Legislator: Health Districts Need More Oversight

Chief Medical Officer Dr. Lisa Santora testified in front of state legislative oversight committee Wednesday, according to a report from California Watch.

According to reporters Jennifer Gollan and Katharine Mieszkowski from the Bay Citizen, public health officials and taxpayer groups want more accountability from state health districts—including the BCHD, which serves Redondo, Manhattan and Hermosa beaches—that no longer run hospitals.

“What government function is performed by health care districts that do not run hospitals in this day and age?” said Jean Fraser, San Mateo County's health system chief, told reporters. “Most people don’t even know the districts exist.”

Adventureplex and the Center for Health and Fitness—two of the BCHD's gyms—are used by fewer than 2 percent of the Beach Cities' population, according to the report. The district has a budget of $10 million, and $6.3 million of that went to salaries and professional fees in the 2010-11 fiscal year. BCHD spent $1.4 million on health grants in the same period of time.

In addition to its gyms, the district is also an integral part of the initiative, which promotes healthy living in the Beach Cities. BCHD also runs the LiveWell Kids and Moving Children programs at local elementary schools, as well as Community Care Services, which provides help for the elderly.

At the hearing, Santora told legislators that the district is committed to preventative care. Nevertheless, after hearing from Santora and representatives of the Peninsula Health Care District and the Mt. Diablo Health Care District, Assembly Committee on Accountability and Administrative Review Chairman Roger Dickinson, D-Sacramento, said he plans to "push for legislation … that would restrict how health care districts spend their money," according to California Watch.

• Full story: State Lawmakers Question Health Districts' Spending [California Watch]