Beach Cities Health District
Beach Cities Health District (BCHD) is a government agency dedicated to providing preventive health services to the community. Formed in 1955, it is the special-purpose district responsible for the improving the health of the citizens of Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, and Redondo Beach. The main office of the BCHD is located in the city of Redondo Beach, California; its primary youth fitness facility is located in the city of Manhattan Beach.
The purpose of Health Districts in California is to provide health facilities or health services for the benefit of the district and the people served by that district. As a government agency, a health district has the power to exercise the right of eminent domain , secure financing through assessment of tax levy, and issue bonds.
How the BCHD operates
Youth Services: BCHD offers provides programs and supports funding for physical education, nutrition education, childhood obesity prevention, counseling for substance abuse, social skills and drop-out intervention for school-age children. Programs are aimed at educating children and their parents AbOUT healthy lifestyle choices. Youth Services also oversees AdventurePlex, BCHD’s children’s fitness center in Manhattan Beach.
AdventurePlex is BCHD’s fitness center for kids and families, a health and fitness center in Manhattan Beach, created for youth that bridges fitness with recreation. The facility has a four-level indoor play structure with tunnels and slides, two outdoor rock climbing walls, an outdoor ropes course, a sports court, and a gym for kids and parents. AdventurePlex provides classes such as karate, dance, volleyball, and day- and week-long camps during weeks that schools are out such as summertime, spring break and Christmas break.
School Health Services provides a variety of physical, mental and social health programs for children in the beach cities public schools. Services provided include health education for elementary students; physical education for children kindergarten through sixth grade; lifeskills and substance abuse education for middle school students; and obesity prevention education at the elementary level.
Adult Services focuses on improving the health and wellness of adults who reside in the beach cities through fitness classes, health screenings, wellness classes, support groups and educational programs.
Health Education: BCHD offers wellness classes, health screenings, support groups and education classes for health professionals. It also promotes health and preventive care to the beach cities through community campaigns and by helping residents find needed services.
Center for Health and Fitness: The Center for Health and Fitness is a medically-based fitness facility. The Center has a . gym with cardio and weight equipment, certified personal trainers, group exercise classes, child care, massage, nutritional counseling, yoga classes, and locker rooms. The Center serves people of all ages and physical conditions with a large senior constituency. Some instructors hold a college degree in a health-related discipline, and/or are certified by the American College of Sports Medicine.
Center for Pilates and Movement Therapy: Pilates focuses on integration of the entire body, strengthening the abdomen, hips and lower back. The Center for Pilates and Movement Therapy offers classes including Mat, Reformer, Gyrokenisis and Prenatal Pilates.
Nutrition: Beach Cities Health District offers nutrition consultations through a registered dietitian specializing in preventive approaches to chronic degenerative diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, elevated blood lipid and adult, teenage and child obesity.
Senior Services: Senior Services provides services to improve the quality of life and maintain the independence of older and disabled beach cities residents. These include home visits and assessments, links to health and community services and advocacy, ongoing contact and care plans, fitness and wellness programs, support services including peer counseling, a friend to friend program, errand volunteers, general support groups and educational programs on age-related issues.
History of BCHD
Health care districts were founded in California during the late 1940s in response to a lack of medical services in rural areas. State legislature passed the “Local Health Care District Law” authorizing communities to form special districts that built and operated hospitals and health care facilities. Los Angeles County formed the District to build and operate the South Bay Hospital. In 1998 the hospital ceased to operate as a hospital since nearby Little Company of Mary Hospital and Torrance Memorial hospitals served the community more than adequately.
How BCHD is organized
The BCHD has a governing board of 5 members, elected by the voters of the three beach cities. The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of BCHD reports to the Governing Board and the following departments report to the CEO:
Administrative departments
- Executive
- Finance, Information Systems and Facilities
- Human Resources
Operational departments
- Youth Services
- AdventurePlex
- School Health
- Adult Services
- Center for Health and Fitness
- Health Education
- Senior Services
Funding for BCHD
BCHD is a government agency, but according to the most recent audited financials, "80% of the District's services were financed with funding sources other than taxes." Total revenues of the District are $10.8 million. About 19% of BCHD’s funding is derived from property taxes, 24% from fees derived from user fees for health-related services such as fitness classes and the balance from other sources such as property leases (16%), interest (24%) and partnerships (15%). Total assets of the District are $84.5 million and total liabilities of the District are $8.8 million. It has $32.0 million in cash and investments.
According to the current year's budget message, the District had not had positive cash flow in nine of the most recent ten years and despite economic pressures of real estate and interest rates is budgeting a positive cashflow for the second year of a turnaround.
See also
- Beach Cities
- List of California Health Districts