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Four newcomers—two physicians, an attorney and a farmer—are vying to succeed San Benito Health Care District Director Josie Sanchez for the district’s Zone 4 seat.
Sanchez will have held the seat for 12 years when her term ends in December. The zone encompasses most of the county south of Union Road including Ridgemark and Tres Pinos. It also includes the Cerra Vista Drive neighborhood.
Paul Breen
Breen, 74, is an attorney who was born and raised in the county. He and his wife moved back to Hollister in 2000.
He has not held an elected office.
BenitoLink: Which of your qualifications enable you to lead the health care district?
Breen: I am a fifth-generation resident of San Benito County. I was born at the original Hazel Hawkins Hospital on Monterey Street. My two sons were born at the new hospital facility. I attended Hollister High School and earned an undergraduate degree in political science from Stanford University. Following graduation, I worked for three years in Washington, D.C. as a legislative assistant for a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. I then attended law school at Santa Clara University. After law school, I practiced for 34 years with Hoge, Fenton, Jones & Appel, a 50-attorney law firm with offices in Monterey, San Jose and San Luis Obispo.
Through my law practice, I am intimately familiar with public and private medical insurance plans, including Medicare and Medic-Aid, as well as medical and hospital billing practices. I served on the board of directors of the firm for over 20 years. I also served for 12 years as a judge pro tem for the Santa Clara County Superior Court. I am a three-time president of the San Benito County Bar Association. For the past 10 years I have been a member of Breen Law Firm in Hollister operated by my wife, Christine.
Reports, including a recent district survey, have found we are experiencing a healthcare worker shortage. How would you help the board to close the demand-supply gap?
The healthcare worker shortage is just one of many issues adversely impacting the healthcare industry in general and California rural hospitals like Hazel Hawkins in particular. My primary goal, if elected, is to ensure the survival of Hazel Hawkins Hospital for the residents of the county and particularly those in the South County, whose survival has been and continues to be in jeopardy. If elected, I plan to meet with the hospital administrators, healthcare worker union representatives, and physician staff representatives, as well as other members of the board, and to familiarize myself with the hospital balance sheet, profit and loss and cash flow statements, as well as the budget. I believe at that point I will be in position to address the demand-supply gap, if possible, and other issues adversely affecting Hazel Hawkins Hospital.
According to a 2024 report by the Seniors Council, San Benito County had California’s third highest growth rate in the 65-to-84-year-old age group since 2010. What will you do to ensure this group’s medical needs can be met by providers within the county?
Meeting the medical needs of all San Benito County citizens, including the expanding 65-to-84-year-old age group, must be a critical short-term and long-term goal of Hazel Hawkins Hospital. Establishing or expansion of specialty practice areas, such as coronary care (heart and blood), gastroenterology (digestive system), pulmonology (lungs and airways), along with elder care, are necessary to ensure the continued vitality of the hospital and serve the medical needs of county residents.
This is not a new idea and the current board and administration are making efforts in those areas. Unfortunately, current operating margins and many other interrelated issues pose significant obstacles to increasing patient services. All I can say is that, if elected to the hospital board, I will work heart and soul to seek solutions which address these concerns and allow Hazel Hawkins Hospital to continue to provide essential healthcare services to the community.
Marni J. Friedman
Friedman, 55, is a family physician who has lived in the district for 27 years.
She has not held an elected position, but has served on various boards including First 5 San Benito, San Benito Medical Associates, Temple Beth El and Physician Advisory Group for Central California Alliance for Health.
BenitoLink: Which of your qualifications enable you to lead the health care district?
Friedman: A friend from high school heard I was running for an elected office. She sent me an encouraging text: “You have always been a straightforward, get to the root of the problem kinda person. You are smart, and focused. As far as I can see you haven’t changed a bit.”
One change comes from my years of working in Hollister as a family physician. I know how hospitals function and I understand my community’s medical needs. As a local doctor, I refer patients to hospital services, yet I often face sending someone out of the county for tests or specialists unavailable locally.
