California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of November 14, 2014

El Camino Hospital, Mountain View

El Camino hospital has received a $1 million donation from private donors to bolster its behavioral health services, the Los Altos Town Crier reports.

The donation will allow the hospital to boost programs and services it provides to adults and teenagers with depression, substance use disorders and mental health issues. Jodi Barnard, president of the El Camino Hospital Foundation Board of Directors, said the money also will help fund a project to build a new facility with 36 private rooms and therapy rooms (Van Houtte, Los Altos Town Crier, 11/12).

Kaiser Permanente, Mercy San Juan Medical Center and UC-Davis Health System

The Collaborative Alliance for Nursing Outcomes has recognized three Sacramento-area hospitals -- Kaiser Permanente Sacramento, Mercy San Juan Medical Center and UC-Davis Health System -- for reducing the rates of bedsores among their patients, the Sacramento Bee's "Healthy Choices" reports.

Overall, CANO recognized 60 U.S. hospitals for reducing the incidence of bedsores (Caiola, "Healthy Choices," Sacramento Bee, 11/9).

Saddleback Memorial Medical Center, San Clemente

Last week, a San Clemente committee announced plans to ask MemorialCare Health System to keep Saddleback Memorial Medical Center open through 2015 as it considers how to prevent the hospital's closure or maintain other ED services, the Orange County Register reports. The committee was appointed by elected leaders to research how to maintain emergency department access in the area.

According to the Register, MemorialCare is considering replacing SMMC as early as March with a new outpatient care center. The committee plans to assess how to keep the hospital open or consider legislation to maintain a free-standing ED affiliated with Saddleback Memorial-Laguna Hills (Swegles, Orange County Register, 11/7).