HALF MOON BAY: Meeting Focuses on Fate of Clinic
More than 100 residents of Half Moon Bay turned out Saturday at a town hall meeting to voice their opposition to the possible closure of UCSF/Stanford Coastside Medical Clinic, the only primary care facility for the area's 30,000 residents. Clinic pediatrician Dr. Ari Hauptman said while an outright closure would not surprise the staff, "it is more probable that the doctors and staff could work something out to keep the clinic open." After the meeting, he told the San Mateo County Times that the source of the financial problems is UCSF/Stanford's inefficient billing system. While he kept open as a possibility "revert[ing] back to the way things were before Stanford took over," he said that would be an "expensive proposition." Also speaking was U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Atherton), who said she sent a letter to UCSF/Stanford CEO Peter Van Etten asking for his support in keeping the clinic open. She said, "Peter Van Etten has given his word that they're committed to keeping the clinic here. We'll work to work it out." However, she noted that since the clinic is for-profit, "she has little influence over the outcome." Several attendees left the meeting disappointed, saying they did not feel Eshoo addressed the issues properly. "The clinic issues were sort of glossed over," said Jocelyn Christie, a nurse at the clinic (Fisher, San Mateo County Times, 8/2).
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