Simi Valley Hospital Names New CEO
Adventist Health facility Simi Valley Hospital of Simi Valley, Calif. has announced its new President and CEO, Jennifer Swenson. According to the Moorpark Acorn, Swenson most recently served as Corporate Vice President of Kettering Health Network in Kettering, Ohio and has more than 20 years of finance, operations and business development leadership experience in the health care industry. She also served as President at Fort Hamilton Hospital in Fort Hamilton, Ohio. Swenson, who previously worked at Simi Valley Hospital as a controller from 2000-2004, will begin the role Aug. 17. She takes over from interim president Caroline Esparza, Senior Vice President of Patient Care and Chief Nurse Executive of Simi Valley Hospital.
Franciscan Alliance to Build New Hospital in Michigan City
Catholic health ministry Franciscan Alliance announced plans to build a new hospital in Michigan City, Ind., an additional campus for Franciscan St. Anthony Health. According to the NWI Times, the project is slated to be complete in 2017 and will cost approximately $175 million. The new campus will include 120 private inpatient rooms and will be licensed for 310 beds, but staffed for 138, due to many ailments being treated as outpatient procedures. Newer portions of Michigan City’s original Franciscan St. Anthony Health will be converted into hospice, assisted living or long-term care, though plans for the building have not been finalized.
Hospital Giants Baptist, Mount Sinai in Miami Beach Slugfest
Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach, Fl. put its foot down recently in the hopes of preventing Baptist Health from building a new urgent care center in the South Beach area. Mount Sinai said the new facility will create unwanted traffic buildup in an already heavily congested area of town. Mount Sinai is currently the only hospital in Miami Beach, and critics say its opposition was driven by self-interest. The hospital maintains its push-back was centered around neighborhood impact only. In a follow-up story July 28, the Miami Herald confirmed the Miami Beach Planning Board approved the Baptist Health center.
Ascension Buys Capella Out of Mid-Tennessee Joint Venture
Modern Healthcare reports that Ascension is assuming full ownership of four hospital facilities previously managed in partnership with Franklin, Tenn.-based Capella Healthcare. The two entities had entered into a joint-venture agreement in 2012 concerning Highlands Medical Center in Sparta, Tenn., River Park Medical Center in McMinnville, Tenn., Dekalb Community Hospital in Smithville, Tenn. and Stones River Hospital in Woodsbury. The deal included a $1 million renovation to Highlands Medical Center in Sparta, Tenn. and investments in the cardiac care centers of three other hospitals. Ascension has now bought out Capella’s stake in the venture.
St. Mary’s Produce Stand Helps Health Care Workers Stay Healthy
St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens, Ga., is facilitating an innovative solution to the challenge of promoting healthy lifestyles in a fast-paced world, particularly for hospital workers. Modeled after an Ann Arbor, Mich. hospital’s initiative, St. Mary’s has partnered with Athens Land Trust to open a produce stand within the facility to provide a convenient and fun way for hospital staff and visitors to eat well, Flagpole reports. The program also allows the community to learn more about local farmers and how to get the most out of the veggies they choose. The stand served more than 200 people in one day and moved nearly 250 pounds of produce, supporting small farmers in the community and promoting good nutrition.
