October 2. 2012
Greetings!
One year from now, the doors to the new Emergency and Surgery Center will be opening. Construction has been underway here at the hospital since May. The progress is very exciting, and this week we will actually start to see the hole develop into our new wing. Our Surgery Department has not moved for 55 years and has been housed in the same place since the hospital was built in 1957. Our Emergency Department was expanded in 1977, but they have also been housed in a small, old department for 35 years. The $31 million raised from the General Obligation Bond allowed us to upgrade the old physical plant in order to meet seismic compliance regulations, and it has covered 70 percent of the cost for the new wing.
The most incredible thing has happened to SVH over the past few months. Major donors in our community have stepped up to give us over $4.5 million toward building our new wing. We are humbled by the large gifts already pledged from Marcia & Gary Nelson and other community members. In order to complete the wing, we are hoping to raise $11 million. Darius Anderson has agreed to be the CEO of this capital campaign and will be working with a steering committee that includes Simon Blattner to meet this goal and give our valley “Peace of Mind” by insuring we have local emergency services.
Construction and fundraising are not the only major accomplishments of the summer. Just this week we completed the 90 day attestation period for our Electronic Health Record which means that we have met the criteria to receive $4.5 million from the Federal government to help pay for this state-of-the-art new technology. Adding the Electronic Health Record has led to increased patient safety and quality.
Finally, I want to thank the Sonoma Valley Health Care District Board of Directors for their support over the last two years. We have made major improvements to the hospital’s operations and increased the level of leadership and staff support to be comparable to the best hospitals in the nation. I am pleased to serve Sonoma Valley Hospital as your CEO for another three years. Now that we’ve addressed the long over-due changes and enjoyed more financial stability, you will soon begin to see some very innovative, patient centered services and partnerships. For example, our partnership with Marin General Hospital and North Bay physicians and hospitals has set the stage for long-term stability and is preparing us for health care reform.
Sonoma Valley Hospital has experienced a transformational healing and now we are excited to inspire healing and improve health for you, in our community.
Til next time,
Kelly
Kelly Mather
President and Chief Executive Officer
Sonoma Valley Hospital