What A Pain

I was hoping that my last spinal fusion would bring the end to my back pain. Dr. David Tahernia of Desert Orthopedic Center/Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage said the fusion of lumbar 5 to sciatic should stop the gut wrenching pain in my back that also radiated down my left leg.

I vowed after the second spinal fusion that I would not undergo another surgery. Pain has a way of eroding the spirit as well as causing one to make any decisions that could make the pain go away. True to his word, Dr. Tahernia did fuse and fix the issue at hand. He also warned me that the pain in my back might not completely go away. Again he was right.

After much physical therapy I was beginning to think my back was fixed and I could resume what I hoped would be a renewed quality of life. Dr. Tahernia was correct; my back pain returned; probably worse than before. Needles to say, I was distraught.

Through recommendations from the physical therapist and other people trying to find peace from back pain, I was introduced to Pain Management Partners: Dr. Devin Borna and Dr. Farzad Farrokhi. I knew I did not want to spend my remaining days becoming addicted to pain pills. I had been through epidural and facet injections before, with little positive results.

When shots were suggested, I was a bit skeptical but knew I needed to do something to give myself a chance to reduce my pain level. Much to my surprise and delight, these doctors, both anesthesiologists put the patient “under”, rather than having to be awake when a series of needles are injected into the back. Trust me; it is way more fun to not be awake.

If San Gorgonio Memorial Hospital issued a press release informing the world that Dr. Devin Borna became the chief of staff of the hospital on July 1, 2011… I missed it. This is great news for the hospital and great news for the Pass community. Not only is Dr. Borna proficient in what he does, he is dedicated to San Gorgonio Hospital.

Even though I know better than to engage any physician in stimulating conversation before he puts me under anesthesia and injects needles into my back, I still managed to talk about the future of San Gorgonio Hospital with Dr. Borna; him in surgical greens, me on a gurney.

There are plenty of people in the Pass community who will probably be faced with a new bond issue in the near future. A burning question remains how did the bond advisors suggest asking the taxpayers for $108 million, knowing that this was far from what they needed to do all of the work, particularly construction of a new patient tower?

The Hospital Foundation was charged with making up the difference from the $108 million to what was supposed to be a $125 million project. The fact that under a million dollars has been raised over the past 5 years isn’t the issue. The fact that approximately $200 million is needed to finish the project is.

There is no question that answers need to be forthcoming about how there was such a discrepancy in the numbers. Some people have suggested dishonesty was part of it but I don’t think that was the case. I think it was a bit of naivety, bad timing and advice that got confused as it wended its way through the pipeline.

I think what happened was the consultants were engaged with having to come up with a number that the public could swallow and subsequently vote for. The threshold number was $108 million. The fact that the improvements that needed to be done, a helipad built, new infrastructure, delays- particularly by the city of Banning but particularly having to abide by California’s stringent seismic requirements made the numbers swell by many millions.

Disappointed voters and I am one of them, will have to think long and hard to determine whether I can afford to reach into my overburdened pockets to support another bond issue. On the other hand, can we afford not to?

I am hoping the powers that be at San Gorgonio Hospital plan to conduct extensive outreach to educate the people, who will have to pay for it; which are invariably the property owners. By the way, why do renters get to vote when they don’t own property?

Are there any deep pockets out there that will chip in to finish the hospital? Epic Management and all of their associates come to mind. Everything nameable could be sold in order to raise funds. Has anyone heard of the Staples Center? The naming rights were sold for $100,000,000 over a 20 year period.

While San Gorgonio is a small community hospital, I would think that enough things could be named to generate revenue without putting the entire burden on the taxpayers.

This country and the rest of the world are faced with unprecedented debt. We simply have to stop spending more than we have. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could build the hospital with Lego blocks? Since many of the plans have already been completed and accepted, as monies became imminent, the towers could rise; brick for paid for brick.

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