FRHD's Palmer speaks at healthcare conference

FALLBROOK – Bobbi Palmer, executive director of the Fallbrook Regional Health District (FRHD), presented before peers statewide on website compliance at the Association of California Healthcare Districts 65th annual meeting held recently at the Kona Kai Resort & Spa in San Diego.

The lunch session addressed the various public information access points the district undertakes to make available through its website at www.fallbrookhealth.org. Palmer, along with administrative assistant Linda Bannerman and the district’s website contractor, Sloane Dell’Orto of Streamline, covered various pressing legal requirements mandated by various laws.

“Websites today must make access to information as easy as possible for the public,” Palmer said. “Our website allows citizens to make public records act requests, they can view all our financial reports, and they have access to our meeting agendas and minutes.”

A bill expected to be signed this year and enacted in 2018, AB 1728, applies specifically to health care districts, some of which do not have websites or enough legally-required information readily available to the public.

“Fallbrook Regional Health District is proud to lead the charge on being as open and compliant as possible,” Palmer said. “We hope our presentation provided our health district peers with valuable information to create a higher standard of public information access across California.”

This year’s annual meeting of Association of California Healthcare Districts focused on preparing health care districts for the challenges ahead and the role of districts in the face of change.

For the first time, the annual meeting kicked off with a Women’s Leadership Breakfast featuring Chula Vista Mayor Mary Salas, former state assembly Republican leader Connie Conway, and moderator Michelle Bholat, M.D., of Beach Cities Health District.

Palmer headed up the effort to bring together this panel of women leaders in the hopes of spurring more involvement and discussion among women in the industry.

“It’s an exciting time to see more women in the health industry and particularly women of color rising through the ranks,” Palmer said. “Even though the U.S. Bureau of Labor reports that women make up 78 percent of the health care industry, we represent just 21 percent in executive roles. Hopefully, this annual breakfast will serve as an inspiration to women and men in our industry to expand our leadership diversity.”