Poll: Don’t sell Petaluma Valley Hospital

Most respondents in an online Argus-Courier poll said the Petaluma Health Care District should not sell Petaluma Valley Hospital. About 77 percent said the district should continue to lease the hospital to an operator like St. Joseph Health.

Here are some of the comments:

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“As an employee and patient of Petaluma Valley Hospital, I am very concerned by the district’s actions. St. Joseph Health has been good for the hospital and community. Selling the hospital is not in anyone’s best interest.”

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“Continue to lease but throw the current tenant out. Sutter would be much better, though frankly I am not a fan of Sutter. Currently the hospital has the worst reputation of all hospitals on the 101 corridor. Petaluma deserves and needs better. There is no ‘for-profit’ hospital system that should be welcomed to Sonoma County. Sutter is the only reasonable choice.”

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“Continue to lease the hospital, so the community has a voice in the running of the hospital. Sell the land across from the hospital. That land should be offered to the Deer Creek owners to expand their shopping center or to the doctors who complain of a drug store on that land.”

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“If the hospital is sold, we no longer have a say in any decisions.”

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“Leasing the hospital is in the best interest of the community.”

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“Once the hospital is sold, there is no community control or input for medical care. The facility becomes a corporate profit area which could include closing it.”

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“Selling is best for business, but St. Joseph Health is the best system to manage the health needs of Petaluma.”

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“Sell to Kaiser so as to have a 24-7 hospital for all the Kaiser patients, not just in Petaluma but the city of Sonoma and rural areas.”

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“Why would the district sell? What are they going to do with the money? What will we do with no hospital? What will happen to all our services? The district needs to keep the hospital and continue the lease with St. Joseph Health.”

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“If we sold the hospital, we’d be losing a valuable community asset.”

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