BOARD SEATS UP FOR GRABS HOSPITAL LEADERS SEEK 2ND TERMS.

Byline: KAREN MAESHIRO Staff Writer

LANCASTER -- The two Antelope Valley Hospital directors whose board seats are up for re-election in November say they intend to seek a second term.

Dr. Don Parazo and retired nurse June Snow ousted two incumbents in 2002 in a costly hospital election campaign marked by negative radio and television advertisements and anonymous attack mailers.

``There's so much that needs to happen that hasn't happened yet, and I'm making some headway with the other board members, and some things are starting to happen,'' Snow said.

Parazo said through his office that he is planning to run for re-election.

The period for filing to run for the hospital board in the Nov. 7 election ends Aug. 11.

So far nomination papers have been issued to Snow and Roger Berger, a retired fire department paramedic who unsuccessfully ran for the hospital board in 2004 and served as Snow's campaign treasurer in 2002.

The electioneering is beginning early with Berger claiming Parazo, a family practice physician at High Desert Medical Group, has a conflict of interest by sitting on the board and being employed by the medical group.

``He doesn't vote directly on the contract, but I do believe his vote on other issues that impact the contract is a conflict of interest,'' Berger said.

Parazo, through his office, declined to comment.

Fellow directors Dr. John Manning and nurse practitioner Berna Mayer, who were both elected to the board in 2004, also work at High Desert Medical Group.

Snow, a former Antelope Valley Hospital employee, said she has no hidden agenda.

``I am totally for the community and hospital to succeed and try to make it a great place to be a patient, to work and be a physician,'' Snow said.

Snow said the hospital has a five-year plan that calls for adding more medical-surgical beds and expanding the intensive care unit.

``We need to be looking at 10, 15, 20 years down the road,'' Snow said. ``We've had such a crisis in beds. From the time we added the last bed in 1985, three hospitals have closed and 200,000 people have moved out here.''

In a written statement Berger said, ``It's time to bring a more responsible, common-sense leadership quality, free of influence from special interest groups.''

Berger said the hospital needs to restore much-needed services that have been cut, such as a pediatric intensive care unit and an adolescent mental health unit, and reopen beds in the adult mental health unit.

Hospital officials said they are working on opening 14 more beds in the 14-bed adult mental health unit.

karen.maeshiro(at)dailynews.com

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