Court upholds dissolution of East Bay healthcare district

A small East Contra Costa-based healthcare district has misplaced its judicial enchantment to maintain working.

The California Supreme Court docket denied Los Medanos Group Healthcare District’s enchantment final week, leading to its dissolution as of March 10.

Not affected is the operation of the Pittsburg Well being Heart, which the Contra Costa County Well being Providers division has run since 1998 and stays open with no adjustments to common, ongoing providers for affected person care, based on officers.

Fashioned by a vote of native residents in 1948 to construct and run a neighborhood hospital, the district has continued to function even after Los Medanos Group Hospital closed in 1994. Since then, the district has overseen the distribution of assorted grants to health-related native applications, a job that critics say Contra Costa County might do with fewer prices.

“The courtroom motion means we will decrease overhead prices considerably and enhance grant funding for the advantage of residents’ healthcare priorities and wishes within the former District space,” Supervisor Federal Glover, whose District 5 represents the communities, mentioned in a information launch. “We will make a much bigger distinction for our residents.”

The healthcare district had served a largely deprived neighborhood of greater than 97,000 folks in Pittsburg, Bay Level and components of Antioch, Harmony and Clayton, whose residents pay it particular taxes. It additionally was one of many main contributors to the Pittsburg RotaCare clinic, which offers free medical providers to the uninsured.

However a number of important grand jury experiences criticized the district, saying it spent an excessive amount of on administrative prices, duplicated providers and didn’t successfully monitor its applications.

The Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors first requested LAFCO – an company partly accountable for streamlining authorities entities – to dissolve the district and switch all of its belongings and money owed to the county in 2018. LAFCO authorized the motion on Sept. 12, 2018, however the district responded by acquiring 10,594 legitimate protest signatures to cease dissolution, although it was later informed the trouble got here up 419 votes quick.

A coalition of residents and nonprofits tried to save lots of the district, holding rallies and posting on social media, suggesting the district funds neighborhood applications that will in any other case not get funded.

In addition they opposed the-Assemblyman Jim Frazier’s proposed 2021 invoice, AB903, to remove the district, which later died in a state senate committee.

The county superior courtroom, although, twice sided with the district in 2019 and in 2020, however LAFCO appealed and the current state supreme courtroom motion sealed the dissolution order.

“This has been a considerate course of to make sure that the neighborhood’s wants and considerations are addressed,” Supervisor Karen Mitchoff, board chair, mentioned. “The county will allocate 90% of funds to health-related applications and set up a reserve fund to assist make sure that applications are sustainable shifting ahead.”

In preparation for the switch, final week the board of supervisors established the Los Medanos Healthcare Advisory Committee, which can make suggestions for grant funding to fulfill healthcare priorities of residents within the former District space.

The committee will likely be composed of seven members, together with 5 neighborhood members who work or stay within the Los Medanos space and two healthcare professionals.

“The focused, coordinated strategy to how we focus funding will assist us do extra for residents within the former District space to enhance their well being and the way they obtain healthcare,” Glover mentioned.

Affected person care and providers on the Pittsburg Well being Heart is not going to be impacted, officers mentioned, noting sufferers ought to proceed to schedule their medical appointments and search providers on the Pittsburg Well being Heart as is regular.

Verify again for updates.