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Financial Health of Hospital Questioned

Like any hospital in the country right now (as well as a lot of non-healthcare-related businesses), Mee Memorial Hospital is experiencing financial difficulties which have led to closing of the Mee Medical Pavilion offices which include the Mee at Paso Urgent Care and the new Cancer Center.

“For all our employees and trustees who have worked so hard to make Mee viable in north San Luis Obispo County, closing is quite difficult,” states Walt Beck, president and chief executive officer of Mee Health Systems and Mee Memorial Hospital, which is headquartered in King City.  “Our decision will allow Mee to focus on our capital and human resources for a more favorable situation in south Monterey County.  We continue to believe that we are on track to achieving the hospital’s overall financial performance objectives.”

Mee’s urgent care facility has been serving the Paso Robles area since November 2005, and saw patients on a walk-in basis without appointments, and provided ambulatory medical treatment for non-emergency injuries and illnesses – as an alternative to more costly and sometimes inconvenient emergency room services.  The new Cancer Center opened in October 2007 with plans to offer patients in the south Monterey and north San Luis Obispo counties treatment options for cancer and cancer-related disorders.

“While the community at large accepted Mee with open arms, the reception received from the local medical community has proved to be less than anticipated, which ultimately, has affected our ability to make the healthcare venture the success for which we originally planned,” says Beck.  “We will return to our core business efforts in the King City area and continue to find a way to reverse the financial woes currently being experienced at Mee.  Our belief is that we can accomplish this.  Many hospitals experience fiscal difficulties, and it is our job as hospital officials to reverse this situation through careful planning and pursuing programs aimed at boosting revenues.”

Within this past year, Mee Memorial Hospital expanded to be a 123-bed, two-story, not-for-profit healthcare facility where patients receive highly personalized care by knowledgeable and professional staffs and physicians that use state-of-the-art medical technology.

“At our core – our heart, if you will – we must continue to provide immediate access to the highest quality of healthcare services in the communities we serve,” says Beck.  “California has experienced more than 70 closings of hospitals in the last 10 years alone, and we continue to operate with ever-increasing challenges.  We know these challenges affect all businesses, which in turn affects every man, woman and child in the state.  There are fewer emergency rooms available, shortages in the highly skilled healthcare workforce, and earthquake safety requirements with which all hospitals must comply or be forced to close by 2013.  And there are no federal or state monies to support this mandate.  It’s no wonder every hospital is close to the breaking point.”

Mee Memorial Hospital and its facilities in south Monterey County will continue to be providers of care – the place where babies are born, where illnesses are treated and where individuals go in times of serious health problems.  Beck adds, “After all, Mee is a place where community members trust us with their lives.”

Mee Memorial Hospital is a 123-bed, not-for-profit hospital and the anchor facility of Mee Health Systems, a network of healthcare centers, clinics and outreach programs throughout King City, Greenfield, Soledad in southern Monterey County.  Mee Health Systems is committed to the wellness of the communities we serve, and providing access to comprehensive healthcare in a caring, professional and responsible environment.  To learn more about Mee and its facilities, visit www.meememorial.com.

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