Dimensions Healthcare board’s vote puts PG hospitals at risk

Prince George’s County (Map, News) - Dimensions Healthcare’s board of directors voted Monday night not to accept Prince George’s County’s ultimatum that four board members resign or it will stop funding the county hospital system.

The vote puts in jeopardy the future of the hospital system, which has about 2,300 employees and serves 180,000 people per year.

“The county executive has said and has continued to say there will be no more funds until the board is reconstituted,” Jim Keary, a spokesman for County Executive Jack Johnson, said after the vote.

Dimensions, which is more than $100 million in debt, runs the county-owned system.

“Once again,” Keary said, “you see that people are more concerned about their own future then the health of people of Prince George’s County.”

Before the vote, board Member Donald Foran said, “I’m not opposed to a reconstitution of this board; not in any way, shape or form — except for when it’s dictated how it’s going to be done.”

Almost two weeks ago, the county demanded that four of 11 board members resign: Chairman Calvin Brown, George Bone, Foran and William Williams, according to Dimensions spokeswoman Suzanne Almalel.

The county wanted the resignations by Monday and a reconstitution by this Sunday.

“We need more opportunity to effect change and to have more say in the direction of the hospital system,” Johnson spokesman John Erzen said recently. Steve Smith, an attorney for the board, said options for the system if the board voted not to accept the county’s terms, would include “alternatives that the board was considering before and possibly others.”

In April, Dimensions Chief Executive Officer Dunlop Ecker said the system faced bankruptcy or closure before the county pledged to fund it through June 2008. The county

already provided Dimensions with $7 million. Prince George’s budgeted an additional $12 million for fiscal year 2008 and is withholding another $2 million pending the resignations.

When the county previously provided Dimensions with $5 million in February, the board agreed to reconstitute itself, among other things, if it required any subsequent county appropriations.

Smith contended Monday that a letter and conversations specifically pertaining to the funding through June 2008 included no conditions and supersede the previous legislation.

“The county government is pushing the hospital to the brink,” Del. Doyle Niemann said, “and it could easily push it over.”

dfowler@dcexaminer.com

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