Suzette Prue has announced that she is seeking re-election to the John C. Fremont Healthcare board of directors during the 2016 November election.

“The biggest issue facing the district right now is building a new facility by 2030, as mandated by law”, stated Prue.

Last year she introduced the board of directors to the concept of design build as a way to reduce construction costs. In order to build that way the California Legislature had to write and approve a law allowing hospital districts in the state to use this method. The bill was introduced early this year and a few weeks ago Governor Brown signed it into law.

“There will be many other hurdles to overcome before construction can begin and I believe I can provide valuable input into the process to make it happen,” stated Prue.

Prue has a long history with the hospital because she joined the Hospital Foundation in 1986 and held several executive offices there for a number of years before becoming a member of the healthcare board of directors. During her tenure with the foundation she co-founded the largest and longest running fundraiser, the Black and White Ball, held every November for the past 27 years. She also managed a number of other fundraisers for the foundation.

After her appointment to the board of directors and subsequent election by the voters, Prue led the way to keeping the hospital open by directing a Sales Tax Measure approved by 68 percent of the voters. The half percent sales tax provides $1.3 million a year in revenue (mostly paid by tourism) which covers the $1 million operating loss, typical for a small rural hospital.

Besides serving as a board member, Prue is also on the education committee for the Association of California Healthcare Districts (ACHD). She attends their annual conference as well as that of the California Hospital Association so she can stay up to date with the latest issues and possible solutions to hospital problems. She understands the pressures from governmental sources, both federal and state.

“Serving on the board of directors at the hospital is not like being a member of a club”, says Prue. “It involves lots of time, attendance at three to four meetings a month, lots of reading during your free time, and an understanding of current healthcare issues.”

Having a history of the John C. Fremont Healthcare District is also valuable. “Every month I get asked a question by the CEO about why we do something a certain way, how something was started, even if we own a certain piece of property or not,” stated Prue.

“I am only planning to be on the board of directors for four more years and then I want to retire. By then the hospital should be well on the way to construction of the new facility and I will feel like my life’s passion is completed,” concluded Prue.