Hospital districts to merge
Hope to streamline processes and provide quality health care to the public
A new year will see the likely creation of two reorganized hospital districts: Eastern Plumas and Plumas. The former is annexing what was the Sierra Valley Hospital District and Plumas is annexing the Indian Valley area.
The two reorganizations have been moving along smoothly with Eastern Plumas set to be finalized sometime in January and Plumas to follow mid year.
Both entities are working their way through the LAFCo (Local Agency Formation Commission) process with assistance from the commission. Two years ago, when the local health care districts feared that they would be forced to consolidate in some way, they rebelled. But this time was different; the impetus for the changes came from within the districts themselves.
The unions will leave the county with three health care districts — the aforementioned two and Seneca in the Almanor Basin. Hopefully it will render them all stronger so that they can be economically viable and able to continue to provide the health care that is so critical to an area’s existence.
Let the season linger as long as possible
As this newspaper hits your mailbox and the local news racks, we are basking in that week between Christmas and New Year’s. The rush to buy that last present or bake that favorite cookie is over, and the pace of life is slower as schools are closed for the holidays and many opt to take some time off work. There is a bit of a lull as we anticipate the New Year’s festivities and even more importantly, the thought of a fresh start.
We can’t speak to everyone as individuals, but as a region and a nation this has been a tough year. The holidays provide a bit of a respite, a time when we will be as gentle and as kind as we probably ever will be during a year. Hopefully we all have been a little kinder and gentler to ourselves as well.
Our next issue will come out on Jan. 2 and a new year will be underway. Everything that we have put off will be staring us straight in the face. There is the pressure to get back to our “normal” lives, but what if we don’t this year. What if we do our very best to embrace the spirit of the holidays for as long as possible? How about making it the new normal?
That is our wish to you for the New Year. We in Plumas County can be a little insulated in our corner of the world so let’s use it to our advantage. It’s going to get ugly out there as the lead up to the 2020 elections gets underway, but that doesn’t mean we have to be. Let’s continue to make family, friends and community our priorities now and throughout the new year.
