Re: Important Decisions Looms
Dear Editor,
We recently read the ‘letter to the editor’ regarding the election for Oak Valley Hospital District’s Board of Directors. This gives us an opportunity to present our strategy of “running as a slate” for the Board.
First, is it possible to maintain individualism when running as a slate? The simple answer is yes.
We have chosen slogans that summarize what each of us can contribute to the Board. For Daniel Cummins: “committed to the community, dedicated to progress.” For Dr. Edward Chock: “decisions made from integrity, honesty, and experience.” And for Kent Kushar: “the voice we need, the change we deserve.” We believe our individual skills together form the right choice for this election.
The capacity to understand our individual strengths and weaknesses lead us to recruit Mr. Kushar. The board has made great strides in recent years, and we understand the benefits of recruiting someone more strategic and fiscally inclined. Mr. Kushar’s career as the Chief Information Officer for E&J Gallo Winery allows him to contribute a perspective that is not currently represented.
It is important to reiterate that running as a slate does not mean thinking or voting the same way. We are individuals with common goals and different perspectives which allow us to bring depth to future solutions. This is a concept that we believe Ms. Peabody understood and endorsed when she recruited Daniel Cummins to run as part of a slate eight years ago.
We agree that important decisions will be made this upcoming November. We humbly ask for any reader’s vote and encourage questions be submitted to us at ovhbd2018@gmail.com. We strongly value open communication with the community we serve.
With Appreciation,
Dr. Edward Chock
Daniel Cummins
Kent Kushar
Hospital Business Open To All
Dear Editor,
I would like to respond to a few points that were made recently in the letters to the editor.
First and foremost, all of our board meeting agendas and minutes, including financials, are available on our website oakvalleycares.org. Our board meetings are open to the public and are held on the first Thursday of the month. I, for one, would like to encourage everyone to attend. We are here as your representatives and value your input.
Financially we are one of the very few success stories in the district hospital community of California. We currently have over 144 days of operating cash on hand. This means we are financially stable while over 25 percent of the district hospitals in California have either sold or closed their doors. We will maintain financial stability as we add new equipment, update our facilities, add services, and maintain the growing cost of personnel.
It is true that we currently have many full time and per-diem positions listed as open. The point I would like to make is that between an acute care facility, a nursing and rehabilitation center, four clinics and an ambulance company, we are the largest employer in Oakdale. Due to this, it is unrealistic to expect all of these positions to be constantly filled. However, due to our high standard of personnel, we do guarantee that the positions are filled by the best.
The completion of our new hospital expansion project is estimated to be 25 to 30 million dollars. We are working diligently to build a plan for construction that does not include burdening the public with another bond.
If any reader has questions concerning these topics or more I greatly encourage your correspondence. Please feel free to reach me at ovhbd2018@gmail.com.
Thank you,
Daniel Cummins