California Health Care Personnel News Update for August 2010
Board of Psychology
On Aug. 12, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) appointed Barbara Cadow (D), Michael Erickson (D) and Miguel Gallardo (D) to the state Board of Psychology.
The positions do not require Senate confirmation and compensation is $100 per diem (Office of the Governor release, 8/12).
Board of Registered Nursing
Tricia West has been named CEO of the California Board of Registered Nursing, the Ventura County Star reports. West is a registered nurse who was president and CEO of P.J. West & Associates, a legal consulting firm that reviewed cases involving Medicare fraud.
Part of West's duties will be to ensure timely reporting of investigations involving alleged medical violations. Her new position begins Sept. 15 (Kisken, Ventura County Star, 8/28).
California Healthcare Institute
The California Healthcare Institute has elected Eric Topol to its board, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The institute is a not-for-profit public policy group representing academic, biotechnology, diagnostic, medical device and pharmaceutical interests.
Topol currently is the director of Scripps Translational Science Institute, chief academic officer at Scripps Health and vice chair of the West Wireless Health Institute (San Diego Union-Tribune, 8/3).
CalPERS
On Sept. 1, Ann Boynton began her new job as deputy executive officer of benefits for CalPERS, the Sacramento Bee reports (Sacramento Bee, 8/23).
In her new role, Boynton will oversee retirement programs and managed health care programs for active and retired public employees. Previously, Boynton worked on health care and health care information technology issues as a managing director at the legal consulting firm Manatt, Phelps and Phillips (CalPERS release, 8/19).
Catholic Healthcare West, San Francisco
On Aug. 6, Catholic Healthcare West announced Herbert "Herb" Vallier will assume the position of senior vice president and chief human resources officer beginning Oct. 10, the San Francisco Business Times reports. Vallier replaces Ernest Urquhart and will be responsible for human resources strategy and management at 41 acute care hospitals for CHW in Arizona, California and Nevada.
Previously, Vallier was senior vice president of human resources at Catholic Health Initiatives, a system of 73 hospitals based in Denver (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 8/6).
Colorado River Medical Center, Needles
Mark Uffer, former San Bernardino County administrative officer, said he has received a job offer for the CEO position at Colorado River Medical Center and is working out the details of his employment contract, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
Uffer currently is suing San Bernardino County over his firing in November by a majority of the county's Board of Supervisors. He claims the county fired him to retaliate against his cooperation with corruption investigations.
Before working as a county administrator, Uffer served as CEO of Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton (Ghori, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 8/31).
Dental Board of California
On Aug. 20, Schwarzenegger appointed Steven Morrow (R) to the Dental Board of California. Since 1981, Morrow has worked as a professor of endodontics for the Loma Linda University School of Dentistry.
His new position does not require Senate confirmation and compensation is $100 per diem (Office of the Governor release, 8/20).
Department of Consumer Affairs
On Aug. 6, the governor reappointed Brian Stiger (D) as senior chief deputy director, as well as acting director, of the Department of Consumer Affairs, circumventing the Senate's refusal to hold a confirmation hearing, the Sacramento Bee's "Capitol Alert" reports.
This position is a gubernatorial appointment for which Senate confirmation is not required. Stiger will receive $142,965 in annual compensation (Siders, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 8/6).
On Aug. 12, Schwarzenegger appointed Richard Woonacott as deputy director of legislative and policy review for the Department of Consumer Affairs. Woonacott most recently served as the deputy director of legislative and external affairs at the California State Lottery.
His new position does not require Senate confirmation and annual compensation is $103,950 (Office of the Governor release, 8/12).
Department of Mental Health
On Aug. 20, Schwarzenegger appointed Stanley Bajorin (R) as the state Department of Mental Health's chief deputy director. Bajorin has served as acting chief deputy director since 2009 and as deputy director of administration from 2007 to 2009.
The position requires Senate confirmation and annual compensation is $119,268 (Office of the Governor release, 8/20).
Developmental Disabilities, Area Board II
On Aug. 12, Schwarzenegger appointed Rosanna Johansen (D) to the Developmental Disabilities, Area Board II. Johansen has volunteered for Feeling Safe Being Safe since 2008 and for the Consumer Abuse Awareness Team since 2001.
Her new position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no salary (Office of the Governor release, 8/12).
Developmental Disabilities, Area Board IV
On Aug. 12, Schwarzenegger appointed Jeana Eriksen (D) to the Developmental Disabilities, Area Board IV. Eriksen is a co-founder of the Center for Accessible Technology.
The position does not require Senate confirmation and there is no salary (Office of the Governor release, 8/12).
Developmental Disabilities, Area Board XIII
On Aug. 12, Schwarzenegger appointed Harold Asher (R) and Emily Dolton (D) to the Developmental Disabilities, Area Board XIII.
The positions do not require Senate confirmation and there is no salary (Office of the Governor release, 8/12).
Financial Solvency Standards Board
The Financial Solvency Standards Board of the Department of Managed Health Care recently elected Keith Wilson as chair, the Orange County Register reports. The board studies how federal health care reform will affect the state.
Wilson is a practicing obstetrician-gynecologist and CEO of Talbert Medical Group. He joined the eight-person board in 2006 (Perkes, Orange County Register, 8/4).
Dave Meadows also has been tapped to serve on DMHC's Financial Solvency Standards Board.
Meadows comes into the position with more than 30 years of experience in the health plan industry, including 17 years as a supervising examiner with the California Department of Corporations (Health Net of California release, 8/19).
