Doctor Not Seeking Reelection To Desert Healthcare District Board
Michael Solomon, a contentious voice on the board, is the second member to announce he is not seeking a new term.
The Desert Sun:
Michael Solomon Won't Seek New Term With Health Care District
Two Desert Healthcare District board members aren't running for re-election this year. Michael Solomon, a doctor who's served on the board since 2008, said Wednesday he would not seek a third four-year term...Solomon has been a contentious voice on public district's board. In 2015, he sued the district, fellow board member Kay Hazen and district CEO Kathy Greco claiming Hazen and Greco had plotted to use taxpayer money for their personal benefit and that Greco violated Solomon's privacy by revealing his personal medical information to other people. (Newkirk, 8/17)
In other news from across the state —
San Diego Union-Tribune:
Community Health Centers Need More Doctors
About 95 percent of all health centers currently experience at least one clinical vacancy, and California in particular will need an estimated 8,243 additional primary care physicians by 2030. A consistent doctor shortage means community health centers are less equipped to support and care for their patients — typically low-income and uninsured or underinsured residents, many of whom represent ethnic and cultural minorities. (Mattson and Carriedo-Ceniceros, 8/17)
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
In Face Of New Law, Sonoma County Parents Choose To Vaccinate
When Becky Kelso’s 13-year-old daughter shows up for her first day of school at Sebastopol Independent Charter School on Tuesday, she will, for the first time, be going to school fully vaccinated. It was a decision Kelso, 53, and her husband were forced to make following the passage last year of Senate Bill 277, which denied parents the use religious or personal beliefs to opt out of vaccinating their children. (Warren, 8/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Exide Cleanup: Parts Of Three L.A.-Area Schools Fenced Off Due To Lead Contamination
Children at three elementary schools near the closed Exide Technologies battery recycling plant returned to classes this week to find parts of their campuses fenced off to protect them from lead-contaminated soil. Crews installed temporary fencing at Fishburn Avenue Elementary in Maywood, Lorena Street Elementary in Boyle Heights and Rowan Avenue Elementary in East Los Angeles after testing found elevated levels of the brain-damaging metal in several areas, Los Angeles Unified School District officials said. The district began putting up fencing last week under the instructions of toxic waste regulators, who are overseeing the massive effort to find and remove contaminated soil from homes, schools, day care centers and parks near the former recycling facility in Vernon. (Barboza, 8/17)