St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital
Encyclopedia
St. John's Pleasant Valley Hospital is a hospital
in Camarillo
, California
, USA
, and is operated by Catholic Healthcare West
, along with its sister hospital Saint John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, CA.
The hospital was founded in 1974 by a group of community leaders and physicians who believed that a hospital was needed in their community. In addition to its 81 acute-care beds, St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital has a 99-bed extended care unit and the only hyperbaric medicine unit in western Ventura County.
St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital offer comprehensive medical services, including 24-hour emergency medical and surgical services and care, cancer and oncology care and support, cardiovascular care, community outreach and screenings, diagnostic imaging services, laboratory services, maternity and women’s services, neonatal intensive care, palliative care, patient and family education, rehabilitation services, spine and orthopedic care, weight loss surgery, wound healing and oxygen therapy, and more. Together, St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital represent the largest acute-care health organization in Ventura County. St. John’s hospitals serve all of Ventura County and beyond, including the cities of Camarillo, Moorpark, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Ventura, and Somis.
St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital is led by Hospital President and CEO John Bibby.
Members of the original Board of Directors included Dr. William F. Walsh, president; Rev. George V. Erickson, vice-president; Elizabeth J. Hartman, secretary-treasurer; Marguerite Williamson, director and assistant secretary; Erich K Laetsch, Jr., director; and Norman F. Gruber, administrator.
In July 1973, the Pleasant Valley Hospital Auxiliary was formed, with Mary McKinley named as the president. Over 200 Camarillo residents attended the initial Auxiliary meeting to see how they could help.
Dr. William Loft was appointed acting chief of staff by the hospital district directors, and his brother, Dr. Richard Loft, was named secretary of staff. Appointment of the Loft brothers was recommended by the Camarillo medical community, which held an organizational hospital medical staff meeting.
On July 13, 1974, Pleasant Valley Hospital held dedication ceremonies, which included a flag-raising by Boy Scout Troop 249 and an invocation by the Rt. Rev. Msgr. John Hughes, pastor of St. Mary Magdalen Church in Camarillo. Speakers included Dr. William F. Walsh, president of the hospital board of directors; City of Camarillo Mayor Stanley Daily, and Mary McKinley, president of the hospital auxiliary. Open house tours were held to showcase the new facility.
The hospital officially opened in July 1974. The hospital opened with 92 employees for all shifts. Major departments and services offered were inpatient service, radiology, 24-hour emergency care, obstetrics, intensive/coronary care unit, laboratory (inpatient and outpatient), major surgery, and 24-hour inhalation therapy service.
In 1976, Pleasant Valley Hospital received accreditation from The Joint Commission of Accreditation of Hospitals (JCAHO). That same year, the hospital reached full occupancy of its 46 beds for the first time in nearly two years.
On February 24, 1977 the hospital’s financial books showed a profit for the first time since it opened. In July 1979, Pleasant Valley Hospital went from a $2.8 million budget the first year to a $9 million budget in 1979 - 1980. There were fewer than 20 practicing physicians in Camarillo before the hospital opened, but by 1979, every specialty that was needed was represented. In the fifth year, the hospital admitted 3,536 patients, delivered 610 babies, employed an average of 208 staff members, and had 159 physicians on staff.
May 1981 marked the beginning of a moving process to relocate the hospital’s laboratory, radiology department, nuclear medicine department, and emergency room into a newly completed wing. A decontamination shower, used to wash off dangerous chemicals that might be spilled on one of the lab workers, was a new safety feature that became available as a result of this expansion.
In 1986, ground breaking began for the new 99-bed skilled nursing facility. The first floor’s 49 beds were used for rehabilitation of stroke victims, heart attack victims, and patients on respirators. The second floor’s 50 beds were used for long-term care patients.
In 1993, Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo became known as St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital, after it merged with St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard. Together, St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital represent the largest acute-care healthcare organization in Ventura County.
In 1997, St. John’s hospitals joined Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) as part of the CHW Central Coast system of hospitals. After the merger of the two hospitals, St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital has undergone significant growth. The hospital has added important technology, including wound treatment and hyperbaric medicine oxygen chambers, as well as the latest in diagnostic imaging equipment.
In November 2010, John Bibby was formally appointed president and CEO of St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital.
In 2007, St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital was named a national award winner in healthcare service quality with the Exemplary Service Most Improved Loyalty and Endorsement Award by Avatar International Inc. The award was a result of the hospitals’ patient surveys, which reflected that patients would recommend St. John’s to friends and neighbors, and that they would return themselves for further care as necessary. Avatar International Inc. also deemed the Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICCU) an Innovation Award Winner in Healthcare Service Quality.
In July 2009, St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital were named a Circle of Life Award® honoree by the American Hospital Association (AHA).
In August 2010, John Bibby, who at the time was interim president and chief executive officer (CEO) of St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital, was recognized with a Collaborative Action award from the Workforce Investment Board of Ventura County. He was recognized as a result of his work on an allied health committee, whose task was to address Ventura County’s critical need for clinical and administrative healthcare professionals.
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
in Camarillo
Camarillo, California
Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at the 2000 census. The Ventura Freeway Camarillo is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. The population was 65,201 at the 2010 census, up from 57,084 at...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and is operated by Catholic Healthcare West
Catholic Healthcare West
Catholic Healthcare West is a California-based not-for-profit public benefit corporation that operates hospitals in California, Arizona, and Nevada. As such, it is exempt from federal and state income taxes...
, along with its sister hospital Saint John's Regional Medical Center in Oxnard, CA.
