July Board Chair Report
July 23, 2024Leer en español
July 12, 2024
Dear Sonoma Valley Community,
Our July 11 Board meeting was held at Booker Hall, at La Luz Center, as part of our efforts to reach out to the Sonoma Valley community. I would like to thank Leonardo and the staff at La Luz for generously hosting us. It was one of those extremely hot days, so I think we were all grateful that the meeting was relatively short. And we did have two very good reasons for celebration.
The first is that Sonoma Valley Hospital has been recognized as one of the most socially responsible hospitals in America, receiving “A” grades in Equity, Value, and Outcomes on the 2024-25 Lown Institute Hospitals Index. Out of more than 3,500 hospitals measured by Lown, only 5% achieved honor roll status, with Sonoma Valley Hospital ranking among this select group of high performers.
Sonoma Valley Hospital ranked 2nd out of 258 hospitals in California and 10th out of 2758 nationally on the Lown Index, which includes high grades in Cost Efficiency, Clinical Outcomes, and Avoiding Overuse metrics. We are particularly proud of this recognition because we feel it reflects the culture that all of our employees work so hard to maintain.
The second is that July marks the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Emergency Department and advanced Surgery Suites hospital wing. Thanks to the incredible generosity and foresight of local donors, we have an emergency facility that has been a lifeline for our community, with over 100,000 patient visits, providing critical care and support to the residents of Sonoma Valley. By the time you read this, the hospital will have been Sonoma’s spotlight nonprofit at the Farmers Market on the Plaza on Tuesday the 16th. We hope you were able to stop by and meet members of our team and help us celebrate.
LA LUZ PRESENTATION
Leonardo Lobato, Executive Director of La Luz welcomed us to Booker Hall for his annual presentation. He began with a wonderful history of La Luz, founded by Ligia Booker nearly 40 years ago. Formalized in 1995, Booker Hall was an old church and the now office building was a house which was conferred to La Luz for $1. Building on their framework of equal access to everyone in the valley, La Luz offers many workshops, mental healthcare, English classes and is host to several events throughout the year, creating a special place for the community to gather.
Mr. Lobato shared the many successes and growth of the past year, running more than 100 programs and sub-programs all with a staff of 22. La Luz focuses on the basic needs of the community served – legal services, housing and shelter and access to healthcare. Last year, they provided 2300 services to 1000 people in which another 1000 people indirectly benefited. This year’s objective is to double the reach which, if met, will enable more families to achieve their dreams and aspirations here in Sonoma Valley.
La Luz is such an important community partner to us. We discussed how we can work more closely with them for the Health Care District to better serve all of Sonoma Valley.
ADMINISTRATIVE REPORT
The state inspection of our new 3T MRI finally took place. There are a couple of small modifications needed. Training is completed and we look forward to starting to see patients soon.
CMO UPDATE
In her report to the Board, Dr. Sabrina Kidd shared that ED volumes were up 14% in June averaging 34 patients per day, the highest daily census of 2024. The hospital’s ER doctors are navigating the increased caseload seamlessly and are continuing to provide excellent care to all who come in. The new orthopedist, Dr. Walter, is up and running in the clinic. Unfortunately, he recently sustained an injury in his arm and temporarily cannot perform surgeries but is seeing patients in the clinic and is scheduling procedures for the near future.
FINANCIALS FOR MONTH END MAY 2024
CFO Ben Armfield gave a brief report. While April delivered one of (if not the best) months of the fiscal year, overall performance in May came in similarly to the previous 3-4 months. The hospital continues to navigate through our orthopedic transition with Dr. Walter and there was a slower than normal month with inpatient admissions, not uncommon in summer. The Board greatly appreciates hearing that with continued, effective cost-control measures, the hospital exceeded the budget in Operating EBDA for the month.
COMMITTEE UPDATES
Susan Kornblatt Idell, Chair of the Quality Committee, gave an update on that committee’s activities. I try to sit in on nearly all of the Board committee meetings and I’m always impressed with the energy and the diligence of the Quality Committee. Susan has been on the committee for about 10 years and took the opportunity to talk about her appreciation of the committee members, which the whole Board appreciated.
I’m looking forward to our next meeting on August 1, 2024, in Sonoma’s City Council Chambers. Board meeting updates and agendas can be found here as the date nears.
If you would like to watch the July meeting in full, a video recording is available here.
Warm regards,
Judy
Judith Bjorndal, M.D.
Board Chair, Sonoma Valley Health Care District
E-Mail
