Thousands of patients are at risk of losing a critical healthcare resource in their district! The Los Medanos Community Healthcare District (LMCHD) is a local healthcare district that has served a largely disadvantaged community of over 97,000 people within the city of Pittsburg, portions of Antioch, Clayton, Clyde, Concord, and Bay Point. Since 2009, LMCHD's funding has allowed the foundation to
provide many services that primarily service low income people of color. Services include the Greater Faith Food Pantry, a free medical clinic, HIV/AIDS prevention program, youth health forums & workshops, and much more. Spearheaded by Assembly Member Jim Frazier and special interests, Bill AB903 attempts to dismantle the Los Medanos Community Healthcare District for the purpose of creating a slush fund for the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors. Thousands of patients are at risk of losing a critical community healthcare resource during a global pandemic, the largest healthcare crisis of our lifetime. The following will set the record straight on some of the blatant lies being made by Assembly member Frazier and his cronies at the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors that misinform the public:
Myth: LMCHD does not provide direct services to patients. Fact: False. The District provides a series of direct services to the community. From healthy aging care to free eye exams and glasses for children, LMCHD serves thousands of residents who typically cannot access care with Contra Costa County’s healthcare system. Myth: Contra Costa County can absorb LMCHD’s patients. As we have seen in the pandemic, communities like Pittsburg, Bay Point, and Antioch were disproportionately impacted by COVID-19 due to the fact that the county does not have strong infrastructure in place in these communities. Due to this reality, LMCHD’s patient population has seen steady growth pre-pandemic, with a higher increase during the pandemic, as LMCHD has acted as the community safety-net for Pittsburg, Bay Point, Concord, and Clayton. Myth: Community is in support of the dissolution of LMCHD. During a series of negotiations, the community is scheduled to vote on the future of LMCHD in early 2022 through an election. By taking unilateral legislative action, Assembly member Jim Frazier has disenfranchised the
Pittsburg/Bay Point communities, as his action steals the right to vote for these communities. Initial indicators demonstrate that if an election were to be held today, there would be overwhelming support to maintain the Los Medanos Community Healthcare District. Myth: Over 60% of LMCHD’s budget goes towards administrative salaries. Fact: LMCHD operates within the industry standard of 24% of its budget going towards administrative AND staff costs to run the various healthcare programs offered by the District. Join us in our fight against AB903 to preserve the much needed Los Medanos Community Healthcare District.
