California Health Care Personnel News Update for August 2011
Association of California Healthcare Districts
Dave McGhee has been named the new CEO of the Association of California Healthcare Districts, the Sacramento Business Journal reports. McGhee served as COO of the Sacramento-based trade group for nine years.
The association also named Tom Peterson as its new executive director. Peterson served for five years as director of government relations for the association (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 8/25).
Cal eConnect
Carladenise Edwards is stepping down from her position as CEO of Cal eConnect, which oversees a statewide electronic health information exchange, the San Francisco Business Times reports (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 8/19).
The organization received a $38.8 million grant from the 2009 economic stimulus package. Edwards had led the organization since July 1, 2010 (Conn, Modern Healthcare, 8/19).
Edwards said she is stepping down for personal reasons.
She will continue to serve as a senior adviser to Cal eConnect (San Francisco Business Times, 8/19).
California Health Benefit Exchange
The California Health Benefit Exchange unanimously has approved Peter Lee as the exchange's first executive director, according to Chair Diana Dooley, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
Lee will manage planning, development, administration and evaluation of the exchange, which will launch in 2014.
He most recently has served as the deputy director for the Washington, D.C.-based Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation. In 1997, he helped launch the Health Rights Hotline, based in Sacramento, while serving as executive director of the Los Angeles-based Center for Health Care Rights, a consumer advocacy organization (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 8/25).
Department of Health Care Services
On Aug. 11, Gov. Jerry Brown (D) appointed John Shen (R) as chief of the Department of Health Care Services' long-term care division.
Shen served as the executive director of the Marin Community Clinic from 1997 to 2011 and previously worked as a health care consultant for Marin County Health and Human Services. His new position does not require Senate confirmation, and annual compensation is $122,196 (Office of the Governor release, 8/11).
Department of Managed Health Care
On Aug. 11, Brown appointed Brent Barnhart as director of the Department of Managed Health Care. Barnhart previously served as senior counsel at Kaiser Foundation Health Plan. His new position requires Senate confirmation, and annual compensation is $142,965.
Brown also appointed Shelley Rouillard (D) as chief deputy director of DMHC. Rouillard has served as deputy director of the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board's benefits and quality monitoring division since 2007. Her new position does not require Senate confirmation, and annual compensation is $125,000 (Office of the Governor release, 8/11).
El Camino Hospital, Mountain View
El Camino Hospital has named Tomi Ryba as its new president and CEO effective Oct. 5, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports.
Ryba, who will be the first woman to serve in the position at El Camino, currently is president of United Hospital in St. Paul, Minn. She replaces former CEO Kenneth Graham, who was dismissed "without cause" earlier this year (Samuels, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 8/25).
Ryba has worked as COO at UC-San Francisco Medical Center and as president of Long Beach-based St. Mary Medical Center (Marschall, Palo Alto Daily News, 8/31).
Ryba will receive a base salary of $695,000 annually and the hospital's standard bonus plan, according to El Camino board Chair John Zoglin (Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 8/25).
Kaiser Permanente-San Mateo
Frank Beirne --Â chief administrative officer at the University of Kentucky HealthCare Good Samaritan Hospital --Â has been named Kaiser Permanente's San Mateo area manager and senior vice president, the San Francisco Business Times reports.
Beirne has been chief administrative officer at Good Samaritan Hospital since 2007 and also has held CEO positions at several hospitals.
Beirne will replace Linda Jensen, who is retiring after 28 years with the organization. Jensen headed the San Mateo service area for the past seven years (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 8/30).
L.A. Care Health Plan
Louise McCarthy -- president and CEO of the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County -- has joined L.A. Care Health Plan's board of governors.
McCarthy said she will work to support and strengthen not-for-profit community clinics and health centers. Her term on the 13-member board will last through 2014.
McCarthy joined CCALAC as vice president of governmental affairs in 2007 and became interim co-CEO two years later (L.A. Care Health Plan release, 8/16).
Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board
On Aug. 15, Brown appointed Cliff Allenby as chair of the Managed Risk Medical Insurance Board.
Allenby currently serves as interim director of the Department of Mental Health and previously served as interim director of the Department of Social Services.
His new appointment requires Senate confirmation, and there is no compensation (Office of the Governor release, 8/15).
Medical Board of California
On Aug. 19, Brown appointed Sharon Levine (D) to the Medical Board of California.
Levine has served as the associate executive director at Permanente Medical Group of Kaiser Permanente since 1991. Her new position requires Senate confirmation, and compensation is $100 per diem (Office of the Governor release, 8/19).
Midtown Medical Center for Children and Families, Sacramento
Glennah Trochet has been hired as the medical director of the not-for-profit Midtown Medical Center for Children, effective Oct. 1, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
Trochet has served for 12 years as Sacramento County's public health chief (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 8/8).
Saint Agnes Medical Center, Fresno
Nancy Hollingsworth has been named president and CEO of Fresno-based Saint Agnes Medical Center, the Fresno Bee reports.
She has been serving in the role in an interim capacity since February after James Leonard resigned after slightly more than six months as president and CEO. Hollingsworth is the fourth person to lead the hospital in six years.
Hollingsworth had worked at the hospital from 1982 to 1984, 1985 to 1988 and returned in 2007 as chief nursing officer. The hospital has faced economic challenges that resulted in layoffs in June and the recent closure of an adult day health care center (Anderson, Fresno Bee, 8/4).
Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System
David McGrew has been named chief financial officer for the Santa Clara Valley Health and Hospital System effective Sept. 6, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports.
McGrew has 20 years of experience in health care organizations and accounting firms. He most recently served as CFO for Kaiser Permanente's Oakland and Richmond medical centers.
McGrew replaces Nancy Kaatz, who had served as CFO for four years.
Compensation is $215,533 (Lynch, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 8/18).
ViaCyte
ViaCyte -- a San Diego-based stem cell drug development company -- has launched a search for a new CEO after CEO John West resigned for personal reasons, according to company officials, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
In May 2009, West became CEO of the company, which formerly was called Novocell. He said his frequent trips to ViaCyte from his home in the Bay Area became too cumbersome.
West will continue to work as a consultant to the company and serve as a director.
Meanwhile, Allan Robins -- the company's vice president and chief technology officer -- will lead the company temporarily until a new CEO is found (Darcé, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8/10).
Visiting Nurse Association of the Inland Counties
Mike Rusnak, a registered nurse and respiratory therapist, has been named president and CEO of the Visiting Nurse Association of the Inland Counties, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
He has 15 years of experience as a CEO and more than 26 years of experience in the home health care industry.
Rusnak replaces Lynn Campbell, who retired after working at the agency for more than 33 years (Riverside Press-Enterprise, 8/15).
William J. "Pete" Knight Veterans Home of California-Lancaster
On Aug. 15, Brown appointed Norman Andrews (R) as administrator of the William J. "Pete" Knight Veterans Home of California-Lancaster.
Andrews has served as a consultant at Andrews and Associates since 2010 and previously served as the administrator and CEO at Kindred Hospital Westminster. His new position does not require Senate confirmation, and annual compensation is $91,392 (Office of the Governor release, 8/15).
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