Hardworking Hospital Guild Ponders Its Mission

Changes are on the horizon for the Tehachapi Hospital Guild as Adventist Health takes over management of the Tehachapi Valley Healthcare District's old and new hospitals and three clinics. Since its charter in 1975, the nonprofit Guild – by selling used clothing and items at the Guild Thrift Shop – has provided the hospital with hundreds of thousands of dollars to purchase vital medical equipment.

Following its founding, the Guild helped keep the hospital afloat.

"Had it not been for that group everything would have folded," Guild member Joanne Johnson said. "The hospital was having a very hard time financially. They were just sinking. We gave them a big amount of money."

Now Adventist Health, with its vast network of resources and purchasing power, may not need the Guild's help.

At the Guild's Aug. 1 meeting at Kelcy's Café, district CEO Eugene Suksi said that the Guild would be able to use its resources to partner with Adventist and assist the district as well. The Guild and Adventist had not talked to each other as of Aug. 1. "There's always a role for the Guild," Adventist San Joaquin Hospital CEO Douglas Duffield told Forde Files, without specifying what that might be.

The Guild has pledged $500,000 to buy equipment for the new hospital. The 50-member organization currently has resources on hand in excess of $675,000.

"We want to respect your pledge," Suksi said. "[But] the need will be met without using these resources. If the district had to do it alone, we would have already asked for it and spent it. Can you revisit it and come up with a new use for these resources?"

Suksi appealed to the Guild to continue working with the district, which will be exploring new avenues to meet community health needs and must lease office space (Adventist is taking over the district administration office), purchase office equipment and install a computer system. "I don't know the will of the Guild," Suksi said. "If you can help us, it would be a wonderful thing. We've committed all our resources to building the new hospital."

Suksi said that within five years the district may get the office space back as well as the old hospital, conference room house and clinic, as Adventist apparently has concluded the old buildings will not be useful to them.

The healthcare district owns and maintains the house on Green and E streets that is the thrift shop. That building is the only real property belonging to the district that is not included in the Adventist lease agreement. According to district board president Mike Nixon, no one can find a trace of a rental agreement between the district and the Guild.

Nixon promised to ask the district board to write an agreement to lease the house to the Guild for $1 a year.

"We can set up a lease for 20 years at $1 a year and renewable for another 20 years," Nixon said.

Guild president Jeanetta Cowden said the Guild board will discuss the organization's changing situation. She said her personal opinion is that the Guild should concentrate on where they can get the most value for the money, which would not be buying equipment Adventist does not need. She said she had no objections to continuing to support the healthcare district.