Valley Presbyterian Hospital’s Kean Zhang, RN (left) escorts HASC staff including education program director Jamila Mayers (white blazer), education specialist Sherita Rogers (in blue) and workforce development program manager Lisa Mitchell (in red) on a Dec. 17 facility tour.

Close to 30 HASC staffers visited Valley Presbyterian Hospital in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles last month. The association’s annual site visit provides staff and managers the opportunity to learn how individual facilities approach issues affecting hospitals across the region.

President/CEO Gustavo Valdespino welcomed the group and explained how the hospital’s original structure, designed by noted architect William Pereira in the late 1950s, now presents challenges in meeting California OSHPD seismic standards. Guests also heard from facility CFO Janice Klostermeier on the role California’s Hospital Quality Assurance Fee program plays in the economics of facilities serving large proportions of Medi-Cal and uninsured patients. Human Resources Vice President Keith Stanhill underlined some of the challenges of filling positions in today’s competitive hiring environment.

“We are developing the culture here,” Stanhill said. “Making it a place where people want to come and work.”

HASC staff pose during December’s Valley Presbyterian Hospital visit.

Chief Nursing Officer Lori Burnell also touched on details of staff development at the 350-bed facility.

HASC Workforce Development Program Manager Lisa Mitchell said learning about an individual facility’s recruitment process was invaluable.

“I manage many of these issues in my own work,” Mitchell explained. “Seeing how a particular facility responds to them gives me a real learning opportunity. My thanks go to the managers at Valley Presbyterian for hosting us.”

Contact:
Erik Skindrud
(213) 538-0728
eskindrud@hasc.org