FHD in negotiations regarding sale of Fallbrook Hospital

The Fallbrook Healthcare District (FHD) board of directors went into a closed session at the end of the its regular board meeting on May 11 to confer with a real estate negotiator regarding the sale of Fallbrook Hospital.

FHD board general counsel Blaise Jackson informed people that were at the May 11 meeting that the results of the closed session would not be disclosed that evening.

"You're welcome to stay, but you're not likely to hear anything beyond, 'appropriate action was directed,'" said Jackson. "That's what you report out of closed session. Something like this item that is on the agenda, no decision is going to be made tonight."

Earlier in the evening, in a response to a question from the audience, Jackson explained that the public will ultimately get all information regarding a sale because, under the health and safety code, any sale would have to be approved by the voters of Fallbrook.

"The public has a right to weigh in, and the public will be given that opportunity to weigh in," said Jackson. "The transaction can't close without it."

The FHD board voted to put Fallbrook Hospital and its annex buildings up for sale during a special closed meeting in March.

Stephen Abbott, secretary of the FHD board and fire chief for North County Fire Protection District, asked for people's trust and patience regarding the sale of Fallbrook Hospital.

"This whole issue, I can guarantee you, is as passionate for us as it is for you," said Abbott. "And I can imagine how frustrating it must be to sit there wondering what the heck is going on, why aren't we hearing anything while the clocking is ticking? As you know from negotiations, when we're talking about real estate transactions, parties involved keep really close tabs on each other. The last thing we want to do is let out any more information than necessary that could substantially impact the sale of this facility.

"And we're doing that to look out for, what we believe, is the best interest of the public," continued Abbott. "And it's not just based on the board and Blaise, it's based upon the counsel of multiple entities that we've engaged along the way to try to help us make this decision. We really are trying to balance looking out for the public's best interest and trying to negotiate as good a deal as we can for the district, so that we can further our mission, which is to do the greatest amount of good for the greatest amount of people."