Fallbrook Regional Health District to host town hall meeting

FALLBROOK – The Fallbrook Regional Health District (FRHD) will host a town hall meeting during its regular board meeting Wednesday, April 12 at 6 p.m. at the Fallbrook Public Utility District, 990 E. Mission Road.

The FRHD board of directors seeks public feedback on the sale of public land at 624 E. Elder Street, formerly operating as the Fallbrook Hospital and its annex buildings. The building is an asset to our communities and the district is seeking feedback from taxpayers to identify potential uses.

The voter-approved special districtHYPERLINK "https://d5brfuzkqskyv.cloudfront.net/39acc5a6-b68f-40b7-a9dd-8d50b2f3e15f/14ea64cd-2115-4af1-9014-22d707a795dd/CA%20Healthcare%20Districts%20Tax.pdf?response-content-disposition=inline%3B%20filename%3D%22CA%20Healthcare%20Districts%20Tax.pdf%22%3B%20filena" collects roughly $1.6 million annually to cover health care provider shortages, uninsured Californians, those with low or fixed incomes, and underserved populations.

Since 2000, the district community health contracts have supported more than 270 health programs offering no-cost services for the north San Diego County unincorporated communities of Fallbrook, Bonsall, Rainbow and De Luz. In the last five years, the district granted about $3 million in health services benefiting the public

With a largely 55-plus population, many district contracts support senior programs offering transportation, health screenings and education as well as nutritious food options, including those delivered to the home.

"Last year, our full health assessment of 57,000 area residents helped us to better align contractual services with top wellness threats," said executive director Bobbi Palmer of FRHD. “We also assessed area 911 call data and noticed a high rate of falls, which is the leading cause of death from injury among people 65 and older. Through contracts, the district boosted funding for in-home fall prevention assessments and mobility-improvement exercise programs.”

Other health contracts support underserved families and youth by offering dental and eye exams, access to a local food pantry, disability support and mental and behavioral health services.

In addition to contractual services, FRHD collaboratively operates health programs including the Community Collaborative Health & Wellness Committee, North County Community Collaborative Health Initiative and an annual Prostate Cancer Screening. In addition, the district created and maintains the Community Resources Directory, sponsored the Healthcare Heroes program, and facilitates the Woman of Wellness (WOW) Program, Wellness Walks and participates in other community events.