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- Hospital Foundation Names New Chairman (11/18/2003)
- Hospital's Continuing Care Center Scores High in Quality (11/18/2002)
Hospital Foundation Names New Chairman
November 18, 2003
Ojai, California -- The Ojai Valley Community Hospital Foundation has announced the appointment of Martin Pops, M.D., as their new Chairman of the Board. He succeeds Alan Rains who had been Chairman of the Foundation since 2000, when the Hospital was established as a locally owned and operated non-profit organization.
Dr. Pops looks forward to the challenges ahead and states, “my leadership style has always been one of consensus building, and I am fully cognizant that it’s the Board’s ultimate responsibility for ensuring that the Hospital provides our community with high quality health care. My focus will be unwavering in making sure the professional services of our Hospital are of the highest standards”.
Dr. Pops received his medical degree from the University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine, and completed his residency at U.C.L.A., where he then began a distinguished career. Among the many responsibilities he accepted while at UCLA, most notably were his tenures as Professor of Medicine and Senior Associate Dean - Student and Curricular Affairs.
In addition, he is a Life Fellow of the American College of Physicians, and of the American Gastroenterological Association. Past recognitions include the Distinguished Service Award from the UCLA Medical Alumni Association, the
Award for Excellence in Education from the UCLA School of Medicine, and the Award for Excellence, Professional Achievement given to him by the UCLA Alumni Association.
Dr. Pops’s wife Barbara is also active with the Hospital, and has just concluded a term as President of the Ojai Valley Community Hospital’s Guild, which fundraises for the Hospital through two wonderful social events - the Nightingale Ball and Western Casino Night.
“The Board looks forward to Dr. Pops’s leadership. He brings a great deal of knowledge and expertise within the health care industry to our group”, states Victoria Alexander, Hospital CEO. “We would also like to extend our gratitude to Alan Rains for his tenure as Chairman. His dedication and commitment to this Hospital has made a lasting impression”, added Alexander.
Hospital's Continuing Care Center Scores High in Quality
November 18, 2002
Ojai, California -- The Continuing Care Center at the Ojai Valley Community Hospital, a 66 bed skilled nursing facility adjacent to the hospital, is pleased to be an active partner in the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) Nursing Home Quality Initiative.
The overall goal of the Nursing Home Quality Initiative is to improve the quality of care in nursing homes by publishing quality measures on every Medicare and Medicaid certified nursing home, while also implementing quality improvement activities at nursing homes. This initiative signals a new era in quality improvement for nursing homes -- an era that will be marked by caregivers, patients, family members and consumers working positively and cooperatively to continually improve the quality of care. The information is listed on their website at www.medicare.gov. or by calling 1-800-MEDICARE.
"As caregivers, our aim is for consumers to have reliable information regarding the quality of care provided by facilities,"states Marilee Sherman RN, Director of Nursing for the facility. "Reliable, accurate information is an essential part of the decision making process in the selection of a nursing home,"she emphasized. The data generated by the quality initiative will, for the first time, allow individuals to reasonably compare the quality of care of facilities. This information will help identify areas in need of improvement at various facilities, and will encourage providers to exchange information on new and innovative ways to improve their quality of care.
"It is important to note that there are many factors which might skew the percentages higher then the norms reported. Such as in our case, we have a smaller number of residents then the majority of the facilities which are being reported, which may lead to a higher percentage ranking in certain areas then others, simply due to our low census count. But, we are very proud of the quality care we offer our residents, and it shows in the information presented. We invite the public to visit our facility so that they may acquaint themselves with our practices and policies so they may make an informed decision", added Marilee.
According to Victoria Alexander, CEO of the Hospital, "the quality initiative is a significant step forward for the nation's system of long term care because it engages all of the critical stakeholders in a collaborative manner that, we believe, will benefit patient and caregiver alike".
Ms. Alexander, who serves as a Board member on the California Healthcare Association's Hospital Services for Continuing Care Committee, further adds," the Continuing Care Center at the Ojai Valley Community Hospital is one of the best facilities of its kind I have ever been associated with. I am very proud of the quality care that we offer the each resident."