Health Center chief steps down

After four years, Cheryl Johnson has resigned as CEO of the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center. Her last day will be December 31, 2016.

During her four-year tenure, Johnson oversaw the building of the new center at 19270 Sonoma Highway, bringing together services that had been handled through multiple cramped offices on Sonoma’s West Napa Street.

Johnson has brought the health center back from a difficult cash situation and put it on firm financial footing by working with community donors and expanding the clientele from 6,000 to 7,500 patients, according to Rich Gantenbein, Pastor of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church and Chair of the SVCHC Board.

“We are losing a leader,” said Gantenbein. “We have marveled at Cheryl’s consistent and steady improvements of SVCHC, her attention to detail and responsiveness to the changes in health care that seem to come every week.”

Johnson created the new Dental Service and is in the process of bringing a pharmacy in house by September 2016. She started or brought in other services to assist SVCHC clients, including co-location of WIC within the Center, retinopathy services, Sure Touch (an innovative, no radiation approach to breast examination), classes and groups such as lactation support and the Teen Group.

With the support of her amazing staff, Ms. Johnson started the transition of the patient care model to a team based approach. Ms. Johnson implemented Electronic Health Records and introduced other changes to keep SVCHC in compliance with the ever changing medical regulations of the U.S. and California, Gantenbein said.

Sonoma Valley Community Health Center is a federally qualified health center whose mission is to provide accessible, quality health care to those who need it, especially the underserved. The center provides primary, prenatal, behavioral health and dental care as well as other ancillary services. In 2015, the Center saw 7,000 people who generated over 33,000 visits.