WHY I AM RUNNING FOR THE MARIN HEALTHCARE DISTRICT BOARD:

By Larry A. Bedard

Marin General is my hospital. My daughters, Emily and Lindsay, were born at MGH. My friends, neighbors, colleagues and associates depend on MGH for their health care. I have the professional expertise; experience and leadership to assure a successful transition from Sutter management to a community run hospital. I care deeply about Marin County and our future.

WHAT ARE MY QUALIFICATIONS: As a physician at Marin General Hospital, including seven years as medical director of the Emergency Department, I bring a much needed perspective to the Board. I am a strong and sometimes outspoken patient advocate. I have devoted my entire professional life to emergency medicine and helped create the southern Marin and Ross Valley paramedic programs (I was their first director). Having taken care of between 45,000 and 50,000 patients, I know the community well.

I am a proud alum of The University of Michigan, having attended both undergraduate and medical school there. Over the years, it has been my privilege to serve on numerous boards, task forces, commissions, and committees. I was elected to the Board of Directors and was president of the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) which represents more than 20,000 emergency physicians across the country. I also served as president of the California Chapter of ACEP. Closer to home, I have been elected president or chair of Marin Heart Association, the Marin Medical Association and the Marin Healthcare District Board which demonstrates the confidence others have in me as a team player and consensus builder.

I was particularly pleased to have been appointed to the National Advisory Council on Violence against Women by Attorney General Janet Reno and Secretary of health and Human Services, Donna Shalala.

WHAT I WILL DO WHEN ELECTED:

Work diligently to pass the bond necessary to build a modern, state of the art wing for Marin General that is earthquake safe.
Create a diverse Community Advisory Group of Marin leaders and activists representing all the stakeholders.
Retain and attract the best and brightest physicians to practice at the hospital. A collaborative relationship must be forged between the Board and the MGH medical staff who have supported me in large numbers.

The challenges community hospitals face today require oversight by board members who understand both the standards and economics of patient care. There are many new services that sound desirable, but it will be important to prioritize what it is important to Marin residents and how much we are willing to pay for it.

It is time to put the rancor that has characterized past Board meetings behind us. My focus will be on the future and doing all I can to assure Marin General provides the highest quality care, is financially stable and is responsive and accountable to the community.

Key Endorsers

Marin Independent Journal Al Boro, Mayor of San Rafael Retired Assemblyman Bill Bagley Mather H. Neill. M.D., former MGH emergency department director Robin Sweeny, R.N., ex Sausalito Mayor