By Linda Ferrer
Born in Palo Alto and raised in Sunnyvale, Ferrer has lived most of her life in the El Camino Hospital District. Although asked by the Libertarian Party to run, Ferrer said she is not an “absolutist” libertarian. “I will represent what I think is right for the hospital,” Ferrer said.
A technical writer by profession, Ferrer said her abilities to understand complex issues and translate in a straightforward fashion would be an asset to the board. She called El Camino “a symbol of high community standards,” and said she wants the hospital to continue operating with a surplus of revenue.
Her two main goals as a board member are integrating more alternative medicine programs such as acupuncture, and ensuring El Camino employees are legal citizens. “I oppose abuse of the H1B visa,” she said, which high-tech employers used to bring workers from other nations here illegally. Although she does not know of specific instances in which this might have occurred at El Camino, Ferrer would be one board member urging the district to keep up its guard.
In keeping with the Libertarian philosophy, Ferrer believes the hospital should only go to the taxpayers as a last resort when looking at funding sources for rebuilding the hospital tower.
Bill James
Although James acknowledges El Camino’s current strong financial standing, he worries about the board and the administration focusing too much on the bottom line and not enough on medical care.
The patent attorney and Naval Academy graduate also is concerned the hospital does not disclose information such as the pay of top executives. “As a public institution, this information should be available,” he said. “I would like to see more effort by the board to provide more information.”
James, who comes from a family of union members, has the endorsement of the AFL-CIO as well as El Camino’s Service Union 715. “I’m proud of those affiliations,” James said, but added, “I am not obligated to unions.”
James would like to see the Rotocare Clinic expanded and more outreach to low-income patients and children.
He feels his military training, which required maintaining focus during times of chaos, would come in handy on the board.
James promised he would bring good listening skills and an inclusive philosophy to the board. “There should not be any constituency at the hospital or any sector of the community that feels they can’t be heard,” he said.
Mark O’ConnorO’Connor, on the hospital board since 1994, was a major factor in the redistricting of El Camino Hospital. It was his hard questioning about the hospital’s shaky finances that led to a district board lawsuit that toppled the failed integrated delivery system. O’Connor is not a doctor, but has run the Foothill Medical Clinic in East San Jose and says he feels unencumbered about continuing to ask hard questions because he has no vested interest at the hospital.
“I’m unique in the sense that I have a strong medical background, and I have no conflict because my clinic is in East San Jose,” O’Connor said. With three of the five board members from Los Altos, O’Connor, a Sunnyvale resident, also provides perspective outside the Los Altos area since the district also includes Sunnyvale and Mountain View.
He added, “I know medicine enough where a doctor can’t come in and BS me.”
Seismic regulations are forcing hospital leaders to rebuild the main tower, but O’Connor looks at the project as a grand opportunity. “There’s a tremendous opportunity to upgrade,” he said. “We need to build the hospital with an adaptability component,” allowing for further medical advances.
“I come with a sense of history, a background of where it’s been, and where I’d like to see it go,” O’Connor said. “I enjoy it - I feel I am really doing something. … I’ve found my niche.”
David Reeder
Four candidates for two seats
Issues: Physician recruitment, rebuilding of the hospital tower
The former Los Altos City Council member was appointed 3.5 years ago, just as the hospital was recovering from the throes of an integrated delivery system that proved a financial drain. Although the hospital has been getting high patient satisfaction scores of late, Reeder said, “We worry about providing the very best health care possible.”
Reeder and O’Connor were both part of a board that hired Lee Domanico as the hospital’s chief administrator in October 2000. “Domanico has been nothing short of outstanding,” Reeder said. “Lee’s done a lot of working physicians back into the hospital.”
Along with rebuilding the hospital, physician recruiting remains a big challenge for El Camino. The area’s cost of living proves a huge deterrent for many doctors. Reeder suggested incentives such as housing assistance and salary guarantees as a way of attracting quality doctors.
Two qualities Reeder said he brings to the board are listening and financial expertise. The Sun Microsystems manager is currently working with fellow board members to get costs for the hospital rebuild and to develop a finance mechanism. The three options are the existing budget, the private bond market and public support. “It could be a combination of all three,” Reeder said.
Reeder said he is “interested in maintaining and supporting independent physicians.”
