1. Name: Tracy Lunquist

2. Age: 39

3. Address: 1113 S. Pearl St., DeLand, FL 32720

4. Phone: (386) 736-5825

5. E-Mail: tracy@tracylunquist.com

6. Website: www.tracylunquist.com

7. Office: West Volusia Hospital Authority, Group A, Seat 1

8. Education:

Bachelor of Arts, Secondary Education and English, Kalamazoo College, 1991

Master of Education, Human Resource and Organization Development, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2005

9. Occupation/Experience/Qualifications:

Owner of Working Magic, a business coaching and consulting practice in DeLand for the last 2 1/2 years

Leadership DeLand, Class of 2007

Member, DeLand Area Chamber of Commerce

2007 Chair, Chamber Events Committee; also served on Membership and

Ambassadors committees and active in the Networking group

President of Women in Aviation, First Coast Chapter, serving Volusia and Flagler Counties

10a. Two important issues:

The most important issue facing the Authority at this moment is to ensure a smooth transition of services away from the Health Department and to the new Federally Qualified Health Centers.  Since this should be complete by the end of this year,  our next task is to raise awareness of the Centers.  These new clinics will be open to everyone and will help keep non-emergency patients out of Emergency Rooms -- but only if people know the clinics are there.

A second issue of concern is the rising cost of specialty care -- that is, care for patients with specific long-term illnesses such as cancer or diabetes.  These costs have been rising at the same time the taxable value of property has been decreasing.  We need to look for ways to stretch our funds without compromising care.  We also need to find effective education and prevention programs that will, in the long term, reduce the number and severity of these cases.

10b. State legislature dictating local revenue policy:

The WVHA is a relatively small taxing district.  It pulls funds from a small local tax base to serve a small local community.  For that reason, the particulars of its situation tend to be unique to it.  When the folks in Tallahassee make decisions that affect our taxing district, they’re a lot more likely to be thinking about Miami or Orlando or Tallahassee than about DeLand or Deltona or Pierson.  We need to have the power to determine our own fate based on our own community’s needs, rather than be beholden to the State’s blanket rules that may not work for us.

Is there a need for a Hospital Authority?

In a perfect world, there would not be a need for a Hospital Authority, because its work would be carried out by private citizens and charities.  In the world we live in, our hospitals provide care to everyone, and the cost of that is not fully covered by private donations.  We use tax dollars to try to make up the shortfall.

I believe the Authority’s ultimate goal should be to put itself out of business. We need to find effective alternatives that will fulfill the WVHA’s mission of providing quality health care to our needy, while reducing or eliminating the tax burden on our citizens.  The Federally Qualified Health Centers currently being built by the WVHA are a step in the right direction, because they provide a less costly alternative to the Emergency Room as a primary care provider for non-critical injuries and illnesses.

Should tax funds be available to other facilities that provide indigent care?

The Hospital Authority’s charter is broad, far-reaching, and a little vague about what it does and does not fund in terms of facilities or types of services.  Any health care provider serving indigent patients in our taxing district should have the ability to request funding.  The Authority must consider each request in light of its charter, its available budget, and the larger question of whether tax dollars are the most appropriate source of funds for the requester.  This comes back to the idea of the Authority working to put itself out of business.  We must continually ask: are there other ways to pay for indigent care besides tax money?  If so, how do we make that happen?

How are decisions made about tax funding and what other agencies have been funded in the past year?

A Citizens’ Advisory Committee, comprised of appointees of the WVHA Commissioners, is tasked with reviewing funding requests.  They consider how well the request fits the mission of the WVHA, and how effectively the requester’s program will be able to provide services.  Once the Advisory Committee approves the request, the WVHA board itself decides whether to fund it based on available budget dollars.  In the last year, the WVHA has provided funding to The House Next Door, The Good Samaritan, the Volusia/Flagler Coalition for the Homeless, Healthy Communities, and ACT Corporation in addition to its funding of the hospitals, Health Department, and the county’s Medicaid reimbursement obligations.  Funding of the House Next Door and ACT programs fall under mental health services, which are part of the WVHA’s charter.

A specific issue not addressed?

Informed participation is the cornerstone of democracy.  Many taxpayers in our area know nothing more about the WVHA than what it costs them in taxes.  The WVHA needs to have a website with meeting dates and minutes, clinic locations, and other information of interest to the community.  Since the WVHA neither has, nor needs, a physical office or staff, a website is an inexpensive and highly effective way to make information available to the public.

Thank you for taking the time to learn about all of the candidates and issues you will face in the upcoming elections.  Be sure to vote in the August 26 primary!