City retirees, union and residents call for hearing after sudden resignation at Health Service System

During public comment at the Feb. 5 Board of Supervisors meeting, a coalition of retirees, Health Service System trustees, and other speakers urged the board to hold an open public hearing into recent leadership and contracting decisions at the Health Service System (HSS) following the abrupt resignation of the executive director, Bart Duncan.

Speakers including Nancy Jin of the Protect Our Benefits Coalition, retired public employees and HSS trustees, and other residents described dramatic improvements in HSS under the director—s tenure and expressed concern about the process that led to his resignation. Several speakers asked why the HSS board backed Blue Shield over an HSS staff plan that staff said would save the city approximately $4.5 million; they asked the board to investigate whether conflicts of interest or improper influence occurred.

Retirees and trustees said the HSS had been operating as a fiduciary trust for members and that members and the public deserve an open inquiry; they specifically requested a committee-of-the-whole public hearing to examine the resignation and contracting decisions. A number of speakers said the agency had faced phone-service problems and proposed staff cuts in the face of funding shortfalls.

The Board did not take immediate formal action during public comment but several speakers asked supervisors to schedule hearings and said they would follow up with formal requests.

Provenance: Public comment section of the Feb. 5 transcript (Item 39) contains the public testimony and requests for a hearing about HSS leadership and contracting decisions.