The Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation Board of Directors announced Mary Graf Caletges as its new Executive Director. Caletges had held the position of Foundation Coordinator with the organization for the last two years.
“I feel very positive that the SVH Foundation will remain a strong supporter of Sonoma Valley Hospital during another economically challenging year,” she told The Sun. “My optimism is buoyed by our community’s dedication to excellence in quality healthcare, and I am heartened by the trend of groups and individuals to collaborate toward their common goals.”
Experience in business administration and communications were key to the board’s decision, she said. “My plans include additional community networking on behalf of our organization to ensure that we are doing all we can to support the foremost healthcare needs of our community at Sonoma Valley Hospital.”
Founded in 1982, the foundation is the hospital’s chief fundraising arm, providing charitable support for equipment, services and programs. On February 1, it announced that it will provide the hospital’s Skilled Nursing Facility with 17 new beds.
According to SNF director Melissa Evans, “We had 10 new beds last year, but the rest of our beds are very old, rebuilt, 1965-era beds.” Of the facility’s 27 beds, the older ones, Evans said, had out-dated controls that were difficult to adjust.
By funding projects the hospital itself could not afford, the SNF is a unique and valuable service provider for this community, according to Hospital CEO Carl Gerlach. “It plays a critical role in our hospital’s being able to provide a continuum of care. You will not find that in other communities. We are fortunate.”
The hospital will also soon benefit from a room-upgrade project made possible by another group of donors. As donations make it possible, rooms will be remodeled with new window treatments, new flooring, two flat-screen TVs in each room, and possibly new lighting and new bed curtains. With the guidance of Suzanne Brangham, who consulted on the successful SVH Birthplace renovation, the SNF rooms will be repainted in warm and appealing colors. The first room could be complete as soon as next week.
