El Camino Hospital Updates Community on Progress With Los Gatos Campus Activation

Some clinical services decisions determined for ECH 'sister' site

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 12 /PRNewswire/ -- El Camino Hospital, the hospital of Silicon Valley, today announced some of the services that will be available when the new Los Gatos location re-opens for service this summer. The Los Gatos site will offer acute care services, including emergency, medical, surgical, intensive care and labor and delivery services, as well as continuing the location's commitment to orthopedics/spine and urology. El Camino Hospital (ECH) is currently scheduled to take possession of the campus and buildings on June 1, or possibly sooner if an agreement is reached, and will need a minimum of 90 days to re-open the campus.

"We are very happy with the activation progress at this point and appreciate the great response we've received from the community," said Eric Pifer, M.D., chief medical officer, El Camino Hospital and incoming president of the Los Gatos site. "In addition to these services, we have determined our medical staff structure, and put a department structure into place for when the Los Gatos location re-opens. We will be continuing to hold medical staff meetings under El Camino Hospital's license during the closure period."

"During the coming closure period, we will be working closely with County Emergency Medical Services, Good Samaritan Hospital, and other health providers to make sure the community continues to have multiple care options available. We will also be expanding the services and availability at El Camino Hospital to minimize the impact the closure will have on the community."

Task Forces Assigned for Transitions

To help with the decision to offer labor and delivery services, the activation team met with obstetrics and gynecology physicians in the Los Gatos and Saratoga communities. A task force of physicians and clinicians is being formed to help with the transition and development of the future OB/GYN program. In addition, ECH announced that Community Hospital of Los Gatos' current orthopedics and spine department, which has received five-star ratings from HealthGrades, will also be among the services offered at the new Los Gatos campus.

El Camino Hospital to Participate in Los Gatos Job Fair

ECH representatives will be among the area hospitals participating at a job fair to be held at Community Hospital of Los Gatos on Tuesday, March 24, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tenet, the current hospital operator, is hosting the fair as part of its outplacement effort.

"We have received an overwhelming response from physicians interested in joining the ECH medical staff family - 400 and counting - and as we progress in determining all of the clinical services that will be offered, more positions will become available, so we encourage all interested health care professionals to either attend the job fair, visit us at our liaison office, or send us their resumes," said Dr. Pifer.

Liaison Office Open to Public

Questions about the Los Gatos campus, including clinical service offerings, position openings, patient and emergency care questions and others are being addressed at the new liaison office located at 825 Pollard Road, in Los Gatos. The office is set up to serve as a community resource for South Bay physicians, potential ECH employees and members of the community who have questions about the activation plans for the hospital's new Los Gatos location. The office staff are available to answer questions and provide updated information during normal business hours. Staff can also be reached by phone at 650-962-4949.

To learn more about this acquisition, please visit our online newsroom at: www.losgatoselcamino.org or call 1-888-650-5124.

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. More information about El Camino Hospital's Medical Staff is available at www.elcaminohospital.org.

About El Camino Hospital

Established in 1961, the 399-bed, not-for-profit El Camino Hospital has delivered the highest level of medical services to the community for more than four decades. Its quality programs and high customer satisfaction rankings have been recognized locally and nationally. Since 2005, HealthGrades, a national rating company, has named El Camino Hospital a Distinguished Hospital for Clinical Excellence, placing it in the top 5% of hospitals nationwide. El Camino Hospital is one of only 14 hospitals in California designated as a nursing magnet hospital by the American Nursing Credentialing Center. Specialties include cardiac care, dialysis, cancer care, maternal child health services, orthopedics, neurosurgery and behavioral health. 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, 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