MCDH Chooses Birdsell Again!
Same Old, Same Old at MCDH
Editorial by Marianne McGee, MA
Tonight, on the same day the American President was accused of treason, the Mendocino Coast District Hospital (MCDH) Board of Directors voted 3 yeses with Dr. Peter Glusker abstaining, to select previous member Tom Birdsell to fill the position vacated by Lucas Campos.
With an experienced and diverse slate of 8 candidates, the MCDH Board chose the “safe route” of choosing the candidate with 13 years of experience in the previous regime, contributing to the ongoing failings of the hospital. As the President of the MCDH Board during the 2016 Election, Mr. Birdsell placed 4th, after Mr. Lund, Dr. Campos and Kaye Handley.
The Candidates for this short term 4 month position also included: Norman de Vall, Amy McColley, Karen Arnold, John Redding, Lea Christensen, Barbara Kilian and Peter Lit, (who did not attend the interview, so was not considered). There was an amazing broad range of medical, management and nonprofit experiences among the other candidates, so we are hopeful that this slate of people will also apply for the four positions to be elected in November.
Candidates were given opportunities to make opening and closing statements, as well as each answering five questions presented by Pat Dunbar, representing the League of Women Voters.
The following questions were asked:
- What applicable experience do you have with Mendocino Coast District Hospital, Critical Access Hospitals and/or Medical Facilities?
- What are the 3 most important roles of a Board Member? Compare and contrast with the roles of the CEO?
- What are the three most critical problems facing the Mendocino Coast Healthcare District and how would you approach them?
- Can you read and understand budgets and financial statements? What is your experience with Medicare and MediCal monies for a hospital?
- What is your opinion regarding the need for Obstetrics?
When the MCDH Board voted, then announced Mr. Birdsell as the new MCDH Board Member, a murmur of dissent emerged from some of the crowd, as “word on the street” was it was a “done deal” before the interviews were conducted. With a full house watching, it appeared there was a great deal of community interest, with many not being regular attendees or MCDH staff.
Candidates demonstrated a wide range of relevant experience and opinions on these topics, which are vital the ongoing health of MCDH/MCHD. Mendocino TV is hopeful, given the impressive qualities of these residents; that there will be a healthy slate of potential MCDH Board Members for the November elections!
Watch the video to evaluate the potential MCDH Board Members and begin preparing for the November Election, as a healthy hospital is critical to a healthy community.
We apologize for the stuttering of the video. The problem is not at your end and cannot be fixed with a faster connection. We are using a new camera/technology called a “Mevo” with spotty results. This will get better as we test the limitations of this technology.
