Palm Drive Hospital officials targeting April 6 reopening
An effort to reopen Palm Drive Hospital in Sebastopol in April is ramping up.
Details of the proposed new hospital are emerging as the hospital board has given approval for a local hospital foundation to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars in maintenance costs to ready the facility.
“It’s clear that we are progressing and moving the ball down the field, and we’re working together,” said Dennis Colthurst, one of two new board members elected in November.
Colthurst and newly elected board member Dr. Richard Powers both opposed the April 28 closure of the hospital last spring and are part of what appears to be renewed momentum to rebrand and relaunch the hospital.
“I think it became clear to everyone involved that the west county community wants a hospital,” said Colthurst of the November election. “I think that’s the message that everybody got.”
He said the board and hospital supporters are moving forward as quickly as possible, though with caution and financial prudence.
The Palm Drive Health Care Foundation, a longtime supporter of the hospital, formed a new nonprofit entity called Sonoma West Medical Center that proposes to take over management and operations of Palm Drive Hospital. The board has already entered into negotiations with the new organization.
Earlier this week, the hospital board unanimously approved a resolution authorizing the Palm Drive Health Care Foundation to spend foundation funds on hospital upgrades such as painting, replacement of floor covering, repairing damage to walls and other work.
Daymon Doss, the hospital’s executive director, said the work could cost “a couple hundred thousand dollars,” though the foundation itself recently authorized a spending cap of half a million dollars.
That maintenance work, after being reviewed by an ad-hoc committee of the board, could begin immediately, Doss said.
Other actions unanimously authorized by the board on Monday include:
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