Evaluating town’s needs

A. When you say outreach, what comes to mind is community benefits. So it will really come out through the assessment process. If you had seen the types of things we involve ourselves in, what you see is pretty diverse. And we try to involve ourselves in things that are sustainable. So it’s not one-time shots; it is things that will make a difference on an ongoing basis.

Charitable efforts or philanthropy efforts, whatever you want to call it, are part of St. Jo’s mission.

When we focus on efficiency like any organization, the dollars don’t flow to stockholders. They flow back into the organization, into the services, expanding services, to our communities and the health and wellness standpoint that is morally justified. That’s why we try to see ourselves as a ministry.

Q. Will the hospital rent parking spaces to the city during Festival Season?

A. We anticipate collaborating with the city on many things. On that, I don’t know if the request has been made. We are in the process of evaluating how parking needs to be on this campus from a safety standpoint as well as from just a utilization standpoint.

I don’t anticipate the assessment process saying yes or no to that, but I don’t know. I don’t know if I’ve ever even thought about it.

Q. Any new services or departments to be offered?

A. The short answer would be yes, I would think. But we don’t know yet because of the assessment and all. Part of what the assessment is trying to focus on is what services could potentially be added to this campus to complement what is already offered at Mission Hospital that are needed within this community and in the larger community.

Q. Any progress on the foundation?

A. Again, we are kind of methodical, we’re purposeful, intentional — that’s how we want to be. How we have approached the foundation is similar to other things I have spoken to you about. We are going through about a six months window of time to meet with folks, to listen to them, for different stakeholders to get to know us.

Q. Individuals have been interviewed by whom?

A. The hospital foundation. So the intent is to go through the assessment process and see what this community is interested in from a philanthropic standpoint.

Q. Would it be locally staffed and boarded?

A. There is one foundation that supports the whole organization.

Q. Any chance that the donated funds to [South Coast Medical Center Foundation] that were absorbed by Adventist before the acquisition would be restored?

A. I don’t even know what that is.