Lee Health conversion: Benefit or detriment to Lee County citizens?

Based on my review and research of the Lee Health Conversion proposal, I believe it to be detrimental to Lee County citizens.

I filed this Notice of Objections to our duly elected Board of Lee County Commissioners regarding the Lee Health Conversion Plan from a public hospital to a not for profit private hospital.

My objections:

The citizens of Lee County will no longer be the primary stakeholders and shareholders of Lee Health per Florida statutes and its charter which has been the case since 1968.

The citizens of Lee County will not be allowed to vote for board members to represent the public interest versus private generated agendas and initiatives.

Lee citizens will be barred from governance per the Sunshine Amendment (FS 112, 119), there will be no requirement for advertised meetings/agendas and or open meetings/public comments, no financial disclosure of board members will be required, nor will citizens be able to make public records requests which hold Lee Health to be transparent, accountable and responsible as to their organization and operations.

To date Lee Health has failed to provide the citizens, its stake holders, a total accounting of its assets and real property owned outside of the county.  Lee Health has been requested per FS 119 to provide that information and has failed to do so.

I find it disingenuous and objectionable that Lee Health’s primary reasons for wanting to convert rests on fiction rather than facts.  Lee Health falsely claims that conversion will allow them to expand their market share outside the county.Fact: Lee Health is currently providing health and rehabilitative services in Charlotte, Collier and Hendry counties.

Lee Health purports that conversion will enable them to increase their profit margin. Fact: Lee Health’s profit margin as a public hospital is recognized as being healthy and is run effectively and efficiently by US News and World Report.  Lee Health recently received by the governor the Sterling Award for Best in its Organization and Operations and sustainable service to its community.

Lee Health bemoans as fact that not going private hinders its recruitment efforts.  Fact: According to Lee Health’s consulting firm Kaufman, it states in its report on page 54, by going private will hinder recruiting efforts. Note because of the loss of sovereign immunity per Lee Health’s conversion plan it will undoubtedly cause increased malpractice insurance costs that will result in a rise in patient costs.

Fact: Lee Health introduced a new funding plan called the Lee County Local Participation Fund (LCLPF) to the Lee County Board of County Commissioners meeting on July 30, 2024. Lee Health never brought up the LCLPF in their public hearings/final vote, nor in their submitted and draft Proposal Covenant Documents.

The purpose of the Lee Health’s plan, according to Dr. Raymond Kordonowy, a physician, is ”basically a work around to reclaim federal dollars that will be allowed to disband its Public District Charter.”

The bottom line is that Lee Health’s plan has saddled and burdened the commissioners with another task.This new task is that the Commission must come to terms with them; reviewing and considering how to keep their promise to provide “in perpetuity a safety net for the for the public.” (Dr. Kordonowy, August, 2024)

It is evident that the Commission “is now being instructed to start collecting levies from health care providers“ (Dr. Kordonowy, 2024).  Does collecting levies mean taxes, fees, charges?

It should be noted that the legality of the Lee County Local Participation Fund is now being reviewed by the Federal Office of the Inspector General.

The real question is: Will this conversion be a benefit or detriment to the citizens of Lee County?

The Lee County Commission will be meeting on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, at 9:30 a.m. to discuss the review of its staff findings regarding Lee Health’s proposal.

Steve Maxwell, MPA, EdD, is a resident of Sanibel.

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Lee Health conversion: Benefit or detriment to Lee County citizens?