Seat sought: Bay Area Health District Seat 5
Name: Donna Rabin
Age: 70
Years in area: 40
Occupation: retired pediatrician
Past political/civic experience:
Bay Area Enterprise Board of Directors, 2010 – 2019; chair 2012 – 2019
Oregon Council on Developmental Disabilities, 2007 – 2015; chair 2014 – 2015
Pediatrician, NBMC: 1981 – 2010
BAH Board of Directors, 2011 – present; chair 2017 – 2019
What do you hope to accomplish if elected?
The 2020 BAH strategic plan is focused on patient safety and quality of care, increasing accessibility to health care, and developing community partnerships to improve the health of the community. The plan also lays out operating metrics to continue the financial stability necessary for success of the plan. As a board member I hope to continue to work to provide oversight and support to ensure that the hospital stays focused on the plan and continues to put patients first.
What do you feel are the most important issues you’ll be asked to face if elected?
Our community has a high prevalence of serious health conditions such as diabetes, cancer, depression, and chronic heart and kidney disease. Access to primary care and care in many specialty areas is difficult, and the health system is hard to navigate. Recruitment and retention of providers across all areas is challenging due to geographic location and perceived lack of amenities and opportunity. It is important that everyone in our community has access to great healthcare. Making that a reality is a big challenge in today’s economy.
How would you address those issues?
Recruitment and retention of all health providers directly impacts access to care. Joint recruiting efforts between the hospital and other community groups can increase our success rate. Our relationship with SOCC helps supply nurses; we need to continue to work with the college. The hospitalist program at BAH makes it possible for community providers to focus on outpatient care. Continued development of this program has the potential to increase capacity and improve access. And most important, we need to make sure that our hospital provides safe, high quality care and a positive working environment.
Why should voters trust you with their vote?
I have been in healthcare my whole life. I took care of infants, toddlers, and young people for 29 years at NBMC as a pediatrician. I learned that helping people stay healthy is as important as caring for them when they are sick. After serving on the health district board for 10 years I also have a better understanding of the incredible complexity of the healthcare system. I would like the opportunity to continue to use my experience to support the mission of BAH: improving the health of our community every day.
Outline your plan to use funding as efficiently as possible to provide necessary services to as many people as possible.
The 2020 strategic plan for BAH has been designed to increase patient safety and quality while delivering increased value for patients. It also provides a detailed roadmap for prioritizing needs and funding. Staying focused on this plan will enable the hospital district to use funding as efficiently as possible to provide services to as many people as possible. As a doctor who cared for our community for almost 30 years, making sure the hospital takes care of our citizens is especially important to me.