SV Hospital gets Palm Drive rehab contract

The Palm Drive Health Care District has accepted Sonoma Valley Hospital’s proposal to assume management of the rehabilitation therapy service for the Sebastopol facility.

The West County Hand and Physical Therapy Center shut down when the Palm Drive Hospital closed in April.

“West County is a valuable local asset and we want to ensure that it continues to serve our community,” said Daymon Doss, Palm Drive Health Care District executive director. “Sonoma Valley Hospital is a logical choice.”

The two hospitals have shared services in recent years, Doss said. “They know our community, and have excellent experience in rehabilitation and physical therapy through their own facility, which is a leading provider in the Sonoma Valley.”

SVH hopes to reopen the facility in September, Doss said, rehiring many previous staff members. While details have not been disclosed, Doss said the contract will provide the Palm Drive Health Care District with a share of revenues.

“We understand that physical therapy is a service that people like to have close by, and we intend to maintain the high level of service that Sebastopol patients have come to expect from the center,” said Kelly Mather, Sonoma Valley Hospital CEO.

The Sebastopol and Sonoma facilities are similar both in the range of services provided and the number of patients, Mather said.

Sonoma Valley Hospital currently operates a hand and physical therapy center in Sonoma that, like West County, is housed in a separate facility near the hospital. SVH’s center includes a broad range of services including: physical therapy; vestibular and falls prevention programs; postural corrections; therapeutic exercise; occupational health and therapy; pain management; and certified hand therapy.