8 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JULY 24-30, 2025 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS Eight community members took to the podium at the County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, July 8 to express their growing concerns of workplace hostility towards Black and brown employees. A few specifically named Debra Wilson, chief contracts and procurement officer, who has worked for the County for more than 25 years. That week, on July 7, Wilson filed a discrimination complaint with the state Civil Rights Department, alleging she was unjustly placed on administrative leave on June 13, despite strong job performance throughout her tenure since she began in 1997. Wilson followed up with a lawsuit filed the same date in Monterey County Superior Court, accusing top County leaders of engaging in or allowing acts of discrimination, harassment and retaliation. In her lawsuit, Wilson, who is Black, alleges she faced disparate treatment over the years based on her race, including being denied promotions, in several instances underpaid for “special assignments” while her colleagues received bonus pay, and was subjected to racially hostile conduct. She was placed on administrative leave, with no return date given, after being asked to come in for a “check-in” meeting with County Administrative Officer Sonia De La Rosa, the suit claims. This is pending an investigation into planned travel for site visits with bidders for a contract to provide health care in the Monterey County Jail, according to her suit. County officials declined to comment, noting they had not yet been served with the lawsuit. Wilson declined to comment through her attorneys at the San Diegobased Pride Law Firm. Leave to Amend County’s top procurement official sues over allegations of racial discrimination. By Katie Rodriguez Two isolated “surgical safety incidents” that took place at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula in 2024 and earlier this year sparked investigations by the California Department of Public Health, the Weekly has confirmed with officials at Montage Health, CHOMP’s parent nonprofit company. The 2024 incident took place in the orthopedics department. The incident in 2025 took place in obstetrics and gynecology, according to Montage’s director of marketing and communications, Mindy Maschmeyer. In an email sent to staff on July 11 obtained by the Weekly, Montage President and CEO Dr. Michael McDermott called the incidents a “serious matter,” adding that CHOMP was “not at risk of shutting down and remains fully operational.” McDermott took over as CEO in March. “We are implementing a focused plan of correction to address the issues identified and to further strengthen our surgical safety protocols,” McDermott wrote. “These are not just corrective actions—they are preventative measures that reflect our deep commitment to learning, accountability and continuous improvement.” What exactly happened during the two incidents is unknown. Maschmeyer cites federal privacy laws preventing the release of specific details. “What I can say is that these were unrelated events that, thankfully, did not cause permanent patient harm,” she says by email. McDermott stressed that in 2024, CHOMP reported fewer than half the patient safety incidents compared to the statewide average, based on CDPH data. The statewide average for complaints/reported incidents was 44 per hospital; CHOMP’s number was 18. Eight of those were unsubstantiated by CDPH investigators, the rest were “substantiated without deficiencies,” meaning an event happened but regulations were followed. Maschmeyer says that even though the events took place in two specific departments, the corrective actions are “system-wide and designed to improve both responsiveness and prevention… “Our goal is not only to meet regulatory expectations, but to exceed them—ensuring the safest possible environment for our patients, staff and community.” A CDPH spokesperson says they cannot comment on specific incidents or ongoing investigations. CHOMP’s license status has not been impacted, according to CDPH. Maschmeyer says a quality assurance and quality improvement program used by the hospital—a federal requirement of all hospitals that care for Medicare and Medicaid patients— includes “systematic reviews of patient care, root cause analysis when harm occurs and continuous monitoring of performance indicators.” In one example, CHOMP had reports of two deficiencies related to documentation of administering pain medication. “These findings were part of CDPH’s routine audits and not tied to any specific patient complaint or investigation,” Maschmeyer says, adding that hospital administrators addressed the issue by providing training to staff on accurate and timely documentation. The Department of Public Health has recorded six complaints at CHOMP (shown above, with a robot assistant) year to date, compared to a statewide average of 15. Medical Exam CHOMP is investigated by the state for two separate surgical incidents this year and last. By Pam Marino Outside of her county job of more than 25 years, Debra Wilson has also served as a minister at the Monterey County Jail and is the owner of a coffee company called Black Kafe. “These are not just corrective actions— they are preventative measures.” DANIEL DREIFUSS DANIEL DREIFUSS
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