FORT BRAGG, CA., 10/21/24 — In a joint statement issued late last week, the Mendocino Coast Health Care District and Adventist Health said the entities “are making steady progress on optimizing the existing [lease] agreement to provide access to healthcare on the coast.”
The statement follows the notice Adventist sent to the district on Sept. 30, triggering a 60-day negotiation period for restructuring the agreement under which Adventist leases the Adventist Health Mendocino Coast hospital from district. If the negotiations are not successful, Adventist has said it will terminate the lease on June 30, 2025.
A spokesman for Adventist said that the joint statement was being issued “in lieu of interviews” with the negotiators.
The joint statement said that “tapping into existing government reimbursements will be important…to maintain healthcare for our rural, frontier, critical access hospital” and commits to providing “a weekly joint statement to keep the community informed.”
The next regular meeting of the district’s Board of Directors is Thursday at 6 p.m. The agenda includes a proposal from The Chartis Center for Rural Health to provide data analysis and assessment services to help the board in the Adventist negotiations, at a cost of $18,500.
The proposal was initially presented at a special district board meeting last Thursday but was carried over to the next regular meeting so that the Chartis Center can make a presentation on its services before board members vote on the proposal.