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News from the Grossmont Healthcare District
The board of directors of the Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD), a public agency formed in 1952 to build and operate Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa, has unanimously approved a resolution that would establish criteria for an Independent Citizens' Oversight Committee (ICOC) that would provide additional accountability for the possible implementation of Proposition G, a local measure that appears on the June 6 ballot.
According to Dr. John Hardebeck, GHD 2006 Board President, the ICOC "would represent, advocate and promote the interests of the District's taxpayers," he said. "Our intention is for the ICOC to function in an independent, open and transparent manner with a detailed accounting of all bond revenues so that voter mandates would be fully, faithfully and efficiently carried out."
Proposition G, which requires two-thirds approval of local voters, would allow a $247 million general obligation bond to fund a variety of hospital projects, including expanding the hospital emergency and critical care center, adding patient beds and upgrading the hospital's 50-year-old structural facilities, including seismic improvements.
As stated in the GHD board's resolution, the ICOC would consist of nine members, including local residents with expertise in construction, medical and labor industries, as well as taxpayer oversight and three "at-large" positions. Committee members would serve for no more than two four-year terms, and meet every other month for its first two years.
The Committee's main role would be to monitor the expenditures of Proposition G bond revenues in the most efficient and cost-effective manner possible, Hardebeck said. In addition, the Committee would oversee progress as construction continued, set priorities on a variety of hospital projects and report to the community with an annual report.
Following voter approval of Proposition G, the Committee would be established within 90 days of certification of election results, said Hardebeck. The Grossmont Healthcare District, which supports various health-related community programs and services in San Diego's East County region, serves as landlord of Grossmont Hospital on behalf of local taxpayers, including ownership of the property and buildings.
The District is governed by a five-member board
of directors, each elected to four year terms, who represent nearly 500,000
people residing within the District's 750 square miles in San Diego's East County.
For more information about GHD, visit www.grossmonthealthcare.org.
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