New CEO Todd Wilson at Preferred Strategies

Preferred Strategies, a business intelligence and data analytics company based in Soquel, has a new CEO, Todd Wilson, who was chief information officer at Clif Bar and on Preferred Strategies’ Board of Advisors. He also was a customer using Preferred Strategies’ QuickLaunch product.

Its information engine helps companies access data that is hard to get to and understand, and turn it into usable information to make better decisions. The framework is built on the Microsoft Power BI platform and offers data visualization.

Wilson will partner closely with Founder and President Adam Crigger.

“Todd’s been a trusted advisor on our Board for several years now and was a highly respected client,” said Crigger. “His firsthand knowledge of our QuickLaunch product will be invaluable.

Wilson joins Preferred Strategies from Kids2, parent company of Baby Einstein, where he was executive vice president, chief information officer and managing director-Asia Pacific.

At Clif Bar, Wilson was an Orbie Awards winner as Bay Area CIO of the Year in 2020. He brings nearly 30 years of technology experience to his new role.

“In many ways, taking on the CEO position at Preferred Strategies feels like a natural progression in my career,” said Wilson. “It is an outstanding team and product with an unwavering commitment to our customers’ success.”

Museum Needs Volunteers

TheCapitola Historical Museum is recruiting volunteers for open hours this coming year. You don’t need to be an expert on Capitola history. Capitola Historical Museum is located at 410 Capitola Ave., next to Capitola City Hall.

For further information call 831-464-0322. •••

Open Seat on Museum Board

Would you like to help guide the future of the Capitola Historical Museum?

There is an opening on the Historical Museum Board of Trustees to fill an unexpired term ending June 2024. Regular board meetings are held the first Thursday of the month at 5:30 p.m. in the Community Room at Capitola City Hall at 420 Capitola Ave., Capitola.

The deadline to apply is Monday, May 15.

To see the vacancy notice and link to a board application go to https:// www.cityofcapitola.org/.../historical-museum-board

Applications are also at City Hall and Capitola Library. For questions, call Museum Curator Deborah Osterberg at 831-464-0322 or email dosterberg@ci.capitola.ca.us n

A year ago, when Preferred Strategies marked its 20th anniversary, the company:

• Posted record breaking increases in yearover-year customer base and revenue growth

• Reported 37 percent staff growth with more positions to fill in 2022

• Expanded its QuickLaunch product line for Salesforce and NetSuite users

• Launched a redesigned website showcasing educational content.

• Announced an Employee Stock Ownership Plan to become an employee-owned company

• Earned an employee Net Promoter Score® of 92 (loyal promoters). •••

Visit www.preferredstrategies.com.

Time to Focus on Child Neglect

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. Each year, more than 390,000 children in the United States are in the dependency court and foster care systems because of experiencing abuse or neglect.

In Santa Cruz County, about 300 children are in this system. A child in foster care, on average, will move into multiple homes and attend multiple schools. This instability, chaos and inconsistency has long-term effects.

On April 21, Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Santa Cruz, Monterey, and San Benito counties, along with elected officials participated in a press conference highlighting the importance of community support, economic opportunities, and working together to prevent child abuse.

Among those participating: U.S. Rep. Jimmy Panetta, Assembly member Gail Pellerin, and Watsonville City Councilmember Krystal Salcido.

CASA organizations in Santa Cruz, Monterrey, and San Benito counties support and promote court-appointed volunteer advocacy so every child who has experienced abuse or neglect can be safe, have a permanent home and the opportunity to thrive.

CASA leaders say families need connections to housing assistance and nutritional necessities to reduce child welfare interactions that could be prevented by meeting their basic needs. n

“Transparency”

From Page 17

In their letter, the coalition of 18 state attorneys general and the Inspector General of Washington D.C. argued that the proposed rule by HHS and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services would help states investigate and prosecute crimes in the management of nursing homes, including abuse, neglect, and misappropriation of resident funds.

“The owners and managers of residential care facilities should be dedicated to ensuring the residents in their care can live a healthy, happy, and dignified life,” said Bonta. “Unfortunately, there are some for-profit companies operating nursing facilities that sacrifice their residents’ quality of life and focus instead on lining their own pockets. At the California

Department of Justice, the health and safety of residents is always a top priority. That’s why we stand in support of this proposed federal rule, which will increase transparency about the ownership of nursing facilities and help us hold bad actors accountable for their neglectful, predatory, or abusive management practices.”

If the proposed rule by CMS and HHS takes effect, nursing facility providers would have to disclose information about which entities have ownership interest in the facility, and whether any owners are a for-profit private equity company or real estate investment trust. In their letter, the coalition asserted that the proposed rule will:

• Help ensure CMS has sufficient data on these kinds of owners and can thus better monitor their nursing homes and hold them accountable; and

• Allow consumers to select nursing homes with better knowledge of their owners and operators.

Attorney General Bonta joins the attorneys general of 17 states, Arizona, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, and Washington in filing the letter.

A copy of the letter is at https:// tinyurl.com/nurse-home-clarity-letter.

The Attorney General’s Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse works aggressively to protect senior residents in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities from physical and financial abuse or neglect. Elder abuse in any form is not tolerated.

For more information about the Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse, visit oag. ca.gov/dmfea or email DMFEAOutreach@ doj.ca.gov.

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Editor’s note: With fewer nuns to run nursing homes, investment by private equity firms has grown to $100 billion. They look for efficiencies by cutting costs, which means cutting staff, while Medicare rates remain the same, not adjusted for quality of resident satisfaction.

Private equity firms own 11% of U.S. nursing homes, a 2021 report to Congress found.

To read that report, see https:// www.medpac.gov/wp-content/uploads/ import_data/scrape_files/docs/default-source/ default-document-library/jun21_ch3_medpac_ report_to_congress_sec.pdf