News release
State Sen. Suzette Martinez Valladares, R-Acton, hosted a health advisory committee meeting last week at St. Mary’s Hospital in San Bernardino County High Desert, bringing together frontline medical professionals, health care administrators, and local stakeholders from across Senate District 23 to discuss the health care challenges and priorities facing local communities, said a news release from the senator’s office.
As vice chair of the Senate Health Committee, Valladares convened the meeting to hear directly from the health care community and ensure that the voices of local providers and patients are represented in Sacramento, the release said.
“The best policy starts with listening,” Valladares said in the release. “The doctors, nurses, administrators, and health care advocates in this district are on the front lines every single day. They see what is working, what isn’t, and where Sacramento can do better. I’m here to make sure their voices are heard and that we are fighting for practical solutions that protect patients and support providers.”
The meeting included a roundtable discussion about patient access to care, provider retention, health care delivery gaps in rural and regional communities, and the administrative burdens created by current state legislation.
Valladares also provided an update on her health care legislation, including efforts to reduce out-of-pocket medical costs for working families and to strengthen protections for vulnerable residents in skilled nursing facilities. She also discussed her continued commitment to expanding flexible telehealth options for patients across the district who struggle to access specialty care close to home.
The discussion reflected Valladares’ broader health care priorities: protecting the doctor-patient relationship, expanding patient choice and addressing the high costs, and infrastructure and provider retention challenges that affect communities throughout the Santa Clarita Valley, Antelope Valley, and Victor Valley, the release said.
