Baptist Hospital ER Sept. 23
- The new Baptist Hospital Emergency Room on Brent Lane opens Saturday, Sept. 23 at 3 a.m., and the ER on E Street will close at the same time.
- Other Baptist Health Care ERs are open 24/7, including the ERs at Gulf Breeze and Jay hospitals, and the free-standing ER at Baptist Medical Park-Navarre.
Campus Access During Patient Move Sept. 23
- Both Baptist Hospital campuses at E Street and Brent Lane will be closed to the public Saturday, Sept. 23, as our teams work to safely move patients throughout the day.
- Baptist team members will communicate with patients’ loved ones directly regarding visitation.
- Only individuals seeking care at Baptist Hospital ER on Brent Lane will be permitted on the campus during the move.
Any changes in the move day schedule will be updated on ebaptisthealthcare.org and facebook.com/BaptistHealthCare.
The new hospital is beautiful and was a great undertaking and I’m proud of each employee that has stayed with Baptist to make sure each patient was safe during all of it. The concern I have are the following.
1. Original cost was stated to be $550 million and I think I read it was $650 million but I believe if Baptist was truly transparent the cost would be most likely $700 million.
2. Employees of Baptist have not received a raise of any kind since 2017.
3. Employees of Baptist have no paid holidays.
4. Employers retirement match was frozen in April of this year and stated it would remain that way for the unforeseen future.
5. In May of this year employees were also told that raises including 2% cost of living would also be frozen for the unforeseen future.
6. Work hours have been cut as well as overtime unless approved by the CEo/President.
7. Health care costs has tripled and made to be unaffordable. The cost for a team member and individual use to cost $162 per paid period and the new cost will be $323 per paid period and employees were strongly suggested to seek more affordable health care on the government website. So what used to cost a team member and individual was $324 a month it will now cost them $646 a month. This is just for health coverage with no extra add on.
8. A few years ago Baptist brought in a new company to take the cafeteria. So what it use to cost employees about $5 or $6 dollars to eat lunch now runs about $12 and with the discount about $9 or $10 but senior leaders eats for free not including the lunch that is catered for their meetings.
9. President and CEO makes 1,126 million annually with about 2 different types of bonuses and there is $180 thousand contributed annually to his retirement account.
10. While his employees are under paid and all benefits are pretty much gone and the hospital being extremely short staffed the President and CEO purchased a $850 thousand dollar condo in the year of 2022.
11. Baptist Hospital has also received $32 million dollars from the federal health act for COVID to which Baptist reported said money on their taxes as Medicare / Medicaid payments and not as federal cares act. My (opinion) only, this was done to show more income so they would not get another credit down grade on their bonds like they did April of 2023.
12. Baptist also received a $300 thousand grant. They also received another 5.4 million from the cares act separate from the above and another $1.7 million from the cares act also separate from above and another $10 million from Desnatist for a reimbursement of some type in 2023. $15 million or more from private donors.
13. Baptist is not for profit which means they pay no taxes on land , payroll, and many other things and I think they don’t have to pay for garbage fees and various other things.
13. In May of 2023 they also eliminated 100 or more staffing positions but the position eliminated were not anyone in senior leadership and some of the staff that was eliminated had been with the organization for 20 years, 30 years, 45 years and one of the staff that was let go was in the middle of breast cancer treatment and is now left with no health insurance.
This list could go on and on but this just a small example.
So one of my points is this. If Baptist is a locally owned by the community non – profit hospital that is governed by local leaders how can this be happening to the employees at Baptist hospital. Because in reality the only way the president and ceo of Baptist hospital can make all these horrible in human decisions for the citizens of our community that have chosen to work for Baptist (our community) is the community leaders that chose to sit on the board. So their decisions that have allowed all this a more , a reflection of how and what they think of each and every citizen that lives in Pensacola. Since 2012 leadership change it has done nothing but take and take away from the employees of the Hospital and they have enriched their on pockets.
There is no true accountability for Baptist and hasn’t been for many many years and it’s all because the community leaders that have chosen to sit on this board has allowed each and every decision the president and ceo of Baptist Hospital has made up to this point.
So when you think of Baptist Hospital and that beautiful new building please remember the true cost came from each and every employee because our local leaders on the board and senior leaders lost nothing.
Do any of the county commissioners know that the new hospital will have 256 “fewer” patient beds than the old hospital? According to the Baptist website, the old hospital has 520 patient beds and the new hospital has 264 patient beds (ICU, Medical/Surgical, Labor & Delivery Suites). Why would the Escambia County Health Facilities Authority – a dependent special district and part of the Escambia County government – issue two bonds in 2020 totaling $610.3 million to help build a hospital with fewer patient beds? The commissioners appoint the members of the ECHFA so you would think they talk to each other. I can’t find where the media reported that there will be fewer patient beds.