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MADERA COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) -- Various media reports archetypal shed airy connected the present arguable compensation of Valley Children's CEO Todd Suntrapak backmost successful March.
Tax documents revealed that his full wage much than doubled from $2.1 cardinal successful 2019 to $5.5 cardinal successful 2020, the archetypal twelvemonth of the pandemic.
RELATED: Valley Children's CEO wage draws disapproval from Fresno City Council members
I sat down with Suntrapak for an interrogation addressing the disapproval swirling astir his compensation.
I asked wherefore his wage much than doubled from 2019 to 2020.
"I'll commencement by saying I'm truly arrogant of this team," responded Suntrapak. "And I'm arrogant of the enactment that we've done, and I'm arrogant of the enactment that I've done arsenic CEO and leader."
I don't take what my compensation is. Our committee determines what the due compensation is for the CEO.
Todd Suntrapak, Valley Children's CEO
He added, "I don't take what my compensation is. Our committee determines what the due compensation is for the CEO, and they trust upon outer experts to counsel them, and to bash rather a spot of analysis, past they marque a determination. "
The pursuing year, successful 2021, Suntrapak earned $5.1 cardinal successful full compensation, which included $1.7 cardinal successful basal pay. Due to a alteration successful the hospital's bonus schedule, Suntrapak says helium received 2 bonuses that twelvemonth totaling $3.4 million.
Suntrapak besides received a hefty inducement that twelvemonth - a $5 cardinal forgivable loan, which helium utilized to acquisition a $6.5 cardinal location successful Carmel.
"There is simply a information of the indebtedness that is forgiven each year, which I americium taxed connected showed up connected my W2's and the word is 10 years," Suntrapak explained. "So again, the intent of the board, based connected the appraisal of my work, was wanting to clasp maine for that play of time. This was a instrumentality that was disposable to them."
I asked Suntrapak if it felt excessive.
I'm arrogant of the enactment I've done present for adjacent to 30 years.
Todd Suntrapak, Valley Children's CEO
"Again, I'm arrogant of the enactment I've done present for adjacent to 30 years, Graciela. My compensation is not thing I choose. It's the purview of the board, and they usage outer consultants who counsel them connected these things and past marque those decisions. It's not truly for maine to say," Suntrapak said.
IRS forms besides revealed the CEOs of 13 different larger children's hospitals crossed the state made considerably little than Suntrapak successful 2021. One illustration is the CEO of Children's Hospital Los Angeles, ranked 11th by furniture space, which earned 1.7 cardinal successful 2021. The aforesaid year, the 16th-ranked Valley Children's CEO earned $5.1 million.
RELATED: Documents amusement however Valley Children's CEO wage compares to different infirmary leaders
"It is hard to cognize who you are comparing versus what adjacent radical (the board) utilized to marque their assessment. And I think, importantly, what we person created astatine Valley Children's. We are successful the apical 3% of children's hospitals successful the country, arsenic recognized by the Leapfrog group, which is simply a nationalist endeavor focused connected assessing prime and diligent safety."
The hospital's enforcement team's wage has besides been nether scrutiny.
In 2019, the 5 top-paid executives combined made adjacent to $4.3 million.
In 2020, the combined compensation of the 5 apical earners totaled much than $9.9 million.
Suntrapak again highlights the prime and scope of attraction astatine Valley Children's.
"The infirmary statement is simply a small limiting erstwhile we speech astir compensation of our enforcement team. We supply attraction successful 12 antithetic counties, we person aggregate outpatient locations, we besides oversee and run pediatrics successful 9 different acute attraction facilities, sometimes we licensed those beds, sometimes astatine a partner's location."
Suntrapak besides came nether occurrence by 2 Fresno metropolis councilmembers.
Garry Bredefeld and Miguel Arias person questioned whether wealth from nationalist healthcare reimbursements similar Medi-Cal was utilized to money enforcement salaries.
RELATED: Valley Children's Healthcare responds to Fresno City Council regarding wage of CEO
Suntrapak's response?
"I don't hold with that statement, no. We surely person commercialized security that we complaint for the services that we provide, arsenic good arsenic concern income - I americium not alert that we person ever pinned immoderate benignant of worker compensation to immoderate benignant of gross stream."
The councilmembers are pushing for a authorities investigation.
What they person done has violated nationalist trust, and determination needs to beryllium accountability and transparency.
Garry Bredefeld, Fresno City Councilmember
"We cognize that Valley Children's is simply a jewel," Bredefeld said backmost successful March. "But what they person done has violated nationalist trust, and determination needs to beryllium accountability and transparency."
RELATED: Fresno City Councilmembers petition authorities AG analyse Valley Children's Hospital
I asked Suntrapak if this contented has changed the nationalist cognition and enactment of Valley Children's.
"I person heard immoderate people, again, anecdotal information. I've heard it directly, and I person heard much that person said we person each spot successful Valley Children's that we ever had. So, antithetic radical are entitled to antithetic opinions. "
Many successful the assemblage person expressed their opinions connected the substance via societal media. Some are successful enactment of Suntrapak and the hospital, but others explicit disappointment, adjacent accusing Valley Children's of utilizing donations to wage apical infirmary salaries.
We are ever thankful for the investments that are made by the nationalist successful the enactment we bash astatine Valley Children's, which is truly astir helping kids.
Todd Suntrapak, Valley Children's CEO
"We are ever thankful for the investments that are made by the nationalist successful the enactment we bash astatine Valley Children's, which is truly astir helping kids," Suntrapak said. "And arsenic I said, astir of those donations are restricted, and if determination are immoderate concerns successful the aboriginal that a donor whitethorn have, they simply request to restrict that contribution, that gift, that investment."
According to the hospital, the yearly Kids Day fundraiser, which ABC30 sponsored, generated $480,000 this twelvemonth successful restricted donations to beryllium utilized by the hematology department.
The hospital's 15-year concern with Panda Express has raised $5.3 million, which is restricted to diligent enactment programs.
While the infirmary prides itself connected its wide handling of the pandemic-including nary unit layoffs, furloughs, oregon wage freezes-we person heard from immoderate Valley Children's nurses who accidental their compensation has not measured up to that of nurses astatine different section hospitals.
"So I deliberation nursing, wages successful peculiar are precise fluid, we precocious made an accommodation to our nursing salaries that puts our nursing salaries connected par with anybody other successful the area."
Despite the nationalist outcry implicit compensations, Suntrapak praises the enactment of his squad and says everyone astatine the infirmary plays a relation successful ensuring Valley kids person entree to the prime attraction they deserve.
"I would not commercialized the squad astatine Valley Children's, stem to stern, for immoderate different squad of pediatric healthcare successful the country."
For quality updates, travel Graciela Moreno connected Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
