Healthcare District in hot water over expensive retreat paid with public funds

Members of a healthcare organization are in hot water for spending thousands of dollars of public funds on a high-priced retreat.

City of Calexico officials said the Heffernan Memorial Healthcare District spent over $13,000 dollars of public funds on a retreat at a San Diego four-star hotel this summer. They said it’s wrong to use public funds that way. A city official who didn’t want to be named says criminal charges against the organizers of that retreat should be looked at.

The total cost of the retreat was over $20,000. A spokesperson for the District said some charges were simply a hotel mistake and some money was reimbursed to the District. But, he admits over $13,000 dollars of public funds were used and there are no plans to reimburse that. He said the board will give more information over the retreat at a public meeting on Thursday. City officials said the public should demand transparency from elected officials.

Calexico Council Member Armando Real said, “The people need to be more involved and make sure that they’re holding their elected officials accountable for these expenses that they’re doing. I think it’s just one of the ones that came out to surface, but I think it’s happening at many different levels.”

The public meeting is Thursday at 11 a.m. at the District’s Calexico office, located at 601 Heber Avenue.