El Camino Hospital Reports on Los Gatos Activation Progress

El Camino Hospital Los Gatos President Eric Pifer, M.D. Gives Progress Report to Community; Announces key manager hires and next hiring phase for new staff

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 14 /PRNewswire/ -- El Camino Hospital, the hospital of Silicon Valley, has announced some key hires as part of the activation progress for El Camino Hospital Los Gatos (formerly Community Hospital of Los Gatos). In his update at the monthly board of directors meeting last night, Dr. Eric Pifer, President of El Camino Hospital Los Gatos, also reported that a broader spectrum of clinical services will be available to patients when the location opens in mid-July, including emergency care, acute health care services, labor and delivery, urology, orthopedics, ophthalmology and several other specialty services.

"From key manager hires, to credentialing hundreds of physicians, to technology upgrades, we're very pleased with all we've been able to accomplish over the past several weeks," said Eric Pifer, M.D., chief medical officer, El Camino Hospital and president of El Camino Hospital Los Gatos. There is not yet an official re-opening date for the hospital, but a re-opening is anticipated sometime in July.

Among the key hires who will be part of El Camino Hospital Los Gatos is Pat Erbst, who served as director of the Emergency Department at Community Hospital of Los Gatos for the past 30 years. Erbst will serve as director of the Emergency Department in Los Gatos when it re-opens this summer.

"I'm very excited to get back to serving the community and working with our extended family in Mountain View," said Erbst. "I also want to thank our neighboring medical centers in Santa Clara County that have served the community well during this temporary closure."

Listed below are the majority of key managers that have been hired to oversee staff in several departments including the operating room (OR); intensive care unit (ICU); emergency department (ED); med-surge; urology; radiology as well as plant facilities operations and nutrition. These new leaders are in the process of reviewing new staff applications and, according to Dr. Pifer, are urging potential new employees to submit their applications. More than 275 positions for El Camino Hospital Los Gatos are now posted to www.elcaminohospitallosgatos.org. Many of these positions will start before the new location opens.

New managers/leadership at El Camino Hospital Los Gatos:

• Bido Baines, Executive Director, Urology Services
• Brandi Fitzsimmons, Manager, Nutrition Services
• Brendan Snyder, Interim Director, Orthopedic Services
• Carolee Crane, Manager, Medical Staff Services
• Cecilia Javier, Manager, Laboratory Services
• Cynthia Harmer, Manager, Perioperative Services
• David Hinojosa, Manager, Radiology Services
• Don Holmquest, M.D., Senior Director, Physician Services
• Kelly Guzman, Interim Chief Nursing Officer
• Lorna Koep, Manager, Environmental Services
• Magnus Allansson, Clinical Manager, Critical Care Services
• Manny Hernandez, Manager, Supply Chain
• Roxanne Jezyk, Clinical Manager, Labor & Delivery
• Tony Jakubowski, Manager, Engineering Services
• Trini Juarez, Clinical Manager, Orthopedic Services

Beyond the clinical services announcement and key hires update, Dr. Pifer gave the following progress updates:

• El Camino Hospital has on-boarded nearly 50 physicians and is in the process of evaluating the applications of more than 200 physicians for El Camino Hospital Los Gatos. Many of these physicians served in the Los Gatos community for years, so patients in the community can expect to see many familiar faces. Physicians will begin scheduling surgeries at Los Gatos in June.
• The community health library at El Camino Hospital Los Gatos will continue to be a part of the Los Gatos campus when the hospital campus opens this summer. The library will serve as a resource for physicians and patients, offering access to the latest medical research and guidance on how to find credible, valuable medical information. Enhanced services that will be offered after the opening include an expanded selection of textbooks and journals and access to new electronic databases.
• The Southwest Santa Clara Valley League of Women Voters and El Camino Hospital are co-sponsoring a forum on June 9, at 7 p.m. to update the community on hospital services in Los Gatos.
• El Camino Hospital Los Gatos has started a community lecture series on wellness. The next lecture will take place on June 10, at 7 p.m. at the Los Gatos Neighborhood Center. Eleanor Martinez, M.D. and Maria Greulich, a midwife, will discuss holistic pregnancy and birthing.

People interested in future openings with El Camino Hospital can send resumes to hr@elcaminohospital.org with "Los Gatos" in the subject line or visit El Camino Hospital's Job Finder at www.elcaminohospital.org to view our current job opportunities. Physicians are encouraged to call the physician hotline at 650-988-7698.

About El Camino Hospital

El Camino Hospital, ranked among the top five percent of hospitals nationwide for clinical excellence by HealthGrades, is an acute care, not-for-profit and locally-governed organization with campuses in Mountain View and Los Gatos, Calif. Key medical specialty focuses include cancer care, heart & vascular, neuroscience, genomic medicine, orthopedic & spine and women's health.

El Camino Hospital has delivered the highest level of medical services to the communities of Silicon Valley for more than four decades. The hospital is also recognized as a national leader in the use of health information technology to promote patient safety, including computerized order entry, electronic medical records and wireless communications.

To learn more about El Camino Hospital and its services in Mountain View and Los Gatos, visit our Web site at www.elcaminohospital.org. For a physician referral, visit our web site or call the El Camino Health Line at 800-216-5556.

SOURCE El Camino Hospital

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http://www.elcaminohospital.org