California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of August 28, 2015
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center, Colton
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center has settled with the Department of Justice over allegations that the hospital failed to provide interpreters and other services for patients with hearing impairments, AP/KPCC's "KPCC News" reports.
Under the agreement, the hospital will ensure deaf patients have equal access to care, such as by offering services to help them communicate with nurses and physicians ("KPCC News," AP/KPCC, 8/26).
Contra Costa Regional Medical Center
The cancer program at Contra Costa Regional Medical Center has received the "Outstanding Achievement Award" from the American College of Surgeons' Commission on Cancer, the Pleasant Hill Patch reports.
CCRMC was the only hospital in California to win the care quality award this year (Schena, Pleasant Hill Patch, 8/26).
Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital, Valencia
Nurses at Henry Mayo Newhall Hospital have scheduled a one-day strike for Sept. 3 over an ongoing labor dispute with the hospital, the Santa Clarita Valley Signal reports.
Nurses are calling for a contract agreement that allows them to retain the ability to bring class-action lawsuits against the hospital, while the hospital's management wants nurses to agree to be subject to binding arbitration (Holt, Santa Clarita Valley Signal, 8/24).
Hoag Hospital, Newport Beach
Hoag Hospital has opened a new 21-bed substance use disorder treatment center, the Orange County Register reports.
The center is the first in California to be located on an acute-care hospital campus (Perkes, Orange County Register, 8/25).
Mercy Medical Center, Merced
Mercy Medical Center has reversed its decision to refuse a patient's request to be sterilized after giving birth, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.
The hospital initially refused to provide the tubal ligation procedure, citing Catholic hospitals’ Ethical and Religious Directives against sterilization. However, the facility agreed to the surgery after the American Civil Liberties Union said it would file a discrimination lawsuit over the matter (Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle, 8/24).
St. Joseph Hoag Health, Irvine
The St. Joseph Hoag Health has opened a new employee wellness center, according to a release.
The wellness center was developed under a partnership with Masimo, a provider of monitoring technologies. The center -- which currently offers wellness services and will add various medical services in September -- will serve about 550 employees in Irvine (St. Joseph Hoag Health release, 8/25).
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