County Should Take Healthy Advice

How many more people need to tell the Spokane County commissioners that taking over the health district is a really bad idea?

The latest advice came last week from the recently formed Health Advisory Board, which said the commissioners should drop plans for the takeover. This, by the way, is a group that was appointed by the commissioners themselves.

The group’s advice fell on deaf ears, as did counsel of Bruce Miyahara, secretary of the state Department of Health, and countless other experts who caution against the costly and potentially dangerous move.

Even after hearing the panel’s report, Commissioners Phil Harris and Steve Hasson were reluctant to drop the idea of commandeering the health district.

Commissioner John Roskelley has never liked the plan.

There’s still some question of what will happen. Some time ago, the commissioners set Jan. 1, 1997, as the takeover date, but can back away any time. There are plenty of reasons to do so.

Obviously, the move would be expensive. The advisory committee said the switch would cost $400,000 to $600,000 a year in lost state funding and higher employee benefits, among other things.

The county already is struggling to stay within its budget; it needs fewer demands, not more.

But more important than the money is the health and safety of Spokane County residents. It’s critical that the region have an independent entity overseeing its health concerns. With the three-member county commission in charge, two politicians would essentially be making decisions affecting the health and development of all of Spokane County. That’s scary.

No matter what your opinions on growth management, health issues or regulatory agencies, everyone should welcome a broad-based board that draws from all orientations. As it is now, eight people sit on the county health board - three county commissioners, three city council members and two elected officials from nearby towns. The advisory panel - rather than backing the commissioners’ idea, suggested the current board be expanded to include two medical professionals.

Now that’s a good idea.

Hasson and Harris gloss over the frightening conflict of interest their proposal could introduce. What’s to stop the county from failing to inspect its own restaurant at the county courthouse? What’s to keep it from allowing rampant development at the expense of the region’s aquifer?

There may be problems with the health district - Harris said he hears reports that some staff members are rude - but those problems should be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, not a wholesale pirating of the operation.

As it is, the health district is known statewide as one of the finest. Let’s leave it that way.

, DataTimes The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Anne Windishar/For the editorial board