Chapman Global Medical Center Launches Emergency Services Committee, Holds Inaugural Meeting with Stakeholders

ORANGE, Calif., July 28, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Chapman Global Medical Center (“CGMC”), a KPC Health hospital, has officially launched an Emergency Services Committee to help improve local partnerships, collaboration, and preparedness for all situations.

The inaugural meeting for the Committee was held on July 21, 2023, and included representatives from CGMC, KPC Health, Orange Fire, the Orange County Fire Authority, and Orange County Supervisor Vince Sarmiento’s Office.

Founded in 1969, CGMC is a 114-bed acute care facility and community hospital. Healthcare services at CGMC include, behavioral health, cardiovascular, advanced robotic surgery, emergency care, gastroenterology, in-patient, laboratory/pathology, neuroscience, orthopedic, pulmonary, radiology/imaging, rehabilitation, sub-acute unit, surgical, urology, and women’s health.

“As a community hospital located in the heart of Orange County, Chapman Global Medical Center plays a critical role in the region’s broader health system,” said Theresa Berton, CEO and CNO of CGMC. “The Emergency Services Committee will help us strengthen and improve vital partnerships with the City, County, and first responders, which will ultimately benefit the patients we serve.”

“Chapman Global Medical Center and KPC Health are committed to providing excellent services and care to our community,” said Peter Baronoff, CEO of KPC Health. “The City and County of Orange have world-class first responders and leadership – we are thankful for their willingness to collaborate and longstanding partnerships.”

Chapman Global Medical Center holds inaugural Emergency Services Committee meeting with local partners and stakeholders.

Chapman Global Medical Center is part of the KPC Health system of hospitals. KPC Health owns and operates a group of integrated healthcare delivery systems consisting of acute care hospitals, Independent Physician Associations, medical groups, and various fully integrated multi-specialty medical facilities. KPC Health’s current system of hospitals includes seven full-service acute care hospitals located throughout southern California, including Orange County Global Medical Center, Chapman Global Medical Center, Anaheim Global Medical Center, South Coast Global Medical Center, Hemet Global Medical Center, Menifee Global Medical Center, and Victor Valley Global Medical Center.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at 

https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/3fb8e06f-69a9-4e04-a1cb-5ca031ab1f6e

Stay Thanksgiving Safe In Dana Point With OC Fire Authority Tips

Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Sean Doran demonstrates how to put out a grease fire. (Courtesy of the Orange County Fire Authority)

DANA POINT, CA — Thanksgiving is drawing nearer, Dana Point. That means a fully-stocked fridge, a perpetually hot oven and very busy kitchen. Thanksgiving is a peak day for home fires, and in Orange County last Thanksgiving, 62 percent of structure fires reported to the OCFA related directly to home cooking, OCFA Fire Chief Brian Fennessy said.

In an effort to combat those statistics, the Orange County Fire Authority released a video demonstration of what not to do while cooking Thanksgiving dinner. The demonstration featured statements by Fennessy and Andrea Dunkelman, the medical director at the Orange County Burn Center in the Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana.

“We at the OC Burn Center encourage families and children to celebrate the holidays safely and responsibly,” Dunkelman said during the conference. “Whether it’s a grease fire, cooking accident, unattended candle or dry Christmas tree, a simple oversight or mistake can quickly turn memorable family moments into tragedy.”

 

The Orange County Fire Authority encourages all residents to follow these tips to celebrate Thanksgiving safely and fire-free.

  • Stay in the kitchen while cooking meals. Not only that, but the OCFA encourages residents cooking in their kitchens to use a timer and avoid distractions in order to protect their homes and families from fires.
  • Space heaters cause 85 percent of home heating fire deaths. If you’re using a space heater this Thanksgiving, do your best not to overwork the device. Keep your heater at least three feet away from flammable devices, and do not keep space heaters under desks, tables or other enclosed areas.
  • Keep flammable materials at least three feet away from heat sources. Any flammable materials in your home should be kept away from lit candles, stove tops and fire places.
  • Keep a glass or metal screen in front of fireplace. This will keep stray sparks and embers from shooting out of the fire and into your home, thus reducing the risk for fireplace-caused house fires.
  • Watch over your candles. Lit candles should be kept at least 12 inches away from flammable materials, and residents should always blow out candles before going home or going to sleep. To avoid the risk altogether, the OCFA encourages residents to use battery-operated candles.
  • Install and inspect smoke alarms in your home. Making sure your smoke alarms are in place and functioning throughout your home is imperative to fire safety, the OCFA said.

