Glendale Adventist Medical Center Celebrates 100th Birthday

In late September, Glendale Adventist Medical Center celebrated 100 years of healing with a weekend-long birthday bash. On Sept. 24, special Sabbath services were held at the Vallejo Drive church and featured members of the hospital’s executive team, Leland Kaiser, Ph.D., and the Centennial Celebration Choir. Saturday night a special program highlighted events at the hospital over the past century.

On Sunday, Sept. 25, the hospital’s centennial celebration culminated with a festive event that included clowns, magicians, stilt walkers, jugglers and balancing teams. Special kids activities featured a petting zoo, puppet theater and an arts and crafts center. In addition, a cup cake tower featured 3,000 mini birthday cakes, which were doled out to some of the more than 6,000 attendees.

Feather River Hospital Named Top Performance Improvement Leader

Feather River Hospital in Paradise, Calif., was recently named a Top Performance Improvement Leader by Solucient, a leading provider of strategic business and clinical information for the health care industry.

The hospital was recognized for developing consistent and effective organization-wide performance improvement across critical measures at a faster rate than other U.S. hospitals between 1999-2003. The measures included quality of care, operational efficiency and financial performance. Findings from the second edition of Solucient's 100 Top Hospitals®: Performance Improvement Leaders study appeared in the April 25 edition of Modern Healthcare. For more information, visit the hospital’s Web site at www.frhosp.org.

Paradise Valley Hospital to Build Senior Living Village

Paradise Valley Hospital (PVH), in National City, Calif., has announced plans to build a retirement center in an effort to provide affordable senior housing in the San Diego area.

The $75 million construction project, which is slated to begin in the spring of 2006, will consist of 493 units on approximately 12 acres adjacent to the main hospital campus. The hospital hopes that the first residents will be able to move in by the fall of 2007, with completion of the entire project expected in late 2008.

The retirement center will be designed to offer a spacious village feel to its residents, while providing numerous amenities including an on-site restaurant, bank, chapel, beauty salon, ice cream parlor, movie theater, library business center, outdoor putting green and tennis court. There also will be a fitness center complete with a weight room, lap pool and jacuzzi. In addition, several wellness services will be provided on-site such as fitness classes offered through the hospital’s Rehabilitation Department.

PVH’s Senior Living Village is a joint venture between the hospital and Generations, LLC., the same Portland, Oregon-based company that partnered with Adventist Medical Center to create CherryWood Village in Portland, Ore., and Walla Walla General Hospital on the construction of Wheatland Village in Walla Walla, Wash.

St. Helena Hospital Hosts Latino Health Fair

St. Helena Hospital, located in the Napa Valley, recently hosted a Latino Health Fair drawing approximately 150 members of the local Hispanic community. The ninth annual event, sponsored by the Latina Advisory Board, featured health information booths, various health screenings and fun activities for kids. Participants took advantage of several free screenings including vision, hearing, dental, height, weight, blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, HIV and more. In addition, a delicious, complementary lunch was served to participants.

Adventist Health Hospitals Install New Mammography Technology

Sonora Regional Medical Center has opened a new Mammography Center in the Sierra Foothills to give area residents improved access to mammography screenings. The new center boasts two low-RAD mammography units that are able to run simultaneously. With these two units, the hospital expects to see a 35 percent increase in the number of screenings performed annually. Additionally, the facility hopes to decrease the wait time between a positive screening exam report and the time during which a recall can be scheduled.

In addition, Ukiah Valley Medical Center recently installed a digital mammography system to enable Mendocino County physicians to detect and diagnose breast cancer with optimal accuracy. The new Senographe® DS full-field digital mammography from GE Healthcare is the most modern mammography equipment available. The system is designed to provide comprehensive care—from screening and diagnosis to interventional procedures. In addition, the system has a patient-centric design and intuitive controls that allow technologists to focus on patients, making the exam an easier and more comfortable experience.

Hanford Community Medical Center Opens New Cancer Center

Hanford Community Medical Center in Hanford, Calif., has opened a Cancer Center in partnership with Kaweah Delta Health Care District and a local physician group. The new center is part of Sequoia Regional Cancer Center, which has served area patients for more than two years. The new site offers advanced radiation in the form of Intensity Modulation Radiotherapy (IMRT), which helps pinpoint delivery of radiation to cancerous tumors.

White Memorial Medical Center Gets Serious About Art

White Memorial Medical Center in East Los Angeles is home to the area’s newest public art with more than 5,000 six-inch-square porcelain tiles exploding with vibrant color. The new murals have transformed the hospital’s main entrance into a focal point of public art. Each tile—individually crafted by ceramic artists—interprets the work of well-known East Lost Angeles painter Jose Ramirez, who created the original paintings from which the tile art is derived. The murals, which took eight months to complete, represent contemporary Los Angeles, combining elements from the hospital’s mission and its community. They speak of the culture, dreams and aspirations of all peoples.