Greetings!
When preparing my talk for the “Celebration of Women” event the other week, I found myself in a state of overwhelming gratitude. Sonoma Valley Hospital has really turned a corner. Our ground breaking ceremony that most of you have either read about or attended earlier this month was a testament to SVH taking a giant step into the future. My talk ended up to be a summary of my top ten gratitudes.
First – I’m grateful that we have been able to break ground on our new emergency department and surgical center. When it is done, in 2013, we will have the newest and finest center of its kind in the North Bay. Moreover, thanks to the amazingly generous $3 million gift from the Nelson family, we are assured the funding to finish the project and purchase the equipment which was not covered in the bond.
Second – We are very relieved and grateful for the community support shown in April through the passage of the much needed Parcel Tax. As you well know we, like all small hospitals, must rely in part on community support to maintain Emergency services at the current level.
Third – We’re all grateful to have our new state of the art Hand and Physical Therapy center on Highway 12. As anyone who has worked with our staff knows, we have first rate, dedicated and inspiring physical therapists.
Fourth – I feel blessed to have physicians of such high quality at Sonoma Valley Hospital. Our radiologists, pathologists and hospitalists (doctors who specialize in inpatient care) are working on a rotating basis with a tertiary care hospital – Marin General Hospital. These physicians treat higher-level acuity than most all of our surrounding hospital based physicians – and they are right here in Sonoma!
Fifth – I am excited to report that our quality scores are above the national average and this excellent care is guided by medical directors who are truly dedicated to our hospital and to insuring the highest quality of care for our community. Drs. Cohen, Verducci, Price, Campbell, Olness, Lane and Amara are trusted members of our community and are the backbone of our institution.
Sixth – Thanks to the partnership and excellent recruitment of Prima Medical Foundation, we have new energetic and dedicated physicians who are open and ready to guide Sonoma residents through their health care journey. Drs. Malik, Bozzone, Smith, Perryman, Brown have all recently come to our community to join our excellent primary care physician: Dr. Sebastian. And we already had two great partners here with Drs. Mishra and Liu.
Seventh – Thanks to our affiliation with Marin General Hospital, we are on the path toward stability. MGH also helped us meet the majority of the physician needs here in Sonoma by encouraging top notch specialists to offer local office days in Urology, Oncology and Hematology.
Eighth – I’m grateful to have such an incredible board of directors. Their dedication, wisdom and expertise are truly amazing. They are model community members and represent you so very, very well.
Ninth – I’m grateful to have found the most amazing group of healers, leaders and staff here at the hospital. I can’t say enough about our team and their dedication to Sonoma. Over 50 percent of our staff live and work here and it shows in their care.
Finally – I’m pleased for the recent national recognition we are receiving for our services. Our Home Care program has been recognized as in the top 25 percent in the nation, our Skilled Nursing Facility has been given highest ratings from Medicare, and our infection control is about to be nationally recognized for excellence. I’ll tell you more about that next month.
In summary, I am grateful to serve as the leader of Sonoma Valley Hospital. Not only do we have a fine emergency and trauma center, but we have a full continuum of excellent services and physician specialists sufficient to almost all our health care needs – to keep you healthy all through life, right here at home. Why would anyone want to leave home for health care?
Till next time,
Kelly
Kelly Mather
President and Chief Executive Officer
Sonoma Valley Hospital