Artesia Daily Press Editorial Board
Folks at Artesia General Hospital apparently have confused the Hippocratic Oath with the Hypocritic Oath.
Often attributed to but not actually said by Hippocrates is the physician’s vow to “do no harm.” Whatever its origin, the phrase has been associated with the medical profession for centuries. Its historical evolution is a story for another day.
Unhappy with an editorial by the Artesia Daily Press, the hospital waited a few scant days to cancel all of its advertising with our newspaper.
The timing of the cancellation would seem to be the progression of things from angry hospital executives, but who knows? It might be coincidental. You be the judge.
The advertising loss represents a substantial number of dollars for us. In 2024 the hospital spent $14,579 and through this year has spent another $17,114. We have appreciated the support.
Here’s a brief history of recent events.
Last spring, the hospital lost a mill levy election mostly because of institutional arrogance and a blundered public relations campaign.
The vote was 638 to 608.
Last week, voters passed the levy 1,657 to 591.
It appears there are still almost 600 voters who are mad at the hospital. We join them in their suspicion that something is amiss in Denmark.
As we reported last week:
Revenue from the tax enacted in 1979 is used to supplement the hospital’s operating costs, providing about $4 million to $7 million a year for ongoing expenses at the hospital that serves patients throughout Eddy and Chaves counties.
The levy is paid on property taxes for homeowners and businesses within the Artesia Special Hospital District, which encompasses most of the city limits and about 10,000 voters. It amounts to $2.70 per $1,000 of net taxable value on property tax bills.
Prior to the hospital’s electoral do-over in the Nov. 4 general election, the Artesia Daily Press convened an editorial board meeting to decide our institutional opinion on the levy.
We asked Khushroo Ghadiali, the hospital’s director of communications, to assemble hospital representatives for the meeting. He brought with him two members of the Artesia Special Hospital District board, Danny Parker and Karen Waldrip, but none of the hospital’s top executives or administrators.
Among the missing was Dr. Joe Salgado, the hospital’s CEO, even though on the morning of our meeting he had been just a block away at the local coffee shop Kith and Kin for a public forum on the mill question. The forum was lightly attended, and many told us most of those in the audience were employees of the hospital.
Maybe we were naive to believe Salgado would come to our editorial board meeting. As the meeting started, he was across from our building and we watched in amazement as he stepped into his parked vehicle and drove away.
Ghadiali, the only hospital executive on hand, could not answer any of the questions we asked him about hospital operations.
Budget for the hospital? Total revenues and expenses for hospital?
Ghadiali said he did not know but would get back to us. We are still waiting.
Our newspaper endorsed the mill levy in a front-page editorial but raised questions about hospital officials’ arrogance and lack of transparency.
Ghadiali responded to our editorial complaining that hospital executives found the editorial “personal.”
Shame on us for expecting the operational executives to show up for a meeting about a mill levy that is vital to hospital operations.
In this world we all expect certain institutions to be trustworthy and not petty, not given to personal hubris. Those institutions would include the police, our schools, local government and, yes, hospitals. We do not expect local executives and officials to act as monarchs.
How sad for Artesia General to test both the trust of the public and our newspaper after we endorsed the levy.
The Artesia Daily Press will not be weakened or intimidated by economic bullying. We are, like all newspapers, struggling to exist. But we will not bend to self-serving hospital officials who seem to have forgotten the meaning of the words “do no harm.”
By the way, hospital management signed an advertising contract with the Artesia Daily Press in 2024 for 2025. We are invoicing them this week for the unpaid portion of their commitment. We will keep you posted if they honor the contract and pay their bill. It may be of interest to you when you get your next hospital bill.
Hospital officials want to build a new hospital. That will likely require a bond election. Perhaps those 600 anti-hospital voters will grow in number in the face of these bullies.
Next up for us: We will be investigating the controversy at the hospital over air transport operators.
We’ll pinch pennies in the meantime to give Artesia the newspaper it deserves. There is no price on freedom of speech.