California Health Care Personnel News Update for November 2008

California Board of Pharmacy

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has appointed Ryan Brooks (D) to the California Board of Pharmacy.

Since 2002, Brooks has served as vice president of public affairs for CBS Outdoor, and he was director of administrative services for San Francisco from 1999 to 2002.

Compensation will be $100 per diem (Office of the Governor release, 11/4).

California Institute for Regenerative Medicine

Ed Penhoet will resign from his post as vice chair of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, but will remain on the agency's oversight board, the San Francisco Business Times reports.

Lt. Gov. John Garamendi (D) nominated Penhoet to replace Tina Nova as a representative of the commercial life sciences sector on the Independent Citizens' Oversight Committee (San Francisco Business Times, 11/10).

Health Net

Health Net has named Juanell Hefner president of Managed Health Network, its San Rafael-based behavioral health subsidiary, the Business Times reports.

Hefner previously served as MHN's COO.  Hefner will replace Steven Sell, who recently was tapped as president of Health Net of California (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 11/17).

Integrated Healthcare Holdings

Bruce Mogel, president and CEO of Integrated Healthcare Holdings in Santa Ana, will resign effective Dec. 31, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The move comes on the heels of an investigation alleging that Mogel had taken kickbacks from suppliers when he was an executive at another health care company (Hiltzik, Los Angeles Times, 11/8).

Joint Commission

The Joint Commission has appointed Joel Ginsberg, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Medical Association in San Francisco, to a seat on a new advisory panel on culturally sensitive care, the Business Times reports.

The panel will develop recommendations for hospital operations (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 11/13).

Medical Board of California

Schwarzenegger has appointed Jorge Carreon (R) to the Medical Board of California.

Carreon has had a private obstetrics/gynecology practice in Los Angeles since 1978. In addition, he has been president of International Health Consultants since 2002 and a consultant for St. Francis Medical Center since 2002.

Compensation is $100 per diem for the position, which requires Senate confirmation (Office of the Governor release, 11/28).

UC-Irvine Medical Center

Maureen Zehntner, CEO of UC-Irvine Medical Center, will retire in March 2009, the Orange County Register reports.

Zehntner was named CEO eight months ago, after serving as acting CEO since 2005.  She has been a member of the hospital's executive committee for 13 years (Perkes/Fisher, Orange County Register, 11/12).

Ventura County Medical Center

Paul Lorenz has been named the administrator of Ventura County Medical Center, the Ventura County Star reports. 

Lorenz has served as deputy director of the county Health Care Agency and administrator of county clinics, as well as county public health officer (Kisken, Ventura County Star, 11/8).

Yountville Veterans Home

The governor has appointed Steven Lamar (R) to be hospital services administrator at Yountville Veterans Home. Previously, Lamar served as a consultant with Allied Container Systems.