley Health Systems profits for 2004-2007 were as follows: $42,613,000; $53,800,000; $59,432,000; $62,803,000 and a loss of $42,000 in 2008.  Valley Health Systems had a five year profit total of $218,606,000 from 2004-2008 per information shared by a VHS official in December of 2009.

The perception is that VHS is taking huge profits made locally in Winchester and spending on an average of $30-35million for new hospitals in Page County, Romney, WV and Berkeley Springs, WV while previously enjoying the tax break perks from the City of Winchester.  Is this fair to the local taxpayers?

Will these much smaller regional hospitals just become medical bus stops for the Winchester Medical Center campus?

Please note ... Page Mem'l and Shenandoah Mem'l IRS990 did not provide a Schedule H in 2008.  The Winchester Surgi-Center was not part of VHS until March 1, 2010.  The 2009 IRS990's are not yet available to breakdown Valley Health's total community benefit of $71.3 million.


Valley Health's statement on the regional communities that it serves:

WMC provides a range of services for its communities which includes clinics and support programs.

All of these items give patients access to leading edge technology and state of the art service, and to experience high quality patient care that is close to where they live.

These activities are overseen by WMC's BOD's, comprised mainly of independent community members.

The population has increased from the previous year from 951,209 to 959,447 in 2008.

The female population for 2007 was 479,624 and the male population was 471,585 in 2007.

The population numbers for 2008 show that females increased to 483,523 and the male population increased to 475,924 for 2008.

The regional community that VH serves is widely diverse.  The regional community racial ethnic breakdown in the communities served by VH is as follows: 84.2% White, 4.8% Black, 1.7% Asian, 1.5% Multiracial, 1.2% other, 0.2% Native American and 3.3% Hispanic for 2008.

The total population per race or ethnicity increased significantly from 2007.  Give the general location of facilities, WMC serves several migrant worker communities during harvesting of crops for the local farmers.

There is also an aging population that WMC serves with several of its communities.  As the baby boomers grow older, more and more medical care will be needed and provided by WMC.




WVU-H East offers more than ‘bus stop’
September 27, 2009 - By Albert Pilkington III, president and CEO, WVU Hospitals-East, Martinsburg

Valley Health has spent a lot of money and time to develop a PR campaign aimed at discrediting our interest in providing health care for the citizens of Morgan County. Beyond all the rhetoric, I ask you to simply consider one basic concept. Do you want a hospital in Berkeley Springs or a medical bus stop for Valley Health?

Ultimately, that is the real question. Our approach will be the same as it has been in Jefferson County in that we believe in building and growing services within the community as opposed to the Valley Health model of using small hospitals as a feeding system for the big hospital in Winchester, Va.

If you are satisfied with driving to Winchester for the majority of your medical needs as if Berkeley Springs were a suburb of Winchester, then we are not your best choice. On the other hand, if you are interested in the development of your own unique community with services provided locally, then that is the approach we offer for health care.

Truly, beyond all the PR and rhetoric, this is the only real question at hand as both companies will give you a new building.

VHS hospitals profit/losses for 2006, 2007 and 2008


2006 2007 2008
Total:
Warren Mem'l 2,680,781 2,245,851 -1,222,867
3,703,765






Winchester Medical Center 57,422,678 66,617,963 9,500,911 133,541,552






Shenandoah Mem'l3,933,2301,933,1931,689,374
7,555,797






Valley Health (Corp. Mgmt)-7,559,599-9,210,808-9,725,512
-26,495,919


















Figures obtained via IRS990's











VHS purchased Page Memorial




effective 1/1/2009
433,956 331,956 -367,694
398,218