Senators say group misinformed

The Maui News
Saturday, February 24, 2007

By CLAUDINE SAN NICOLAS, Staff Writer

WAILUKU – Recent advertisements chastising Maui's state senators on their alleged position on a second hospital for the island are being slapped down as counterproductive and misinformed.

The ads appearing in The Maui News this past week accuse state Sens. Roz Baker, Kalani English and Shan Tsutsui of "turning their backs on physicians" and "on our sickest hearts" and claim that the lawmakers oppose a privately funded hospital for Maui.

All three senators say the ads are outright wrong and mislead the general public.

"How disappointing," English said Friday afternoon. "They've lost the art of civility and have resorted to personal attacks."

"It's unfortunate. It's counterproductive," Tsutsui said in a separate telephone interview about the ads.

Sen. Roz Baker said, "I understand people are passionate, but this is way beyond hyperbole."

The ads indicate they are paid by Supporters Holding Accountable Maui's Elected Senators (SHAMES) and endorsed by a grass-roots group called People United to Support a Second Hospital (PUSSH).

PUSSH Co-Chairwoman Hermine Harman described SHAMES as a subgroup of her organization, which she declined to identify further. PUSSH formed in October to lobby against a decision by the State Health Planning and Development Agency (SHPDA) to reject the proposed $212 million Malulani Health and Medical Center.

Harman said she led a meeting on Wednesday in which her group's Executive Committee voted 9-6 to authorize PUSSH's endorsement of the newspaper ads. Harman voted on the losing side.

"I think it's very detrimental to our cause," Harman said, adding that she "hated" the tone and overall look of the ads.

The ad copy that has since been published was brought to Wednesday's PUSSH meeting by Diane Lane, also an Executive Committee member. Lane said she did not create the ad, nor did she vote on whether PUSSH should endorse them.

"I had no input on them," Lane said. Although she said she knows people behind SHAMES, she would not identify them to The Maui News.

English said he would like to see the names of individuals belonging to SHAMES, and Tsutsui said he was open to meeting them face-to-face about their concerns. "People can't hide behind their organization," English said.

SHAMES sent a news release by e-mail to The Maui News but the sender did not include a name.

"We are people who support the expansion of medical services on Maui. People who believe that Malulani hospital must be built," the e-mail read.

Harman said she believes the group is acting out of anger and frustration over the inability of Malulani Health and Medical Center to obtain state approval, but they've been misdirected at Maui's Senate delegation.

Malulani Health Systems Inc. and its financial partner, Triad Hospitals Corp., had proposed building a 150-bed hospital in Kihei.

Tsutsui pointed out Friday that the Maui senators were not involved in the certificate of need process and have not introduced any legislation to disapprove Malulani.

Baker said she met earlier in the legislative session with the leaders of PUSSH and exchanged ideas about setting out a strategy for acquiring additional health care services for Maui.

"We were working hard on this issue. . . . It disappoints me, annoys me to be so misrepresented," Baker said.

Harman said she, too, has felt the anger and frustration over Malulani's rejection, but has since turned her attention to lobbying for legislation that calls for an overhaul and possible elimination of the certificate of need process in which Malulani failed to obtain approval.

State House Rep. Joe Bertram III, one of the founders of PUSSH who left the group after being elected in November, said he supported lobbying efforts for Malulani during a SHPDA reconsideration committee meeting in January, but he does not endorse this week's printed ads.

Bertram said he immediately called the senators after the ads were published and asked them to focus on approving House Bill 1067, which proposes to form a blue-ribbon panel to review the certificate of need process and reverses the current CON procedures to give the affected island more of an advantage during deliberations on a medical proposal. House Bill 1067 is expected to be sent to the Senate for approval.

Claudine San Nicolas can be reached at claudine@mauinews.com.

Copyright © 2005 The Maui News.

Original article URL: http://www.mauinews.com/story.aspx?id=28048

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