California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of March 26, 2010
California Pacific Medical Center, San Francisco
Twelve hundred workers at California Pacific Medical Center recently ratified a new 33-month contract with Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, the San Francisco Business Journal reports. CPMC is a Sutter Health hospital.
The contract includes a 9.27% raise compounded over the next two years and nine months. It also guarantees "critical job security," as Sutter intends to replace the St. Luke's Hospital with a new $1.7 billion facility (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 3/19).
Kingsburg District Hospital
Officials have decided to close the 35-bed Kingsburg District Hospital because of its troubled finances and declining standard of care, the Fresno Bee reports.
In 2008, the hospital closed its emergency department, and in April 2009, the hospital stopped performing surgeries and admitting patients. The hospital's nursing home will close in Mid-May, leaving only a blood-drawing lab and small health clinic (Collins, Fresno Bee, 3/23).
Palo Alto Medical Foundation
Palo Alto Medical Foundation is building a new $23 million breast cancer center across the street from its main facility, the San Jose Mercury News reports. The facility also will house new office space.
Officials say that construction on the 20,000-square-foot, two-story building is expected to be completed as early as fall 2010 (Samuels, San Jose Mercury News, 3/19).
Riverside Community Hospital
The Riverside City Council recently approved plans to add a helicopter landing pad on top of a parking structure at Riverside Community Hospital, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.
The hospital currently is the only trauma center south of San Francisco without a helipad. Officials say flights are expected to begin by July (Robinson, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 3/20).
Shasta Regional Medical Center
The Joint Commission has certified Shasta Regional Medical Center as the first hospital in California and 11th nationwide for inpatient diabetes care, the Record Searchlight reports (Marsh, Record Searchlight, 3/17).
St. Mary's Medical Center, San Francisco
Construction is expected to begin March 31 on a new $22.75 million, 14,200-square-foot Cancer Center at St. Mary's Medical Center, which is part of the Catholic Healthcare West system, the San Francisco Business Times reports.
The project is part of a $26.25 million capital improvement push at the facility. The project also will include a new vascular suite in the hospital's cardiac cath lab and new digital mammography equipment (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 3/23).
Sutter Roseville Medical Center
Health care workers at Sutter Roseville Medical Center recently voted 315-225 for representation by Service Employee International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, the Sacramento Business Journal reports (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 3/19).
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