Discussions about Westside Community Healthcare District’s future were pushed to a March 17 meeting.

Initially, discussions about the district’s future were supposed to happen during last Tuesday’s meeting. Westside Community Ambulance Board Vice President Kenneth Helms said the delay was given to get more information from their partners regarding possible steps the district could consider to alleviate their current situation.

“They’ve been crunching numbers and looking at ways where we could save money to keep us solvent so we can continue business,” Helms said. “I’m hearing that we might have good news, hopefully on the 17th. I’m actually looking forward to what they present to us.”

Board President David Varnell was not present at Tuesday’s meeting. Helm mentioned that Varnell didn’t attend the meeting due to a family emergency.

The district saw a net revenue of $130,804.83 last month, according to its lastest statement of financial activities & financial position report. This was a decrease of $30,260.39 from December 2024, when they generated a net revenue of $161,064.82.

The report also showed that the ambulance revenue was $523,669. However, $392,864.57 of the revenue went towards contractual allowance and discounts. $303,728 was allocated to contract adjustments, $113.57 went towards refunds and $89,023 was allotted to service write-offs, leaving the district with their net revenue amount from last month.

For salaries, the total salary expense was $86,608.04. It consisted of multiple payroll expenses, including regular pay, overtime pay and retroactive pay. Regular pay was the single largest payroll expense at $36,454.63.

Additionally, the district recorded a bank balance of $542,997.56 last month, which was an increase of $71,079.42 from December 2024.

Leo Landaverde, the district’s financial manager, told the board at the meeting that the district still faces a possible shutdown by September, despite an increase in the bank balance for January.

“The minute that the district cannot fund payroll, it’s over,” Landaverde said. “I’ll be telling the district that when we’re 130 days away, long before they’re 30 days away.”

The next meeting is set to focus on the steps the district could take along with an informational presentation about its situation, Helms anticipates the meeting will include details about avoiding a possible shutdown by September. 

“They got a lot of stuff that they’re still putting together and it sounds positive, and we’ll know more on the 17th,” Helms said.

Navtej Hundal is a freelance journalist in Stanislaus County.