PHCD seeks input from residents

<p>The Petaluma Health Care District has launched an online survey to gain a better understanding of the role that Petaluma Valley Hospital and its physicians play in the delivery of local health care.</p><!-- Nothing to do. The paragraph has already been output --><p>All the information is being collected anonymously, and the PHCD is urging privately-insured, uninsured and Medicare patients to participate in the five-minute survey.</p><p>“The health-care district board represents all residents of the district, regardless of their insurance status, and we are hoping to hear from a wide variety of people, in different circumstances,” said Daymon Doss, CEO of the health-care district. “While we have all heard much about the national health-care reform efforts, this survey is designed to focus on local issues over which we may have more control.”</p><p>Dr. Bob Ostroff, the board president, emphasized that besides helping to better understand the role PVH and physicians play in health care, “It's also important for us to hear what services the residents want and expect so that we can work to recruit physicians and medical staff to fill those needs in the future.”</p><p>The PHCD is running newspaper ads to promote the survey, and is initiating an online ad program to allow people to click on an ad and be directly linked to the survey. During March, invitations are being to several lists of people who previously have said that they would like to be included in future surveys.</p><p>The health-care district hopes to receive a wide cross-section of respondents to the survey by March 30. To participate, local residents should go to the PHCD's Web site at www.phcd.org and then click on the “Yes, I want to take the online survey” button on the upper right side of the home page. </p><p>People living within the health-care district area who do not have access to the Internet but would like a printed copy of the survey can call the PHCD offices at 285-2143 to have a printed version mailed to them.</p>