On the Ground with Providers in Mountain Communities
This week I enjoyed several days visiting with community leaders throughout Sierra and Plumas counties. It was a great chance to talk about ranching‚ rural law enforcement‚ community building in small towns‚ and especially the work of keeping patients healthy at some of California’s smallest hospitals.
In Portola‚ we walked the halls of Eastern Plumas Health Care with Clinic Director Tracy Studer‚ CEO Doug McCoy‚ and their stellar team.
Through strong partnerships‚ the hospital has been able to bring important resources to the community‚ including access to a state of the art mobile MRI unit‚ which travels the region to serve multiple small hospitals around the North State. We also had an open conversation about the challenges of providing health care in a rural community and the impact unfunded state mandates can have on small hospitals with limited resources.
What stood out was the commitment of the entire team. They are continually working to improve their facilities‚ expand services‚ and provide the best possible care for their patients.
Plumas District Hospital in Quincy recently opened a brand new skilled nursing facility to care for patients‚ many elderly and disabled‚ who need longer term care that just cannot be provided at home. It’s a beautiful space‚ but operating under full capacity in part because of local shortages in key staff. Building up the healthcare workforce‚ from certified nursing assistants to specialist physicians‚ is a key need everywhere I go in the North State.
Thanks to CEO JoDee Johnson‚ Chief Financial Officer Caleb Johnson and Director of Business Organizational Development Tiffany Leonhardt (pictured above with me and my district director‚ Alice Bennett) for their time and thoughts.
The next day‚ my team and I visited the future Lake Almanor Community Hospital‚ under construction in Chester. This project has been nearly ten years in the making. CEO Shawn McKenzie‚ Board President Jerri Nielsen‚ and their fantastic team have shown tremendous persistence and dedication in bringing this long awaited project across the finish line.
The new‚ earthquake safe hospital and emergency room will provide modern facilities to care for residents and visitors throughout the area‚ and it is truly being built for the mountains. One example is the heated helicopter landing pad‚ designed to ensure urgent patient transfers are not delayed by snow and ice when every minute counts. Currently‚ patients requiring an air transfer must first be transported by ambulance to the airport. Bringing that capability directly to the hospital could save critical time in an emergency.
These are multimillion dollar investments in the future of healthcare in these rural communities. They are very exciting to see‚ even as bringing them to fruition reveals a new set of challenges.
Rural health care is essential to maintaining healthy‚ thriving communities. We are grateful to the staff for taking the time to walk us through their facility and candidly share their successes‚ challenges‚ and ideas for the future.
Thank you again for the warm welcome and thoughtful discussion. We look forward to continuing to work with our rural health care providers and ensuring their voices and experiences are heard in Sacramento.
Grant Brings Path Breaking Therapies to Sacramento Valley
Speaking of North State healthcare‚ congratulations to Enloe Health in Chico for winning a $9 million grant from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to establish a “Community Care Center for Excellence” in Butte County.
The center will help bring both advanced cell gene therapies approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and clinical trials to patients in the Sacramento Valley. Regenerative therapy is seen as especially promising for patients with certain cancers and organ failure. The programs are expected to open early next year.
Then Assemblyman James Gallagher and I strongly supported Enloe Health’s effort and earlier this year wrote CIRM encouraging the institute to support this project and invest in supporting North State patients. I am very proud of Enloe’s work in this path breaking field.
Bills Shape Future of Camp Fire Victims‚ Biomass‚ Ranching
- Last week brought the deadline for the governor to sign or veto bills passed in this year’s legislative session. The Legislature sent 1‚160 bills to the governor and he signed 1‚040. Some of my own work this year has fallen to the veto pen‚ which is especially frustrating after winning bipartisan support among my colleagues‚ but I also want to highlight some critical bills that are now law and will do good for the North State.
- AB 2700 was initially introduced by now Congressman James Gallagher and was picked up by Assemblyman Joe Patterson‚ who saw this bill to the finish line. AB 2700 directs the California Public Utilities Commission to study and report potential avenues for restitution for wildfire victims — in Paradise and surrounding areas devastated by the Camp Fire‚ along with others — who received only partial compensation for their losses from the Fire Victim Trust established through the PG&E bankruptcy. The cost of any additional compensation cannot fall on PG&E ratepayers. There is no guarantee of full payments‚ but it at least opens a door for full compensation.
- SB 1135 – The California Wildlife Coexistence Act enshrines in law a compensation program for ranchers who lose livestock to wolves‚ creates a statewide advisory body including representatives of public safety‚ agriculture and rural counties‚ and eases some legal liability for ranchers whose livestock guardian dogs chase wolves. It’s not enough to solve the problems plaguing ranchers in areas where legally protected gray wolves have moved in‚ but it’s a step in the right direction.
I was a proud co author of several other bills that were signed into law. - Authored by Assemblywoman Heather Hadwick‚ AB 1555 authorizes the College of the Siskiyous to exempt up to 200 students from out of state tuition if they live in several southern Oregon counties. Lifting the burden just a bit for potential students from Oregon helps the college run robust programs to serve local students and helps Siskiyou County fill its workforce gap in fire‚ law enforcement‚ EMS and nursing.
- SB 331‚ by Sen. Caroline Menjivar‚ requires private health insurance plans to cover hearing aids for children who need them and for families who may struggle to afford them. Hearing plays a crucial role in child development both educationally and socially. After years and years of advocates bringing this issue to the legislature and numerous authors falling short‚ they finally got this bill signed into law.
- Last‚ but not least‚ AB 706‚ by Assemblywoman Cecelia Aguiar Curry‚ establishes the Forest Organic Residue‚ Energy and Safety Transformation and Wildfire Prevention Fund Act to support biomass power generation using waste from wildfire mitigation and forest restoration projects. Forests cover nearly one third of our state‚ and thinning projects generate millions of tons of waste each year. This bill promotes sustainable use of biomass for bioenergy‚ will reduce wildfire risks and air pollution‚ and gives an economic lift for struggling regions.
Memorial Honors “Voice of the Sutter Huskies”
This week‚ Team Dahle joined staff from Caltrans District 3‚ colleagues‚ friends‚ and family of Gordon Lee Bordsen to honor his legacy with a memorial highway sign dedication. I authored Senate Concurrent Resolution 119 this year to designate a portion of State Route 20 near the town of Sutter as the Gordon Lee Bordsen Memorial Highway.
Gordon was a lifelong public servant‚ community leader‚ and family man whose work left a lasting impact on the Yuba Sutter region. Those who knew Gordon remember him as a mentor‚ hardworking public servant‚ and generous friend with a strong commitment to safety‚ family‚ faith‚ and community. His love of farming‚ sheep‚ hunting‚ sports‚ and the outdoors was woven throughout his life. And he was the “Voice of the Sutter Huskies‚” announcing at Sutter Union High School football games for over 25 years.
The highway dedication honors not only his professional contributions to safer roads‚ but also the many people he influenced along the way.