For the full video, view the post below.

KPC’s Chaudhuri Aims For Kaiser-Like Integration

Kali Chaudhuri

KPC Group founder Kali Chaudhuri is attempting to do what a private capital firm, a nonprofit charity, and Los Angeles’ wealthiest person couldn’t—turn around a struggling regional hospital system.

The Business Journal reported last month that Chaudhuri’s KPC planned to pay $610 million to acquire assets of bankrupt Verity Holdings LLC, a Redwood City-based firm that owned four hospitals—including Lynwood’s St. Francis Medical Center, a 384-bed trauma center in L.A. County—and a nursing facility.

Chaudhuri’s plan to revitalize those facilities may be to give the unionized workers a chance to own part of the hospital, something he’s done with other hospitals he turned around in Orange County.

“I came to America with $8 in my pocket,” Chaudhuri told the Business Journal. “The reason I work hard in America is because I own my own business, and our employees will work hard because they are owners.”

The ownership plan for Verity won’t immediately be available, as KPC will initially focus on restructuring.

“I’d like the program to be everywhere, but we need to make sure we properly size things up and integrate; it cannot be done right away,” he said.

Wasted Water

Chaudhuri, a native of India, started his career as an orthopedist in the Riverside County town of Hemet, 75 miles east of Irvine.

 

He has since built Riverside-based KPC Group into a firm with $10 billion in assets in disparate industries like real estate, pharmaceuticals and engineering.

A subsidiary, KPC Healthcare Inc., is making the Verity purchase and is based in Santa Ana.

KPC Healthcare currently includes seven full-service acute care hospitals throughout Southern California. Its four hospitals based in Orange County are Orange County Global Medical Center, South Coast Global Medical Center, Anaheim Global Medical Center and Chapman Global Medical Center, which generated revenue of $382 million in 2018 combined.

It also operates independent physician associations and various medical facilities such as skilled nursing, behavioral health and ambulatory care sites.

In addition to buying four OC hospitals via bankruptcy sales, Chaudhuri has also purchased Hemet Valley Medical Center, Menifee Valley Medical Center and Victor Valley Community Hospital in Victorville, now known as Victor Valley Global Medical Center.

He compares healthcare inefficiency to water being wasted during a rainstorm.

“The water coming from the sky should all fall in one bucket so we can use it, redistribute it and save it,” he said. “Unfortunately, a lot of water is wasted and that is the problem we are figuring out.”

About 30 hospitals close annually, according to the American Hospital Association.

Kaiser Model

Chaudhuri likens his healthcare company’s integration plans to that of Kaiser Permanente, which has its own hospitals, HMO health plan and physician employees.

He foresees KPC Healthcare including medical and nursing colleges, a pharmaceutical company, in addition to hospitals and nursing homes.

Integration “allows us to look at the whole dollar,” he said.

Along with the Verity assets, KPC also recently announced plans to acquire seven of Promise Healthcare Inc.’s long-term acute care hospitals and two skilled nursing facilities in states like Kansas, Utah and Texas.

That deal is expected to be completed by the end of this month, a spokesperson said.

When all of the acquisitions are completed, KPC’s healthcare system will be comprised of 18 hospitals, totaling over 2,500 beds, and three healthcare facilities across seven states.

The combined entity will have approximately 10,000 employees and an estimated value of over $2 billion.

“KPC has had a great history of turning around hospitals,” said KPC Healthcare Chief Executive Peter Baronoff, who joined the Santa Ana company last July.

Baronoff, who co-founded and previously served as chairman and chief executive of Florida-based Promise, said that the combination of hospitals, clinics and skilled nursing facilities will enable KPC to provide “a variety of services critical to the communities these hospitals serve.”

Daunting Task

The Verity purchase looks likely to be KPC’s biggest-ever challenge, in terms of a turnaround.

The hospitals were previously owned by the Daughters of Charity Healthcare System, which had continuous losses due to “mounting labor costs, low reimbursement rates and the ever-changing healthcare landscape,” according to a bankruptcy filing.

It was sold in 2015 to private investor BlueMountain Capital Management LLC, which changed the hospital system’s name to Verity. In 2017, Nantworks, a company controlled by billionaire Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, owner of the Los Angeles Times, acquired a controlling stake in Integrity Healthcare, the company that manages Verity.

