The November 8th election will have candidates in two zones of the Palomar Health District, including Poway, Rancho Bernardo and 4S Ranch.

Palomar Health is the area’s public health district. Covering 800 square miles of northern San Diego County, it is served by his two hospitals, Palomar Medical Center Poway and Palomar Medical Center Escondido. It also houses The Villas at Poway, a skilled nursing facility.

Districts are represented by seven elected officers who serve four-year terms on the Board based on their geographic zone residence. Odd-numbered zones have elections scheduled for this fall. To see a map of district zones, visit tinyurl.com/PHzones.

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There are three candidates running for Zone 5 seats. The incumbents are John Clarke, Alejandro Paz, and Hans Christian M. Sison. This zone covers most of the Powway. East of Interstate 15, east and southeast portions of Rancho Bernardo. Carmel Mountain Ranch and Saber Springs.

John Clark

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Incumbent John Clark, 70 years old, lives in Poway. He has owned and operated businesses in the healthcare sector for over 40 years and is the founder and CEO of Global Cancer Technology.

“It’s a biopharmaceutical company developing drugs to treat brain tumors and breast cancer,” Clark said. “At the same time, we are developing additional medical technologies to bring them to the forefront of healthcare.”

Clark holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Scranton’s Pre-Medical Program.

He served one four-year term on Palomar’s board of directors. He also serves as Chairman of the Finance Committee.

“I have learned a lot about running Palomar Health, the largest public health district in California, and I look forward to serving the community as a director for the next four years,” Clark said.

“I care deeply about ensuring that citizens receive quality, reliable medical care from local hospitals. We are very grateful for your dedication to our well-being. We want to be known as a hospital where patients can always expect high-quality care.”

According to Clark, the top three issues facing the Palomar Health District are maintaining quality healthcare, conservative financial management including increased transparency of all financial disclosures and reporting obligations, Better independent board oversight in advising management and the CEO.

“I have proven myself to fight for the best health care options facing our community,” Clark said. I am able to combine the accumulated knowledge gained from serving on the Board of Directors and I am able to provide the leadership needed to bring about corrective change within the hospital system and to the great number of Palomar physicians. , nurses, and employees enjoy the support.”

Clark’s campaign website is johnclarkforpalomarhealth.com.

Dr. Alejandro Paz

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Alejandro Paz, 68 years old, lives in Rancho Bernardo. My family doctor. Paz received a bachelor’s degree from the University of California, San Diego, a medical degree from the University of Utah School of Medicine, Phoenix. Did.

He has never served on Palomar Health’s board of directors.

“For over 30 years, I have worked as a family physician in the Palomar Health District. “As a physician, I am more than an expert to the patients I treat. I am committed to putting the interests of the people Palomar serves first.”

Pas said the three biggest problems facing health districts are “the need to implement strategies to strengthen medical staff, provide a quality patient experience and improve access to care.” says. Between technological advances and rising patient healthcare costs, Palomar faces a highly competitive environment.

“Patients want a convenient experience when it comes to their health,” says Paz. “Minimizing wait times and making sure patients don’t feel rushed is key to delivering a quality experience. We have to rely on quality.”

“For the third year in a row, Newsweek has named Palomar Health the World’s Best Hospital. “If elected, I will be the sole physician on the board and will bring an important perspective to district leadership.”

Paz’s campaign website is worldsbesthospitalpalomar.com/paz.

Hans Christian Sison

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Hans Christian M. Sison, 55 years old, lives in Poway. He is a Licensed Nurse with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Lyceum Northwestern University.

He was elected to serve one four-year term on the Board of Palomar Health from 2014-2018.

“I have served on the board of Palomar Health for four years and am a former military veteran,” Sisson said. “I will continue to live up to my commitment to serving people and patients in my community.”

According to Sison, the Palomar Health district’s top three problems are underinvestment in Palomar Hospital Poway, affordability and access to medical care, and staffing shortages.

“I will fight to continue serving Palomar Hospital Poway and defend a well-equipped and well-trained staff for the benefit of patients in my community,” Sison said. rice field.

At press time, Sison did not have a campaign website.

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The Zone 7 race has two contenders, incumbents Linda Greer and Carol Ware. This zone includes 4S Ranch, South Poway, Del Sur, Santa Luz, and Rancho Penasquitos.

Linda Greer

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Incumbent Linda Greer, 69 years old, lives in Poway. She is a registered nurse who graduated from Palomar College School of Nursing.

She served on Palomar Health’s board of directors from 2004 to 2014 and was re-elected in 2018 for an additional four-year term. She currently serves as Chair of the Board of Directors.

“As a registered nurse, patient advocate, and mother of nine children, I was first on board and brought a unique perspective. I have been dedicated to taking care of people, regardless of who they are, where they come from, or their personal circumstances.

“I am particularly proud of my work advocating for support services for victims of abuse to provide hope and healing to survivors,” Greer added. I would be honored to have you.”

According to Greer, the three biggest issues Palomar Health faces are financial stability, workforce stability, and access to quality care. She said Palomar is the largest healthcare district in California, yet she receives only 3% of the funding from taxpayers. “Improving healthcare requires financial experience overseeing large integrated businesses,” she said.

Additionally, she said recruitment must remain a top priority as the shortage of healthcare workers has severely impacted access to patients. Also, maintaining quality care and patient safety is her top priority.

“Palomar Hospital needs experienced and passionate leaders to ensure that this district will exist for generations,” Greer said. “Under my leadership, Palomar Health has been nationally recognized as one of America’s 250 Best Hospitals and has been named to Newsweek’s list of the World’s Best Hospitals for the third consecutive year. health care system emerged from a financially viable pandemic with superior safety, a stable workforce, innovative technology and plans to bring more comprehensive patient care.”

Greer’s campaign website is worldsbesthospitalpalomar.com/lindagreer.

Carol Ware

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Carol Ware, 54 years old, resident of 4S Ranch. She runs her own business and does community volunteering and fundraising. Ware holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Organizational Management.

She has never served on Palomar Health’s board of directors.

“Our nearest trauma hospital should have the highest quality medical staff with the latest life-saving technology,” she said. I am surprised to hear from medical professionals that it is declining.

“As a board member, I represent taxpayers and ensure that Palomar Hospital’s focus reverts to providing the highest quality patient care rather than profit,” she said.

She said the three biggest issues facing Palomar Health are staffing issues, transparency, financial responsibility and the need to expand services.

“Current nursing, physician, and general staffing shortages are adversely affecting the quality of patient care, leading to low nurse and physician morale and unacceptably long wait times in emergency rooms. ,” said Ware.

She said transparency and financial accountability need to come from hospital leadership and the Palomar Health board. It can be done “by attracting and retaining experienced nurses and doctors and by improving emergency rooms and trauma care,” she said.

“As community leaders, small business owners and fellow taxpayers, we share your desire to stop wasteful spending and ensure that our trauma hospitals are fully staffed and ready to serve our communities. “Whether Palomar Health is primary care or your local trauma hospital, I hope that the Board will continue to support the quality of patient care and the morale and expertise of the hospital staff,” Ware said. I will work for you so that you can continue to focus on improving your

Ware’s campaign website is wareforpalomarhealth.com.