September 21, 2021
Dear Editor:

This is a note I wrote to Ms. Claribel Gutierrez, board president for Clinica Sierra Vista, which runs our Frazier Mountain Community Health Center in Lebec. I want to share it with my neighbors.

Dear Madam President:

Please explain your reasoning behind depriving the Mountain Communities of Lebec, Frazier Park, Lake of the Woods, Piñon Pines, Cuddy Valley and Pine Mountain Club of the treasured services of Dr. Brent Burket.

Many of us use the Clinica Sierra Vista Clinic in Lebec.

I cannot imagine a legitimate reason you might have:

(1) To fail to renew his contract, and (2) To fail to honor the previous administration’s agreement with him to do so.

Dr Burket has not had a complaint in his five years of medical care for us, while your new administration has racked up countless negative reviews in a month’s time. It is your responsibility to safeguard our rural healthcare!

Continuity of care matters. This act will affect my health. I hold you responsible.

If you so ruthlessly deprive us of a trusted member of our community, how can we trust Clinica? How can we trust that you are not planning other bad practices that will undermine the quality of our health care?

I’m sure you will say it was the new CEO’s decision…but this is the same Stacy Ferreira who also rid Clinica of a half-dozen experienced administrators who helped to make Clinica strong and trusted.

And who hired Ms. Ferreira as your new CEO? You did.

I require continuing health care. The loss of Dr Burket as my primary care physician affects me profoundly.

This is a bad decision. Please keep Dr. Burket. He is our respected community doctor.

Teresa C. Ashmore
Lebec

Editor’s Note: We invited Board President Gutierrez to respond for our readers. To send your own Letter to the Editor, contact Editor@MountainEnterprise.com.

This is part of the September 24, 2021 online edition of The Mountain Enterprise.

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