Soon-Shiong poured tens of millions of dollars into the company to revitalize the hospitals, many of which are in lower-income neighborhoods. It reported a $111.4 million operating loss in 2018, triple that of the $35.3 million operating loss in 2017.

Last year, Verity went into bankruptcy and its assets were listed for sale. In April, an affiliate of KPC Healthcare won the bidding.

The transaction, which is still subject to review by the California Attorney General, is comprised of St. Francis Medical Center in Lynwood, St. Vincent Medical Center and St. Vincent Dialysis Center in downtown Los Angeles and Seton Medical Center in Daly City. The hospitals total

1,107 beds. Seton operates Seton Medical Center Coastside in Moss Beach, a 116-bed skilled nursing facility.

The biggest prize is the St. Francis Medical Center, which was valued at $420 million. It’s a Level II trauma center that handles more than 80,000 emergencies a year, according to its website. The purchase gives KPC two major trauma centers in Southern California.

As part of the agreement, KPC has agreed to keep main service lines open and make employment offers to substantially all employees at these facilities, including full-time, part-time and contract workers.

KPC’s pledge was important to its winning court-overseen bid.

“Labor is very important, [comprising] of 60% [of the cost] of the delivery of healthcare,” Chaudhuri said.

Value Creator

Chaudhuri declined to comment on taking on a task where others like Soon-Shiong didn’t succeed.

“I don’t buy everything that comes to the market, I only buy things that would create value for my organization,” he said.

Growing the base of medical workers is high on Chaudhuri’s priority.

In 2003, he established the first private medical school in Bengal, India, where he now has a 25-acre campus comprised of KPC Medical College and Hospital, as well as the Shova Rani Nursing College and Paramedical College that provides medical services to residents of the Indian city of Kolkata.

He’s excited about his latest education project—a new college in Hemet, where he resides with his wife, Sunanda.

“The most important thing in healthcare today is the shortage of doctors, nurses,” he said.

Demand for healthcare workers will outpace supply by 2025, and the U.S. will need to hire 2.3 million new healthcare workers to meet demand, according to a recent report by Mercer LLC.

While the Hemet project is in the early planning stage, Chaudhuri said the program he’s starting will encourage doctors and nurses to go to rural areas, where the rate of physicians to patients is 1-to-2,500 in rural America, according to National Rural Health Association estimate.

“I have to tell you, I don’t have all the solutions and I don’t like to talk a lot before it happens, but I’d like to do my best,” Chaudhuri said. ­

Best of Inland Empire 2022: Best Hospital

1. Hemet Global Medical Center

1117 E. Devonshire Ave., Hemet
951-652-2811

https://hcai.ca.gov/facility/hemet-valley-medical-center/

Founded in 1943, and with the mission of providing quality care to people of all ages, the Hemet Valley Medical Center became the Hemet Global Medical Center in 2019 and is a 327-bed hospital that offers comprehensive patient services – including emergency, cardiac, imaging and surgical care, plus more specialized services such as oncology, orthopedic and skilled nursing. The largest private employer in the Hemet-San Jacinto Valley, website resources give patients access to a health library and a physician database. Additionally, the medical center holds community education classes covering a range of topics such as maternity and diabetes care.

2. Temecula Valley Hospital

31700 Temecula Parkway, Temecula
951-331-2200

temeculavalleyhospital.com

3. Kaiser Permanente Riverside Medical Center

10800 Magnolia Ave., Riverside
833-574-2273

healthy.kaiserpermanente.org

City makes agreement to ‘support, promote’ Menifee hospital

By Doug Spoon, Editor

While expressing some concerns about the potential scope of the agreement, the Menifee City Council nonetheless approved a Memorandum of Understanding with Menifee Global Medical Center at its meeting Wednesday night.

According to a city staff proposal approved by a 4-1 vote (Bob Karwin abstaining), the MOU “proposes a partnership that would help advance healthcare in the City and region through co-promotion. The City and MGMC would work together to support, enhance, and explore the possibility to strengthen healthcare in Menifee through the healthcare workforce.”

The document does not list specific ways in which the City of Menifee would support and promote the medical center, which is located at 28400 McCall Blvd. and is the only medical center in Menifee. The MOU goes on to state that “the City and MGMC hope to identify enhancements that would help to develop the medical facility as MGMC’s central hub, thereby allowing Menifee to be recognized as a regional medical economic engine and hub or become an “anchor institution” playing a much larger role in the vitality of Menifee and the region.”