I keep current with social and economic issues as well as changes in medical practice, all of which affect community hospitals like ours. I serve on other boards, so I am familiar with the procedures and regulations of this kind of public service.
My perspective is what this health district needs: a clear view of how hospital board decisions affect patients, medical practices, and the local health system as a whole. The group making decisions about our county’s healthcare should include me because I directly provide health care.
Reports, including a recent district survey, have found we are experiencing a health care worker shortage. How would you help the board to close the demand-supply gap?
I was originally recruited to open my practice in San Benito County due to the shortage of physicians, and this was over 27 years ago. Not much has changed: we are still short on primary care physicians to look after the health care needs of the community. This is a problem for California as a whole, particularly in the rural areas. In Hollister, we compete with nearby urban areas in attracting new physicians. Interestingly, those areas are having trouble keeping doctors once they experience the sticker-shock of housing costs.
I work on this issue because it directly affects my ability to take care of patients. It is hard to see my existing patients in a timely fashion for their routine and for their urgent medical needs while still accepting new people into my practice. For years, I have taught medical students, medical residents, international physicians, and midlevel clinicians (nurse practitioners and physician assistants) in my office with the hope that some will return to our community to practice. It is a known fact that training a medical care provider in a particular place is the most reliable way to get them to end up working in that place. I have long hoped to expand medical teaching in our community. Our hospital does not have training opportunities for medical students or residents; I would like to see that change. I would explore partnership opportunities with University of California medical training programs.
There is also an untapped resource through the Medi-Cal program for our county, Central California Alliance for Health (CCAH). They offer a grant to assist with placing new medical providers in existing practices.
These are just two of the ideas I have for improving access to medical homes for county residents.
According to a 2024 report by the Seniors Council, San Benito County had California’s third highest growth rate in the 65-to-84-year-old age group since 2010. What will you do to ensure this group’s medical needs can be met by providers within the county?
Care for our eldest segment is affected by local, state, and national forces. Efforts to increase the primary care workforce in San Benito County will also help the health care of our older population. We already have some good infrastructure geared toward the older age group in our community. With a lot of the new residents being retirees, some of the growth in primary care should certainly be focused on geriatric medicine. An older population is less able to face traveling out of county for medical care, so that creates additional incentive to bring specialists and infusion services into our town.
Michael Clifton McGinnis
McGinnis, 63, is a physician who has lived in the county for 10 years. He has not held public office.
BenitoLink: Which of your qualifications enable you to lead the health care district?
McGinnis: My qualifications to lead the health care district come from more than 30 years of experience as a physician, medical director, and healthcare administrator. I have extensive experience overseeing clinical laboratories, quality improvement, patient care, regulatory compliance, and healthcare operations. I currently serve as medical director of the clinical laboratory at Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital and have served on its surgical staff and infection control committees. These roles have given me a strong understanding of the healthcare needs of our local community and the challenges facing healthcare organizations today. Throughout my career, I have held leadership positions including hospital laboratory director, chairman of pathology, chief of staff, medical executive committee member, hospital board member, chairman of quality improvement programs, and physician advisor for HCA for almost a decade.
I have also been directly involved in hospital billing compliance, utilization review, patient care, and regulatory and accreditation matters. My combination of clinical expertise, healthcare leadership, financial and operational experience, and commitment to quality patient care would allow me to contribute effectively to the health care district. Most importantly, I have practiced in Hollister for over a decade, I understand the importance of maintaining accessible, high-quality healthcare services for the residents of San Benito County.
Reports, including a recent district survey, have found we are experiencing a healthcare worker shortage. How would you help the board to close the demand-supply gap?
When we invest in our healthcare workforce, we invest in the health and future of our entire community. San Benito County cannot afford to wait for this shortage to solve itself, we need action now.
As a physician and healthcare leader, I would work with the board to develop a focused, long-term strategy to recruit, retain, and grow our local healthcare workforce. That means actively recruiting physicians, nurses, mental health professionals, and other critical healthcare providers while building stronger partnerships with medical schools, residency programs, nursing programs, and local colleges to create a pipeline of healthcare professionals who will train and build their careers here. We should also pursue innovative solutions, including loan repayment and scholarship programs tied to local service, to make San Benito County more attractive to providers and encourage them to put down roots in our community.
