Cirrus Health has officially submitted its plans to build a new, privately funded hospital to replace the current Sonoma Valley Hospital.
The Dallas, Tex.-based health care company on Oct. 31 gave its proposal to the Sonoma Valley Health Care Coalition, the ad hoc group that’s trying to keep some kind of hospital facility going in the valley following the failure in May of Measure C, the $148 million bond proposal to build a new, earthquake-safe hospital.
A key to Cirrus Health’s plan will be attracting young, new physicians who will want to take advantage of the opportunity to invest in the proposed hospital, said the “market analysis” section of the Cirrus Health proposal.
The proposal said that within 10 days, Cirrus Health will present signed letters of intent from 40 physicians who want to participate.
“Should these physicians participate, Cirrus will effectively more than double the staff of physicians currently practicing at Sonoma Valley Hospital,” the proposal said.
Cirrus Health proposes building its hospital on the northwest corner of Eighth Street East and Napa Road, on a 22-acre site that it would share with the Sonoma Medical Spa, a luxury medical spa proposed by developer Henry Grause.
Construction of Cirrus Health’s proposed hospital would require that city of Sonoma voters expand the city’s urban growth boundary to include about 70 acres of land that’s now in the county.
The lion’s share of the land that would be incorporated into the city’s boundaries is owned by Art Fichtenberg, said Boyes Hot Springs architect Michael Ross, who’s working with Grause.
The coalition, which is receiving about $200,000 in funding from the hospital, has hired an outside consultant that will evaluate proposals for a new hospital brought forth by Cirrus and other parties, including hospital officials.