According to City staff’s presentation to City Council, the MOU grew out of the Economic Development Department’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS), which “narrowed the concentrated industry outreach plan to four main categories, of which healthcare firms and medical uses were one of the four industries identified.”

Council member Matt Liesemeyer questioned whether the City should enter into a business agreement with a private institution.

“We have Kaiser and Loma Linda right down the road, and they’re doing what they need to do,” Liesemeyer said. “I strongly question why we need to help [MGMC] figure out what to do. It seems obvious they know what to do – they’re just not doing it.

“I don’t think it would paint a picture that we don’t care about health care if we don’t support this MOU.”

Council member Lesa Sobek also expressed concerns to Peter Baronoff, CEO of KPC Healthcare, which manages the Menifee facility, after Baronoff mentioned that although the property is 35 acres, “not much of it is used” – including acres of orange trees next to the parking lot.

“When I served on the advisory committee, they talked about taking down the orange trees and putting in a senior care facility and medical offices,” Sobek said. “Are those going to happen? We need to look at that.”

Baronoff replied, “That’s one of the reasons for the MOU. You will have input in all of this.”

The MOU proposal included a clause allowing for “an allocation of approximately $30,000 for approval of a professional services agreement at a later date for marketing, feasibility studies, health needs study or any other partnership requests to accomplish the set goal of advancing healthcare in the Menifee region.” Sobek suggested that if the MOU were approved, any financial consideration must first come back to the council for approval. That was made part of the motion that eventually passed.

“In some cases this might seem unique, but we’re making sure we’re not spending any money as part of this approval,” said Mayor Pro Tem Dean Deines. “My understanding is that this is just the first step in how we can help promote and provide technical support. We want to make sure the first thing we hear is not, ‘You’re supporting a hospital; there goes my tax dollars.’ ”

Even Mayor Bill Zimmerman, who said the medical center is “absolutely essential for the people who live here,” acknowledged that the City had already shown a tremendous amount of support by installing a traffic signal at the entrance to the hospital and resurfacing McCall Boulevard to make the entrance safer.

According to the website healthgrades.com, only 54 percent of patients at MGMC would definitely recommend it to others – 16 percent below the national average. Under the category of “critical care”, two ratings were labeled “worse than expected” — catheter-related blood stream infections acquired at the hospital, and respiratory failure following surgery.

The website leapfroggroup.org rated the hospital’s progress in critical care as “some achievement”. In its Fall 2021 ratings, leapfrog gave MGMC a C grade. As recently as 2018, that grade was a D.

UPDATE: Burned firefighter leaves Southern California hospital to cheers

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A firefighter who barely survived being overrun by flames while battling a Southern California wildfire last October was released from a hospital to cheers on Wednesday after undergoing more than a dozen surgeries.

Dylan Van Iwaarden sat up in a gurney as he was wheeled out of Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana.

Dylan Van Iwaarden, an Orange County Fire Authority hand crew firefighter, is wheeled on a gurney as he leaves the Orange County Global Medical Center as scores of firefighters, police and medical personal line the sidewalk to cheer him on in Santa Ana, California on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Van Iwaarden spent 114 days in the Orange County Burn Center after he was severely burned fighting the Silverado Fire on October 26, 2020. Van Iwaarden will move on to a rehab facility to continue his recovery. (Leonard Ortiz/The Orange County Register via AP)

His arms were bandaged and he wore a hat and mask but deep scars were visible on his cheeks and hands.

His fellow firefighters and members of law enforcement applauded and high-fived him as he was wheeled down a sidewalk to a waiting ambulance. Van Iwaarden will undergo rehabilitation at the University of California, Irvine Medical Center.

He told the crowd that he was “ready to get going, get moving on” and was excited by the thought that he might someday return to service.

Firefighters and medical personal line the sidewalk as they wait for Dylan Van Iwaarden, an Orange County Fire Authority hand crew firefighter, to leave the Orange County Global Medical Center in Santa Ana, Calif., on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Van Iwaarden spent 114 days in the Orange County Burn Center after he was severely burned fighting the Silverado Fire in October 2020. (Leonard Ortiz/The Orange County Register/SCNG via AP)

Van Iwaarden’s months-long hospital stay after being overrun by flames

Van Iwaarden was initially placed in a medically induced coma, spent 114 days in the hospital’s burn center and underwent 17 surgeries, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.

