Letters to the Editor 3-17-16

With gratitude
Editor: Last month, Alliance Medical Center hosted a community forum on the impact of community health centers in Northern Sonoma County. It was exciting to see Healdsburg SHED filled to capacity with neighbors and friends interested in learning about the important services that community clinics, like Alliance Medical Center, provide for vulnerable populations. Participants learned that Alliance Medical Center, with clinics in Healdsburg and Windsor, provides medical and dental services for any community member needing quality care, including those who are low income, non-English speakers and uninsured. Attendees were surprised to hear that each year Alliance needs to raise $500,000 from generous individuals and organizations to fund the gap between actual cost of services and insurance reimbursements.
The Alliance Board of Directors wishes to thank these local individuals and organizations that underwrote his event: Doug Lipton and Cindy Daniel of SHED; John and Kim Lloyd of Big John’s Market; Summit State Bank, Koch Construction, Ann Amtower Realtor; Costeaux French Bakery, Hafner Vineyard, Ousterhout Wine & Vineyard, Community Foundation Sonoma County, Price Waterman, Bischoff Consulting, and The California Endowment.
The highlight of the forum was the discussion among three distinguished panelists, to whom Alliance board and staff are grateful: Sonoma County 4th District Supervisor James Gore; Dr. George Flores, The California Endowment’s Prevention Manager and founder of the Latino Coalition for a Healthy California; and Dr. Jose Chibras, Alliance Medical Center’s Chief Medical Director.
To learn about Alliance Medical Center, please visit www.alliancemed.org/.
Terry Leach
Healdsburg
Commentary kudos
Editor: Kudos to Jim Brush for his commentary last week about GMOs and its consequences. Apparently the City Council will soon be deliberating ballot language regarding modifications to our current GMO. They will be derelict in their duty if they do not include one simple question for the voters: “Should Healdsburg have a GMO ordinance? Vote Yes or No.”
Bill Andersen
Healdsburg