News & Updates

Grossmont Hospital citizens group adds hospital community relations manager, also seeks medical professional to fill a seat

December 22, 2015 General

The volunteer citizens group overseeing the spending of millions of
dollars in taxpayer-approved bonds for new and improved patient care facilities
at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa has a new member. Sandy Pugliese, the
hospital’s community relations manager, has joined the citizens group,
called the Independent Citizens’ Bond Oversight Committee (ICBOC).
ICBOC members are uncompensated East County residents who are charged with
monitoring bond proceeds spent by the Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD),
the public agency managing the bond-financed construction at the hospital.
GHD serves as landlord of the hospital, including ownership of the
property and buildings on behalf of local taxpayers.

According to ICBOC by-laws, specific seats on the ICBOC are filled by
individuals representing various constituency groups and business sectors, such
as project management, large-scale construction operations, finance, labor
and healthcare. Pugliese will serve as a representative of Sharp Grossmont
Hospital’s executive management.

Barry Jantz, GHD CEO, said the ICBOC group needs one more community
volunteer to reach its full capacity of 11 members. He said the search is
continuing for a volunteer who would serve as a representative from the medical
profession, specifically a physician or nurse. However, Jantz said the person
cannot be currently affiliated with Sharp HealthCare since the quota for
Sharp representatives on the ICBOC has been filled. “A retired doctor or
nurse would also be ideal,” Jantz said.

ICBOC members must reside within the District’s 750 square miles in San
Diego’s East County. The ICBOC meets quarterly and sub-committees meet at vari
ous times as needed, some monthly. Committee members serve for no more
than three consecutive two-year terms. Interested volunteers can obtain an
application by contacting GHD at (619) 825-5050.

“I’m very excited to serve,” said Pugliese, who has worked at the
hospital since 1991, including the past 20 years in a community relations role. “I
am very familiar with the bond-related construction projects at the
hospital and can provide clarifications or perspectives needed at the meetings.
Also, over the past 30 years, I have served in the community on several
planning groups and design committees overseeing construction. Having served in
an elected capacity before, I have a good understanding of the roles and
responsibilities of government agencies and their boards.”

From 1981 to 2003, Pugliese served as an elected official, winning five
consecutive terms, as a member of the Santee School District board of
directors. Following her retirement from the school district board, her life of
public service continued as a board officer for the Santee Chamber of
Commerce. Today, she serves on the chamber’s executive board as secretary and the
chairperson for the Chamber’s annual awards program.

In addition, for the past 10 years, she has served as a member of East
County Family YMCA Board of Management, a group of more than 60 individuals
representing East County businesses and the community.
Since 2006, she has served on the board of the Santee-Lakeside Rotary
Club, one of the most active Rotary Clubs in the area. Pugliese headed the Club’
s effort to obtain a $2,000 matching grant from Rotary District 5340 to
benefit the Santee Food Bank. With an additional $2,000 from the
Santee-Lakeside Rotary Club, the Santee Food Bank was able to purchase a
large-capacity, commercial-grade refrigerator and three chest freezers to safely store
preserving perishable food for distribution. With this additional storage
capacity, the Santee Food Bank is able to serve more families. She also
assisted the Club with securing a $5,000 grant from the Weyerhaeuser Giving Fund
that has been applied to the Club’s scholarship program serving high school
students at Santana, West Hills and El Capitan. Sandy has been the
recipient of the Club’s Rotarian of the Year award twice for her efforts.

She is now in her second year as a board member of the San Diego East
County Chamber of Commerce. In 2006, Pugliese was honored as one of the East
County Chamber’s Women In Leadership award recipients based on her efforts
with the success of Proposition G, a taxpayer-approved bond measure that is
financing new and improved patient care facilities at Grossmont Hospital.
During the holidays at the hospital since 1995, Pugliese has organized a
hospital-wide program called “Santa’s Korner,” which provides gifts and
food for need families in the community. More than 30 hospital departments get
involved, from the women’s center to emergency room – all raising money
and hundreds of toys, clothes and household items. The families are
identified by social service agencies who act as intermediaries between donors and
recipients. Agencies that helped select beneficiaries include the Salvation
Army, Crisis House and Vista Hill. More than 40 families benefit every
December from Santa’s Korner. Pugliese’s efforts were recognized in 2014 with
a GHD Healthcare Hero award.

She recently ended, after 13 years, serving as a member of the County of
San Diego’s Social Services Advisory Board (SSAB), an appointment by County
Supervisor Dianne Jacob.

The Grossmont Healthcare District, formed in 1952 to build and operate
Grossmont Hospital, supports various health-related community programs and
services in San Diego’s East County Region. The District is governed by a
five-member board of directors, each representing more than 500,000 people
residing within San Diego East County’s 750 square miles. For more information
about GHD, visit www.grossmonthealthcare.org (http://www.grossmonthealthcare.org/) .