The first three candidates for Sonoma hospital board

Quick to jump in on the first day to officially file, three candidates have declared for the Sonoma Valley Health Care District Board of Directors race. Susan Idell and Judith Bjorndal, MD, are seeking two open spots, and incumbent Bill Boreum is running again.

Two members of the current five-member board for Sonoma Valley Hospital’s governing body have stated they will not seek another term: Jane Hirsch, RN, MS, and Sharon Nevins. The other two members, Joshua Rymer and Michael Mainardi, MD, face reelection in 2020.

The filing period opened today for the November 3 ballot, and closes ends August 7.

The three candidates made their announcement today with a group statement.

“I am delighted to be running for election as a team with these women of accomplishment,” Boreum said. “I look forward to serving with them.”

Judith Bjorndal, MD, and Susan Kornblatt Idell have filed for two open positions on the Sonoma Valley Health Care District Board of Directors on the November ballot. These positions are currently held by Jane Hirsch, RN, MS, and Sharon Nevins, who have announced their intentions not to run again when their terms expire this year.  In addition, incumbent board member Bill Boerum has filed to continue in his position.

Judith Bjorndal is a retired physician who moved to Sonoma to begin her private pediatric practice in 1979. She was an addiction medicine specialist and has been medical director at drug and alcohol facilities. She served as Medical Director at the Sonoma Developmental Center for ten years, until her retirement in 2010. 

She graduated from Occidental College in Los Angeles with a BA and Wayne State University Medical School with an MD. She completed her pediatric residency training at Oakland Childrens Hospital, serving as Chief Resident her final year. She also holds an MBA from St. Mary’s College

Bjorndal has been active in the non-profit community, as a former board member (and president) of the Boys and Girls Club, and supports many other organizations as well, such as La Luz, Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation (she was presented with the Foundation’s Pulse Award in 2011), and the Sonoma Valley Fund. She is also a founding member of Impact 100.

Susan Kornblatt Idell was a gerontologist for over thirty years in San Francisco, at UCSF and at On Lok Lifeways, a non-profit serving the frail elderly. Her work focused on the training of professionals in the field of geriatrics and gerontology as well as on models of care for the frail elderly. 

In 2010, Kornblatt Idell and her husband moved to Sonoma. They have a small family vineyard and wine production business.  She has been a volunteer member of the Sonoma Valley Hospital’s Quality Committee for seven years and was a member of the Skilled Nursing Task Force, as well as being a supporter of many local non-profit organizations.

SVHCD boardmember Bill Boerum currently is chair of the Governance Committee, and has twice served as board chair as well as a member of the Finance Committee. He served for three years on the CEO’s Strategic Planning Committee. Recently, Bill was appointed as one of two members of the Compensation Committee to review the CEO’s compensation, manage the annual performance review, and recommend performance goals for next year. He and his wife, Nancy have been major donors to the Hospital’s capital campaigns. 

Related to his work on the district board, he has served as vice chair and a member of the board of directors of the Association of California Health Care Districts, and as chair of the Northern California Health Care Authority. Bill’s local civic interests include the Sister Cities Association where he was President, and as chair and commissioner of the City of Sonoma’s Community Services and Environment Commission.

A Sonoma Valley resident for almost 30 years, Bill has an MBA degree from Cornell University. A corporate banker for 25 years, he operates a wine tour business. 

Sonoma Valley Hospital was founded in 1946 as a non-profit district hospital and is governed under the Bylaws of the Sonoma Valley Health Care District by a publicly elected Board of Directors. Directors hold non-paid positions and serve four-year terms, with elections taking place during general elections for local, state or national offices. 

As part of the Sonoma Valley Health Care District, the Hospital is supported primarily by revenues from services, augmented by taxpayer support in the form of a parcel tax, charitable bequests and donations.

Current members of the board who are not up for re-election this year are Joshua Rymer and Michael Mainardi, MD