CEO Quarterly Message
(This message is also included in the Spring 2008 issue of Health Signs.)
Milestone Anniversaries
Washington Township’s History of Health Care Reform
This year Washington Township Health Care District will celebrate its 60th anniversary and the Hospital, its 50th anniversary. Both are the product of the democratic process and community involvement by ordinary citizens. In 1948, the concerned citizens of Washington Township discussed and answered the weighty question, “Should our community have a hospital of its own?” in the affirmative and moved forward with taxing themselves to build this hospital.
Today, we enjoy the benefits and blessings of a major medical center in our midst that provides specialized care for a broad array of patients’ needs including joint replacement, cardiovascular services, neurosurgery, diabetes care, stroke care, emergency medical care as well as offering outstanding services for mothers and infants. As a community, we have much to proud of because our founders’ efforts have produced such remarkable results.
In January of this year, the hospital hosted a series of community forums that addressed health care reform, which is being discussed by both the state of California and the federal government. The forums were not designed to take a side in the ongoing debate about access to heath care services, but rather provide information to our community. I found it more than a little interesting that Governor Kitzhaber, two term governor of the state of Oregon, Congressman Pete Stark and Assemblyman Alberto Torrico, all speaking on separate evenings, indicated that they believed that true health care reform will spring from a grassroots effort at the local level. This belief may seem improbable to people who don’t know the story of our hospital district, but for those of us who do, I guess we might say that stranger things can happen.
After all, if 12,500 people living in rural Southern Alameda County 60 years ago could resolve their access to care issues, I suppose the more than 320,000 of us occupying the same space all these years later can take heart and find inspiration in our own ability to influence and sometimes solve very difficult problems. Washington Township Health Care District can and has played a role in raising the discussion. With the able assistance of the League of Women Voters, our three day Community Forum was an excellent way of bringing forward the many issues in public policy that are so important for each of us to understand.
My former boss, Richard M. Warren, always used to say, “the devil is in the details.” I couldn’t agree more, and believe that we ignore these details at our own peril. Ultimately, every last one of us will be affected by what we as a society decide to do with health care reform. It is a very complicated subject with no simple solutions. I hope you will join us in the future as additional forums are offered. If you would like to receive a DVD of the January forum, please contact Community Relations at (510) 791-3417.
Nancy Farber
Chief Executive Officer
Washington Hospital Healthcare System