Spotlight on Vicky VanMeetren, CEO
St. Rose Dominican Hospitals, San Martín Campus
As St. Rose Dominican Hospitals prepares to open the doors to its newest location, the San Martín campus, in November, all eyes will be on Vicky VanMeetren. She is not only the new hospital’s president and CEO, but she managed all construction efforts at San Martín.
VanMeetren has been with Catholic Healthcare West, the parent company of St. Rose, for 10 years, and has worked in healthcare in Las Vegas since 1981. Prior to her current position, she worked for 10 years at the Siena campus in Henderson – the first three years as director of quality management, and the subsequent seven years as senior vice president of operations.
San Martín isn’t the first major construction undertaking VanMeetren has managed. She was appointed the St. Rose lead for the recent $100 million construction and expansion that nearly doubled the size of its Siena campus. “My father was in the construction business, and so is my husband, so I guess I’m a magnet for it,” said VanMeetren. “I’ve watched the growth in this city for the last 25 years, and I’m excited to be a part of the changes.” And the changes are indeed significant. St. Rose broke ground on San Martín in February of 2004, and when the four-story, 111-bed acute-care facility opens in November, it will boast many features, including:
• An accompanying three-story medical office building with an outpatient pharmacy;
• An extensive range of health services, including an emergency department, the full range of surgical and rehabilitative services, obstetrics, the only pediatrics department in its region of the Valley, full diagnostic imaging services (including MRI and CT), cardiac services, cancer/oncology services, a chapel and chaplains and extensive community outreach programs;
• The “Get Well Network,” which provides each patient with a flat-screen LCD television on a movable arm that allows patients to put the TV right in front of them; the TV has full computer capabilities, as well as television and movie rental options, all of which can be accessed from patients’ beds.
All beds in the new hospital are in private rooms, which offer guest accommodations. A Healing Garden provides a quiet sanctuary for patients, visitors and employees where they can sit outside, think, pray, relax or even eat lunch. Some space in the new San Martín campus is being shelled for future expansion.
Following San Martín’s opening, St. Rose will begin remodeling its Rose de Lima campus on Lake Mead Parkway in Henderson.
St. Mary’s to Join CHW
The board of directors of Saint Mary’s has voted to enter into exclusive negotiations to join Catholic Healthcare West (CHW), the largest Catholic healthcare system based in the western United States. St. Rose Hospitals in Southern Nevada are also affiliated with CHW.
“Over the last two years, CHW has partnered with Saint Mary’s to provide strategic planning assistance and to allow for group purchasing options. As a result of our successful interactions, our organizations have found compatibility of mission, cultures, and values,” said Larry O’Brien, chief executive officer of Saint Mary’s.
Headquartered in San Francisco, CHW is a system of 41 hospitals and medical centers in California, Arizona and Nevada.
Founded in 1986, it is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit healthcare systems, with a network of more than 7,800 physicians and approximately 45,000 employees providing services to more than 4 million people annually.
Goodbye, Washoe
Hello, Renown
Washoe Health System and its subsidiary organizations underwent a major rebranding in September, adopting the name Renown Health. Its flagship Reno hospital, Washoe Medical Center, is now known as Renown Regional Medical Center. The region’s oldest hospital, which traces it roots back to 1864, was originally affiliated with Washoe County; however, it has been a private, not-for-profit health network for more than 20 years.
Jim Miller, president and CEO of Renown Health, said market research and image surveys provided the impetus for the name change. “We found people were leaving town for medical care, partly because they weren’t aware of all the services we offered,” he said. “When the hospital board was discussing our new patient tower and ll the changes that would come about because of that, we decided if there was a problem caused by our name, now would be the time to fix it.”
The organization contracted with nationally known firms to conduct research and set up focus groups, and the results clearly indicated that the name was indeed a problem. “When people were asked their opinion of private hospitals versus public hospitals, they clearly preferred private hospitals,” said Miller. Because the hospital shared the name Washoe with the county, hospital leadership felt it needed to clarify that it is a private hospital.
Renown’s management hopes the rebranding will result in positive benefits, including an increase in the number of people staying in town for their healthcare. “It offers benefits to the patients and their families, because it’s more convenient for them to stay close to home,” noted Miller. “But the community as a whole also benefits, because the more people who stay here, the more services we can offer.”
At the ceremony announcing the rebranding, Renown Health presented a $500,000 donation to the city of Reno as seed money to assist with funding for a screening and treatment facility for mental health patients. “There is a very significant unmet need in mental health,” said Miller. “People whose needs are going unmet are ending up in the hospital emergency room, which is not the best place to take care of those issues. We decided to make the lead donation for this project to encourage others to step up as well to help get the facility built.” Miller hopes Washoe County, its cities, the state and the hospitals will all collaborate to build and support the center.
The organization’s name change coincides with the construction of a new 10-story patient tower, which will contain 200 private beds, 18 operating rooms and 25 emergency room beds. The new tower will also be equipped with state-of-the-art technology in its Heart Institute, Neurosciences Institute and radiology department.
