Cal Poly Athletics recently signed the largest corporate sponsorship in university history, but details regarding the switch from Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center to French Hospital remain unclear.
Ron Yukelson, Sierra Vista spokesperson, said it received the same $800,000 proposal that Cal Poly signed with French Hospital, but it was never given the opportunity to negotiate further. In fact, Sierra Vista was unaware Cal Poly signed a deal with French Hospital until it was reported by the media, Yukelson said.
“It was more than a surprise,” Yukelson said. “It was a shock considering we had been partners for four years.”
The confusion arose somewhere in-between the time that Sierra Vista received the proposal from Cal Poly, and when Cal Poly signed the deal with French Hospital.
“While Sierra Vista did receive a proposal from the Cal Poly Athletic Department, it contained language that made us uncomfortable and warranted clarification and further discussion,” according to a public statement issued by Sierra Vista.
All three parties declined to comment on the timetable of the negotiation process, but contradictory accounts of how the deal came about were provided.
“We pitched the same proposal to Sierra Vista, they declined,” Cal Poly Athletics Director Don Oberhelman said.
However, Sierra Vista had questions about the terms of the deal because it had never spent more than approximately 20 percent of what the new proposal was asking for, Yukelson said.
“Sierra Vista never turned down any proposal from Cal Poly,” Yukelson said.
Although Sierra Vista had not decided whether or not it would accept the deal, it would not have been for lack of funding if it had declined, Yukelson said. It had the means to afford it, but questioned the responsibility of the decision due to many issues currently surrounding healthcare.
One of these issues includes recent layoffs by Catholic Healthcare West, the corporation that runs French Hospital. It fired 30 employees at the beginning of summer, including nine that worked at French Hospital.
“In light of rising health care costs, recent local layoffs in the health care industry and the need to reinvest precious capital in our community’s health care needs, our feeling is that an $800,000 investment in a sponsorship was a disservice to the people who trust Sierra Vista for care,” according to the public statement released by Sierra Vista.
Another issue regarding the separation between Cal Poly and Sierra Vista was the way in which the two worked together during the four years of their partnership.
“It was more of a partnership than a sponsorship,” Yukelson said.
However, Cal Poly saw it differently. The athletics department is looking to go in a different direction and believes French Hospital is more equipped to fit its needs, Oberhelman said.
“Overall it’s a better arrangement,” Oberhelman said. “Sierra Vista was a sponsorship arrangement. French Hospital is more of a partnership.”
The details of what exactly will go into this partnership have yet to be finalized, but both Cal Poly and French Hospital are dedicated toward supporting each other and the community, Oberhelman said.
“It’s an opportunity to reach the community with programs that will provide healthcare for athletes and health and fitness education for local school children,” French Hospital spokesperson Debbie Nicklas said.
One of the first projects they have started work on is the healthy-kids program. Together, along with the help of student-athletes, they will visit local elementary and middle schools to educate students on the importance of healthy eating and exercising. The program is intended to motivate kids into achieving certain goals in order to win tickets to sporting events.
The thinking behind this is that elementary and middle school students look up to collegiate athletes, and by seeing them up close, they will see just how in-shape they are, Oberhelman said. Also, the athletes might be able to make the kind of imprint on a child’s life that a teacher might not.
“Student-athletes are perfect for telling this to a fifth grader,” Oberhelman said.
French Hospital and Cal Poly will continue to come up with new ideas on how to work together, but French Hospital is now known as “The Preferred Choice of Cal Poly Athletics.”
It will provide diagnosis and treatment for Cal Poly Athletics, as well as offer Continuing Education Units for students who want to work in a professional setting.
“We’re very excited about the opportunity to work with the school and be the preferred healthcare choice of Cal Poly,” Nicklas said.
As for Cal Poly, 100 percent of the $800,000 sponsorship agreement will go towards funding athletic scholarships. It will also significantly increase the student-athletes availability to be treated by medical professionals, Oberhelman said.
“We see it as a great benefit toward the hospital, the university and the community,” Nicklas said.
All three parties said that they look forward to working with each other in the future and that they are on amicable terms.