Horizon West Healthcare, Rocklin
Gloria Patterson was recently named Horizon West Healthcare's director of clinical services, the Sacramento Bee reports.
She will be responsible for managing clinical practices at all 27 of Horizon West's nursing facilities in California and Utah (Sacramento Bee, 8/9).
Horizon West Healthcare also recently tapped Cameron Rosenhan to serve as regional director of operations for Region 2, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Rosenhan will manage nine inpatient rehabilitation and skilled nursing facilities in Bishop, Fresno, Lakeport, Live Oak, Monterey, Napa, Ukiah and Visalia (Sacramento Bee, 8/2).
Independent Citizens' Oversight Committee
On July 30, Schwarzenegger appointed Shlomo Melmed to the Independent Citizens' Oversight Committee of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. Melmed currently serves as dean of the medical faculty at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
The position does not require Senate confirmation and compensation is $100 per diem (Office of the Governor release, 7/30).
Jacob's Heart, Freedom
Jacob's Heart, a not-for-profit that helps families with children affected by cancer, hired six members for its board of directors to join the current six members, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reports. New members are:
- Rose Arellano, branch manager for Bay Federal Credit Union;
- Judith Barbata, a speech and language pathologist;
- Sheila Coonerty, a clinical psychologist;
- Patricia Fink, a retired Superior Court clerk;
- Juli Furtado from Santa Cruz; and
- Allison Mendoz, an oncology nurse (Santa Cruz Sentinel, 8/15).
John Muir Health
In late July, Ken Anderson, CEO of John Muir Health, announced in a letter that he would retire March 31, 2011, the Contra Costa Times reports.
In the letter to employees, volunteers and board members, Anderson wrote that he plans to retire after the completion of the $800 million facility expansion project at John Muir's Concord and Walnut Creek campuses.
The not-for-profit hospital system has enlisted the help of an executive search company to select a new CEO by the end of 2010 (Nardi, Contra Costa Times, 7/30).
Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Hospitals
On Aug. 11, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan and Kaiser Foundation Hospitals named Chuck Columbus senior vice president and chief human resources officer, replacing Paul Records who left to "pursue other interests," the San Francisco Business Times reports.
Columbus is assuming his new role as the state's Kaiser Permanente employees prepare to vote on labor representation in September.
Previously, Columbus served as Kaiser's senior vice president of labor relations and as Ford Motor's vice president of human resources for its Asian markets (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 8/11).
Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital, Los Angeles
On Aug. 10, the Los Angeles County board of supervisors appointed seven board members for the new Martin Luther King, Jr. Hospital, slated to open in three years, KPCC's "KPCC News" reports.
Some of the new board members are:
- Manuel Abascal, attorney and partner at Latham and Watkins;
- Elaine Batchor, chief medical officer at L.A. Care Health Plan; and
- Robert Margolis, of HealthCare Partners (Nazario, "KPCC News," KPCC, 8/10).
Medical Board of California
On July 30, Schwarzenegger appointed Silvia Diego (D) to the Medical Board of California. Diego currently serves as chief medical officer at Golden Valley Health Centers.
The position requires Senate confirmation and compensation is $100 per diem (Office of the Governor release, 7/30).
Monterey County Health Department
On Aug. 5, the Monterey County Health Department announced that Ray Bullick will be the county's new director of health services effective Aug. 30, the Californian reports. Bullick replaces Len Foster in the role.
Since 2005, Bullick had served as director of health services for Tulare County.
In his new position, he will oversee the department's 770 employees and a $130 million budget (Hornick/Gibbons, Californian, 8/6).
Pasadena Public Health Department
Pasadena's Public Health Department has tapped Eric Walsh to take over as director beginning Sept. 1, the Pasadena Star-News reports. Walsh replaces Takashi Wada in the role.
Previously, Walsh served as medical director of Orange County's Family Health Division. The annual salary for the director position is $186,688, but Walsh's official salary has yet to be finalized, city officials said (Williams, Pasadena Star-News, 8/24).
Stanford Hospital & Clinics
On Sept. 1, Mike Peterson took on a role as interim CEO for Stanford Hospital & Clinics while the organization searches for a candidate to replace retired CEO Martha Marsh, the San Francisco Business Times reports.
Peterson said he will not seek the permanent CEO position. He has led planning efforts for Stanford's new hospital project since 2009 and previously served as COO for the organization (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 8/27).
Tobacco Education and Research Oversight Committee
On Aug. 20, Schwarzenegger appointed eight people to the Tobacco Education and Research Oversight Committee. The newly appointed committee members are:
- Lourdes Baezconde-Garbanati (D);
- Wendel Brunner (D);
- Patricia Etem (D);
- Lawrence Green (D);
- Alan Henderson (D);
- Michael Ong (D);
- Kathleen Velazquez (D); and
- Shu-Hong Zhu (R).
The positions do not require Senate confirmation and there is no salary (Office of the Governor release, 8/20).
UC-San Diego School of Medicine
Robert Gish has been named co-director of UC-San Diego's Center for Hepatobiliary Disease and Abdominal Transplantation, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Gish currently serves as medical director of California Pacific Medical Center's Liver Disease Management and Transplant Program. He is expected to arrive at UCSD in October (Lavelle, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8/30).
West Contra Costa Healthcare District
In November, elections will not take place for the seats in the West Contra Costa Healthcare District because the incumbents have not received any challengers, the Contra Costa Times reports.
The deadline to apply for candidacy was Aug. 6. The incumbents -- who will assume their roles as though they had been elected -- are Irma Anderson, Nancy Casazza and Beverly Wallace (Lochner, Contra Costa Times, 8/11).
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