Health Care Personnel Update for December 2008

California Association of Health Plans

Christopher Ohman will step down as president and CEO of the California Association of Health Plans on Jan. 16, the Sacramento Bee's "Capitol Alert" reports.

Ohman is leaving to serve as Kaiser Permanente's senior vice president for health plans operating outside of California.

Charles Bacchi, vice president of legislative affairs for CAHP, will serve as interim CEO while a nationwide search is conducted (Calvan, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 12/15/08).

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has appointed Sharon August as chief deputy secretary of the division of correctional health care services for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Previously, August served as associate director of the evidence-based practices technical assistance center in the division of mental health services and policy research for the New York State Psychiatric Institute.

Senate confirmation is required for the position, for which compensation is $170,004 annually (Office of the Governor release, 12/31).

California Department of Managed Health Care

Rick Martin has been named deputy director for plan and provider relations at the California Department of Managed Health Care, the Sacramento Bee reports (Sacramento Bee, 12/15/08).

Previously, Martin served as deputy director of the agency's Financial Solvency Standards Board (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 12/2/08).

California Medical Association

Andrew LaMar has been named director of media relations for the California Medical Association, the Bee's "Capitol Alert" reports.

LaMar previously served as communications director for former Senate President Pro Tempore Don Perata (D-Oakland) (Goldmacher, "Capitol Alert," Sacramento Bee, 12/16/08).

Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science

Former Assembly member Mervyn Dymally (D-Compton) will lead the Urban Health Institute at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science, according to officials at the university, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The new institute is a policy and research center that will focus on health problems that affect poor and underserved communities (Bloomekatz, Los Angeles Times, 12/11/08).

Conejo Free Clinic, Thousand Oaks

Sharron Baird, executive director of Conejo Free Clinic, was scheduled to retire by Dec. 31, 2008, the Ventura County Star reports.

Baird cofounded the clinic in 1975 (Dill, Ventura County Star, 12/1/08).

Lumetra, San Francisco

Linda Sawyer has been tapped as CEO for Lumetra, a not-for-profit Medicare contractor in California, the San Francisco Business Times reports.

Sawyer previously served as COO for the organization.  She will replace outgoing President and CEO Jo Ellen Ross, a cofounder of the organization (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 12/3/08).

Osteopathic Medical Board of California

Gov. Schwarzenegger has re-appointed Susan Melvin and Paul Wakim to the Osteopathic Medical Board.

Both Melvin and Wakim have served on the board since 2006.

The positions do not require Senate confirmation, and the compensation is $100 per diem (Office of the Governor release, 12/5/08).

Palomar Pomerado Health Foundation

Terry Green has been hired as chief fundraising officer for the Palomar Pomerado Health Foundation, the San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

Most recently, Green served as associate vice president of special gifts for the Children's Hospital Los Angeles Foundation (Lou, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12/26/08).

Santa Clara Family Health Plan

Leona Butler was set to retire as CEO of Santa Clara Family Health Plan by the end of 2008, the Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal reports. She will serve as CEO emerita for one year.

Elizabeth Darrow, a consultant to SCFHP leaders, will serve as interim CEO (Silicon Valley/San Jose Business Journal, 12/18/08).

Seton Medical Center, Daly City

Lorraine Auerbach has been named president and CEO of Seton Medical Center, the San Francisco Business Times reports. 

Auerbach served as interim president and CEO of the medical center and also heads Seton Coastside in Moss Beach (Rauber, San Francisco Business Times, 12/2/08).

Sutter Health

Flo DiBenedetto has been named senior vice president and general counsel for Sutter Health, the Sacramento Business Journal reports.

DiBenedetto was a senior partner at Hunter Richey DiBenedetto & Eisenbeis LLP, a Sacramento law firm that disbanded in November 2008 (Robertson, Sacramento Business Journal, 12/17/08).

UC-Riverside

UC-Riverside has appointed Phyllis Guze to be acting vice chancellor of medical sciences and dean of its new medical school, the Riverside Press-Enterprise reports.

The school is scheduled to open in 2012.

Guze will continue to serve as clinical medicine professor at the UCLA School of Medicine.

UCR spokesperson Kathy Barton said Guze's nearly $307,000 annual salary from UCR will be covered by a grant from UnitedHealth Group (Nealon, Riverside  Press-Enterprise, 12/1/08).

VA Loma Linda Healthcare System

Donald Moore has been named director of the VA Loma Linda Healthcare System, the Press Enterprise reports.

Previously, Moore served as director of the Phoenix VA Healthcare System (Santschi, Riverside Press-Enterprise, 12/11/08).

Ventura Veterans Home

Schwarzenegger named Brenda Manke administrator for the Ventura Veterans Home.

She previously served as administrator for the West Hills Health and Rehabilitation Center.

The position does not require Senate confirmation and the annual compensation is $98,844 (Office of the Governor release, 12/31).

William J. "Pete" Knight Veterans Home, Lancaster

The governor has appointed Lisa Grod administrator for the William J. "Pete" Knight Veterans Home.

Previously, Grod was an administrator for Tarzana Health and Rehabilitation Center.

The position does not require Senate confirmation and the annual compensations is $98,844 (Office of the Governor release, 12/31).