MCDH Planning Nominee doesn’t reflect broader coastal demographics
MCDH needs to recruit new community volunteers
Editorial by Marianne McGee, MA
The Mendocino Coast District Hospital (MCDH) Board of Directors has recently lost several of its’ Citizen Volunteers, who provide community input into the decision making process. These people were comfortably retired, well educated professionals, frustrated with the ongoing issues at the hospital and the lack of leadership exhibited in solving them.
Now, presented with the opportunity to recruit new volunteers more representative of the broader coastal community, it appears that President Steve Lund is offering a candidate that is, once again reflective of that older, male, more affluent attitude and experience, rather than expand their representation of the rest of us.
At the upcoming August 22, MCDH Planning Committee, it appears the only committee candidate is Rob Scott, another retired successful businessman. While Mr. Scott has a vast professional resume in the Pharmaceutical Industry and government he is a clone of the other volunteers serving MCDH now. He has been an active community volunteer since retiring here, including several years on the Mendocino Coast Hospital Foundation Board of Directors.
As MCDH leadership struggles to resolve its financial problems and future facility needs, now is the time to include the broader community, rather than driving a bigger wedge by ignoring the many new volunteers who have emerged over the last 18 months.
If MCDH is to successfully move forward, it must listen to, engage, respect and include the entire coastal community. Their own Consultant told them the only way to successfully conduct any future financial proposals is for the service needs and campaigns to be initiated and conducted by the community, not from the top down.
Contact MCDH leadership to volunteer and to advocate for broader community representation and involvement.
Watch and read about previous MCDH meetings under Building Healthy Communities on Mendocino TV’s website!
