In its meeting last week, the board approved the hospital’s request to proceed with plans for the first phase of the new Outpatient Diagnostic Center pending confirmation of receipt of funds from the Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation to cover this phase of the project.
This is an exciting project that will bring state-of-the-art technology and upgraded facilities to the hospital, with all planning and construction costs, and equipment purchases, funded by generous donors from our community.
The multi-year project has three phases, with the first phase creating a new CT scan suite in the hospital’s former surgery area, along with an enlarged reception and waiting area, and upgrades in adjacent public areas. The CT will be upgraded to a 128-slice scanner.
The board had previously approved funds for initial design and facility planning. In this meeting, the board approved an additional $1.4 million to cover further design, planning and submission to the state for approval. Total budget for this phase is $9.6 million, for which the Foundation has already received donations and confirmed pledges to cover that amount in full.
Following phases include plans to upgrade cardiology and lab services, and the north entrance, and purchase a new 3T MRI that will be installed inside of the hospital. Currently, an older unit is located in a trailer in front of the hospital.
These changes are essential both to bring hospital diagnostic capabilities into the 21st century and support SVH becoming the North Bay diagnostic hub for UCSF Health, allowing UCSF patients in the North Bay to come here for diagnostic imaging rather than travel into the city. This is projected to increase hospital net revenues by $1.5 million annually.
This project is important for the hospital and the community. It will bring state-of-the-art diagnostic capabilities to Sonoma that are important to patients with several types of conditions, and it will help make our hospital a draw for patients outside of our service area. We’re so thankful to our donors for investing in our future.
In other items:
- Skilled Nursing Facility task force chair Jane Hirsch reported that the group continues to monitor operations and financials for the unit. The task force will review the first financial results of the new operating guidelines, meant to significantly improve the performance of the unit, at the end of November. A more complete read out to the community is likely during the first quarter of 2019 after three months of operating results can be analyzed to better determine its financial viability.
- Kelly Mather also reported that the hospital’s 2018 annual report, covering the fiscal year that ended June 30, is in production and will be available to the community in early December.
Our next regular District Board meeting will be held on Thursday, December 6, at 6 pm in the Community Meeting Room, 177 1st St. West in Sonoma. The public is welcome to attend, and public comment is always encouraged.
Sincerely,
Joshua,
Joshua Rymer
Chair of the SVHCD Board of Directors