Sonoma Valley Healthcare District receives certification

The Sonoma Valley Healthcare District last week received the designation as a “certified healthcare district” from the Association of California Healthcare Districts (ACHD). It is one of 15, out of the 50 plus healthcare districts around the state, to receive this new certification. Bill Boerum, who serves on the board of trustees of both the Sonoma Valley Healthcare District and on the ACHD, likens it to the Good Housekeeping “seal of approval.”

“This certification tells the district that we are meeting industry criteria in governance across 25 key areas,” said Boerum.

Boerum stressed that the certification is not about the quality of health care services provided, it is about the quality of board oversight and governance.

According to Boerum, ACHD began offering this self-policing certification process two years ago with the goal of improving industry quality. The ACHD provides a healthcare district with a large empty binder with 25 sections, and the local district board gathers the information, which is then reviewed by ACHD staff. The certification process takes several months. The ACHD’s goal is for every district to eventually achieve certification.

Compliance areas covered include transparency, ethics, reporting, purchasing, conflict of interest, requesting public funds and executive compensation. “These areas address the obligation that healthcare districts have with respect to conducting business in a manner that is transparent to the public being served,” said Boerum.

Over the past 70 years, voters in California have created 78 healthcare districts to fulfill local health care needs. Healthcare districts are public entities that provide community-based health services to district residents. They provide a range of services which may include a hospital, clinic, skilled nursing facility or emergency medical services as well as education and wellness programs. Each of California’s healthcare districts is governed by a locally elected board of trustees. The Sonoma Valley Healthcare District, which was created in 1946, includes Sonoma Valley Hospital, but not the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center, which is federally chartered. Petaluma Healthcare District has also recently achieved certification; Napa Valley does not have a healthcare district.

“Most importantly,” said Boerum, “this certification tells Sonoma Valley that its healthcare district is in good hands.”

Contact Lorna at lorna.sheridan@sonomanews.com.