The hospital was founded in 1974 by a group of community leaders and physicians who believed that a hospital was needed in their community. In addition to its 81 acute-care beds, St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital has a 99-bed extended care unit and the only hyperbaric medicine unit in western Ventura County.
St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital offer comprehensive medical services, including 24-hour emergency medical and surgical services and care, cancer and oncology care and support, cardiovascular care, community outreach and screenings, diagnostic imaging services, laboratory services, maternity and women’s services, neonatal intensive care, palliative care, patient and family education, rehabilitation services, spine and orthopedic care, weight loss surgery, wound healing and oxygen therapy, and more. Together, St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital represent the largest acute-care health organization in Ventura County. St. John’s hospitals serve all of Ventura County and beyond, including the cities of Camarillo, Moorpark, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Ventura, and Somis.
St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital is led by Hospital President and CEO John Bibby.
History
After ten years of planning, construction of Pleasant Valley Hospital (now known as St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital) began in early spring of 1973 in Camarillo. The hospital was located on a 12-acre site nestled near the foothills of Camarillo, with five acres being donated originally by the Berylwood Investment Company, and was designed by architect James P. Lockett, whose design called for a unique hexagon shape based on a method first used in early Roman architecture.Members of the original Board of Directors included Dr. William F. Walsh, president; Rev. George V. Erickson, vice-president; Elizabeth J. Hartman, secretary-treasurer; Marguerite Williamson, director and assistant secretary; Erich K Laetsch, Jr., director; and Norman F. Gruber, administrator.
In July 1973, the Pleasant Valley Hospital Auxiliary was formed, with Mary McKinley named as the president. Over 200 Camarillo residents attended the initial Auxiliary meeting to see how they could help.
Dr. William Loft was appointed acting chief of staff by the hospital district directors, and his brother, Dr. Richard Loft, was named secretary of staff. Appointment of the Loft brothers was recommended by the Camarillo medical community, which held an organizational hospital medical staff meeting.
On July 13, 1974, Pleasant Valley Hospital held dedication ceremonies, which included a flag-raising by Boy Scout Troop 249 and an invocation by the Rt. Rev. Msgr. John Hughes, pastor of St. Mary Magdalen Church in Camarillo. Speakers included Dr. William F. Walsh, president of the hospital board of directors; City of Camarillo Mayor Stanley Daily, and Mary McKinley, president of the hospital auxiliary. Open house tours were held to showcase the new facility.
The hospital officially opened in July 1974. The hospital opened with 92 employees for all shifts. Major departments and services offered were inpatient service, radiology, 24-hour emergency care, obstetrics, intensive/coronary care unit, laboratory (inpatient and outpatient), major surgery, and 24-hour inhalation therapy service.
In 1976, Pleasant Valley Hospital received accreditation from The Joint Commission of Accreditation of Hospitals (JCAHO). That same year, the hospital reached full occupancy of its 46 beds for the first time in nearly two years.
On February 24, 1977 the hospital’s financial books showed a profit for the first time since it opened. In July 1979, Pleasant Valley Hospital went from a $2.8 million budget the first year to a $9 million budget in 1979 - 1980. There were fewer than 20 practicing physicians in Camarillo before the hospital opened, but by 1979, every specialty that was needed was represented. In the fifth year, the hospital admitted 3,536 patients, delivered 610 babies, employed an average of 208 staff members, and had 159 physicians on staff.
May 1981 marked the beginning of a moving process to relocate the hospital’s laboratory, radiology department, nuclear medicine department, and emergency room into a newly completed wing. A decontamination shower, used to wash off dangerous chemicals that might be spilled on one of the lab workers, was a new safety feature that became available as a result of this expansion.
In 1986, ground breaking began for the new 99-bed skilled nursing facility. The first floor’s 49 beds were used for rehabilitation of stroke victims, heart attack victims, and patients on respirators. The second floor’s 50 beds were used for long-term care patients.
In 1993, Pleasant Valley Hospital in Camarillo became known as St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital, after it merged with St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Oxnard. Together, St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital represent the largest acute-care healthcare organization in Ventura County.
In 1997, St. John’s hospitals joined Catholic Healthcare West (CHW) as part of the CHW Central Coast system of hospitals. After the merger of the two hospitals, St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital has undergone significant growth. The hospital has added important technology, including wound treatment and hyperbaric medicine oxygen chambers, as well as the latest in diagnostic imaging equipment.
In November 2010, John Bibby was formally appointed president and CEO of St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital.
Awards
In 2003, St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital’s community newsletter, which at the time was called Living Well, was presented with the prestigious Bronze award by HMR Publications Group, Inc. at the annual Healthcare Advertising Awards in the "Newsletter" category. Living Well was produced by St. John’s Public Relations and Communications Department and published by Diablo Custom Publishing (DCP).In 2007, St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital was named a national award winner in healthcare service quality with the Exemplary Service Most Improved Loyalty and Endorsement Award by Avatar International Inc. The award was a result of the hospitals’ patient surveys, which reflected that patients would recommend St. John’s to friends and neighbors, and that they would return themselves for further care as necessary. Avatar International Inc. also deemed the Intensive Coronary Care Unit (ICCU) an Innovation Award Winner in Healthcare Service Quality.
In July 2009, St. John’s Regional Medical Center and St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital were named a Circle of Life Award® honoree by the American Hospital Association (AHA).
In August 2010, John Bibby, who at the time was interim president and chief executive officer (CEO) of St. John’s Pleasant Valley Hospital, was recognized with a Collaborative Action award from the Workforce Investment Board of Ventura County. He was recognized as a result of his work on an allied health committee, whose task was to address Ventura County’s critical need for clinical and administrative healthcare professionals.