California Health Care Personnel News Update for February 2011

Assembly Select Committee on Hospital Safety

Assembly member K. H. Katcho Achadjian (R-Arroyo Grande) has been named to the Assembly Select Committee on Hospital Safety, which oversees the five state hospitals run by the California Department of Mental Health, the San Luis Obispo Tribune reports.

In accepting the position, Achadjian acknowledged that many state hospitals have faced recent safety problems. He said the committee "will investigate the reasons behind the surge in attacks against state hospital employees, while seeking solutions to better protect those who work inside the facilities" (Cuddy, San Luis Obispo Tribune, 2/27).

Doctors Medical Center, San Pablo

Jennifer Maher has been named COO of Doctors Medical Center in San Pablo, the San Francisco Business Times' "SFBT Morning Call" reports.

Maher replaces former COO David Ziolkowski, who departed for a position elsewhere. Maher previously served as vice president of Mercy Medical Center in Redding ("SFBT Morning Call," San Francisco Business Times, 2/8).

EK Health Services, San Jose

On Feb. 21, EK Health Services named Sharron Mackey health director of managed care, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports.

According to the EK Health -- a medical and disability management services company -- Mackey recently served as director of contracting for Children's First Medical Group in Berkeley and senior contract negotiator at First Health in West Sacramento (Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 2/21).

Healthline Networks, San Francisco

Healthline Networks, a health information services provider, has named Maya Capur vice president of business development, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports.

In her new role, Capur will work to establish partnerships with health information technology companies, physicians and other health care providers. Capur previously led content partnerships for Google's Health and Mobile divisions. She also has held senior-level positions with AOL and Looksmart (Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 2/16).

Independent Citizen's Oversight Committee

Bertram Lubin, president and CEO of Children's Hospital Oakland, has been appointed to Independent Citizens' Oversight Committee of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, the Contra Costa Times reports.

State Controller John Chiang (D) appointed Lubin to the committee of the state's stem cell research agency. The new appointee will continue working at the children's hospital (Kleffman, Contra Costa Times, 2/28).

L.A. Care Health Plan

On Feb. 3, L.A. Care Health Plan announced that it has named Gloria Molina -- chair of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors -- to the health plan's board of governors.

Molina replaces Don Knabe, who served on the board for 10 years. Other appointments to L.A. Care's board include:

• Philip Browning, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Social Services;
• Mark Gamble, senior vice president and COO of the Hospital Association of Southern California;
• Thomas Horowitz, osteopathic physician at Good Samaritan Hospital and St. Vincent Medical Center;
• Michael Rembis, president and CEO of Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center;
• G. Michael Roybal, medical director of three comprehensive health centers in the L.A. Care/University of Southern California Healthcare Network; and
• Walter Zelman -- chair of the Department of Health Sciences at California State University-Los Angeles -- who was appointed chair of L.A. Care's board of governors (L.A. Care Health Plan release, 2/3).

Northern California Health Care Authority

Daymon Doss has been named executive director of the Northern California Health Care Authority, a consortium of five community health care districts and hospitals, the North Bay Business Journal reports.

Doss has served as CEO of the Petaluma Health Care District since 1997 and is expected to retire from that post this year, according to the Health Care Authority. Doss also has served as COO of Petaluma Valley Hospital (Verel, North Bay Business Journal, 2/14).

Paul F. Glenn Laboratories for the Biology of Aging at Stanford

The Paul F. Glenn Laboratories for the Biology of Aging at Stanford has appointed three lead staff members, the San Francisco Business Times reports.

Stanford University recently received a $5 million grant from the Glenn Foundation for Medical Research to launch the center, which will study how stem cells change as individuals age.

Thomas Rando -- professor of neurology and neurological sciences at Stanford -- will lead the center. He will be joined by two associate directors:

• Steven Artandi, associate professor of hematology; and
• Anne Brunet, associate professor of genetics (Leuty, San Francisco Business Times, 2/22).

Skilled Healthcare Group, Foothill Ranch

Skilled Healthcare Group recently appointed Bruce Yarwood to serve on its board of directors. Yarwood also has been named as a member of the board's corporate governance, quality and compliance committee.

Yarwood currently serves as a Class III director for Skilled Healthcare Group, with a term expiring in 2013. He previously worked as president and CEO of the American Health Care Association from 2005 through 2010 (Skilled Healthcare release, 2/22).

St. Agnes Medical Center, Fresno

Jim Leonard has resigned from his position as CEO of St. Agnes Medical Center in Fresno, the Fresno Bee reports.

Leonard started his position with St. Agnes in August 2010. Officials with Trinity Health, which operates the hospital, did not provide an explanation for his resignation. St. Agnes appointed COO Nancy Hollingsworth as interim president and CEO, effective immediately (Anderson, Fresno Bee, 2/3).

Yolo County Health Department

The Yolo County Health Department has named a new health director and offered a permanent position to the county's interim public health officer, the Sacramento Business Journal reports. Both of the positions previously were held by Joseph Iser, who announced his resignation in August.

Jill Cook, a registered nurse, will become the county's health director effective March 21. Cook recently served as Solano County's public health administrator. In her new role, Cook will manage county health services and earn an annual salary between $128,400 and $156,072.

Christian Sandrock, interim county health officer, was offered a permanent job in his position following last week's approval by county supervisors. Sandrock, an assistant professor at UC-Davis, has been deputy health director in Yolo County since 2006. He earns $168,480 annually (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 2/14).