In the Monterey Bay area, hospitals are strong drivers in the
local economy, deliver high quality patient care, provide safety
net services to residents in need, improve community health
outcomes, and serve as a vital element in the region’s emergency
services plans.
Here is a sampling of partnerships, programs and services
designed to deliver quality patient care, increase access to
primary care services, and improve health outcomes in Monterey
County, San Benito County and Santa Cruz County.
Behavioral health is a public policy priority with a significant
impact on other policy priorities: access, financial challenges,
emergency services, governmental mandates, and workforce.
Community health is impacted by myriad policy issues including
access to care, care coordination, pre- and post-acute service
availability, community support service availability, as well as
the social determinants of health status such as poverty, housing
instability/affordability, food insecurity, lack of physical
activity, race/ethnicity, education, health literacy, and
documentation status.
Many of the barriers to effective emergency care systems are also
barriers to effective population health management and the
Associations’ vision of an optimally healthy society.
Pre-hospital care and services, emergency department crowding,
alternate destinations and treatment sites as well as post-acute
transfer options impact the effectiveness of emergency
departments and the ability of residents to receive the right
care, at the right time, in the right place.
Secure, effective exchange of patient health information is
critical to increase coordination of care and decrease costly
duplication of services. Issues involved include: data
ownership; privacy; connectivity; access; and local vs. statewide
HIEs.
Without sufficient, well-trained health care professionals at all
levels of the care continuum, access, quality, timeliness and
safety for patients and staff is compromised. Shortages include
specialty nurses, clinical lab scientists, respiratory and
physical therapists, radiology technologists and more.
Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula has invested
millions into a new cardiac lab that opened this past week and
allows doctors to correct abnormal heart rhythms without the use
of potentially dangerous drugs. (Monterey Herald)
Adventist Health in the Central Valley received eight Energy to
Care Awards from the American Society for Health Care Engineering
(AHSE) for reducing energy use and freeing up resources to
support patient care. Adventist Health medical offices in
Coalinga, Fowler, Hanford, Home Garden, Huron, Madera and Selma,
as well as Adventist Health’s Kerr Outpatient Center in Hanford,
received recognition. (The Sentinel)
Kaiser Permanente has helped usher about 300 homeless seniors off
the streets of Oakland and into stable housing over the past six
months — a milestone that means the healthcare giant is more than
halfway to its ultimate goal. (The Mercury News)
UC Davis Health is entering into a $1.8 million partnership with
the American Medical Association to boost the number of
physicians in rural Northern California. (Sacramento
Business Journal)
In recognition of its expertise in serving adults with congenital
heart disease (CHD), Sutter Medical
Center, Sacramento earned accreditation from the Adult
Congenital Heart Association (ACHA), a nationwide organization
focused on connecting patients, family members and healthcare
providers to form a community of support and a network of experts
with knowledge of CHD. It is the third accredited adult
congenital heart disease (ACHD) program
in California and the first in the
greater Sacramento region. (Cision PR Newswire)
The Hospital Council of Northern and Central California is the
unified voice of our members, acting as a catalyst to empower
hospitals to act together on issues affecting patient care and
the health status of communities. We are dedicated to advocating
for our member hospitals at the
local and regional level and in support of California
Hospital Association (CHA) at the State and Federal level.
We strive to be an invaluable partner, convening groups across
multiple sectors to address health and quality of life challenges
within our communities.
