Mountain View, CA – December 10, 2020 – The El Camino Healthcare District today announced it has received the District Transparency Certificate of Excellence by the Special District Leadership Foundation (SDLF) in recognition of its outstanding efforts to promote transparency and good governance. Awarded on December 3, 2020, the district has earned the award every three years since 2013. It was the first district in Santa Clara County and the twelfth district in the state to receive this distinction.
"This award is a testament to the El Camino Healthcare District’s commitment to open government," said Jon Cowan, El Camino Health’s director of government and community relations. "We work diligently to provide the public with information and facilitate engagement."
To receive the award, the El Camino Healthcare District demonstrated the completion of essential governance transparency requirements, including conducting ethics training for all board members, properly conducting open and public meetings, and filing financial transactions and compensation reports to the State Controller in a timely manner.
Out of approximately 3,000 special districts in California, there are only 147 that have received the SDLF Transparency Certificate, and only 4 of those are healthcare districts. El Camino Healthcare District is one of the four, and its certificate will be valid through the end of 2023.
SDLF is an independent, non-profit organization formed to promote good governance and best practices among California’s special districts through certification, accreditation and other recognition programs.
Special districts are independent public agencies that deliver core local services to communities, such as water, wastewater treatment, fire protection, parks and recreation, healthcare, sanitation, mosquito abatement, ports, libraries, public cemeteries and more. Districts are established by voters, and their funding is approved by voters to meet specific needs through focused service. They can be specially molded to serve large regions or small neighborhoods depending on the need.
The El Camino Hospital District was established by voter approval in 1956 in accordance with California Local Hospital District Law. The purpose of the District is to establish, maintain and operate or provide assistance in the operation of health facilities and other health care services provider, groups and organizations that are necessary for the maintenance of good physical and mental health in the communities served by the District. The District, now known as El Camino Healthcare District, encompasses most of Mountain View, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills; a large portion of Sunnyvale, and small sections of Cupertino, Santa Clara, and Palo Alto. The publicly elected El Camino Healthcare District Board of Directors approves tax dollar expenditures, including expenditures for the award-winning Community Benefit program. Community Benefit funds are granted each year to local nonprofits, schools and government programs that provide critical health services to the underserved. All District Board meetings are publicly noticed, open to the public, and available for viewing on the District website.