SACRAMENTO – The State Senate has voted to approve a measure by Sen. Patricia Wiggins (D-Santa Rosa) to establish the position of hospital and health services administrator for the Veterans Home in Yountville.

Senators approved Senate Bill 565 by a margin of 31-4 on Tuesday, which means the legislation now heads to the Assembly for consideration.

Yountville is the only veterans’ home in California that has with an emergency room, skilled nursing facility, and a pharmacy. The facility’s new Alzheimer/Dementia unit is scheduled to open July 11.

“They have a medical director and a nursing director but the home needs someone solely dedicated to administering and coordinating the medical care and medical personnel for all the facilities on the property,” Wiggins said. “The veterans have expressed concern that doctors, nurses and other personnel are often at odds with each other, and that an administrator could help improve the process as well as the quality of care and services.”

If approved by the Assembly and signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, SB 565 would require that the hospital and health services administrator is responsible for the overall management of health services centers at Yountville, as well as the organization, direction, and coordination of medical and health services in the hospital, pharmacy, outpatient clinic, skilled nursing facility, and Alzheimer's unit.

The hospital and health services administrator would report to the administrator of the home, currently Marcella McCormack.

“I think Marcella McCormack is doing a wonderful job, and my legislation should in no way be interpreted as anything other than an effort to improve the quality of care and services offered to our veterans,” Wiggins said. “Yountville is the largest veterans’ home in the United States with 1,200 members, and I think it is essential for us to continuously find ways to better serve the brave men and women who have served and sacrificed on behalf of our nation.”

Visit Wiggins' Web site at http://dist02.casen.govoffice.com/.

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