North Bay Business Journal

The Marin-Sonoma IPA announced its name is now Meritage Medical Network, citing a need to identify itself beyond specific geographic areas as it charts future growth while signaling a first step to becoming an accountable care organization, or ACO. …

Mark Zielazinski has joined Marin General Hospital as chief information and technology integration officer and will again be reporting to CEO Lee Domanico, for whom he worked at El Camino Hospital before Mr. Domanico left in 2006. …

The Palm Drive Health Care District recently voted to approve Tom Harlan as Palm Drive Hospital’s new chief executive officer. …

Kaiser Permanente’s Medical Center in Vacaville broke ground last week on a helipad that the hospital said will eventually be the largest to serve Solano County. …

Bill Boerum, currently treasurer of the Sonoma Valley Health Care District and in his sixth year on the board of directors, will be serving another four years because only he and two others filed for the three seats that were up for election this year. …

SONOMA — The entire 12-member board of the Sonoma Valley Hospital Foundation abruptly resigned earlier this week, the result of an apparent dispute between hospital management and the foundation over how to best attract fundraisers for the hospital

SONOMA — Staffing company founder Gary Nelson and his wife, Marcia, are making a $3 million gift toward an extensive upgrade of Sonoma Valley Hospital, including a new emergency department and other improvements, it was announced today.

SONOMA — Sonoma Valley Hospital will break ground this week on a $39 million upgrade that will bring the hospital in line with state-mandated seismic standards while significantly improving the 83-bed facility’s emergency department along with other improvements, officials said

SONOMA — Voters in Sonoma Valley on Tuesday easily passed a measure that extends for five years a $195 parcel tax that generates $2.8 million annually for the area’s public hospital.

SONOMA — Sonoma Valley Hospital is seeking a five-year extension of a parcel tax that provides more than $2 million in annual revenue for the district hospital, which officials say is vital to maintaining core and emergency services in eastern Sonoma County

BloodSource, a Sacramento area-based blood supplier of hospitals in Central and Northern California, has leased nearly 7,200 square feet at 3505 Industrial Drive in Santa Rosa, which will be the company’s permanent location for Sonoma County. … OffSiteCare, a telemedicine company founded by Sebastopol physician Dr. James Gude, has opened a central hub in San Francisco, where it it intends to provide nighttime hospitalist and specialist consultations for seven Northern California Hospitals, including several in the North Bay, the company said. … Daymon Doss, the current executive director of the Northern California Health Care Authority and former Petaluma Healthcare District CEO, has taken a three-month consulting job as interim executive director of the Mt. Diablo Health Care District in eastern Contra Costa County. … Marin Commuinty Clinics was awarded $460,000 by the Marin County Board of Supervisors to help adults suffering from the onset of serious psychiatric illness, along with other mental health services. … Napa County has selected San Diego-based McAlister Institute to operate a short-term residential and detox center on the campus of Napa State Hospital.

The Northern California Center for Well Being last week held its annual benefit, Celebration of Dreams, where Sonoma County health care professionals and officials were honored for their efforts in health and wellness.

SONOMA — The Sonoma Valley Healthcare District has settled on a $38.1 million plan for refurbishing the 83-bed hospital to make it seismically safe before the state-mandated deadline of March 2013.

GREENBRAE AND SONOMA – Marin General Hospital and Sonoma Valley Hospital have finalized a management services and affiliation agreement, a move both administrations say will help reduce costs while keeping two independent health care districts viable in a land of corporate giants.

NORTH BAY — A leading Marin County doctors’ association is heading an effort to create a potentially powerful network of hundreds of North Bay physicians that, if successful, would significantly alter the region’s health care landscape.

NORTH BAY — Daymon Doss, chief executive officer of the Petaluma Health Care District, has been appointed as executive director of the Northern California Health Care Authority.

SONOMA — The Sonoma Valley Healthcare District Board of Directors voted to join the Prima Medical Foundation, a nonprofit that provides management services to physicians. The foundation was formed earlier this year by Marin General Hospital, Marin IPA and Prima Medical Group to help attract physicians and maintain hospital competitiveness.

SONOMA – Sonoma Valley Hospital has a new top executive and plans for further shoring up the organization’s finances while modernizing facilities and increasing services.

SONOMA — Sonoma Valley Health Care District named former hospital administrator and “healing model” advocate Kelly Mather as president and chief executive officer of Sonoma Valley Hospital, replacing outgoing Carl Gerlach as of July 19.

Ms. Mather, 43, comes to the 83-bed hospital as the district board last week unanimously approved a five-year plan for $83 million in capital improvements.

The U.S. House of Representatives, with leadership from local Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, D-Petaluma, approved about $700,000 for local health care organizations in Marin and Sonoma counties.