California Nurses Association Endorses Ray Lutz for 77th State Assembly Seat

Lutz For Assembly (2008-09-22) Eugene Cook

This Page: https://copswiki.org/Common/M643
More Info: Local Politics

News Release

Lutz for Assembly

http://www.LutzForAssembly.com

CONTACT: Eugene Cook, Publicity Chair, Lutz for Assembly
mailto:eugene.cook@lutzforassembly.com / 619-825-6930

Ray Lutz, Candidate
raylutz@LutzForAssembly.com / 619-820-5321

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

September 22, 2008

California Nurses Association Endorses Ray Lutz for 77^th State Assembly Seat

Lutz's Opponent tried to abolish key medical oversight commissions putting patients at risk

EL CAJON, CA (Sept 22, 2008) – The California Nurses Association Political Action Committee announced their endorsement of candidate Raymond Lutz for the California State Assembly, District 77. The California Nurses Association said that Lutz “...will do an excellent job in representing [the 77th] district on health, labor, woman's issues, and supporting single-payer healthcare and clean money elections which are important issues to Registered Nurses.” Lutz supports continued robust funding of our healthcare infrastructure.

Lutz pointed out that his opponent, in contrast, proposed cutting 117 oversight boards and commissions to save money in a January 10, 2008, press release, including a great many that deal with public health. For example, the Dental Board, the Medical Board of California, Board of Occupational Therapy, the Optometry Board, the Board of Pharmacy, the Physical Therapy Board, the Physician Assistant Committee, the Board of Podiatric Medicine, the Board of Psychology, the Registered Nursing Board, the Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians Board, and the Respiratory Care Board were all considered “redundant” and slated for the chopping block.

“I think we've seen that gutting regulatory commissions can be much more expensive than keeping those commissions in place,” Lutz said. “We're witnessing massive upheaval in the financial markets because of deregulation. I think my opponent is out of touch with the needs of the healthcare community and does not realize that tax payers don't mind paying for such oversight and regulatory bodies to insure high quality of care based on sound science and not quackery.”

Grossmont Hospital, the only full-service hospital serving East San Diego County, was recently put on notice that they may lose their Medi-Cal funding if they could not clean up their procedures after a number of preventable deaths were detected.

“Clearly, abolishing these boards would be a huge mistake and would represent poor stewardship of our government, but is just the sort of ridiculous suggestion my opponent is famous for. It puts him in the bright lights of the media, but when examined carefully, is all talking points and no business points.” The Grossmont Hospital has since improved their working procedures and has been recertified by the Medical Review Board. “I hate to think of what may have happened had my opponent had his way in January, eliminating that important layer of oversight.”

Lutz has made the establishment of an additional hospital one key goal of his campaign. "The East County is reliant on a single hospital at the extreme west site of the region, and is very inconvenient for residents in the growing communities of Lakeside, Alpine, Descanso, Campo and Borrego Springs. We need a new emergency hospital in the east county area."

The California Nurses Association is a professional association that represents the largest number of registered nurses under collective bargaining agreements in California. It can be contacted at www.calnurses.org or www.nnoc.net.

###