California Health Care Personnel News Update for November 2009

California Department of Veterans Affairs

On Nov. 9, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) appointed Roger Brautigan to serve as secretary for the California Department of Veterans Affairs, the Stockton Record reports. Brautigan has served as acting CDVA secretary since May and previously served as the department's undersecretary (Stockton Record, 11/9).

Schwarzenegger also named Rocky Chavez to take over as the undersecretary for CDVA (Office of the Governor release, 11/9).

California State and Consumer Services Agency

On Nov. 18, Schwarzenegger appointed Fred Aguiar (R) deputy chief of staff and senior adviser. Aguiar previously served as secretary of the State and Consumer Services Agency.

Schwarzenegger also tapped Scott Reid to serve as a cabinet secretary. Reid previously served as undersecretary of SCSA (Office of the Governor release, 11/18).

Aaron McLear, spokesperson for the governor, said the state eventually will name replacements for Aguiar and Reid's positions at SCSA (Ventura County Star, 11/18).

CalPERS

On Nov. 17, CalPERS officials tapped Robert David to serve as the pension fund's assistant executive officer for health benefits. David will start his new position on Dec. 14.

Previously, David served as chief deputy director for California's Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development (CalPERS release, 11/17). David will take over the role vacated by Gregory Franklin, who left CalPERS earlier this fall to take a position with the California Department of Health Care Services (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 11/18).

Community Memorial Hospital, Ventura

Ventura's Community Memorial Hospital has hired Geoff Tyrrell to serve as a palliative care chaplain, the Ventura County Star reports.

Previously, Tyrrell served as a palliative care chaplain fellow at Palo Alto's Veterans Affairs hospital (Ventura County Star, 11/23).

Dental Hygiene Committee of California

On Nov. 5, Schwarzenegger appointed Andrew Wong (R) to the Dental Hygiene Committee of California. Wong previously served as an attorney with the legal practice Orrick, Herrington and Sutcliffe.

The position does not require Senate confirmation and compensation is $100 per diem (Office of the Governor release, 11/5).

Hospice of San Joaquin

Barbara Tognoli has announced that she will retire as Hospice of San Joaquin's executive director in February, the Record reports.

HSJ's board said it currently is searching for a replacement for Tognoli, who helped start San Joaquin County's first hospice services in 1981 (Reid, Stockton Record, 11/8).

National Committee for Quality Assurance

On Nov. 9, the National Committee for Quality Assurance announced that it has elected Talmadge King to its board of directors.

King currently serves as the Julius R. Krevans distinguished professor and chair at UC-San Francisco's Department of Medicine (NCQA release, 11/9).

Saint Agnes Medical Center, Fresno

On Nov. 12, Kathleen Cain stepped down as CFO of Saint Agnes Medical Center, the Fresno Bee reports.

The medical center recruited Jeff Rooney to serve as interim CFO. Rooney previously worked at St. Vincent's Health System in Birmingham, Ala. (Fresno Bee, 11/19).

Sierra Kings District Hospital, Reedley

The board for Sierra Kings District Hospital has named Kathleen Omachi chair, the Fresno Bee reports. Omachi will replace Trish Johnson, who stepped down as board chair on Nov. 5.

The board also voted to remove Pamela Ott from her position as the hospital's COO (Fresno Bee, 11/7).

State Compensation Insurance Fund Board of Directors

On Nov. 20, Schwarzenegger appointed Don Garcia (R), Lawrence Mulryan (D), Francis Quinlan, James Richardson (R) and William Zachry (R) to the State Compensation Fund Board of Directors.

The positions do not require Senate confirmation and annual compensation is $50,000 (Office of the Governor release, 11/20).

Sutter Center for Psychiatry, Sacramento

Sutter Center for Psychiatry has tapped Jesse Tamplen to serve as director of behavioral health, the Sacramento Bee reports.

Tamplen will oversee outpatient and therapeutic services at the center (Sacramento Bee, 11/30).

UC-Davis Center for Healthcare Policy and Research

The UC-Davis Center for Healthcare Policy and Research has named Joy Melnikow director, the Sacramento Bee reports. Melnikow previously served as associate director of the center.

Melnikow also holds a position as a professor in the university's Department of Family and Community Medicine (Sacramento Bee, 11/9).

UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine

On Nov. 4, UCLA officials announced that they have nominated A. Eugene Washington to serve as vice chancellor of health sciences and dean of the university's David Geffen School of Medicine, the San Francisco Business Times reports.

Washington currently serves as executive vice chancellor, provost and professor of gynecology, epidemiology and health policy at UC-San Francisco.

The University of California Board of Regents will need to approve Washington's appointment for it to take effect Feb. 1, 2010 (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 11/5).

UC-San Diego Medical Center

On Nov. 19, University of California regents hired Thomas Jackiewicz to serve as UC-San Diego Medical Center's next CEO, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.