Let the sun shine at Valley Medical Center

In the last election I was elected on a reform platform to try and bring more transparency to governing King County Public Hospital District No. 1 (Valley Medical Center). I want to thank you for the trust that so many citizens and voters have placed in myself and other elected officials to work together to ensure public resources are being used for the maximum public good.

The 450,000 citizens who live in this district are well served by the dedication and excellent service that Valley Medical’s 1,800 employees provide the community. We need to continue that service, building on the high-quality care provided by Valley’s hospital and clinic network.

Valley Medical is a public hospital owned by the people. As such it has a duty to work toward the highest openness and transparency in its governance. There have been several regrettable instances in recent years, such as running emergency elections without publishing voters’ pamphlets and the biggest settlement in state history for misuse of taxpayer funds to run political campaigns benefiting the hospital. If there had been greater public oversight and transparency systems in place, it is much less likely that these unfortunate instances would have occurred.

When the Port of Seattle received considerable scrutiny about its troubled past practices, it responded by transforming itself from a relatively secretive organization to today being one of the most open and transparent governments in the region. It should be commended for such openness.

I urge Valley to follow the Port’s example and strive to become another of the most open and transparent publicly owned organizations. It is concerning when the initial response to my 10-point reform program have included an attempt to move meetings to the one time I cannot attend (repealed after calls by the Attorney General’s office and the appearance of KING 5 TV crews to investigate this unprecedented move to disenfranchise an elected official) and the passage of Valley’s first ever “Code of Ethics” as the last act of the outgoing commission which, according to First Amendment advocates from the Institute for Justice, clearly blocked the freedom of speech of elected officials. Encouragingly that code is now being reviewed as well to ensure it follows the Constitution and state law. Still, it would be even more encouraging if the initial response was for openness and dialogue, not work on silencing inconvenient voices that challenge the status quo.

Valley has an extremely important mission to strengthen health care delivery in South King County, while also providing care for those without their own resources. It is an integral part of the area’s improving quality of life. By further opening up to public oversight Valley will become even more closely intertwined with the community it serves, ensuring many more decades of public support.

I look forward to working with the other commissioners and the public to make sure that Valley follows the Port’s positive example of transformation. By letting more sunshine into Valley’s governance both the voters and staff of Valley will benefit.

Anthony Hemstad

Kent

Member, Valley Medical

Center Board

of Commissioners

Comment on this story.

COMMENTING RULES: We encourage an open exchange of ideas in our online community, but we ask you to follow our guidelines for respecting community standards. In a nutshell, don't say anything you wouldn't want your mother to read. Please see our FAQ if you have questions or concerns about using Facebook to comment.