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Letters To The Editor 10-24-18
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Re-Elect Dan Cummins

 

Dear Editor,

I’ve known Dan Cummins for many years. I find him to be honest, energetic and a true leader. Dan is a stabilizing force and level-headed decision maker. These are some of the traits that make him an excellent Oak Valley Hospital Board member. I urge you join me in re-electing Dan Cummins to the Oak Valley Hospital District Board.

Former Mayor of Oakdale,

Farrell Jackson

 

 

In Support Of Springer

 

Dear Editor,

I am writing in support of candidate Denise Springer for the position of Area 1 Trustee, which includes the Oakdale area, for the Yosemite Community College District Board. Denise recently retired from Oakdale High School as an English Teacher, where she also served as Language Department Chairperson for 10 years. I know of her excellent skills and dedication as an educator because both my son and daughter greatly benefitted from learning in her classroom at Oakdale H.S.

Denise Springer is committed to making board decisions that support student success, foster a motivating work environment for faculty and staff, and insure fiscal responsibility and transparency. As a longtime Stanislaus County educator myself, I know firsthand the importance of a dedicated and supportive board of education and am highly confident that Denise Springer would successfully meet the challenges of Area 1 Trustee for the YCCD Board. Denise Springer is deserving of your vote.

Teri Curtis

 

 

Hospital Moving Forward

 

Dear Editor,

From the perspective of a physician providing medical care to this community for nearly 40 years, and a member of the Board with fiduciary responsibility for 20 years, I would like to highlight some facts about the District that I believed were misrepresented in a recent Letter to the Editor.

The District has been progressive, responsive, and innovative in meeting the healthcare needs of the community in a fiscally responsible manner during a time when many district hospitals have fallen out of existence.

Clinics have been established throughout the District to provide access for the underserved who have difficulty finding primary care physicians. A Hospitalist service has been established to provide inpatient care for those presenting to the ER without a physician.

We ARE patient centered. Testament to that, a rebate was recently awarded to the District by CMS (Center for Medical Services) because of high ratings in patient satisfaction surveys. Quality and service IS our mission.

From lessons learned from more than a decade of large corporate affiliations, we have come full circle to become free standing, bringing back local governance and placing emphasis on quality patient care before profit.

Technology is utilized to its fullest extent. Telemedicine in neurology is currently available with other specialty areas being actively explored. An integrated EMR (electronic medical records) linking clinics and physician offices, and 24 hour online translation service have been established and utilized regularly. A patient portal has been developed for patients to access clinical results online.

Creating and maintaining a state-of-art facility is a work-in-progress. The appropriate options to best serve the community’s needs are explored as part of strategic planning including development of the second floor of the hospital without additional financial burden to the community.

The changes in the healthcare delivery in this country has made physician recruitment an ever-challenging endeavor, but remains as a top priority in our strategic planning as we recognize that it is a key to the future.

Lastly, accountability and transparency in District governance is our mantra and commitment with strict adherence to the Brown Act with open meetings providing for public input and online accessibility of board proceedings (oakvalleycares.org).

The Board and management have been progressive and innovative in the interest of healthcare in this community and not the ‘status quo’. I have heard the cry for ‘change’ during this campaign … but is change necessary when the achievements are unprecedented in the history of this District? I humbly ask you to vote Kushar, Cummins, and Chock for continuation of quality healthcare in your local community.

Respectfully,

Edward Chock, MD

Attending Surgeon

OVHD Board of Directors