Accountablity and Fiscal Responsibility

By Marcelo R. Rivera, M.D.

It is important the community elect Board Members who will work effectively to provide the greatest accountability and maintain a strong fiscal plan to safeguard the financial viability of the Hospital District. We must protect the public's interest and not violate their trust.

The last four years have brought dramatic changes and improvements to our Hospital District. The Hospital District is financially sound and flourishing. We have the best Nursing Care in the region. Our employee relations have dramatically improved. Labor harmony has allowed us to focus more energy on providing affordable high quality of care for all of our patients.

Today our Hospital District is "healthy and doing well." As Chairman of the Hospital Board, Chairman of the Quality management Committee and past Chairman of Finance Committee, I focused on providing high quality affordable care and maintaining the financial health of the Hospital District. The Hospital District is on "solid financial ground," nationally recognized for providing outstanding quality of care and recognized as one of the top 100 places to work in the U.S.

Finally, by participating on the Board Strategic Planning Committee, I was part of the "team" that helped develop the current Master Facility Plan, which is designed to meet earthquake safety standards and at the same time expand Hospital bed capacity by 70%, double Trauma Care, Emergency Care and Critical Care services to all the patients in our region.

Our Hospital District has a very strong and clear vision for the future. The Master Facility Plan will address the facility needs for our community for years to come and ensure high quality health care. The spirit of trust and cooperation has resulted in better services to patients and the community.