NIHD press release

Healthcare leaders from across California, including those from Northern Inyo County, participated in last week’s Association of California Healthcare District’s (ACHD) Annual Meeting.

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Pete Watercott

Held Sept. 12-14 in San Diego, the ACHD Annual Meeting was designed to provide new and veteran district board members and administrators with the knowledge and skills necessary to navigate the ever-changing landscape of healthcare.

Attending from Northern Inyo Healthcare District were board members Pete Watercott; John Ungersma, MD; and MC Hubbard, as well as Chief Executive Officer Kevin S. Flanigan, MD, MBA.

ACHD workshops focused on fostering relationships among District team members as well as potential community partners; the importance of incorporating coming changes in the district’s Strategic Plan; and, an in-depth look at the state of Behavioral Health in California. The meeting also focused on changes in website compliance and was host to a Women’s Leadership Breakfast Panel. Former Inyo County Assemblywoman Connie Conway served on the panel.

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MC Hubbard

Upon returning from the conference, Dr. Flanigan noted that leadership would now focus on becoming an ACHD-Certified Healthcare District. He stated, “While I am impressed with what the District of the Year accomplished, I am confident NIHD is doing that same level of service – and, perhaps more. Certification is the next step our District needs achieve.”

As public entities, healthcare districts have well-defined obligations for conducting business in an open, transparent manner. To assist its members in demonstrating compliance with these requirements, ACHD has developed a core set of standards in governance. Healthcare districts that demonstrate compliance with these standards receive designation as an ACHD-Certified Healthcare District.

Like other healthcare districts in the state, NIHD was created by residents to address our communities’ healthcare needs. Today NIHD features a 25-bed critical access hospital, a 24-hour emergency department, a primary care Rural Health Clinic, a diagnostic imaging center, and clinics specializing in women’s health, breast health, internal medicine, orthopedics, pediatrics and allergies, and general surgery.

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John Ungersma

California has 78 healthcare districts, found in both urban and rural settings. These districts offer a variety of services including community grant making, chronic disease management education, senior services, ambulance services, primary care clinics, dental clinics, nutritional counseling, physical education, long-term care/skilled nursing, senior housing and acute hospital care. In many instances, healthcare districts are the sole source of health care in the community; serving as an integral part of the safety net for the state’s uninsured/underinsured.

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