California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of September 3, 2010
Hoag Hospital Irvine
On Wednesday, Hoag Hospital Irvine officially opened, replacing the Irvine Regional Medical Center that closed in 2009, KPCC's "KPCC News" reports. The new hospital features telemedicine technology and electronic health records.
Although most of the hospital opened Wednesday, the facility's orthopedics center will start accepting patients in November (Valot, "KPCC News," KPCC, 9/1).
Mercy Hospitals, Sacramento
Last week, Mercy Hospitals announced plans to create the Mercy Cancer Institute of Greater Sacramento, the Sacramento Bee reports.
The Mercy hospital system plans to invest more than $20 million for the 33,500 square-foot outpatient center, which would be used to diagnose and treat cancer patients.
The new facility is expected to open in late 2011. Mercy officials say the new institute will be the first of several cancer centers they will open in the Sacramento area over the next 10 years (Calvan, Sacramento Bee, 8/28).
Mills-Peninsula Medical Center, Burlingame
Officials have delayed the opening of the $618 million Mills-Peninsula Medical Center, the San Mateo County Times reports. Although the facility originally was slated to open in November, officials have pushed back the tentative opening day to Dec. 12.
A hospital spokesperson said Mills-Peninsula encountered delays while testing medical equipment for the new 450,000 square-foot campus (Rosenberg, San Mateo County Times, 8/27). The new 241-bed medical center will connect ambulatory and acute care departments of the hospital and expand its emergency department to serve an estimated 42% more patient visits annually (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 8/27).
San Joaquin General Hospital, French Camp
This week, the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors moved forward with plans to reconfigure San Joaquin General Hospital by opening the application process for members of the hospital's new governing board, the Stockton Record reports.
The 11-member interim board of trustees would oversee the hospital's finances and take steps toward setting up a permanent governance structure. The new board would include county health officials, elected supervisors, community members and representatives from other hospitals (Johnson, Stockton Record, 9/1).
Simi Valley Hospital
Officials at Simi Valley Hospital are closing down a 44-bed transitional care unit at least temporarily while they decide whether the hospital should undertake expensive renovations, the Ventura County Star reports.
The transitional care center -- which typically serves about 16 patients who stay an average of two weeks -- might need various repairs including a new roof and treatment for mold. A hospital spokesperson said the repairs would cost at least $2 million.
No new patients will be admitted to the transitional center while talks continue. Patients currently at the facility will continue receiving care until they are discharged (Kisken, Ventura County Star, 8/31).
UC-Davis Medical Center, Sacramento
Over the next few months, UC-Davis Medical Center will open its new $425 million Surgery and Emergency Services Pavilion, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Officials say the facility will offer more patient beds and feature some of the most advanced technology in the region (Calvan, Sacramento Bee, 8/29).
UC-Davis Medical Center's new pavilion also will include a facility for burn patients called the Firefighters Burn Institute Regional Burn Center. The center -- which was partially financed by $1 million raised by the Firefighters Burn Institute -- aims to accept patients later this month (Simon, Sacramento Bee, 8/27).
Valley Health System, Hemet
A lawsuit filed recently in Riverside County Superior Court claims that Valley Health System violated state pension laws, breached a contract and underfunded employee pension plans, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports. The suit names two former VHS employees as plaintiffs.
The attorney for the workers is seeking a court order that would require the public hospital district to release records on the pension plan to determine its financial status.
VHS' board of directors voted to terminate the pension plan on July 7. The board plans to discuss the lawsuit before commenting on its allegations (Wesson, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 8/27).
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