Gathering in Bishop to discuss rural healthcare access were: Erasmo Viveros of the California Special Districts Association; Valerie Spake for Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil; Alison Murray and Alison Partridge, NIHD executives; Austin Gilbert for Asm. David Tangipa; local healthcare CEOs Christian Wallis (NIHD), Earl Lent (Toiyabe), and Dr. Kevin Flanigan (SIHD); Toiyabe CFO Ray Verin; NIHD Board members David Lent and Laura Smith; and Inyo County HHS Director Anna Scott and Assistant County Administrator Meaghan McCamman. Photo by Barbara Laughon/Northern Inyo Healthcare District
By: @Erasmo Viveros
Christian Wallis, CEO of Northern Inyo Healthcare District, partnered with Erasmo Viveros, Central Network Public Affairs Field Coordinator with the California Special Districts Association, to convene a regional healthcare discussion on April 23 focused on protecting access to care across Inyo and Mono counties. The discussion brought together healthcare leaders, county officials, tribal health representatives, statewide partners, and legislative offices to address the shared challenges facing rural providers and the need for stronger regional cooperation.
Items of concern focused on funding pressures, workforce shortages, Medicaid changes, aging facilities, and long-term sustainability. A key part of the conversation centered on HR 1 and the uncertainty surrounding potential funding impacts, including how rural providers can prepare for the unknown, avoid service disruptions, and identify opportunities through the Rural Health Transformation Program.
Healthcare districts play a critical role in California, especially in rural communities. According to the Association of California Healthcare Districts, healthcare districts are public entities created to respond to local healthcare needs, provide community-based services, and are governed by locally elected boards. In many communities, they are the sole source of health and medical services and serve as an important part of California’s healthcare safety net.
That safety net does not stand alone. When federal policy changes, reimbursement delays, or funding cuts hit rural providers, counties often become the last local level of support for vulnerable residents who still need care. As Wallis put it, “If one hospital struggles, it affects the entire Eastern Sierra.”
The discussion also highlighted the need for investment and coordination across the region. Dr. Kevin Flanigan, CEO of Southern Inyo Healthcare District, said “We want to be a part of tomorrow’s system, but we need investment now to participate in that system.” Toiyabe Indian Health Project CEO Earl Lent also emphasized the importance of collaboration, noting, “We want to support our local hospitals because they support our communities.”
Healthcare districts, hospitals, tribal health, county health services, and legislative offices are working together now to better understand the risks, plan around the unknown, and protect access before the impacts are felt locally. Leaders emphasized that rural providers in the Eastern Sierra depend on one another, and that stronger regional coordination will be key to keeping care close to home.
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