All four candidates for two open seats on the Petaluma Health Care District's Board of Directors emphasize that a tremendous amount of work needs to be done to improve local health care.

But as expected, the two incumbents laud the efforts that have been made by the PHCD board and claim that continuity is essential in tackling current and future issues, while the two challengers stress that a fresh approach or additional expertise is needed.

But some important progress has been made. Local health-care agencies are working together to address issues; Petaluma Valley Hospital has been expanding its services; a major fund-raising campaign is underway to expand the Petaluma Health Center's services; and the new South Sonoma County Medical Group, now aligned with the Marin Individual Practitioners Association, is helping to recruit new doctors and provide them with better reimbursement contracts.

“I brought the capacity to see the whole picture by introducing the notion that local health care should be viewed as an interconnected ecosystem,” Anderson said. “Also, when I began serving, the Petaluma Health Center was in danger of ‘going under.' I helped to increase the awareness of what needed to be done to save it.

Anderson emphasizes the need for greater accessibility, affordability and quality, and singles out the need for a new PVH medical office building and capitalization of resources, including the possible introduction of a general-obligation bond, as two of the most significant current health-care issues.

Leno isn't necessarily dissatisfied with the jobs that Anderson and Thornton are doing, but feels that the experience he gained in finding solutions as a member of several committees would come in handy.

Leno lists several local health-care concerns, including the needs to aggressively recruit young doctors and nurses to the area and to establish a new medical office building on the PVH campus.

“I've thought about where I and my family are in our lives. We have what we want, and like living in the community. I now would like to give something back to it,” he said.

Moran has lived in Petaluma for eight years, and was motivated to run because he now has more free time from his job and feels he can provide valuable experience and insight. He has served as a leader in non-profit acute-care hospitals, teaching hospitals, medical schools and long-term and short-term care facilities, and has played a key role in obtaining research funds.

“The local board has done a pretty good job of dealing with things, but I feel that my extensive background in health-care finance would be very useful at this time,” he said. “Financial resources will need to be evaluated, and decisions will need to be made as to how they can be best utilized.

“For one thing, a lot of the infrastructure at Petaluma Valley Hospital needs to be replaced, so a fair amount of financial work will need to be done,” he said.

He cited physician reimbursement rates, recruitment of doctors and utilization of property owned by the health-care district as some of the main health-care issues in Petaluma.

“The hospital and board are just now embarking on a strategic-planning phase. During the next four years, a plan will be devised that will be implemented over the next decade,” he said.

Thornton said that when she first ran for an open seat on the board in 2002, she didn't know a lot about health care, and feels it took her a year to get up to speed.

She feels that under her leadership, the board has done an extensive community evaluation of Petaluma Valley Hospital and protected it by leasing operations to a strong provider, St. Joseph Health System of Sonoma County.

Thornton contends that Wayne Fairchild, the vice president of operations at Petaluma Valley Hospital, and George Perez, CEO of St. Joseph, have provided a tremendous boost to local health care.

But Thornton contends that many significant issues still need to be successfully addressed, including accessibility to local, affordable health care and sustainability of the hospital and its emergency room.

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