League of Women Voters of California Education Fund
Santa Clara County, CA November 6, 2012 Election
	Bill James Answers Questions Candidate for Director; El Camino Hospital District

The questions were prepared by the Leagues of Women Voters of Santa Clara County and asked of all candidates for this office.
Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

Questions & Answers

1. What experience or training do you have which would help the District meet its goals?

My academic and professional training have prepared me well to handle the technical and complex legal issues that come before the Board. I am a graduate of Stanford Law School (1994) and have an engineering degree from the U.S. Naval Academy (1986). Through my six years of service on the Board of Directors of the Community Services Agency of Mountain View, Los Altos, and Los Altos Hills, I have gained valuable non-profit board experience and a view into the needs of communities served by El Camino Hospital. Together with my partners I've built a thriving local business, our patent firm based in Cupertino, so I know what it takes to succeed as a service provider, and as an employer. I lived in Mexico City for nearly a year, as a Fulbright Scholar, and I speak Spanish reasonably well, which would enable me to provide a bridge to Spanish speaking members of our District. As the father of three young children, I understand well the healthcare needs of families with young children. I'm active in our community as a parent volunteer in my kids' schools and as an AYSO soccer coach, which has enabled me to establish relationships with many members of our community.

2. What is your evaluation of the financial condition of the District?

We are fortunate that the financial condition of the District appears to be strong, but to maintain that financial strength while improving service I think we should consider ways to better use the resources we have available. The District and Hospital are quite properly considered a single entity for financial purposes, and the Hospital has a $400 million reserve that would allow it to fund operations for many months even if it had no revenue. I believe the Hospital should adopt a reserves policy that would enable us to know the level of reserves required to be prepared for realistic worst case scenarios. Reserves in excess of the required level should be used to retire Hospital and District debt or reinvested to improve the health of District residents. With a few notable exceptions, the Hospital has had on the order of $40 to $60 million in net operating income in recent years. We should consider whether the Hospital can afford to provide even greater levels of community benefits to District residents, and whether we should retire some of the debt incurred to build the new Hospital in Mountain View. I was opposed to the purchase of Los Gatos Community Hospital, and in general I don't believe the District should invest District resources, including money earned by the Hospital, to acquire healthcare facilities well outside the District.

3. In what ways would you collaborate with other governmental entities and community groups to achieve the District's goals?

For years Santa Clara County has had to cut funding to county health-related programs due to funding constraints. Meanwhile, our District has earned tens of millions of dollars in net income year after year. We should partner with the County to restore and jointly fund County health programs that have been shown to be effective in improving the health of District residents. We should also partner with local school districts to educate and provide healthcare to our young residents, including by teaching them how to eat well, be active, and take care of their bodies and minds. We should work with local non-profits and municipalities to define and implement a coordinated and comprehensive approach to improving the health of District residents, including hard-to-reach residents such as the homeless and recent immigrants and their families. El Camino Hospital funds a highly successful Community Services Agency program to provide support to seniors after they have been discharged from the Hospital, which has proven to be very successful in reducing readmissions to the Hospital; many more programs like this one are possible. The Hospital can and should do more for the uninsured and families with limited resources. The Rotacare clinic provides access to many services, but too often our residents have to travel to Valley Medical Center or other County-run facilities to receive care that could be provided, for free or at reduced cost, much closer to home at our Hospital.

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Responses to questions asked of each candidate are reproduced as submitted to the League.  Candidates' statements are presented as submitted. Please answer each question in no more than 400 words. Direct references to opponents are not permitted.

Read the answers from all candidates (who have responded).

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: September 21, 2012 16:47
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