North Bay Business Journal

Palm Drive to ask for proposals from seven potential partners

SEBASTOPOL — Palm Drive Hospital’s board of directors is set to issue a “request for information” to a group of health care organizations the hospital said could be “potential strategic partners.”

Sutter’s Brotman takes on expanded role

NORTH BAY — Sutter Health today announced that Martin Brotman, currently the president of its West Bay Region, will assume the new role of senior vice president of education, research and philanthropy for the Sacramento-based health care organization.

Health Care: Groups collaborate on 20th HeartWorks Fitness Center

The Northern California Center for Well-Being, along with the Northern California Medical Associates, today celebrated the 20th anniversary of the HeartWorks Fitness Center, a cardiovascular rehabilitation program. The Center for Well-Being, which focuses on wellness and preventative care, and NCMA, a practice of cardiologists, have collaborated on the program made possible by ongoing support from [...]

Spotlight on Facilities Managers in the North Bay

Editor’s note: This is the Business Journal’s first Spotlight on Facilities Managers in the North Bay. According to the International Facility Management Association, professionals in this job usually are responsible for compliance with laws and regulations on real estate, efficient operations of buildings to limit waste in natural and human resources, safety for employees and environmental sustainability.

“People, place, process, technology,” is the association’s catchphrase for such a position. The following are facility managers identified from among the largest public and private North Bay employers.

Marin General’s Domanico: ‘We defied conventional wisdom’

GREENBRAE — One year removed from a protracted divorce with Sutter Health, officials at Marin General Hospital said the county’s largest health care facility is financially stable and poised to remain on the path of being a successful, independently run hospital.

A $284 million, job-creating hospital project wins in court

Suppose someone came to your region and agreed to build a $284 million, state-of-the art medical facility to replace one a few miles away that is aging and seismically unsafe. This new hospital facility, which underwent more than six years of regulatory and public review, would accept responsibility for treating residents in your community regardless of their ability to pay.
It would be the largest project of its kind in your community in more than 60 years and, as it happens, would come at a time when the overall economy is in its worst recession since the Great Depression. You would say, of course, sue them.

Judge sides with Sutter over new hospital

SANTA ROSA — A Sonoma County judge has sided with Sutter Health and the Board of Supervisors over opponents of Sutter’s forthcoming $284 million hospital north of Santa Rosa, determining that the environmental impact review was exhaustive and that the suing parties did not have legal standing.

Next residency class chosen: 12 from 540 applicants

SANTA ROSA — The Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency, which pairs recently-minted doctors with Sutter Medical Center of Santa Rosa in conjunction with the University of California, San Francisco, announced its incoming class for 2014.

Judge weighs arguments in Sutter hospital project lawsuit

SANTA ROSA — A Sonoma County judge today heard arguments in a lawsuit filed to stop construction of Sutter Health’s $284 million hospital next to the Wells Fargo Center for the Arts north of Santa Rosa. A ruling is expected within the next few months.

Opportunities ahead: Construction conference panelists tell what to expect

Major areas of opportunity for construction in the North Bay are commercial tenant improvements, multifamily housing, health care facilities and energy-efficiency retrofits, according to a panel of experts set to speak at the Business Journal’s Construction Conference 2011 on Tuesday.

Marin Community Foundation distributes $2 million in grants from Sutter fund

NOVATO — The Marin Community Foundation announced today that it distributed $2 million in grants from the Sutter Health Access to Care Fund to Marin County community health centers and non-profit health care agencies that serve residents with little or no health insurance.

Large regional physician network planned

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.

Construction enters new phase for Sutter hospital

SANTA ROSA — Sutter Health today said construction at the site of its new $284 million hospital just north of Santa Rosa will enter a second phase this month and on-site road work will begin in May.

Sutter’s Cohill interim CEO of doctor group

NORTH BAY – Sutter Health Senior Vice President Mike Cohill has been named interim chief executive officer of the Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation, a 250-plus network of physicians.

Sutter, Marin General sent to arbitration; district may appeal

GREENBRAE — Marin General Hospital is being required to go into arbitration instead of court with its claim against Sutter Health that it improperly transferred more than $120 million out of the hospital, a Marin Superior Court judge ruled.

Marin Community Foundation gives $250,000 in grants for disease prevention

NOVATO — The Marin Community Foundation provided a $250,000 grant from the Sutter Health Access to Care Fund to the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services to help prevent and detect disease among uninsured low-income residents of Marin. It was the third round of funds distributed from the $10 million donor-advised fund administered by the foundation.

Medical group gets state-of-the-art CT scanner

SANTA ROSA – Redwood Regional Medical Group has purchased a new 128-slice, low-dose CT scanner, the first of its kind in the North Bay.

Health care Q&A: Leaders in the North Bay

The BUSINESS JOURNAL will present its 2010 Health Care Conference from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 18 at the Hyatt Vineyard Creek in Santa Rosa. In advance, we asked for comments from health care leaders and panelists Kevin Klockenga of St. Joseph Health System – Sonoma County; Martin Brotman, M.D., Sutter Health West Bay Region; Nancy Oswald, Redwood Community Health Clinics; Kirk Pappas, M.D., Kaiser Permanente; Wayne Fairchild, Redwood Regional Medical Group, and Mike Purvis of Sutter Health in Sonoma County.

Sutter merges Solano, Sacramento physician groups

SOLANO COUNTY – Sutter Health’s Solano medical group is merging with three other Sutter groups, forming one of the largest physician networks in Northern California with almost 500 doctors and 122 other health professionals.

Marin foundation distributes $500,000 to health programs

NOVATO – Grants totaling $500,000 were distributed by the Marin Community Foundation to provide health care to uninsured children and to help older adults remain in their homes as long as possible in the second round of funding from the Sutter Health Access to Care Fund.