California Health Care Personnel News Update for May 2010
Chula Vista Veterans Home, California Department of Veterans Affairs
On May 14, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) appointed Neal Asper to a post as administrator of the Chula Vista Veterans Home for the California Department of Veterans Affairs.
Asper previously served as executive director of the Toppenish Nursing and Rehab Center and executive director of Willow Springs Care.
The position does not require Senate confirmation and annual compensation is $85,000 (Office of the Governor release, 5/14).
HHS' Office of Health Reform
Starting June 1, Peter Lee assumed a post in the Obama administration as the director of delivery system reform at HHS' Office of Health Reform, the San Francisco Business Times reports.
Lee previously served as executive director for national health policy at the Pacific Business Group on Health. He also has served as PBGH's CEO and executive director. PBGH represents 50 large corporations and other large purchasers of health care coverage (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 5/20).
Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee
HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius has appointed Marjorie Solomon to serve on the federal Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
Solomon is an assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at UC-Davis and a researcher at the university's MIND Institute.
In her new role, Solomon will serve as a representative of a research, advocacy and service organization for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 4/30).
John Muir Health Foundation, Walnut Creek
John Muir Health Foundation has tapped David Birdsall and Reid Rubsamen to co-chair fundraising efforts for the foundation's $60 million capital campaign, the San Francisco Business Times reports.
Birdsall is medical director of the emergency department and chief of staff at John Muir Medical Center's Concord location, and Rubsamen is medical director of surgical services at the medical center's Walnut Creek campus (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 5/12).
Marin Healthcare District
Marin Healthcare District has named cardiologist Joel Sklar chief medical officer of Marin General Hospital, the San Francisco Business Times reports.
Sklar previously served as co-chief of cardiology and medical director of Marin General's Marin Heart Institute. He will take over his new role after Marin Healthcare District regains operational control of Marin General from Sutter Health on June 30 (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 5/18).
Medical Board of California
The Medical Board of California has hired Linda Whitney as its executive director, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
Whitney has served as the board's interim executive director since January 2009. She also previously served as the board's chief of legislation (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 5/10).
Physical Therapy Board of California
On May 26, Gov. Schwarzenegger reappointed Debra Alviso (R) to the Physical Therapy Board of California. Alviso has been a member of the board since 2006.
The position does not require Senate confirmation and compensation is $100 per diem (Office of the Governor release, 5/26).
Saint Agnes Medical Center, Fresno
Saint Agnes Medical Center trustees have named James Leonard president and CEO of the 436-bed facility, the Fresno Bee reports.
Leonard will replace interim CEO Thomas Anderson, who has served in the post since mid-2008.
Leonard currently works at Providence St. Peter Hospital, a 390-bed, not-for-profit teaching facility in Olympia, Wash. He will start his new post on July 19 (Anderson, Fresno Bee, 5/24).
Solano County
On May 17, Ted Selby assumed a position as emergency medical services administrator for Solano County, the Vallejo Times Herald reports.
Selby previously served as manager of the county's Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Communicable Disease Control programs. In his new role, Selby will manage ambulance services and coordinate the medical certification of emergency response employees in the county (Vallejo Times Herald, 5/12).
Stanford University's Clinical Excellence Research Center
On May 25, Stanford University announced it has appointed Arnold Milstein to head its new Clinical Excellence Research Center starting in July, the San Francisco Business Times reports. The university also appointed Milstein to a position as a professor of medicine.
As head of the new center, Milstein will coordinate research projects aimed at improving health care quality and lowering costs. He also will continue to serve in his current position as medical director at PBGH (San Francisco Business Times, 5/25).
State Board of Optometry
On May 26, Schwarzenegger reappointed Monica Fascher Johnson (R) to the State Board of Optometry. Fascher Johnson has served as a member of the board since 2005.
The position does not require Senate confirmation and compensation is $100 per diem (Office of the Governor release, 5/26).
State Independent Living Council
On May 14, the governor named Daniel Boomer (D), Miguel Duarte (D), Eli Gelardin (D), Ben Jauregui, Jessica Lorenz, Elsa Quezada (D), Eduardo Rea, Teddie-Joy Remhild (D), Marco Rodriguez (R) and David Tripp (D) to the State Independent Living Council.
The positions do not require Senate compensation and compensation is $100 per diem (Office of the Governor release, 5/14).
UC-Merced San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education
UC-Merced has appointed Donald Hilty as co-director of the UC Merced San Joaquin Valley Program in Medical Education, the Merced Sun-Star reports. Hilty will coordinate on the project with Frederick Meyers, UC-Merced's executive director of medical education and academic planning.
Hilty currently serves as a professor of clinical psychiatry and director of the Rural Program in Medical Education, or Rural PRIME, at UC-Davis. In his new position, Hilty will develop a UC-Merced San Joaquin Valley PRIME program to help students learn about health issues in San Joaquin Valley.
Officials said Hilty's appointment marks the latest step in the university's plan to create a medical education program that eventually could lead to the establishment of an independent medical school at UC-Merced (Merced Sun-Star, 5/20). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.