Leadership Shake-Up At Palomar Health Spreads To Board Of Directors
Joy Gorzeman, a respected nurse and health care educator, resigned effective May 2. The news came as Palomar navigates a rough patch, reorganizing staff to handle budget difficulties while simultaneously responding to a series of government safety inspections.
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Palomar Board Chair Resigns; Interim CEO May Get Permanent Status
Adding to recent widespread leadership changes, Palomar Health is suddenly looking to replace one of seven elected directors. It also is considering giving permanent status to its interim chief executive officer. Joy Gorzeman, chair of the Palomar Health Board of Directors, resigned effective May 2 for unspecified “personal reasons,” according to a letter she sent to colleagues and board secretary Ray McCune on April 26.Gorzeman, a respected nurse and health care educator with more than 40 years of experience working in a wide range of medical roles, declined by email Tuesday afternoon to elaborate on the reasons for her departure. Elected in 2016 to her first four-year term on the governing board of the Palomar Health district, she would have been up for re-election in 2020. (Sisson, 5/16)
In other news —
Santa Rosa Press Democrat:
Palm Drive Health Care District Seeks To Sell Sonoma West Medical Center
The Palm Drive Health Care District is seeking bids for the purchase of its Sebastopol hospital, a move brought on by ongoing financial struggles and debt, district officials said Tuesday afternoon. A request for proposals, which was released Tuesday, seeks a buyer who will operate Sonoma West Medical Center as an acute care hospital or “other health care” facility, said Alanna Brogan, executive director of the district. Officials said district and hospital staff have taken a number of steps to improve operations and revenue collections at the hospital, but old debt continues to cripple the hospital. (Espinoza, 5/15)
The San Diego Union-Tribune:
Illumina Buys Start-Up Edico Genome For $100M To Help Speed Up Genetic Analysis
San Diego’s Illumina has acquired data processing technology start-up Edico Genome for $100 million to accelerate efforts to make genetic testing more widely accessible in everyday health care. The deal brings together two companies that already have substantial links – a vast majority of Edico’s customers use Illumina’s gene sequencing machines. Buying Edico paves the way for Illumina to further meld Edico’s bioinformaton processing technology into the gene sequencing process so genomics becomes less expensive and delivers results faster. (Freeman, 5/15)