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Thursday, March 18, 2010 | 2 a.m.
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Sun Archives
- State rips UMC over break room meeting (3-17-2010)
- County stands by UMC layoffs after heated debate (3-2-2010)
- Second suit blames UMC in death of premature baby (12-31-2009)
- Woman sues University Medical Center over baby’s death (12-23-2009)
- UMC suspends 6 staff members pending investigation (12-11-2009)
- At UMC, audits show privacy lapses are not new(11-24-2009)
- FBI looking at UMC records leak(11-21-2009)
- Hospital privacy leak could harm patients(11-20-2009)
- A black eye in medicine brings posturing, again (4-9-2009)
- Testimony: Thomas boldly cut iffy deals (2-26-2008)
- Indictment says UMC chief made no-work deals (2-21-2008)
- Former UMC boss indicted (2-20-2008)
- DA will go after former UMC boss (1-04-2008)
Clark County officials are hoping next week will be “the beginning of the end” of at least one of the controversies that has been casting a shadow over University Medical Center.
The long-awaited trial of the public hospital’s former CEO, Lacy Thomas, is to begin Monday.
In February 2008, a county grand jury indicted Thomas on five counts of felony theft and five counts of felony misconduct of a public officer. Authorities alleged Thomas used the hospital’s money to pay friends and associates for work that was either never done or was worthless. UMC lost an estimated $10 million because of the no-bid contracts handed out by Thomas, prosecutors said.
County commissioners fired Thomas in January 2007, and since that time “there has been a cloud hanging over the hospital, and we need to move forward,” Commissioner Steve Sisolak says. “With this hanging out there it’s like having a sore tooth.”
Each of the theft charges carries a minimum sentence of one year in prison — but those charges could be tricky to prove because they involve Thomas directing contracts to others rather than pocketing the money himself.
A misconduct charge might be easier to prove because prosecutors only need to convince jurors that Thomas engaged in unlawful activity “for the private benefit or gain of himself or another.”
Thomas’ lawyer is likely to counter, however, that none of the contractors was charged with any crimes.
And if prosecutors are arguing that Thomas is the one who benefited, the state has the burden of proving that.
Before the indictment, sources close to the investigation hinted that Thomas and his wife, Henrene, got kickbacks. Those sources told the Sun that the couple flew to Aruba in 2005 at the expense of one of the contractors in question, and that a bank account was established in her name for kickbacks from contracts awarded to friends in Chicago.
When the indictment was handed down, however, it included nothing about kickbacks, and Henrene wasn’t named in the indictment.
Prosecutors won’t say why. They say they don’t want to try their case in the press.
Regardless of the outcome, it will put UMC’s troubles back in the spotlight.
District Attorney David Roger expects the trial will last at least two weeks, and coverage of the high-profile case is sure to remind the public of taxpayers’ massive underwriting of the public hospital, overseen by county commissioners.
Thomas’ defense lawyer, Daniel Albregts of Las Vegas, did not return repeated calls for comment. But Albregts can point out that even though Thomas was fired more than three years ago, UMC has yet to regain its financial footing.
The defense could try to cite that as proof that Thomas wasn’t really to blame for the financial losses during his tenure. In fact, the hospital ran $71 million in the red for the fiscal year that ended June 30, more than double the deficit when Thomas was at the helm.
And the controversies at UMC have gone beyond just the financial hemorrhaging in the wake of Thomas’ termination.
In April, the CBS News magazine “60 Minutes” told a national audience that UMC created a hardship for cancer patients by closing its outpatient oncology unit in a bid to save money. In November, the Sun exposed illegal leaks of patient information at the hospital. In December, the hospital was slapped with a federal lawsuit after allegedly refusing emergency room treatment for a woman who wound up going home to give birth to a premature girl, who died.
The hits just keep coming. This week state health authorities reprimanded UMC for allowing on-duty emergency room nurses to meet in a break room with County Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani. The meeting improperly drew the nurses away from patients, state Health Division inspectors concluded.
As far back as last fall, however, county commissioners were talking of washing their hands of the hospital, even selling the facility.
Rory Reid, commission chairman and a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, in January announced an initiative led by Las Vegas businessman and former university system Chancellor Jim Rogers to turn UMC into a teaching facility. Reid has since followed up with a suggestion that an independent board oversee the hospital’s operations, shifting that responsibility from the commissioners.
Larry Matheis, executive director of the Nevada State Medical Association, says what the Thomas case “does raise is the issue of oversight, whether county commissioners have the time with all the roles they have to manage something as complex as a hospital. Clearly, oversight is the question.”
Authorities allege Thomas’ malfeasance began as early as September 2004, less than a year after he was hired. It wasn’t until more than two years later that the commission began coming down hard on Thomas by questioning the hospital’s finances.
