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LWV League of Women Voters of California
Alameda County, CA November 5, 2002 Election
Smart Voter Political Philosophy for Bernard L. Stewart

Candidate for
Director; Washington Township Health Care District

[photo]
This information is provided by the candidate

In 1948 the Washington Township Hospital District was formed and in 1958 our Hospital opened. We are the beneficiaries of that visionary decision and we now have a community owned, independent, district, Hospital System that protects and restores our invaluable human health. It plays a major role in our quality of life and in the strength of our communities because it treats our basic human assets: our bodies, our minds, and our spirits. Every citizen--every family-- is affected daily, either directly or indirectly, by the Washington Hospital Healthcare System. I believe that strengthening and maintaining this healthcare system will powerfully affect our communities. I want to help that system. There are great challenges ahead.

Increasing competition and market forces could dangerously undermine our locally controlled, district hospital system. Healthcare cannot strictly be seen as a business, treating patients like a commodity. Economics, politics, and business practices present conflicting needs that can obscure the basic purpose of healthcare delivery. Too often healthcare is commercialized and it becomes mechanistic and soulless. Healthcare must be seen primarily as a service to promote and restore human dignity. Regardless of markets, government programs or network managers, patients must be able to depend on doctors and hospitals for personal commitment and for advocacy. Our health and the health of our community are too important to be left to the decisions of insurance companies. Despite all these forces, we can maintain a superior Hospital that will attract the very best physicians and healthcare personnel.
We must ensure that the Washington Hospital Healthcare System never compromises its basic purpose of healthcare delivery and preserving human dignity. I believe that I am uniquely qualified to help. I love this community, and I have built a successful Dental Practice with the primary goal of helping my fellow human beings. Finally, I am independent of all competing interests. I have no other interest than to build, strengthen, and help maintain this area as a wonderful place to live and raise families, and as a place where we can obtain healthcare that is second to none.
An election should be a decision making process of a democracy, not a power struggle. I will serve out of gratitude for what others have accomplished, and with a strong commitment to integrity, independence, and competence. I will not compromise my principles. I believe that I must account for what I have done with the mind, talent, and means that I have been blessed with. As a member of the Washington Hospital Board of Directors I hope to account for something significant in building our Hospital System and communities. Let's keep the vision and the excellence alive. Please consider me when you vote November 5th. Thank you!

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Created from information supplied by the candidate: October 11, 2002 00:13
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