2022 June Board Chair Report
As always, there is lots to report after our most recent board meeting held June 2nd.
Community Partner Spotlight: SVH Foundation Raises Millions for Our Hospital
It’s difficult to imagine the Sonoma Valley Hospital without the Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation (SVHF). At the Board meeting, SVHF’s Executive Director Dave Pier provided an overview of the foundation’s accomplishments, each ensuring that the hospital is able to keep its equipment and buildings current and ready to serve the community.
In recent years, the foundation has raised funds to pay for the new Outpatient Diagnostic Center, the ICU (Intensive Care Unit) renovation plus new anesthesia machines for the surgical units. They have also helped fund the new EHR (Electronic Health Record), SVH’s COVID response, and continuing education for nurses and physical therapists. And in women’s health, the Foundation funds Project Pink, a wonderful program that removes economic barriers for breast health testing. Finally, the Foundation is responsible for the very well received Women’s Health Symposium which provided current information on brain health while raising money for medical imaging equipment. All in all, the SV Hospital Foundation has raised $23M over the last five years towards improving the care that we are able to provide to our community.
Let’s pause a minute to reflect on just how impactful all these gifts are. And also what it says about our generous community of givers.
Not all foundations are this successful and not all communities are as engaged. The Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation ranks among the top 25% community hospital foundations of its size in the country (Association of Healthcare Philanthropy Report 2021). They do it all with low operating expenses and a very small staff. We are very grateful for the SVHF team and want to extend a big thanks our donors for investing in our hospital and making healthcare a priority in our community. To learn more about the SVHF, visit www.svhfoundation.com.
Evolving to a Room Service Model
Sonoma Valley Hospital is re-inventing the way meals are provided for patients and staff. John Hennelly, CEO, reported at the board meeting that SVH is evolving from mass production to an individualized delivery model for food service. “Ultimately our goal is to achieve a room service model. Eat when you are ready to eat, not when we’re ready to cook.” The benefits will include better satisfaction with our services, less food waste and healthier food options for inpatient guests and for the Café. We look forward to putting the new model to the taste test over the coming months. Please let us know what you think.
2022 Health Care District Public Elections – Candidates Wanted
Elections for two new board positions for the Sonoma Valley Health Care District will be held November 8, 2022. Our board is comprised of five trustees who are elected for five-year terms. Two of our current board members have indicated that they will not be running for re-election which opens opportunities for new trustees to step forward. If you have an interest in how healthcare is delivered and managed at our hospital, this is a rewarding way to make a contribution. You must be a resident of the Healthcare District to run. Candidate filings are due on July 18th. Remember, every voter in the Health Care District determines the shape and direction of this board. For more information, visit the Sonoma County County Clerk’s website HERE.
Brief Updates
• New Electronic Health Records System Project Has Launched
Efforts are now underway to install EPIC, our new Electronic Health Record system, and have it ready for operation by the end of this year. Once in place, the new system will provide access to MyChart which many of our patients are familiar from other healthcare providers in the Bay Area. Using MyChart, patients will be able to access their own records, allow other healthcare providers on EPIC to access their records (with permission only), and, transact hospital business such as making appointments, ordering medications, and asking doctors questions. Our team is very excited about this transition as it will improve patient care, increase our efficiency and allow patients to more easily manage their personal information across providers.
• Shout Out – Sonoma Raceway
Sonoma Valley Hospital wishes to thank Sonoma Raceway for sending passes for staff to attend a recent NASCAR event.
• Remote Board Meetings Continue
The SVH board will continue to meet remotely until the end of this year. If the Governor ends the State of Emergency, the board will resume in-person meetings. But until then, our next board meeting is via Zoom, Thursday, July 7, 6:00 pm. All are welcome. Meeting information with the link is available at the hospital’s website HERE.
Sincerely,
Joshua
Joshua Rymer
Chair of the SVHCD Board of Directors