Health board director resigns, architect hired for Wellness Center

Rick Monroe

Special to the Village News

Kate Schwartz-Frates, Zone 3 board member of the Fallbrook Regional Health District since 2018, is moving out of the area and has resigned the elected position.

Rachel Mason, CEO of the district, said Schwartz-Frates has sold her Fallbrook home and will be moving to the Palm Springs area as she looks forward to easing into retirement. She works as a clinical social work/therapist through Telehealth services.

The district's board of directors, in agreement with community input, voted at its April 13 meeting to ask community members to apply for appointment to this seat until it opens for election later this year. Anyone interested in applying should contact the district for more information.

Schwartz-Frates has served the district as board secretary, government and public engagement chair, and is an overall champion for mental health services, Mason said.

"Luckily for us, Kate will be returning to Fallbrook each summer as a visitor and has pledged her time to us as a community volunteer at the Community Health and Wellness Center. Kate's departure leaves us with a vacant board seat," Mason said.

Mason said the board would look to appoint a temporary replacement at a future meeting. "This will be an exciting opportunity for someone with an interest in health and wellbeing and a desire to serve their community," she said. "The development of the Community Health and Wellness Center will be the focus of our board for the next few years, meaning that decisions made through this seat will be profoundly impactful for decades to come."

Also at the April 18 meeting, the board voted to enter into a contract with Taylor Design for architectural and engineering services to begin the Phase One development of the Community Health and Wellness Center.

Mason said that means specifically to make updates to the previous sanctuary and fellowship buildings and the overall grounds.

"We are beyond excited to finally be able to start the transformation of these main buildings into community meeting spaces and to create a focal point for the services we're offering here," she said. "While the property has served well during our COVID testing and vaccination responses, it will be wonderful to look forward to how the buildings can offer communal space and other recreational options."