California Healthline Highlights Recent Hospital News
Children's Hospital Central California in Madera is undergoing a three-year expansion plan that will make the facility one of the top 10 free-standing children's hospitals in the country, according to hospital officials, the Fresno Bee reports.
The hospital's three-year expansion plan includes increasing patient beds from 255 to 342. The first portion of new beds will serve the oncology unit and is expected to be completed in 2007. The hospital also will add 100,000 square feet to expand the imaging, surgery and emergency departments.
The hospital is funding the expansion through construction bonds, as well as public funding and private philanthropic donations (Correa, Fresno Bee, 12/28/06).
The approximately 250 registered nurses employed at Community Hospital of Los Gatos last month voted to join the California Nurses Association, the San Jose Business Journal reports. The facility was the last union-free hospital in the Bay Area.
Nurses cited low compensation and patient care, recruitment and retention problems as some of the most important issues, according to the Journal (Solovitch, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 12/22/06).
A group of physicians and investors seeks to block the sale of not-for-profit Paradise Valley Hospital to the for-profit Prime Healthcare in an attempt to purchase the hospital and maintain its not-for-profit status, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The Paradise Preservation Group plans to ask incoming Attorney General Jerry Brown (D) to block the sale to allow time for the group to raise $30 million for a competitive bid for the hospital.
Prime Healthcare Chair Prem Reddy said the group would need at least an additional $30 million for operating costs, renovations and equipment upgrades (Clark, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12/31/06).
Redlands Community Hospital last week received approval by state health inspectors to begin using its eight new ED beds and new triage unit, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports. The expansion increased the ED capacity to 31 beds.
The hospital currently is expanding its entire facility from 172 patient beds to 292 over the next 20 years.
Diane Johnson, director of critical care at the hospital, said 90% to 95% of the hospital's beds are occupied year-round.
The hospital also plans to open a surgery and maternity building by August (Santschi, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 12/27/06).