Priorities for local health care.
Issues
Dr. Dacus has three areas of focus in his campaign for the Salinas Valley Health Board: access to care, transparent governance, and physician recruitment and retention.
01
Protect access as Medi-Cal coverage shrinks
Changes affecting Medi-Cal and other health-care funding can have consequences for patients, hospitals and other local providers.
Dr. Dacus identifies preserving access to essential health-care services as an important responsibility for the board.
“When 40,000 of our neighbors lose their coverage, they don't stop getting sick — they just show up sicker, later, in the most expensive room in the building.”
02
Transparency and independence in governance
Hospital district boards sometimes must discuss personnel, legal matters and other protected subjects in closed session.
Dr. Dacus says that when significant decisions can legally be discussed publicly, the board should clearly explain those decisions and their reasoning to the community.
“I'm not against closed session — I've sat in enough of them. I'm for a board that explains itself in open session afterward.”
03
Physician Recruitment & Retention
Facilities alone do not provide health care. Maintaining services also depends on recruiting and retaining physicians, nurses and other clinical professionals.
Dr. Dacus identifies medical staffing as an important consideration when evaluating services, facilities and long-term investments.
“You can build the building. If you can't staff it, you've built a very expensive hallway.”