He needed operations to replace dead skin with skin from other parts of his body, doctors said.

Van Iwaarden was 26 when he and another Orange County Fire Authority firefighter, 31-year-old Phi Le, suffered second-and third-degree burns while setting backfires during the Silverado Fire that began on Oct. 26 near Irvine.

Le was released from a hospital in December. Officials haven’t given details of his condition at the request of his family.

The blaze south of Los Angeles was contained in November after destroying or damaging 14 homes and other buildings. The fire and another blaze just to the north at one point forced the evacuation of 130,000 people.

A crew of eight was setting backfires to burn fuel and create a buffer against the advancing flames when a second fire ignited. The crew was overrun and had no time to deploy portable fire shelters.

Six reported singed hair, eyebrows and eyelashes. Van Iwaarden suffered burns to 65% of his body and Le had burns to 50% of his body.

 
FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 26, 2020, file photo, The Silverado Fire burns along the 241 State Highway in Irvine, Calif. A firefighter who was badly burned while battling the Southern California wildfire last October will be released from the hospital on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

Plastic surgeon Dr. Peter Grossman said Van Iwaarden finally leaving the hospital “is a huge leap forward” for his recovery, but it’s still “a long road ahead.” The founder of Los Angeles-based Grossman Burn Centers did not treat Van Iwaarden, but he’s performed hundreds of surgeries on burn victims during a 25-year career.

 
Stephanie Meagrow, center, a charge nurse in the burn ICU at Orange County Global Medical Center holds her daughter Ellie, 2, as she reaches out to Orange County Fire Authority hand crew firefighter Dylan Van Iwaarden as he leaves the hospital in Santa Ana, Calif., Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. Van Iwaarden spent 114 days in the Orange County Burn Center after he was severely burned fighting the Silverado Fire in October 2020. Meagrow was one of the nurses that spent the entire time with Van Iwaarden. (Leonard Ortiz/The Orange County Register/SCNG via AP)

Van Iwaarden could face months, if not years, of rehab, including physical therapy, reconstructive surgery and psychological treatment, Grossman said Wednesday.

“The physical therapy will be focused on getting back his range of motion and regaining strength in his hands and arms. Things like making a fist can be very difficult because of scarring. He might need to be trained to walk again,” Grossman said.

Fire officials said Van Iwaarden and the rest of the crew were trying to fight a spot fire that exploded from the size of a living room rug to a 10,000-square-foot inferno in just five to 10 seconds.

The speed at which the fire could spread under conditions at the time was at “historical levels,” nearly three times as fast as the previous record for that location, according to the report. There was a possibility that wind-driven embers from the backfires themselves may have trapped the firefighters.

KPC Health Founder, Chairman Receives ‘Above and Beyond’ Award From Crime Survivors

CORONA, Calif., Aug. 15, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Dr. Kali P. Chaudhuri, Founder and Chairman of the KPC Group and KPC Health, was recently presented with the “Above and Beyond” award from the Southern California based non-profit, Crime Survivors.  Crime Survivors’ mission is to provide hope and healing to victims and survivors of crime through advocacy and the support of resources, information, and empowerment from the critical time after a crime occurs, through the challenges and successes of surviving and thriving. 

In April of 2018, Dr. Chaudhuri and KPC Health generously provided space to establish the first Crime Survivors Resource Center in Southern California.  The resource center is located adjacent to Orange County Global Medical Center and Regional Trauma Center in the KPC Health corporate office building and is a place where survivors of crime can find the support and resources they need.  The award was given to Dr. Chaudhuri in recognition of this contribution. 

The award was presented at Crime Survivors’ annual Hope Gratitude Gala on Friday, August 2nd, which was co-chaired by Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer and Orange County Sheriff Don Barnes, and featured veteran and international hero, Spencer Stone, as the keynote speaker.

“We are extremely grateful to Dr. Chaudhuri and KPC Health for their generous support for the Crime Survivors organization,” said Patricia Wenskunas, Founder and CEO of Crime Survivors.  “Having a brick and mortar Southern California Resource Center better enables us to provide critical support services to survivors of crime and is a major milestone for our organization.”

“KPC Health is proud to support such an incredible organization that provides a voice for the voiceless and does so much good work for our community,” said Dr. Kali P. Chaudhuri, Founder and Chairman of the KPC Group and KPC Health.  “Patricia Wenskunas is a selfless person that is committed to an important cause, and we look forward to supporting her and Crime Survivors in their future endeavors.”

