REDDING, Calif. — Newly elected Redding City Council member Dr. Paul Dhanuka is set to propose several health-related initiatives at Tuesday’s city council meeting, including a self-insurance program, a mental health detox center, and even a medical school.
Dr. Dhanuka, a gastroenterologist and president of the North Valley Medical Association, which serves Shasta, Tehama, Trinity and Siskiyou counties, emphasized that these projects cannot be accomplished overnight.
In the short term, Dhanuka said he wants to explore the feasibility of a health insurance program managed locally. He is also considering the replacement of Shasta General Hospital, which closed in 1987.
“I would like to bring back a mental health and drug detox hospital for inpatient care, the right word for that is a CDRH ‘Chemical Dependency Recovery Hospital,'” Dhanuka said. “So we are talking with the county, we are talking with other hospitals and clinics to see if we can build a hospital here for that kind of service.”
Looking further ahead, Dhanuka is assessing the interest and benefits of establishing a local medical school.
“I would also like to consider that we can build a medical school here that is not just training doctors but all kinds of healthcare work,” Dhanuka continued. “Including therapists and X-ray techs and ultrasound techs and every kind of therapy.”
He noted that such a school could help alleviate the shortage of healthcare providers and bring significant economic benefits to the area.
Dhanuka reiterated that these initiatives are long-term goals and that he aims to initiate discussions during Tuesday’s city council meeting at Redding City Hall.