The Pajaro Valley Health Care District board will vote Wednesday on whether to ask voters to support a $105 million bond measure to help Watsonville Community Hospital buy the hospital buildings and the land they sit on and to help fund health care services. The district currently pays about $4 million a year to lease […]
Watsonville Community Hospital
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Watsonville Community Hospital nurses to picket Monday over ‘safe staffing, patient safety, retention’
Watsonville Community Hospital nurses are holding a picket Monday to protest “deep concerns about safe staffing, patient safety, retention, and recruitment” amid what they say have been “extremely contentious” negotiations for a new contract. “We sacrificed and struggled to care for our community during the pandemic and then worked to save this hospital from bankruptcy,” […]
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Against the odds, Watsonville Community Hospital survived bankruptcy. Will it survive the next few years?
While Watsonville Community Hospital recently celebrated a year since its rescue from bankruptcy, it continues to face enormous challenges. Hailed as a success story in how to save a distressed California hospital from closure, the hospital’s leaders point to the changes they are making to keep the doors open. But the hospital’s financial woes still loom large.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
New CEO Gray says he plans to make Watsonville Community Hospital ‘one of the best in the country’
Watsonville Community Hospital’s new CEO, Stephen Gray, says he aims to transform the facility into one of the nation’s top health care institutions. Gray, who takes over Nov. 1, said Thursday that he plans to address the hospital’s financial struggles and prioritize the happiness of staff and patients. He believes the hospital has the potential to make a significant impact on the health outcomes of the surrounding communities, which rank among the least-healthy populations in the country.
Posted inLatest News
Watsonville Community Hospital board approves 4-year, $640,000 annual contract for new CEO Stephen Gray
Watsonville Community Hospital’s governing board approved a four-year contract Wednesday for its new CEO, Stephen Gray. The current Sutter Bay Medical Foundation top executive will take over Nov. 1. Gray’s contract includes a base pay of $475,000 along with multiple incentive bonuses if the CEO hits annual goals set by the board, a $35,000 signing bonus and a 12-month severance package.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Sutter executive Stephen Gray chosen as new CEO of Watsonville Community Hospital
Watsonville Community Hospital’s governing board is set to vote next Wednesday to appoint Stephen Gray as its next CEO. Gray is the current chief administrative officer and operations executive for Sutter Bay Medical Foundation – Santa Cruz Division.
Posted inWatsonville / Pajaro
Survey shows support among residents for potential Watsonville Community Hospital property tax
Out of the 400 voters surveyed in the Pajaro Valley Health Care District, 75.5% said they would vote yes on a bond measure to support Watsonville Community Hospital and 2.5% said they were leaning in that direction. About 61% of voters supported a tax at an annual rate of $19 per $100,000 of assessed property value versus a total of 54% of voters who said they would support a higher rate of $24.
Posted inPolitics & Policy
Ailing Watsonville Community Hospital receives $8.3M rescue from state to ease cash crunch
Annual losses of $20 million or more have been trimmed to a $5 million operating loss under the nonprofit health care district that now runs Watsonville Community Hospital, and a no-interest loan from the state’s Distressed Hospital Loan Program will help with financial flexibility as officials work on other measures.
Posted inHealth & Wellness
Watsonville Community Hospital’s board takes another step toward pursuing bond measure
Pajaro Valley Health Care District voted Wednesday night to push ahead with plans to raise money to purchase the Watsonville Community Hospital’s land and buildings. The health care district purchased the hospital’s assets for more than $65 million. But it does not own the real estate, which it continues to lease from Alabama-based Medical Properties Trust for $250,000 a month.
Posted inEvents, Health & Wellness
Watsonville Community Hospital nurses protest staffing issues, virtual doctors, as contract negotiations begin
Nurses at Watsonville Community Hospital held a news conference Tuesday to highlight the departure of 42 nurses since new public ownership — Pajaro Valley Healthcare District — reduced the number of part-time positions available. They say they want a union contract with the district that addresses this and other daily challenges nurses face at the hospital.
