Election Day means at least four new board members for Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System.

A five-person board with four seats up for re-election means lots of new faces will be governing Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System come 2019.

Only one incumbent – Alfred Diaz-Infante – is running, and he is relatively new himself, having been appointed in 2017 to fill a vacancy.

“I was surprised to see this level of turnover,” Diaz-Infante says. “I do not think it is a good thing to see so much turnover all at once. There is so much to learn about the operations of the healthcare system.”

Nonetheless, he’s proud of progress at SVMH and says the hospital has gone from a historic low of just 36 days of cash on hand seven years ago to 265 days’ worth today. He faces challenger Juan Cabrera, a Teamsters representative, who says he’s running because he believes health care is too expensive. Cabrera declined to answer more detailed questions from the Weekly about his goals. 

Cesar Lara is another union professional who is running. He's the executive director of the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council, running against financial executive Richard Turner, who has served for six years on the SVMH Foundation board.

Turner sees a shortage of qualified labor as one of the biggest challenges facing SVMH. He says he'll apply his experience from the business world to SVMH if elected: "As with all businesses today the shortage of qualified labor at all levels, increased regulatory compliance, and continued reductions in reimbursement rates for services are significant challenges to SVMHS. I plan to use my experience in the business world to bring forth, along with the employees, constituents and administration, the best solutions for all interested parties."

Lara says his number-one goal is improving transparency, including staffing levels, working conditions and “identifying the reasons profits are high but morale is low."

And like Diaz-Infante, Lara is concerned about the board's turnover: "It’s rare to have such a complete turnover of a board and so many people leaving the board is troubling," he writes by email. "In the last 10 years, we have seen a complete changeover of board and CEO. This is alarming. Health care is changing across the county and the SVMH board needs leaders to step up to the challenges of the changing healthcare landscape."

Regina Gage, who ran unsuccessfully for county supervisor in June, says priorities include hearing the voices of nurses and support staff, and operating a transparent, accountable board.

"Serving on this board will be a small way of giving back," Gage writes by email. "I was encouraged to run because of my leadership experience, advocacy in the community for the past twenty years and, the fact that I work at Meals on Wheels of the Salinas Valley where we serve some of the most vulnerable people in our community."

Gage says the jury is still out on the effectiveness of SVMH's partnership with Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula via Montage Health. 

She’s running against contractor Ricky Cabrera, who says he would focus on keeping costs down to protect SVMH’s financial well-being. He is enthusiastic about Montage, and sees it as a success story. 

It's Cabrera's first time running for elected office, but he notes that is proud to be endorsed by current board members Diaz-Infante, board-member-elect Victor Rey, Chris Orman, Margaret D’Arrigo, Carmen Gil and former board members Carissa Purnell, Jim Gattis, Harry Wardwell, Patrick Egan and others.

Dr. Norm Nelson, a retired OB-GYN, lost last time he ran against Carmen Gil, who is not seeking re-election. He sees rising costs and declining compensation as the biggest challenges for SVMH. “I will fight for making rules and regulations less daunting and more logical,” Nelson adds.

He sees the current SVMH administration as effective, and also approves of the Montage partnership: "This partnership is going very well for SVMH and has the potential to help our area with many of the goals we seek—reducing costs and improving access while enhancing the health of our community."

He is facing Timothy Miguel, a behavioral health counselor, who is running for office for the first time. He says workplace morale is a priority.

"Outcomes are important to the functioning of SVMH," Miguel writes by email. "With this in mind, community focused prevention and care, quality and sound practices of transparency, and a healthier work morale ought to be at the forefront in order to witness SVMH reach even greater successes."

The California Nurses Association is endorsing Gage, Lara and Miguel in three of the four races. 

Beyond the four contested seats, former board member Carissa Purnell resigned in August when she moved out of the district. Her replacement, former board member Victor Rey, will be sworn in on Oct. 25.