Adventist Health Announces Executive Changes

Alan J. Rice recently announced his retirement as senior vice president at Adventist Health and will end his 36-year career Dec. 31. During his tenure, Rice worked in many leadership capacities and received multiple national recognition awards. Upon Rice’s retirement, Scott Reiner, currently president and CEO of Glendale Adventist Medical Center (GAMC), will assume the role of senior vice president.

Beginning January 2007, Reiner will chair the Northern California boards of Feather River Hospital, Howard Memorial Hospital, Ukiah Valley Medical Center and the joint Redbud Community Hospital/St. Helena Hospital board. In addition, he will be the board chair for Central Valley General Hospital, Hanford Community Medical Center and Selma Community Hospital, all in Central California. Reiner also will oversee business development, physician strategies, as well as acquisitions and divestitures.

Reiner has a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Pacific Union College in Angwin, Calif., and a master’s degree in health administration from California State University, Northridge.

Adventist Health Hosts Physician Symposium

Adventist Health hosted its first physician symposium Oct. 9 and 10 in San Diego, Calif. Themed “Directions ’06: Charting Our Quality Course,” the event, which attracted more than 250 people, focused on clinical quality and featured several renowned physician speakers.

“The goal of this symposium was to bring together physicians from across our system and give them an opportunity to network and learn more about our quality journey,” said Donald R. Ammon, president and CEO of Adventist Health. “Providing the best, up-to-date care to our patients is a top priority and collaborating with our physicians on the latest quality trends is an important aspect of our commitment to our patients and our mission.”

Two Adventist Health Hospitals Plan New Rural Health Clinics

Central Valley General Hospital recently broke ground on a new rural health clinic. The 4,696 square-foot clinic will be the 14th location in the growing Central Valley Family Health network and will feature eight exam rooms, a procedure room, a lab and X-ray services.

In Northern California, Feather River Hospital plans to construct a new rural health clinic. The $13 million project will have a total of 41,000 square-feet and feature 66 exam rooms. Services at the new site will include family practice, psychiatric, pediatrics and maternal care. Expected to open in early 2008, the Paradise, Calif., facility also will have two dentists on staff and will feature an outpatient pharmacy.

Glendale Adventist Medical Center Breaks Ground on Ambulatory Surgery Center

With a special ceremony in mid-August, Glendale Adventist Medical Center broke ground on a new ambulatory surgery center. The new center is a joint venture between the hospital and physicians. When completed in late 2007, the $4.5 million project will feature four operating rooms and one procedure room for outpatient surgeries.

Ukiah Valley Medical Center Installs Nuclear Medicine Imaging Device

Called the Millenium MG, manufactured by GE Healthcare, Ukiah Valley Medical Center’s new equipment will handle a high volume of whole body imagining, three-dimensional reconstruction and synchronization with a patient’s body rhythms. The nuclear imagining device also will allow the hospital to provide exceptional functional imaging to complement its digital MRI, digital mammography, digital X-ray and other imaging modalities.