Letter to the Editor -- Measure Q

Dear Editor,

The Leagues of Women Voters of the Monterey Peninsula and the Salinas Valley endorse Measure Q, the half-cent health care sales tax. Measure Q will ensure the stability of the health care delivery system of Monterey County.

The proposed half-cent sales tax is a new source of revenue that will stay in Monterey County and provide a strong financial footing for Natividad Medical Center. Natividad, a county-owned hospital, is dedicated to providing the highest quality, most cost effective health care to all residents of the community regardless of their ability to pay.

The state and federal governments have dramatically slashed their budgets resulting in less funding for health care. Meanwhile the number of uninsured patients is increasing at Natividad along with medical costs. Measure Q will help provide additional revenue for Natividad. It is a local solution to a national problem.

Natividad serves 58,000 patients annually, primarily our county's workforce in our major industries: hospitality, retail sales, and agribusiness. Without Natividad, displaced patients would seek medical care at the other three hospitals in the county, overwhelming our health care delivery system.

Vote YES on Measure Q and save our "health care safety net" for all county residents.

Beverly G. Bean, VMD
     President, League of Women Voters of the Monterey Peninsula
Anne Herendeen
     President, League of Women Voters of the Salinas Valley