Thank you!
As we move deep into the holiday mode I have just two big words to offer each of you: Thank you!
When I look around at all that’s happened and is happening before my eyes at Sonoma Valley Hospital, I am amazed, impressed, and awed. What a community this is. Because of your generosity, we are step by step fulfilling the vision that in one way or other all of you have held, of a community hospital that is excellent, state-of-the-art, filled with dedicated professionals and grateful patients – and, not to mention, is seismically compliant. All of that is becoming a reality right here, right now, at Sonoma Valley Hospital. And it is happening because of you.
I truly believe that having a dedicated and excellent community hospital is essential for a healthy community. And a dedicated community is clearly essential to us. Because of your support, we’re now able to meet our ongoing operational costs and are enjoying more financial stability. Because of the funds from the GO Bond you voted for, we are proceeding with the upgrades that will help you sleep better at night, knowing you have a hospital here at home that is seismically stable enough to withstand a disaster. With the on-going upgraded infrastructure and a new, state-of-the-art ED and OR under way, our staff and physicians can continue to devote their lives to your health.
If you’ve ever wondered whether a small hospital could really be as good as one of the bigger city ones for your care, let me say that I recently reported to our Board of Directors some very impressive quality scores. They’re impressive not only because they show such radical improvement over this past year, but because we’ve surpassed our even our own goals. Along those lines, you should know that we’re in the process of implementing the Electronic Health Record, an impressive achievement for any hospital. We have already gone live with Surgery, Cardiopulmonary, Pharmacy and Rehabilitation services. We are continuing to improve in all areas of service excellence and our patient satisfaction scores are showing it. It has been exciting to see our staff really feeling and showing their pride at being able to serve here at SVH, because when it all comes down to it, the reason we’re doing any of this is for you, our community and our patients, and we’re constantly reminded by the stories our patients share how they have benefited from our excellent, nurturing care.
As for our master facility improvements, you can now see signs of your dollars at work as you drive by the campus. Our new paint job helps present a quality, cared for first impression that is bringing in many compliments. Some people may need time to adjust, but we love the way the gentle color blends into the trees and creates a feeling of harmony with the local landscape. Major construction on the building that will remain began in September and will continue through 2012. You will see us breaking ground on the new building breaking for Emergency and Surgery in the spring.
We continue to add local physicians who are supporters of our hospital. As you may have read, the Prima doctors now have their own state of the art office space on First Street West. Occupational Health has relocated within the hospital in the Professional Center to better serve our patients. The new location is larger, newer and more centrally located to Medical Imaging, the Emergency Room and the Laboratory. As we focus on updating our current facilities, you will see a clear outpatient entrance for greater convenience to access Cardiopulmonary, Occupational Health, Wound Care and Speech Therapy. In addition, we are expanding our wellness programs with Cardiac Rehabilitation and will offer a fully equipped Medically Oriented Gym (MOG) to serve our active seniors who may desire to exercise in the presence of a nurse or medical professional.
I hope you join us in the excitement that keeps building here at Sonoma Valley Hospital. As our long time friends have often said “It’s gratifying to see such good things happening and to know that, after all the years of plans and hopes, we’re really doing what you asked us to do.” It’s happening; it’s good, and it’s all for you!
Till next time,
Kelly Mather
President and CEO
Sonoma Valley Hospital