Just as important, we must retain the outstanding healthcare professionals already serving San Benito County by creating an environment where they feel valued, supported, and able to grow professionally. My goal is simple: recruit the best, retain the people we have, and build a stronger healthcare workforce so our families can get the quality care they deserve, right here at home.
According to a 2024 report by the Seniors Council, San Benito County had California’s third highest growth rate in the 65-to-84-year-old age group since 2010. What will you do to ensure this group’s medical needs can be met by providers within the county?
As a physician and as someone who is getting older myself, I understand how important it is to have excellent medical care available close to home. Our seniors should not have to travel out of the county for the care they need.I would work with the board to recruit and retain more primary care and specialty physicians, expand partnerships with healthcare and training organizations, and strengthen services for chronic disease, cardiology, orthopedics, behavioral health, and other needs common among older adults. San Benito County’s current provider shortage is already significant, and the district’s recent assessment shows that specialty care is one of the community’s highest priorities. Every senior in San Benito County deserves the opportunity to age with dignity, receive high-quality, compassionate care, and remain close to their family, home, and community. That is the standard I will work to achieve.
Gregory Swett
Swett, 73, is a farmer and property manager. He has lived in the district all of his life.
He currently serves as the president of the Willow Grove Union School District.
BenitoLink: Which of your qualifications enable you to lead the health care district?
Swett: With over 30 years of hands-on experience running a successful agricultural growing and harvesting operation, I have developed a comprehensive understanding of operational management, strategic planning, and resource allocation. My academic foundation includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Finance from the University of California, Berkeley, which has equipped me with strong analytical and financial skills.
In addition to my agricultural endeavors, I have experience working for a major airline, specializing in ground-operations, financial management, and computer architecture. My responsibilities have included constructing billion-dollar budgets ensuring seamless financial operations, as well as personally meeting payrolls in my farming operation. These experiences have refined my ability to balance large-scale financial oversight with the practical realities of workforce management.
This unique blend of agricultural leadership, financial acumen, and technological expertise has given me a broad perspective on organizational management. I understand the importance of both high-level strategic direction and day-to-day operational execution. These skills and experiences, combined with my commitment to effective team leadership, position me well to direct a healthcare management team and address the complex requirements of the industry.
Reports, including a recent district survey, have found we are experiencing a healthcare worker shortage. How would you help the board to close the demand-supply gap?
Developing senior management that respects the work force and instills a sense that it is a team effort to provide medical care practicing great medicine. Attracting highly qualified doctors will attract other qualified doctors that will focus on successful patient outcomes. With management’s responsibility supporting the doctor base outcomes will improve which will attract staff that wants to work on successful teams. Or said differently—winners attract winners.
According to a 2024 report by the Seniors Council, San Benito County had California’s third highest growth rate in the 65-to-84-year-old age group since 2010. What will you do to ensure this group’s medical needs can be met by providers within the county?
Overall, San Benito County faces a shortage of medical providers for all ages. Certain specialties like cardiology, rheumatology, and oncology (ECG report) are in short supply but also serve younger population groups. Increasing the overall specialty groups will benefit all age groups. Building the medical provider base will require ongoing capital investment. With SBC’s current 70,000 population, attracting well-qualified medical staff will be profitable and allow continued investment in additional medical providers. Developing a wider spectrum of specialties will support geriatric care development.
What also must be included in the discussion—additional skilled nursing beds (SNF) will be required with a growing population. The existing SNFs operate at a very high occupancy rate, and will these facilities be adequate or will additional beds be required with future growth? As a healthcare district, we need to look at the full range of senior healthcare facilities—assisted living, memory care, and SNF. The main issue is what will be offered by the private sector vs. the health care district. With our population growth, there will be a need for more capacity and can that be met with public/private partnership. As with all medical services, the $$$$, will be a guiding force on how to manage different income sources of private or government payors.
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