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Hospital board names new chair, nixes new building

Posted on December 13, 2012 by Sonoma Valley Sun

Bill Boerum is the new chair of the board of directors of the Sonoma Valley Health Care District, the unanimous choice of the panel that now consists of Sharon Nevins, Peter Hohorst, Kevin Carruth and Jane Hirsch.

What he is most looking forward to during the next year, Boerum told The Sun, is the completion of the hospital’s seismic retrofit and facilities upgrade project that is now well underway. “As a member of the CEO’s construction committee, I can tell you that the plan is that this $40 million-plus project, financed by the general obligation bond and capital campaign contributions, will be completed 11 months from now.”

On the important front of quality of patient care, he said, “We see all-time highs in patient satisfaction scores.” As the greatest immediate challenge, Boerum named “generating incremental patient revenues to permanently put the enterprise on a sustainable footing.”

Boerum also said he was disappointed that the hospital will not be pursuing development of a medical office building and health club on Fourth Street West between MacArthur and Bettencourt streets.

Plans called for a 31,000 sq. ft medical office building, along with a 21,000 sq. ft. Parkpoint Health Club, which would have relocated from its current Maxwell Village location.

The hospital pays about $14,000 per month to lease the four-acre property, currently used for parking and construction staging.

Though Hospital CEO Kelly Mather said a new medical building is important to recruiting and retaining doctors, the consensus was that neighborhood opposition to the project was just too strong.




Sonoma Sun | Sonoma, CA