Hospital in a Tailspin

The mayor is concerned, but that won't solve the problem.

DISTRICT MAYOR Adrian M. Fenty (D) was right when he said that every resident in every community deserves first-rate hospital facilities. Yet Mr. Fenty has essentially sat on his hands as Greater Southeast Community Hospital has spiraled downward. It's time for the mayor to do more than express concern.

The hospital has a history of problems, but these have worsened in recent months. Doctors and nurses walked off the job because they hadn't been paid. The emergency room shut down for a weekend. The hospital's accreditation was downgraded. City health inspectors, The Post's Susan Levine reported, found shortages of workers and equipment so severe that patient care could be compromised. That Greater Southeast is the District's only hospital east of the Anacostia River makes its failings all the more inexcusable. That nearby Prince George's Hospital Center has its own woes creates the potential for a public health emergency that would be felt across the region, affecting its most vulnerable residents.

The District provides more than $26 million a year to Greater Southeast, but the hospital is privately owned, which ties the city's hands somewhat. D.C. Council member David A. Catania (I-At Large), chairman of the council's health committee, faults the Arizona-based Envision Hospital Corp. and its owner, Paul Tuft, for years of "broken promises and poor performance." Mr. Catania is waging an unusually vitriolic campaign against the company, calling for an investigation of its finances and threatening to seek court receivership for the hospital. Mr. Catania's impatience is understandable, and his advocacy for good medical care is admirable. But the District's experience with receiverships suggests that they often create as many problems as they solve.

There's general agreement, even from Mr. Tuft, that the best solution is a sale of the property. A potential buyer emerged last fall, but there has been little progress. Mr. Fenty, who has been busy with his takeover of city schools, has been monitoring the situation but seems reluctant to get involved. He is right to be cautious about interfering in a private sale or taking on new liability for the city. D.C. General was a hard lesson in why cities shouldn't run hospitals. Nonetheless, the mayor can play a role in bringing the various stakeholders together. Why not let health-care providers with proven track records know of the city's interests and what the city sees as opportunities for health care east of the river? Not only has the city had great success in reducing the number of uninsured through its health-care alliance, but it's also prepared to invest millions of dollars of tobacco-settlement money. The mayor is not expected to have all the answers, but he can get the right people to the table and ask questions.