In an attempt to raise more awareness of its situation, Westside Community Healthcare District Board of Directors discussed the idea of sending various letters to Stanislaus County officials, local businesses and the public during last Monday’s meeting.

The idea was suggested by Jessica Vived, an attorney at Wagner Jones Wesley PC. Each letter will be tailored towards a specific group with the first going out to county and government officials. Board member Ashley Casteel said the letter for local officials must be specific about WSCHD’s financial situation.

She added that this could help the district get an idea on how to approach its letters for other groups and a previous letter, approved in October, was a good starting point. District staff were instructed to have a rough draft ready for review by the next meeting.

“I think we can totally pull things for the different audiences that we could add some more to the community [letter] … but I think directing it is probably not a bad idea,” Casteel said.

Vived said that residents in neighboring counties such as Merced County could respond to a potential call to action.

“These neighboring districts won’t have to absorb the jurisdiction of the district. That could be a really motivating factor to get some sort of buy in or response from these neighboring counties [and] members of the public,” Vived said. “Members of the public might respond better to having discussions about concerns with response times or transport times and things like that.”

Board President David Varnell mentioned an example of Gustine Fire Department going door to door and writing letters to raise awareness about its financial situation. He added that the district could take that approach when speaking to the public.

In October, the board approved a letter to be sent out to local officials about the WSCHD. The letter mentioned information about the district, where its ambulance services operate, it having a parcel tax of $40 per parcel and its attempts to levy its financial situation through campaigning for then-Measure D and Measure A.

Last year, the district recorded $2.56 million in revenue and $2.50 million in expenditures, according to data from California State Controller’s Office. This is the second straight year where WSCHD avoided outspending its revenue after the district spent $2.59 million with a revenue of $2.59 million in 2022.