As a Desert Regional Medical Center physician specializing in thoracic surgery, I am writing in strong support of the Desert Regional lease purchase agreement that is under consideration by the Desert Healthcare District Board. I have been on staff at Desert Regional for 12 years after relocating to the Coachella Valley from New York. I can tell you, I would not want to work anywhere else. Our public hospital provides a Level 1 trauma center, a nationally recognized cancer center, a comprehensive stroke center and offers the highest level of newborn care in the valley. We have a care team focused on bringing the best results to our patients throughout our community.
Eisenhower Health, a hospital that competes with Desert Regional, said at the district’s July 11 meeting that it plans to challenge the lease purchase agreement because it wants access to lease dollars to fund its own expansion. That makes no sense. And it could financially hurt Desert Regional, which will continue to be owned by the district for the next 30 years.
I have listened to stories from colleagues who worked at Desert Hospital before the lease in 1997. The hospital was deeply in debt and on the verge of closing. However, Tenet’s lease turned things around. They invested hundreds of millions of dollars to create advanced services with expert teams who keep our community healthy and safe.
We have to protect our public hospital.
The proposed agreement means they will invest even more. A lot more. We are talking about nearly $1 billion for the Coachella Valley: $650 million for the district to grant to local organizations that are helping expand access to health care; $220 million to keep Desert Regional compliant with new seismic regulations; and $60 million to expand the emergency room at JFK Memorial Hospital in Indio where I am also on the medical staff. This is a significant investment for our community to lose if the agreement does not move forward. I am proud to be a physician at Desert Regional and JFK – and I encourage the district board to approve this agreement so that we can continue providing our community with high quality health care they expect and deserve.
Eric R. Presser, M.D., is a thoracic surgeon, on the medical staff and the governing board of Desert Regional Medical Center. He can be reached at the 760-416-4800 or via email at epresser10@gmail.com.