“Dr. Chaudhuri understands that providing quality healthcare is about more than simply treating a patient when they are sick or injured,” said Peter Baronoff, CEO of KPC Health.  “It also requires a commitment to, and investment in, the communities we serve.  Dr. Chaudhuri’s work with Crime Survivors is a perfect demonstration of his passion for helping others, especially the truly vulnerable in our society.”

KPC Health owns and operates a group of integrated healthcare delivery systems consisting of acute care hospitals, Independent Physician Associations, medical groups, and various fully integrated multi-specialty medical facilities.  KPC Health’s current system of hospitals includes seven full-service acute care hospitals located throughout southern California. In addition, KPC Health recently received court approval to acquire four California hospitals, and seven long-term acute care hospitals and two skilled nursing facilities located in Kansas, Utah, Mississippi, Arizona, Louisiana, and Texas.  Once finalized, these acquisitions will bring KPC Health’s integrated healthcare system to 20 facilities nationally.

 

 

ABC7-‘HUNDREDS OF POSITIONS’: CLINICAL, NON-CLINICAL JOBS AVAILABLE AT KPC HEALTH HOSPITALS IN OC, INLAND EMPIRE

HEALTH CARE JOBS: KPC Health has hundreds of job openings in both clinical and non-clinical areas at their medical facilities in Orange County and the Inland Empire.

Dr. Sumanta Chaudhuri, KPC health’s chief medical officer, joined ABC7 via Skype to discuss jobs in healthcare.


MORE: Here’s who is hiring in SoCal amid coronavirus economic slowdown

Can you tell us more about the open positions in the Inland Empire?

“KPC Health has hospitals in the Orange County area, Inland Empire area, including Riverside County and San Bernardino County. And we have hundreds of positions that are available across all of these facilities,” said Chaudhuri. “We offer 24-hour care in emergency rooms, critical care services, maternal child health, orthopedics, neurosurgery, neurosciences. So as you can imagine, we have a lot of opportunities for people to come and work at our hospitals.

What’s your advice for someone who wants to work in a hospital or clinic setting but lacks medical experience. Are there support or administrative jobs available?
“This is a perfect time if you’re thinking about a career change to jump into the health care industry because there’s such a need,” said Chaudhuri. “There’s positions in the clinical side, as well as the non-clinical side. And if somebody has no experience in non-clinical side, KPC Health loves to partner with people and promote education within the employee ranks so people can rise. If they have a desire to eventually become clinical, we would love that. If they want to stay on the administrative side, there is support for that as well.”

For more information, visit www.kpchealth.com.

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Finding work during a pandemic: CSUN professor offers tips for recent college grads

KPC Health Global Medical Centers Win National Awards for Quality of Care, Patient Safety

CORONA, Calif., Feb. 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — KPC Health’s Global Medical Centers have been selected as recipients for numerous local and national awards related to quality of care, patient safety, and pandemic response. The complete list of awards and facilities are listed below.

“These awards are a testament to the hard work, professionalism, and talent of the healthcare workers at each of our hospitals,” said Dr. Kali P. Chaudhuri, Founder and Chairman of KPC Health. “Given all that they have sacrificed and gone through this year, it is particularly meaningful to see them receive this well-deserved recognition.”

“I am extremely proud of our doctors, nurses, and staff for being able to maintain excellence in patient care and safety, while simultaneously responding to a once in a lifetime global pandemic,” said Peter Baronoff, Chief Executive Officer of KPC Health. “They are truly the heroes of the day.”

Orange County Global Medical Center

  • Major Cardiac Surgery, Top 10% Hospital in the State (CareChex Medical Excellence Award)
  • Cardiac Care, Top 10% Hospital in the West (CareChex Patient Safety Award)
  • Neurological Care, Top 10% Hospital in the Nation (CareChex Patient Safety Award)
  • Trauma Care, Top 10% Hospital in the Nation (CareChex Patient Safety Award)
  • Sepsis Care, Top 10% Hospital in the Nation (CareChex Patient Safety Award)
  • Stroke Honor Roll Elite, Gold Plus (American Heart Association Get with the Guidelines)
  • Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, Gold Plus (American Heart Association Get with the Guidelines)

