California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of May 20, 2011
Catholic Healthcare West, Sacramento Region
Catholic Healthcare West has reached an agreement that will allow Heritage Oaks Hospital -- a mental health care facility -- to provide services to patients with mental health conditions who arrive at four Sacramento-area CHW hospitals on weekends or after hours, the Sacramento Business Journal reports. Sierra Vista Hospital -- a psychiatric facility -- also will provide services for CHW hospitals.
Under the agreement, a mobile team created by Heritage Oaks will provide assessments for psychiatric patients who arrive at the emergency departments of CHW's Mercy General, Mercy Folsom, Mercy San Juan and Methodist hospitals. The mobile team will work with the Sacramento County Mental Health Treatment Center and CHW's Woodland Memorial Hospital to coordinate care for the patients (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 5/13).
Contra Costa Health Services, San Pablo
On May 20, Contra Costa County plans to break ground on a $45 million health clinic in San Pablo, the San Francisco Business Times reports.
The new 53,000 square-foot facility -- which will be run by Contra Costa Health Services -- will replace the Richmond Health Center. The county has secured $12 million in federal economic stimulus funding to build the new clinic, and the remaining construction costs will be financed through county bonds. The health center is expected to be completed in July 2012 (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 5/17).
Marin General Hospital, Greenbrae
Marin General Hospital Corporation -- which operates Marin General Hospital -- recently finalized a management services and affiliation agreement with Sonoma Valley Health Care District, the Marin Independent Journal reports.
The deal calls for the Marin hospital corporation to provide management services to Sonoma Valley Hospital. It also calls for the two health care organizations to seek mutual business opportunities. Bill Boerum -- member of the Sonoma Valley Health Care District board -- said the two health organizations have yet to negotiate fees for the management services (Halstead, Marin Independent Journal, 5/16).
Mills-Peninsula Medical Center, Burlingame
On Sunday, Mills-Peninsula Medical Center opened its new $618 million facility, which will replace the older, earthquake-vulnerable Peninsula Medical Center, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
The new six-floor, 450,000 square-foot building has 241 beds and was built to withstand an 8.5-magnitude earthquake along the San Andreas fault. The new medical center also has wireless patient monitoring systems and private rooms with foldout couches for patients' family members (Mara, San Jose Mercury News, 5/14).
San Joaquin Community Hospital, Bakersfield
On Tuesday, San Joaquin Community Hospital broke ground on a new $36 million, 60,000 square-foot cancer center, the Bakersfield Californian reports.
The four-story facility -- called the Cancer Center at San Joaquin Community Hospital -- will offer radiation oncology and medical oncology services. It also will include physician offices and an outpatient surgery center. The center is expected to open next year (Cox, Bakersfield Californian, 5/18).
San Joaquin General Hospital, French Camp
San Joaquin General Hospital employees are helping to fund a study that will examine the feasibility of turning the hospital into a designated trauma center, the Stockton Record reports.
Service Employees International Union-Local 1021 has contributed $10,000 for the study, and physicians are expected to match that amount. The study will examine potential revenue, timelines and the investment costs for becoming a trauma center. Officials expect the report to be completed by June or July (Stockton Record, 5/14).
Scripps Mercy Hospital, Chula Vista
The Joint Commission, a national hospital accreditation organization, has designated Scripps Mercy Hospital in Chula Vista as a Primary Stroke Center, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The Joint Commission collaborated with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association to develop the standards for accrediting stroke centers. Out of the 20 acute care hospitals in San Diego County, 14 now have received the certification (Lavelle, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5/18).
Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Palo Alto
On Wednesday, the Palo Alto Planning and Transportation Commission voted 6-0 to recommend the creation of a new zoning district specifically for Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, the San Jose Mercury News reports.
Commissioners also voted in favor of a development agreement and other measures that will allow Stanford University to move forward on its proposed hospital expansion project. The $3.5 billion project would add 1.3 million square feet to the Stanford and Lucile Packard hospitals. The Palo Alto City Council is scheduled to review the expansion proposals on June 6 (Samuels, San Jose Mercury News, 5/19).
Sutter Health, Elk Grove
On Tuesday, Sutter Health began construction on a $10.8 million surgery center at its Elk Grove medical campus, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.
The surgery center is expected to open for patients in June 2012. In its first year, the center's two operating rooms will have the capacity to perform about 1,250 procedures. The surgery center marks Sutter's latest step toward building a full medical campus and community hospital in Elk Grove. If Sutter builds a hospital, it will convert the surgery center to another building and relocate the operating rooms to the hospital (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 5/17).
UC-San Diego Medical Center
Last week, about 50 UC-San Diego Medical Center employees protested in front of the hospital over proposed changes to their pensions and health benefits, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
The demonstrations were part of statewide protests related to labor talks between the University of California and members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees-Local 3299. The union represents about 20,000 service employees and technical workers at UC campuses and medical centers (Flynn, San Diego Union-Tribune, 5/13).
Watsonville Community Hospital
Watsonville Community Hospital is preparing to open its nearly 10,000 square-foot urgent care center, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reports.
Hospital officials declined to comment on the facility -- called Acclaim Urgent Care -- or its expected opening date. The center is expected to feature six examination rooms, an X-ray laboratory, two treatment rooms and office space. A building permit provided by Watsonville in January valued the project at $450,000 (Jones, Santa Cruz Sentinel, 5/17).
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