Latino Doctors Protest Exclusion From Health Panel

A group of more than 20 Latino physicians is protesting the lack of Latino representation on a newly appointed county board that will oversee plans to drastically overhaul the delivery of medical services to the poor.

The Orange County Board of Supervisors Tuesday appointed a seven-member board of directors to govern a new county health maintenance organization, named OPTIMA, that will provide care for 250,000 Medi-Cal patients countywide, making it one of the largest such programs in the nation.

Dr. Robert R. Beltran sent a letter to the county supervisors Thursday demanding that a Latino representative be added to the new board. Beltran, a head and neck surgeon, expressed outrage that none of the board members chosen by the supervisors are Latino physicians who work with the heavily Latino population of county Medi-Cal patients.

“This board will be overseeing a populace which will be comprised of not less than 80% Hispanics,” Beltran wrote in his letter. “We demand a review of the selection process . . . and insist on inclusion of a Mexican-American practitioner, preferably from our submitted list.”

Beltran also criticized the appointment of three officials from local hospitals whom he said stand to benefit from such a program.

Beltran said he contacted the office of Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez with a list of 15 Latino physicians, including himself, and was promised by an office worker that he would be placed on a mailing list for critical board decisions. Beltran said he was never contacted.

Vasquez could not be reached for comment late Friday. Board of Supervisors Chairman Harriett M. Wieder said Friday she was unaware of the complaint but would look into it, adding that she would like Beltran’s assistance in implementing the program.

The OPTIMA health care program hopes to attract physicians by promising prompt reimbursement. At the same time, it is designed to cut down on the cost of care by providing preventive health care before illnesses require expensive emergency treatment.