Hospice of Amador is now working with a bay area healthcare services provider, sparking protest from a Jackson provider who feels the move betrays the organization’s duty to local service. Superior Healthcare, based in Martinez, is now on contract to provide many of Hospice of Amador’s services, including equipment, beds, and healthcare assistance. Hospice of Amador’s Executive Director Dan Riordan explained that the move will save a minimum of 22,000 dollars a year, and potentially larger amounts up to 45,000. “A business has to make good decisions.

If I didn’t find ways to maximize services, the future of Hospice could be at risk. My job is to make sure we are doing the best for Hospice,” says Riordan. Vince DeStigter, CEO of Western Healthcare, a locally based company that has worked with Hospice of Amador since its inception in 1982, says the move is a betrayal to his company and other localities that have always supported Hospice. “When you garner donations from your community, these donations need to be spent back into the community,” says DeStigter. He believes Riordan’s decision is an example of poor business ethics. Riordan countered that, with an annual budget of 2 and a half million dollars, 75 percent is spent locally to support services ranging from system support to property taxes to payroll. “I want to make sure Hospice is here to stay,” says Riordan.

Riordan says he used extreme due diligence in researching Superior Healthcare, which included contacting four other Hospice organizations that work with the company. “However, if I can save 20,000 dollars but would potentially be putting people at risk, I won’t do it,” says Riordan. “We’re a local company and Hospice of Amador was founded locally,” says DeStigter. “I’ve worked with local families. I know them personally.”