Grossmont Nursing Program to Start in January
Moody’s Investors Service, a New York-based rating service, boosted Palomar Pomerado Health’s rating from “negative” to “stable” after the hospital system posted its first profit in three years.
The health system posted an $11.2 million profit for the fiscal year ended June 30, resulting from increased reimbursements from health plans, cost-cutting measures, and favorable year-end adjustments, according to Palomar Pomerado.
For fiscal 2000, Palomar Pomerado posted a $15.5 million loss in excess revenue over expenses, including non-operating income, which marked the second consecutive loss in two years.
For this fiscal year, Palomar Pomerado also posted a $1.5 million income from operations, which compares to a $20.6 million loss during the year before.
The health system’s chief executive, Norm Gruber, said it is a significant turnaround for the district’s 328-bed Palomar Medical Center and Poway’s 107-bed Pomerado Hospital.
Gruber attributed the achievement to the success in renegotiating managed-care contracts with major health plans, including Health Net, Aetna U.S. Healthcare, PacifiCare/Secure Horizons and Kaiser Permanente.
The district also saved money by no longer providing management services for Graybill Medical Group, a group of primary care physicians.
In addition to laying off some 25 people last year, Palomar Pomerado did not fill 130 vacant positions, said spokeswoman Tamara Hemmerly.
She said the positions were primarily in administration and not in patient care.
Still, more challenges remain, including anticipated costs of $123 million for both hospitals to meet state required earthquake retrofitting standards by 2008; new rules that may require hospitals to hire more nurses to ensure individual nurses take care of fewer patients per shift; and, Gruber added, keeping revenues up to support operating costs.
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New Nursing Program:
In January, Grossmont College will start a new weekend and evening program it hopes will help ease the region’s critical nursing shortage.
The Grossmont Healthcare District governing board approved a $78,000 grant on Oct. 19, which is enough money to get the program started.
Dana Quittner, a spokeswoman for the district, said the 18-month program is geared toward working adults who want to make a career change or boost their existing skills.
The grant will cover tuition costs, lab fees, textbooks and uniforms for 20 students, saving each student about $2,000, the district said.
Grossmont College has 158 students in the nursing program and 170 students on the waiting list. The new program will get students off the waiting list and into the workforce sooner, Quittner said.
“We want to get students trained and working as fast as possible,” said Dr. Elisabeth Hamel, the college’s associate dean of health professionals in a written statement.
The nurses will graduate with a two-year degree in nursing and qualify to work as “bedside nurses,” but not in management, Quittner said.
Quittner said the accelerated program will be tough, but is confident dedicated students will succeed. She said the equivalent day program has shown a “fantastic pass rate.”
Quittner said in order to support the program the board must allocate more funding. She said board members will follow through next July.
“The waiting list is so long and the shortage is so severe that we will get the money,” Quittner said.
Hamel will also approach Alvarado Hospital and Sharp Healthcare to fund the program.
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