Dr. Les Zendle announces he will not seek re-election to the Healthcare District Board

In December 2024, I will complete my second 4-year term on the Board of Directors of the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation. In 2016, I was elected for my first term (2016-2020) to be one of five Directors “at large” of the District which then covered the Coachella Valley west of Cook Street. After the District expanded to include the entire Coachella Valley in 2018, I was elected in 2020 for a second term (2020-2024) to serve Zone 1 of the newly expanded District — which then included 7 Zones.

Today, I am announcing that I have decided NOT to seek a third term on the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation Board of Directors.

Serving as a director has been an incredibly meaningful and fulfilling experience. The District is blessed to have an extremely talented and dedicated staff with whom I have enjoyed working with over the past 8 years. I have also had the good fortune to serve alongside other directors (past and present) who are committed to the District’s vision of “equitably connecting Coachella Valley residents to health and wellness services and programs through philanthropy, health facilities, information and community education, and public policy.” 

I am proud of the role I played in the expansion of the District to include the entire Coachella Valley. Residents who live east and west of Cook Street often work, eat, play, and seek healthcare on the other side of Cook Street. I believed then (and I believe now) that we cannot have a healthy Coachella Valley unless all District residents have equitable access to health services — having the opportunity to achieve optimal health at all stages of life. I am also proud that I have helped the District focus its strategic goals on funding programs and organizations that increase access to medical and behavioral health services — especially (but not exclusively) for those underserved in our Valley.

I also believe that I will be leaving the District Board of Directors at the right time. New perspectives, as well as opportunities for others to serve their community, are healthy for any organization.

We have almost concluded negotiations with Tenet Healthcare for an historic new lease/purchase of Desert Regional Medical Center (beginning in 2027) — allowing the hospital to meet the legislative requirement for seismic compliance and providing the District with funds to continue and expand its grant program and other healthcare related services. I strongly believe that it is our grant program rather than who manages the hospital that has and will continue to make the greatest impact on the health and well-being of District residents. I urge the voters of the District to support the agreement once it is placed on the ballot.

We have also just selected Chris Christensen as our CEO. His decade of experience with the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation, overseeing critical administrative and financial services, as well as his reputation of honest and ethical leadership and service, makes him the right leader at the right time.

I will miss working closely with the District, but I suspect I will share an opinion or two as appropriate. I plan to continue volunteering my medical services as a physician at Coachella Valley Volunteers in Medicine — as I have done since February of 2011, and I hope to find other opportunities to make meaningful contributions to our community.

Note: Zone 1 (which underwent “redistricting” due to the 2020 census) now includes most of Palm Springs, a small portion of Cathedral City, almost all of Rancho Mirage and a very small part of Palm Desert. See interactive (Hummingbird Plan map): https://ndcresearch.maps.arcgis.com/apps/View/index.html?appid=61572b864004444899d50944a03412e2

The filing period begins July 15 and generally runs through August 9 (although it is extended to August 14 when the incumbent is not running for re-election).