Volume XV, Issue 49
www.solanabeachsun.com
Dec. 1, 2011 Published Weekly
Roberts appointed to healthcare panel National committee to play major role in reform
■ Local couple’s Miracle League offers baseball to kids with special needs. Page 4
BY CLAIRE HARLIN With the passage of the Affordable Care Act last year and more initiatives on the horizon, the country’s healthcare system is in a greater state of change than it has been in years, and one Solana Beach civic leader is playing a critical role in that change. Solana Beach City Coun-
cilman Dave Roberts was appointed on Nov. 17 as cochair of a national advisory committee that will be advising the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in its decision-making on how those receiving such healthcare services can better understand their rights, and
Surfers’ holiday feast
■ Canyon Crest Academy event to help feed the hungry. Page 5
■ Something’s brewing among SB’s cafes. Page B1
how those offering Medicare and Medicaid can better serve their beneficiaries. The vision of this Advisory Panel on Outreach and Education (APOE) is to ensure stakeholders engage fully in the changing healthcare system so the people receive optimal care.
SEE ROBERTS, PAGE 6
Solana Beach Councilman Dave Roberts, CMS Administrator Dr. Don Berwick, and HIMSS Director of Federal Affairs Tom Leary.
Woodward Center may add veterinary hospital BY KAREN BILLING The Helen Woodward Animal Center is looking to add veterinary hospital to its long list of services to animals. While the center, which will turn 40 years old in 2012, has always had an independentlyrun vet hospital on site, the center has never run its own veterinary hospital. On Dec. 15, the center’s board will make a final decision on whether to run the veterinary hospital, which was upgraded last December. The plan is for Helen Woodward to operate the hospital potentially as soon as Jan. 1, employing high quality vets and eventually become an after-hours emergency clinic for the community. The previous veterinary hospital, Rancho Santa Fe Veterinary Hospital, needed to move to a smaller space, paving the way for this unique business model. It’s a unique business model, but not necessarily a new concept. “The original vision that Helen Woodward and her friends had for the center was for a small animal hospital that would support the community, just as the equine hospital did,” said Dr. Patricia Carter, chief of staff. If the board gives its final approval, Carter and Eileen Beattie, director of ad-
Helen Woodward Animal Center administration director Eileen Beattie and Patricia Carter, chief of staff ministration, will be charged with bringing that vision to life, getting the veterinary hospital up and running to its best potential. “The goal is for it to serve the community and basically become a profit center for the rest of the areas of the Helen Woodward facility that are non-profit,” Carter said. “It’s really going to be like a one-stop
SEE WOODWARD, PAGE 6
Volunteer positions available on Solana Beach Citizen Advisory Commissions Solana Beach resident Austin Leftwick takes advantage of good surfing conditions in the area on Nov. 26. PHOTO: JON CLARK
Solana Beach residents are encouraged to apply for open positions on the City’s five Citizen Commissions. This is an opportunity to enhance your community by serving on a Council legislative body. Applications are being accepted until Jan. 17, 2012 at City Hall.
For more information, contact City Hall at 858-720-2400 or www.cityofsolanabeach.org Citizens Commissions include the following areas: Budget & Finance; Parks & Rec.; Public Arts Advisory; Public Safety and View Assessment.
JOHN R. LEFFERDINK
619-813-8222
www.johnlefferdink.com
ANGELA MEAKINS-BERGMAN
LISA KELLEY
CONNIE SUNDSTROM
VERONICA MOORE
858-405-9270
858-880-5242
858-334-8114
619-250-5076