TRUCKEE, Calif. — Voters in Placer and Nevada county will elect or re-elect two board members to the Tahoe Forest Health District board this November.
The candidates are Robert Barnett, Robert Darzynkiewicz, and Alyce Wong. Alyce Wong and Robert Barnett are incumbent and have served on the board since 2016 and 2021, respectively. Robert Darzynkiewicz is a long-time local resident, ER doctor, and founder of a healthcare start-up.
You can read profiles of the candidates below.
Alyce Wong
Alyce Wong is running for the Tahoe Forest Health District Board. She is an incumbent, and the current board chair. If elected, this will be Wong’s third term on the board.
Wong is a registered nurse who worked at Tahoe Forest Health District for more than 30 years before retiring 10 years ago. She has lived with her family in Truckee for 44 years and has done a broad range of work in the nursing field.
“I’ve done everything from direct patient care to education to leadership,” says Wong. “I’ve come through hospitals of every size, from universities to [hospitals] even smaller than Tahoe Forest. I’ve always had a dedication to the quality of care in the community.”
Wong notes that she’s seen a lot of change in her time on the board.
“Part of that was Covid, as well as other hospitals decreasing their services,” she says. “We have tripled in our number of office visits over the past 6 or so years. That has put a big strain on the health system.”
Wong notes that in her time on the board, she has played a role in creating better access to health care through the Forest Health system. She has helped to oversee the expansion of facilities, including the purchase of a former RiteAid building for doctor’s offices and other services. She has also supported the expansion of new programs for psychiatric care, including pediatric psychiatric programs. As board chair, she is currently leading the district’s search for a new CEO.
When asked about her hopes for this term, Wong says “Access to care is absolutely number one. And community engagement. I want us to be more open and willing to listen and hear what people want for their healthcare. We can’t do it all, but we want to see how we can help.”
Robert Barnett
Robert Barnett is running for re-election to the Tahoe Forest Health District Board. If elected, this will be Barnett’s third term on the board.
Barnett has been in the medical-legal field for more than 40 years and says he has found his background helpful to the board.
“I have a background in business and economics, and a law degree from UC Berkeley,” says Barnett. “With that background I have a bit of a different perspective from others, and I’ve gotten good feedback on that.” He adds that, “When you feel like you’re useful and contributing, that’s where the reward of this work is.”
Barnett worked in the public defender’s office before going into private practice, where he spent a large part of his career on medical law. He has also worked on ski patrol in the Truckee area.
“Two of the areas I specialize in on the board are governance (which is leadership) and “quality”, or standard of care,” says Barnett. If re-elected he wants to continue focusing on these areas, citing collaborative leadership and increasing access to care as among his biggest goals.
“The two guiding principles I use are one, what’s best for the patient, and two, how can we increase collaboration,” says Barnett. “Those are two themes that have guided me through Covid and other difficult times.” With the immediate dangers posed to staff by Covid and the dramatically increased demand for care, Barnett cites burnout as a major issue he is working to combat.
Like other candidates, Barnett says that increasing the accessibility of psychiatric and mental health care is a priority for him.
“The people who live and work in the mountains have hardships to face,” says Barnett. “We’ve just got a group of rugged, hardy people [here] who are really committed to patient care. That’s the core of our health care system, and my job is just to support that.”
Robert Darzynkiewicz
Robert Darzynkiewicz is running for the Tahoe Forest Health District Board. Darzynkiewicz is the only candidate who is not an incumbent. If he wins election, this will be his first term on the board.
Originally from New York, Darzynkiewicz went to UC Berkeley for his undergraduate degree, and then returned to New York for his medical degree. Darzynkiewicz moved to the Truckee area after medical school with his wife, who was raised in the California foothills.
Darzynkiewicz has spent many years as an emergency department doctor with Renown Healthcare in Nevada.
He also co-founded Hazel Health, a school-based telehealth medical company, in 2015.
“In building a healthcare system [with Hazel], it was really about quality, making sure we improve access and outcomes. We’re collaborating with a partner — the school — and sharing outcomes, meaning we’re both keeping kids healthier and decreasing chronic absenteeism from school, et cetera,” says Darzynkiewicz. “It gave me this joy in building systems, and removing barriers to care.”
After meeting community leaders through his wife, who was the CFO of Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation, Darzynkiewicz decided to run for office.
“I look at data, and ask what does the community really need? I know we as a community are doing great on smoking as an issue, but I believe there’s a need to be met with drinking, with substance abuse, with mental health care,” says Darzynkiewicz. “What I would like to see is a more focused approach on understanding what our community has going for it, and where we could be more collaborative.”
Darzynkiewicz is especially interested in looking for ways Tahoe Forest Health can collaborate with community partners.
Like Barnett and Wong (the two other candidates running for the board), Darzynkiewicz sees mental health care, removing barriers to care, and collaboration between Tahoe Forest Health departments as key issues.
To attend Tahoe Forest Health District board meetings virtually, or to watch archived Tahoe Forest Health District board meetings, you can visit the “Board Meetings” page of the agency’s website. To access board agendas and minutes, click here.
The board meets “the fourth Thursday of each month at Tahoe Forest Hospital in the Eskridge Conference Room, located at 10121 Pine Avenue, Truckee, California 96161.” They welcome public participation and engagement.
Anna Kristina Moseidjord is a freelancer for the Tahoe Daily Tribune and Sierra Sun.