Newly formed Palomar UCSD Health Authority seats its first board

The newly created Palomar UCSD Health Authority seated its first six-member board of directors Monday, an experienced group of executives who will wield the joint powers of two public entities to provide health care services in North County.

Palomar Health’s elected board of directors and the University of California Board of Regents approved a joint powers agreement between the organizations in 2025 that they hope will help the state’s largest public health care district thrive after a long period of financial difficulty.

One of the authority’s first items of business was to affirm Diane Hansen, Palomar Health’s current chief executive officer, as the CEO of the JPA, which will oversee the day-to-day operations of hospitals in Escondido and Poway and of other assets, such as the medical provider’s outpatient medical offices in inland North County cities.

The authority board, which is itself a public entity that will hold public meetings, named retired health care executive Edward Prunchunas its president and UCSD executive Margarita Baggett its vice president.

Patricia Maysent, chief executive officer of UC San Diego Health, noted that forming a JPA allows a level of cross collaboration that would otherwise be difficult.

“It’s a legal entity formed between two public agencies that come together to jointly exercise power,” Maysent said. “It will allow us to invest together, operate, govern (and) manage both the assets and the liabilities ...