"...a matter that we feel is of vital importance..."
Ron EISENBERG, The Oakland Tribune
Article Last Updated: Sunday, February 22, 2004 - 9:21:49 AM PST

DURING the 12 years in which the "Doctor/Doctor" column has appeared in these newspapers, we have never written about an issue that specifically affects the Alameda County Medical Center, where we practice medicine.

However, we are breaking with this long tradition to discuss a matter that we feel is of vital importance not only to ACMC but also to all residents of Alameda County. In brief, Measure A is a proposal on the March 2 ballot that would raise the sales tax in Alameda County by a half-cent, with the majority of the revenue (about $60 million to $75 million annually) going to ACMC.

Today, the health care system in this county is in crisis. As more residents lose their jobs and their health insurance, uninsured children and families use emergency rooms for primary medical care. Emergency rooms at all Alameda County hospitals are severely overcrowded. The rapidly growing number of uninsured patients combined with significant reductions in state and federal funding have reduced the availability of quality health care throughout Alameda County.

Without Measure A funds, county clinics for low-income children and families will close, depriving underprivileged Alameda County residents of essential primary and preventative care. Trauma and emergency services will be reduced, increasing wait times and decreasing the quality of critical emergency care. Psychiatric and mental health services will be cut throughout the County. Without additional funding, pending cuts to Alameda County's health care will be devastating.

Keeping public hospitals and clinics open and adequately funded is not only critical for the indigent in Alameda County. A superb trauma unit is necessary to save the life of every citizen, regardless of his or her ability to pay. Furthermore, the collapse of ACMC would lead to severe overcrowding in public and private hospital emergency rooms throughout the county. Without adequate funding, county patients will be forced to seek emergency care outside of the county system, which would cause a financial impact on every Alameda County resident.

Because the survival of ACMC is at stake -- as a provider of emergency and trauma services, essential primary and preventative care, essential mental health services, basic care for underprivileged children and families, qualified nurses and healthcare professionals, pre-natal and family planning services for low-income women, and the capacity to respond to a disaster like an earthquake or terrorist strike -- we urge you to support Measure A.

Ron Eisenberg and Virgil Williams are staff physicians at Highland General Hospital in Oakland. Their question-and-answer columns appear in the Bay Area Living section.