Hospital weighs decision to eliminate eye surgeries
Operations: Will continue until March 2.
In response to public concern about the elimination of eye surgeries at Sierra View District Hospital, the hospital’s directors are wavering as to whether to reverse their decision.
A decision to keep the services could be made Dec. 22.
In October, the board of directors voted to close ophthalmology operations, housed in the hospital’s outpatient center, to pave the way for more popular surgeries.
“It’s a serious problem,” former board member Wayne Sexton said. “It’s a service that’s been offered for many years now.”
The outpatient center, the Ambulatory Surgery Department, is being renovated, which will force physicians to treat their patients in the hospital’s main operation room.
Hospital officials said the main operating room will be too crowded to house the “low” volume of eye surgery patients, who can take advantage of the services provided by eye centers in neighboring communities, like Delano and Visalia.
“After receiving calls from the community and physicians regarding the closure of ophthalmology surgery services, board representatives requested further investigation into the closure of ophthalmology surgery services, as well as the relocation of endoscopy services to the ASD,” a press release from the hospital states.
On Nov. 19, the board met in closed session to discuss the issue, but no action was taken.
A subsequent meeting took place Tuesday in open session, and four people objected to discontinuing the services. As a result, the board delayed its vote until Dec. 22.
Some good news has come out of the meetings for people like Porterville eye surgeon Dr. Wallace Ruminson.
He feared he did not have enough time to find an alternative location to operate when the department closes Jan. 31. The time line is now extended to March 2.
Half of the 700 cases housed in the Ambulatory Surgery Department are ophthalmology. Those cases, however, have been shadowed by endoscopy procedures, which saw a 27 percent increase in the past two years.
-- Contact Jenna Chandler at 784-5000, Ext. 1050, or jchandler@portervillerecorder.com.
