What I will likely miss the most about our hospital is hearing the stories from patients that illustrate how deep the culture of caring runs here at SVH. As you might expect, patients often identify the physicians, nurses, and their many care givers who were attentive and kind, but they also single out staff in other roles who made an impression during their time at the hospital.
I have been told stories about individuals in food service, admitting and even engineers who went out of their way to help our patients. One family member of an ER patient reported how someone in environmental services brought them a sandwich during a long, trying night.
We are very excited to have raised the funds for the advanced imaging technology that we need to maintain high quality care at SVH. In fact, we have raised over $35 million dollars since 2010. But it’s often the human touch, especially the compassionate gestures, that resonate with patients. While ours is a small hospital, we have a big heart and pride ourselves on how we treat patients like family.
Compassion takes many forms at a community hospital like ours. It also means ensuring we are providing the services our community needs close to home. The hospital has played an important role in the life of our Valley for 75 years, and during this pandemic we’ve seen that importance become even more clear. My responsibility was to ensure thathealthcare continues to be alive and well here for Sonoma Valley. I feel very honored to have been given the opportunity to lead that effort over the last decade.
The Human Touch doesn’t just come from our amazing staff, it also is returned by the many “THANK YOU’S” and kind gestures that have been given to us over the last six months. We demonstrated our ability to respond to emergencies (again) and many of you noticed. Yes, we’ve had to adapt to a new way of life at the hospital during the pandemic and we thank you for your continued trust and support. Everyone has truly shown what heart and community mean today.
As I move forward, I do so with gratitude for having the opportunity to work with so many dedicated and talented professionals. Having been part of such a caring, compassionate community has been an incredible experience for me. And I trust you know the District Board and UCSF will ensure that when I leave at the end of this year, the hospital will be in excellent hands.
In good health,
Kelly Mather
CEO
Sonoma Valley Hospital