The argument that Thomas acted alone on the contracts in question without any advice or participation from purchasing agents, lawyers or other county officials “defies common sense,” says certified public accountant Louis Williams of Chicago, Thomas’ friend.
“It is highly unusual that one person would be allowed to award contracts,” Williams says.
He used the Internet to solicit donations from friends to help bail Thomas out of jail. Williams says he last spoke to Thomas by phone about a month ago.
“Obviously, he thinks he’s innocent and he is confident he hasn’t committed any crimes,” Williams says. “If it became a crime to do business with people you know, they would have to throw the whole town of Las Vegas in jail. This is America and people do business with other people they’re comfortable with.”
Sisolak says commissioners are “hoping justice will be served no matter what the jury decides. It should bring some closure, and that’s a positive thing.”
But Sisolak says he knows that even though “one storm cloud will be removed from the horizon for UMC, there are several others behind it.”
Since Harry's Kid, Rory WAS and is the chairman of the Clark county commission during this whole insane fiasco of incompetence, it's kind of interesting that he plays like he was not responsible for the mess when the whole problem happened on his watch and under his helpful eye.
If you can't even do a simple thing like provide oversight of just one entity, how can you be Governor of the whole state.
Vote for a Reid FREE Nevada.
Fred Conquest
Democratic Candidate for Governor
www.fredconquest.com
*ANOTHER*
CHICAGO 'CONNECTION' TO THE POLITICOS
This guy got FIRED from Cook County Hospital in Chicago for alleged wrongdoing. Funny how this article didn't mention that. So who is to blame - Chicago politicos or the dolts at UMC for hiring him knowing full well his past?
NOTE TO Sheeple: Do your research. Ask the reporter who the County Commissioner was at the time that Thomas was hired who was directly responsible for UMC? I think you will find the answer interesting. It wasn't Reid.
Aren't these similar circumstances when Carlos Garcia was hired as schools stup. He came here from Fresno which he left total shambles. Did nothing positive for Clark County students but wasted tons of money and is now in Frisco screwing things up there. Is race the only thing that is used as the criteria for these sleezeballs being hired? I had an exhaustive background check for a position I once held and it was certsinly a less important job than these clowns. What are the fools doing the hiring looking at?
Its time for Clark County to shed this white elephant, The Federal Government will be running it soon anyway and all of the thieves will be back, maybe comrade Reid will be the new administrator.
Big surprise!..This is the same kind of selection process that got Obama elected. If Lacy Thomas wasn't such a fat bastard they would have elected HIM as President instead of The Big Skinny.
Why is it taking so long to send this dirt bag to jail.
Also I find it very funny how the ignorant people can come on here and link this guy back to obama. You people are idiots plain and simple.
Rory should be be the one on trial for this fiasco.
As for the guy whose picture appears with this article, we should have the Sheriff escort him to the town limits and make sure he never comes back.
How much in campaign donations did this guy direct to the two Reid's campaigns during this time. They are always interrelated. From unions and friends they direct part of the stolen cash to politicians that protect them.
Mr.Thomas was not fired from Cook County Hospital. He left when he was offered a job by your miserable hospital. I do not know Mr.Thomas but some of my relatives worked at Cook County Hospital and knew him.It was a great sorrow to the employees when he left.To this day people still speak so fondly of him. He cared a great deal about the patients and the hospital and he was also honest enough to admit if he didn't understand something.
People have strange ideas about what is acceptable business practices. I guess if you are a white male you can give contracts to "your business associates-again white males" but that's okay .
The interesting part of all of this is the disgusting things that are currently happening at Cook County Hospital.
A new administration is now in place (mostly pink white men) and they are now rewarding contracts to all their "white friends".
The hospital is left without crucial supplies but the "consultants" are always paid.
The consultant of the "consultants" was just paid a second payment for over 1 million dollars.
The consultant who runs the operating room is paid $25,000.00 per month and does not know the first thing about an operating room.
Lastly Mr.Tedsky (a Chief of something) brings in his friends from his own consulting firm for consulting work. Conflict of interest?
Maybe your hospital could make an offer to Mr.Foley (Bureau Chief) at Cook County. He can bring his gang with and it will all be perfect because they are white and that is really what you want.
So why is Mr.Thomas persecuted?
Because he is black and racism runs deep in this country. The comments following this story are pure poison and full of hate.
Smarterthanyou.... u need to change your name! Anyone who would make a statement like that is nothing more than an idiot!
Thompson1987 - you are just as bad....
When did this become about race? This guy is a crook plain and simple. He would be a crook if he was white, black, purple or green....
And to compare this fool to Obama? Come on - really? And no I am not an Obama fan, registered republican here... but he is my President and just as I used to say about GW - he deserves my respect for the position he holds....
Why can we all stop beating each other up and work together as a nation... isn't that what the "United" States is supposed to be about?