Alliance Announces Candidates for Healthcare District Board

GREENBRAE (May 28, 2008) – Two respected healthcare leaders today announced their candidacy for the Marin Healthcare District Board, with a platform of ensuring a well-planned future for Marin General Hospital.

Marin Healthcare District Board Chair Sharon Jackson is seeking to retain her seat in the November 2008 election; she is running jointly with long-time Marin obstetrician-gynecologist Harris (Hank) Simmonds as candidates sponsored by the Alliance to Save Our Hospital.

 “The District has made tremendous progress in the past year,” Jackson said at a news conference this morning held across from the hospital on Bon Air Road in Greenbrae. “Board members are working together better, but we now need to find a solution that will keep the hospital open and maintain top-quality care once Sutter Health Care departs. We need more consensus on the Board to do that. We cannot afford to be at odds with each other if we are to move forward.”

Simmonds announced his candidacy by saying he has been associated with Marin General and delivering babies there since 1971 and continues as an honorary member of the medical staff. “Marin General is the cornerstone of the healthcare system in Marin. As a district board member my main priority will be keeping that institution intact. We simply need to find a way to keep Marin General financially sound and delivering top-quality care to the residents of Marin.”

The Alliance was formed in 2006 in the wake of contention between the Board and Sutter. Three members of the Alliance currently serve on the five-member board and its members hope to win a fourth seat by electing Dr. Simmonds to replace Archie Ramirez.

“If the Alliance secures four of the five seats on the District Board, the Alliance would be able to effectively steer the District toward a workable structure that will keep Marin General Hospital open once Sutter pulls out -- perhaps as soon as August of 2009,” Jackson said.

The Marin Healthcare District is a special district of the State of California, created by the Marin County Board of Supervisors in the 1940s, to oversee the development and operation of a public hospital in Marin County. The District includes the majority of the communities in Marin County (excepting Novato and portions of West Marin). In 2006, the District and Sutter Health negotiated an agreement whereby Marin General Hospital Corporation would no longer be leased to Sutter Health. The transfer date has not been set, but will occur between August 1, 2009 and July 1, 2010.

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Meet the Candidates