Hemet Global Medical Center

  • Women’s Health, Top 10% Hospital in the Nation (CareChex Medical Excellence Award)
  • Pulmonary Care, Top 10% Hospital in the Nation (CareChex Medical Excellence Award)
  • Pneumonia Care, Top 10% Hospital in the Nation (CareChex Medical Excellence Award)
  • Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, Top 10% Hospital in the West (CareChex Patient Safety Award)
  • Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, Silver Plus (American Heart Association Get with the Guidelines)

Victor Valley Global Medical Center

  • Women’s Health, Top 100 Hospital in the Nation (CareChex Medical Excellence Award)
  • Pneumonia Care, Top 10% Hospital in the Nation (CareChex Medical Excellence Award)
  • Cardiac Care, Top 10% Hospital in the West (CareChex Patient Safety Award)

Anaheim Global Medical Center

Chapman Global Medical Center

  • General Surgery, Top 10% Hospital in the Nation (CareChex Medical Excellence Award)

South Coast Global Medical Center

  • Outstanding Efforts in Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic (Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce)

Menifee Global Medical Center

  • Recognized by the Regional Cancer Treatment Taskforce and City of Menifee

KPC Health owns and operates a group of integrated healthcare delivery systems consisting of acute care hospitals, Independent Physician Associations, medical groups, and various fully integrated multi-specialty medical facilities. KPC Health’s current system of hospitals includes seven full-service acute care hospitals located throughout southern California, including Orange County Global Medical Center, Chapman Global Medical Center, Anaheim Global Medical Center, South Coast Global Medical Center, Hemet Global Medical Center, Menifee Global Medical Center, and Victor Valley Global Medical Center.

Victor Valley Global Medical Center expanding emergency services department

Assemblyman Thurston “Smitty” Smith presents a plaque to KPC Health executives during the groundbreaking of a new emergency department at Victor Valley Global Medical Center in Victorville.

Victor Valley Global Medical Center is expanding its emergency services department at the campus on Eleventh Street in Victorville. 

Local dignitaries joined KPC Health executives at VVGMC to break ground on phase one of a multi-phase project that is expected to better serve some estimated 40,000 annual emergency room patients.

KPC Health CEO Peter Baronoff welcomed visitors, including physicians, staff and KPC Group founder and Chairman Dr. Kali Chaudhuri during the event on Oct. 25.

The doctor told those in attendance that VVGMC is expanding even as newspapers announce daily the closure of hospitals.

“I don’t want to talk big; I want to talk practical,” said Chaudhuri, who explained that improving the aging and small ER was a priority, despite the current financial crisis.

Baronoff also welcomed Victorville Mayor Debra Jones; Victor Valley College Board Trustee Joseph W. Brady; and representatives of State Sen. Scott Wilk and 1st District Supervisor Paul Cook.

Victor Valley Medical Center CEO Marilyn Drone addresses the audience before the groundbreaking of the center’s emergency services department at the campus on Eleventh Street in Victorville.

The project

Phase one of the project includes renovating the existing facility’s emergency space by adding about 6,800 square feet, with room for 16 more beds.

An expanded waiting room will double in size to accommodate 40 visitors and a newly designed entrance will allow for better access, flow and patient experience.

A new and expanded reception/receiving station will be added, along with new admitting booths and a state-of-the-art CT scanner and control room.

Phase one is expected to be completed by the fall of 2023.

A proposed phase two includes adding 5,200 square feet, with room for 12 more beds, as well as the construction of a rotunda area in building No. 4 and a new entrance to accommodate nine ambulances.

Phase two’s estimated completion date is Nov. 2024.

VVGMC CEO Marilyn Drone shared the need for expanding the medical center’s services and how the hospital desires to take the lead as the High Desert continues to grow. 

During the event, Drone and KPC executives repeatedly thanked the physicians and medical staff for their dedication to serving the community, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

KPC officials said the medical center played a key role during the pandemic, with medical personnel working tirelessly to serve many patients.

“The last several years have been tough for everyone in very many ways,” Drone said. “Victor Valley Global Medical Center, it was tough as with other hospitals. But the dedication and perseverance of the staff, the physicians and the community is what pulled it all together and got everyone through to take care of our patients.”

Drone thanked dozens of individual and organization partners who supported VVGMC during the pandemic. Some included Cal Fire, the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department, Victor Valley College God’s Hand Extended and the Home Depot.

Officials also offered a moment of silence to recognize key members of the medical staff family and others who died during the pandemic.