California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of January 30, 2009
St. Agnes Medical Center, Fresno
A judge for the National Labor Relations Board is requiring Saint Agnes Medical Center to hold a new vote for nurses to decide whether they will unionize under the California Nurses Association, the Fresno Bee reports.
The decision overturns the outcome of a May 2008 election, where the bulk of registered nurses at Saint Agnes voted against union representation.
Saint Agnes officials have until Feb. 5 to appeal the decision. A hospital spokesperson said no decision on the appeal has been made (Sheehan, Fresno Bee, 1/26).
Sequoia Healthcare District, Redwood City
Sequoia Healthcare District will match up to $2 million in grants to help the Sequoia Hospital Foundation raise funds for the 205-bed Redwood City Hospital, the San Francisco Business Times reports.
Representatives of the foundation are confident that it can raise its $2 million share within one year.Â
The hospital, which Catholic Healthcare West currently operates, was run by the district for several decades (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 1/26).
Sutter Medical Center, Santa Rosa
Sonoma Valley health care officials are concerned that Sutter Medical Center's plan to build a smaller hospital in Santa Rosa will put added pressure on other facilities, the Sonoma Index-Tribune reports.
Sutter has reduced the number of hospital beds for the new facility from 118 to 70.Â
Officials want to make certain that this decision will not cause a disproportionate number of uninsured and underinsured patients to seek care at smaller area hospitals (Charrier-Botts, Sonoma Index-Tribune, 1/26).
UC-Irvine Medical Center, Orange
On Jan. 30, UC Irvine Medical Center is scheduled to hold a dedication ceremony for its University Hospital, the Orange County Register reports.
The first phase of the hospital, which cost $393 million, will open in March. The final phase is expected to be completed in 2011 (Perkes, Orange County Register, 1/28). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.