California Health Care Personnel News Update for March 2011

Area 1 Agency on Aging, Crescent City and Eureka

Sharon Hunter has been named president of the board of directors for the Area 1 Agency on Aging, the Eureka Times Standard reports.

Hunter currently leads St. Joseph Hospital's Care Transitions Program, which helps discharged patients avoid readmission. She has served on the board of directors of A1AA for five years and replaces former board presidents Joan Rainwater-Gish and Tom Rowe. In her role as board president, Hunter said her top priority will be to maintain A1AA staffing and services in light of potential budget cuts (Harrison, Eureka Times Standard, 3/15).

California Hospital Association

Ron Werft, president and CEO of Cottage Health System, has been named the 2011 chair of the California Hospital Association, the Santa Barbara Daily Sound reports.

Werft joined Cottage Health System in 1987 and has served as president and CEO of the not-for-profit organization since 2000. C. Duane Dauner, current CHA president and CEO, said Werft will be "an effective advocate with state and federal policymakers on behalf of hospitals and the patients who receive care" (Santa Barbara Daily Sound, 3/15).

California Children's Hospital Association

Cindy Ehnes -- former director of the Department of Managed Health Care -- has been named CEO of the California Children's Hospital Association, effective March 21, the Sacramento Business Journal reports. Ehnes stepped down from DMHC on March 7.

In her new role, Ehnes replaces Diana Dooley, who left the CCHA to serve as secretary of the California Department of Health and Human Services. CCHA represents eight children's hospitals in California (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 3/18).

Department of Managed Health Care

Lynne Randolph, spokesperson for the Department of Managed Health Care, recently announced that Edward Heidig will serve as interim director of DMHC, the Los Angeles Daily Journal reports.

Former DMHC director Cindy Ehnes stepped down from her position in early March. The move had been expected since Gov. Jerry Brown (D) took office in January. According to Randolph, Heidig will serve in the interim roll until Brown appoints a permanent replacement for Ehnes (Gallegos, Los Angeles Daily Journal, 3/8).

Doctors Medical Center, San Pablo

The West Contra Costa Healthcare District's board of directors has appointed Dawn Gideon as interim CEO of Doctors Medical Center, effective March 21, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Previously, Gideon served as managing director at Huron Consulting Group, which helped the West Contra Costa Healthcare District restructure after coming out of bankruptcy protection in 2008. Gideon -- who has a 90-day contract with Doctors Medical Center -- fills the role that former CEO Joseph Stewart vacated in January. Officials said the search for a permanent president and CEO of the 189-bed hospital is underway (Rauber, San Francisco Chronicle, 3/16).

Kaiser Permanente South Sacramento Medical Center

Patricia Rodriguez has been named senior vice president and area manager for Kaiser Permanente's South Sacramento Medical Center, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.

Rodriguez has been directing daily hospital operations as COO at the Sacramento medical center since 2008. In her new role, she will oversee completion of a $300 million expansion project. This fall, Kaiser Permanente is expected to open a new hospital tower at the Sacramento medical center and a new office building in Elk Grove (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 3/2).

Kaiser Permanente Vacaville Medical Center

Robert Mackersie has been hired as a trauma program consultant to assist in establishing a Level III trauma center at Kaiser Permanente's Vacaville Medical Center, the Vacaville Reporter reports.

Mackersie, a surgeon and trauma expert, previously helped develop Kaiser Permanente's Level II trauma center in south Sacramento. Kaiser Permanente aims to have the Vacaville Medical Center operating as a Level III trauma center by the end of the year (Murphy, Vacaville Reporter, 3/10).

Public Policy Institute of California

Kim Belshé, former secretary of the California Health and Human Services Agency, has taken a position as senior policy adviser at the Public Policy Institute of California, the Sacramento Bee's "Capitol Alert" reports.

Belshé is a member of California's Health Benefit Exchange Board, which will establish a health insurance exchange under the federal health reform law. Prior to her role with CHHS, Belshé served as deputy secretary of the Health and Welfare Agency and director of the state Department of Health Services under former Gov. Pete Wilson (R).

PPIC also announced that it appointed:

• John Bryson -- former chair and CEO of Edison International -- as chair of the institute's board of directors; and
• Robert Gleeson -- director of the Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies -- as vice president of research (Van Oot, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 3/8).

Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West

Members of the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West have elected Dave Regan as president and Stan Lyles as vice president, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.

Regan and Lyles both received more than 82% of the vote from SEIU-UHW members. In early April, the new officers will take their positions with the union, which represents about 150,000 hospital, home care and nursing home workers in California (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 3/17).

UC-Davis Health System

On March 28, Timothy Maurice took on a new position as CFO of the UC-Davis Health System, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.

Maurice previously served as vice president and CFO at St. John's Regional Medical Center and St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital in Ventura County. In his new role, he is responsible for the financial operations of UC-Davis Health System. The health system's former CFO Bill McGowan is helping with Maurice's transition, but plans to retire in June. In his new role, Maurice is earning an annual base salary of $400,000 (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 3/4).

UCLA Health System

UCLA Health System has named Sarah Kramer executive director of its CareConnect electronic health record program, Healthcare IT News reports.

Kramer previously served as CEO of eHealth Ontario. In her new role, Kramer will collaborate with UCLA Health System's leadership to ensure that the EHR program can support care delivery, research and education. Implementation of the EHR program is slated to take place during 2012 and 2013 (Merrill, Healthcare IT News, 3/1).

UC-San Francisco

The UC Board of Regents has named Keith Yamamoto vice chancellor of research at UC-San Francisco, the San Francisco Business Times reports.

Yamamoto, who has served as a research leader at UCSF's School of Medicine, will lead interdisciplinary research initiatives at the university's schools of dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy, as well as its graduate programs in biological sciences. His annual salary will remain at $378,900, but he will receive a 5% administrative stipend to recognize his new duties, bringing his annual compensation to $396,900 (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 3/21).

West Wireless Health Institute

West Wireless Health Institute has appointed Ed Cantwell to the role of senior vice president, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Cantwell previously served as director of 3M's Wireless Business Unit and chair, president and CEO of InnerWireless, which he founded in 2000. In his new role, Cantwell will work with stakeholders to create a low-cost platform for wireless health care delivery in hospitals and other health care facilities (San Diego Union-Tribune, 3/28).

Whittier Hospital Medical Center

Lee Suyenaga, former CEO of Alhambra Hospital Medical Center, has started a new position as CEO of Whittier Hospital Medical Center, the Whittier Daily News reports.

Suyenaga replaces former Whittier Hospital CEO Howard Ternes. Last year, Ternes was promoted to vice president of operations and development at AHMC Healthcare, which owns the 178-bed Whittier Hospital and other area hospitals. In his new role, Suyenaga is working to improve Whittier Hospital's community outreach programs (Molina, Whittier Daily News, 3/24).