Dear Editor,

We have read the Oakdale Leader’s interviews with the five candidates for Oak Valley Hospital Board. The focus of three candidates is on internal management issues. The other two focus on governance issues. We expect the CEO to effectively manage internal operations with board oversight, not interference.

We expect the board to address the “big picture.” There is only one candidate who consistently speaks about the changing role of healthcare and what this hospital district must do to survive.

That candidate is Belinda Abell.

She understands healthcare reform. She talks about the reality of shifting from inpatient to outpatient revenue streams. She knows the challenge of recruiting needed specialists to rural areas. She fully comprehends the complex financing of the heavily regulated healthcare industry.

Yes, she is outspoken. She challenges. She sometimes ruffles feathers. She is doing what a board member is elected to do. She leads!

Belinda Abell is who we need to elect because she focuses on the future, not the past or the present.

Sincerely,

Peter and Linda Rossi