CLEARLAKE ? Assemblyman Wes Chesbro toured St. Helena Hospital Clearlake during a visit to Lake County Wednesday. The visit provided hospital officials with an opportunity discuss with the legislator issues, particularly those listed in state budget cuts that affect rural health care.
“(Assemblyman Wes Chesbro) was really receptive,” Jennifer Swenson, chief operating officer said. “He”s really an advocate for health care issues but more importantly for issues that relate to small, rural facilities.”
Swenson said that the primary subject discussed was the impact budget reductions have on rural health care, especially Medical programs and dental funding that was cut in July.
Chesbro visited many departments of the critical care hospital such as the Emergency Room, Intensive Care Unit and Labor and Delivery. He also stopped briefly in the inpatient department (Med Surg) where he spoke with Hospitalist Program Director Dr. John Hodgkin regarding admission and discharge procedures and regulations. Dr. Hodgkin expressed appreciation for the partnership the hospital has with St. Helena Hospital in Deer Park, which provides flexibility in extended admissions.
Chesbro spoke highly of the partnership that has been established between the facilities. “I”m very impressed with what”s happened with the partnership with St. Helena Hospital,” he said. “Rural health and hospitals are under extreme stress right now with all the cuts in hospital funding. Clearlake and southern Lake County are very fortunate to have this partnership because I think it helps to protect and improve quality of health care for the community.”
Chesbro said he sees a national health care plan in the future. “Ideally we”re going to get a national health care plan, which will include funding for rural health care,” he said. “But, in the meantime, the state budget crisis is really threatening access to care. Medical reimbursement for hospitals all over the state has been cut. I was able to exempt rural critical access hospitals and this is one of them.”
Chesbro continued, “With the economy continuing to go down hill we have to be vigilant to make sure rural health care doesn”t get hurt.”
Located on 18th Avenue in Clearlake, St. Helena Hospital Clearlake employs more than 70 physicians representing 15 medical specialties. The 25-bed critical access hospital is part of the Adventist Health System and serves the communities of Clearlake, Lower Lake, Middletown, Hidden Valley Lake, Kelseyville and Clearlake Oaks.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobsever.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
