California Hospital News Roundup for the Week of October 2, 2015
Children's Hospital of Orange County
Children's Hospital of Orange County will receive $17.7 million in federal funding over the next four years as part of a $685 million HHS grant program to improve patient care, the Orange County Register reports.
The hospital will receive $4.8 million in the first year. CHOC will partner with Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego to provide training, support and technical assistance for physicians in the two counties (Bharath, Orange County Register, 9/30).
Hoag Hospital Foundation
The Hoag Hospital Foundation has announced a campaign to raise $627 million by 2020 to expand access to care for Orange County residents, according to a release.
The initiative -- called Hoag Promise: Our Campaign to Lead, Innovate & Transform -- already has raised about $320 million in donations to connect patients with new resources. The campaign now is entering its "public phase" and will continue to raise money for hospital facility improvements, new endowed chairs, clinical trials, new technologies and other services (Hoag Hospital Foundation release, 9/28).
Miller Children's & Women's Hospital, Long Beach
Miller Children's & Women's Hospital has received $4 million from private donors, the Long Beach Press-Telegram reports.
A local family donated the money to name the Cherese Mari Laulhere Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at the hospital. The money will be part of an endowment campaign to support the facility's PICU services, including medical education and research, while other funding will pay for the unit's expansion and renovation (Archbold, Long Beach Press-Telegram, 9/28).
Watsonville Community Hospital
Watsonville Community Hospital nurses have called on the City Council to adopt regulations requiring the hospital to maintain safe staffing levels, the Santa Cruz Sentinel reports.
Nurses at the hospital allege that the facility is putting patients at risk with illegal nurse-to-patient ratios. The nurses also say the hospital fosters a culture of fear and disciplines those who bring up understaffing issues. Watsonville Community Hospital officials have denied such allegations (Masters, Santa Cruz Sentinel, 9/25).
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