California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of August 20, 2010
Catholic Healthcare West, San Francisco
This fall, Catholic Healthcare West plans to start construction on a 65,000 square-foot building to house medical offices in Elk Grove, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
Though Catholic Healthcare purchased 30 acres for the campus in 2007, officials had to delay the project because of the economic recession. The facility is expected to open in January 2012 (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 8/13).
Citrus Valley Medical Center, Covina
On Aug. 13, registered nurses at Citrus Valley Medical Center filed a petition to remove the California Nurses Association as its representative union, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reports.
A prolonged stalemate since the start of this year has prevented any agreement on a new contract.
The nurses filed the petition -- which is supported by about 30% of the 800 nurses represented by CNA -- with the National Labor Relations Board.
A representative for the Citrus Valley nurses argued that CNA has not upheld the promises it made when it took up representation four years ago, while a union representative said that the effort to decertify the union is organized by a minority of nurses (Figueroa, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, 8/17).
El Camino Hospital
On Aug. 12, El Camino Hospital announced that it expects to lay off about 140 employees at its Los Gatos and Mountain View campuses by the end of October, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
El Camino posted a profit of $37 million for the last fiscal year from one-time adjustments, such as investment portfolio changes.
In a statement, the hospital said that the layoffs are necessary to align operational costs with patient revenues.
Officials said the hospital also will slash consulting and supply costs -- steps that will save the facility $60 million to $70 million annually (Samuels, San Jose Mercury News, 8/13).
Stanford Hospital, Palo Alto
Stanford Hospital is on track to begin preliminary construction for its $3.5 billion expansion project in Palo Alto next year, with the possibility of a formal groundbreaking of the project in 2012, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports.
The project, announced in 2006, entails the rebuilding of Stanford Hospital, and the expansion of Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and the Stanford University School of Medicine.
All told, the health care campus will grow by 1.3 million square feet, add more than 240 beds and provide 1,000 new jobs.
No significant issues emerged during a public comment period, which ended last month (Conrad, Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 8/15).
Sutter Health, Elk Grove
This fall, Sutter Health will seek board approval to build an ambulatory surgery center on its Elk Gove medical campus, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
Construction is expected to begin in 2011 and be completed in one year (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 8/13).
Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation, San Francisco
About 3,000 patients need to be revaccinated after receiving potentially ineffective shots at Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation clinics in the Bay Area and North Coast, the AP/San Jose Mercury News reports.
Officials said some of the shots were not stored at the correct temperature.
Patients who received vaccinations between January and June have been asked to be re-vaccinated (AP/San Jose Mercury News, 8/18).
UC-Davis Medical Center, Sacramento
UC-Davis Medical Center recently opened its Surgery and Emergency Services Pavilion, the culmination of a $424.5 million project, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
The medical center's pharmacy is the first department of the facility to move into the new space. The pavilion also will accommodate operating rooms, intensive care units and radiology services. All of the departments are expected to be in the new facility by Oct. 18 (Sacramento Business Journal, 8/13).
Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System
On Aug. 12, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D) visited the site of an 80-bed mental health care facility currently under construction at the Veterans Affairs hospital in Palo Alto, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
The new center is funded by $54 million from the federal government and is being built near the current mental health care center.
Officials say the new center will provide more privacy, natural light and access to landscaped gardens. The facility is slated for completion in 2011 (Dungan, San Jose Mercury News, 8/13).
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