It's a sad commentary on our society when we have an organization based on helping people with health issues brags about having a good revenue year. Welcome to health care, capitalism style.

Excuse me but doesn't .ORG in the El Camino domain name indicate a non-profit? This hosptal has been boasting about their windfall profits for the past 10 years,and at the same time eliminating Rotacare and Dialysis services. I completely understand they need cash to re-invest however I really don't think that a marble lobby that looks like a Four Seasons hotel is medically necessary. I would rather they use some of the profits to reduce fees, which are exorbitant as compared to indpendent nearby clinics (for daignostics, testing etc).

- 2007 "El Camino Hospital saw its best fiscal performance in decades ...chalking up a profit...of $74 million — a 47 percent increase over last year.This is the 2nd year they have made a significant profit."

- 2015 "El Camino Hospital raked in more money than anticipated this fiscal year, ending with $65 million in extra cash (yet increased prices 5% same year) Web Link

- 2014 pulled the plug on dialysis in for financial reasons Web Link ,

- 2016 Rotacare was terminated Web Link


Donate to El Camino? No thanks.

You don't want to donate? Too late. It's a public hospital so your taxes support it.

The elected board just voted to appoint another unelected corporate board member in spite of overwhelming public opposition with the stated justification that expertise is needed to keep the hospital competitive. The real reason was to kill the democratic input that might limit the abandonment of the community hospital concept.

ECH is a wonderful community resource that all property ownwers help support through voting to make the payments on the bonds that were used to fund the original hospital and the more recent rebuilding of the original hospital building. Other hospitals in the region are not district hospital and do not have this property tax support opportunity. Valley Medical Center is, of course, funded to a great extent by Santa Clara County, which in turn receives tax revenues.

ECH is also ble$$ed by virture of serving a population that is largely covered by very good health insurance. The volume of Medicaid payments, for which hospitals are poorly paid, is much lower at ECH, as compared to other hospitals in the region.

ECH also benefits from being geographically located relatively far away from competitors. The closest hospitals are Stanford to the north, which is a very high cost teaching instituion, and Kaiser Santa Clara to the south, which only serves Kaiser patients. The isolation gives ECH a "semi capitive" base of residents to serve and a very strong negotiating position with insurance companies because it is virtually impossible to offer a health plan to area employers that wouldexclude ECH.

Home owners in the hospital district benefit from enhanced home values that access to to a good hospital, like ECH, provides, just like good school districts do.

How about paying down the bonds so property owners paying $100 each year can get some relief? How about not overcharging insurance companies so our premiums will not go up?
They will probably give themselves bonuses and forgive loans to executives and doctors.

When you have a chance, stop by the lobby of ECH to see the listing of wealthy philanthropists who collectively gave millions to make ECH an attractive and pleasant place to heal.