Fresno councilmen Arias and Bredefeld are wrong to criticize Valley Children’s CEO | Opinion

If you’ve lived in Fresno long enough, you’ll remember when Valley Children’s Hospital was a few dozen beds in a small facility on Shields Avenue. Today, Valley Children’s has nearly 400 beds, 700 physicians, 3,500 staff and a national reputation for comprehensive care of well over 1 million children in locations from Modesto to Bakersfield.

It isn’t simply a hospital, it’s an entire health-care system with a clear goal of putting children first.

The chief executive officer is well paid, but not the $5 million that has become a talking point in local media. His salary is $1.7 million, and with performance bonuses, he’s paid about the same as a successful mid-major football coach.

Fresno City Councilmen Miguel Arias and Garry Bredefeld have accused Valley Children’s of “using hospital proceeds to fund exorbitant executive salaries.” I suppose that would be similar to saying that a coach’s salary is paid with student fees. Or, city councilmen are paid with parking ticket revenue.

Since when did success become so controversial? Or is it politics? And since when do city councilmembers concern themselves with private, nonprofit institutions in other counties?

This “pounding the table” is bad for everyone in our community. The impact reverberates through every VCH employee and volunteer. Evidence of the councilmen’s attack is already having a negative impact on donors who believe the half-truths told by these elected officials.

Arias recently said, “my children will never participate in Kids Day again.” Really? That’s a burden you want your kids to carry through life?

Bredefeld added, “there needs to be accountability and transparency,” even though we already have both. The accountability is obvious. Valley Children’s has grown to become the kind of successful organization that other hospitals aspire to, and transparency is how they report their financial records online for the world to see.

I’m disappointed in both councilmen for yelling “fire” in a crowded theater, but now that they’ve made an official request of the California Attorney General to investigate, I look forward to the announcement that nothing immoral or illegal is happening.

I also hope the Attorney General’s Office will take this opportunity to reinforce what a remarkable asset VCH is in our region — maybe mentioning that U.S. News & World Report ranked Valley Children’s as one of the best in the country.

Or, how the VCH Foundation received the Platinum Seal of nonprofit transparency, and how Valley Children’s is ranked among the best 3% in the country — one of eight children’s hospitals nationwide to exceed the toughest standards in health care.

The bottom line is that Valley Children’s is among the best in America with an overall performance that takes hard work and great leadership.

If Councilmen Arias and Bredefeld are upset because a local CEO of a billion-dollar organization makes a lot of money, then where is the outrage and request for the attorney general to investigate PG&E, whose CEO makes $50 million annually, while the utility is earning record profits, asking for bailouts and doubling the cost of service?

Or, is taking on PG&E too politically damaging for our two councilmen?

Finally, when the smoke clears and truth be known, how do Arias and Bredefeld plan to restore the public confidence they’ve now undermined?

Valley Children’s Hospital deserves our support, not condemnation, by two councilmen who find themselves at the center of yet another controversy.