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.

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.

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.

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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