In a lengthy meeting Thursday night, the Morongo Basin Healthcare District Board of Directors met and decided how they will take a stand against racism. Reporter Cassidy Zimarik fills us in…
The Morongo Basin Healthcare District Board of Directors met in regular session Thursday night. The standout item on the agenda was the declaration of racism as a public health crisis. During the discussion, Director Joseph Sullivan argued the necessity of the declaration when policies that combat discrimination already exist. Director Bob Armstrong added, “I feel like this is one of those kind of documents, it’s five white people saying racism is terrible, and we should do more about it; I don’t know anybody that would argue that point.” Armstrong’s arguments favored more aggressive action in order to truly combat racism. In the end, the board passed its declaration of racism as a public health crisis in a 3-2 vote, with Sullivan and Armstrong dissenting. The declaration primarily focuses on education of healthcare district staff and as other board members argued, is still doing something to combat the crisis.
After the declaration, the board heard a report on the Feeding Morongo Basin project, which is a massive success. As a whole, the board is satisfied with the project and looks forward to continuing with the next food distribution on July 18.
Towards the end of the nearly two-hour meeting, both Sullivan and Armstrong announced that they will not be seeking another term in the upcoming board member elections, leaving two board positions open.
