Sequoia Hospital is a hospital in

Redwood City Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in Northern California's Bay Area, approximately south of San Francisco, and northwest of San Jose. Redwood City's history spans its earliest inhabitation by the Ohlone people to being a po ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, US. It is operated by

Dignity Health Dignity Health (formerly Catholic Healthcare West) was a California-based not-for-profit public-benefit corporation that operates hospitals and ancillary care facilities in three states. Dignity Health was the fifth-largest hospital system in th ...

History

Founding

In 1938, a group of nine women led by Mary "Dove" Beeger appealed to the city council in Redwood City for a hospital to serve the communities of southern San Mateo County. The city council authorized a study that confirmed the lack of hospital facilities locally. But construction was delayed first by decisions to issue bonds to build a city hall and to build a library, and then by

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. In 1946, voters approved the creation of the Sequoia Hospital District. Construction of the hospital began in 1949 as one of the first

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

hospitals in California. The 106-bed hospital was dedicated on October 15, 1950 and the first patient admitted on October 25, 1950.

Merger

In 1995, the hospital was struggling with losses that resulted in layoffs. It lost $1.9 million in 1994 and $7.8 million in 1995. The hospital board sought partners for an affiliation or merger and received proposals from Adventist Health System/West Inc., Columbia/HCA Healthcare Corp. and

Catholic Healthcare West Dignity Health (formerly Catholic Healthcare West) was a California-based not-for-profit public-benefit corporation that operates hospitals and ancillary care facilities in three states. Dignity Health was the fifth-largest hospital system in th ...

. On March 20, 1996, the hospital board voted 4–1 to affiliate with the non-profit Catholic Healthcare West (rather than the for-profit Columbia/HCA). Ballot Measure H was put to Sequoia Hospital District voters, who approved the merger. The agreement called for the creation of a governing board for the hospital, with equal representation from Catholic Healthcare West and the Sequoia Hospital District and for CHW to pay $30 million to the district.

Rebuilding

After several hospitals were damaged or closed as a result of the

1994 Northridge earthquake The 1994 Northridge earthquake was a moment 6.7 (), blind thrust earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 4:30:55 a.m. PST in the San Fernando Valley region of the City of Los Angeles. The quake had a duration of approximately 1 ...

, the state passed Senate Bill 1953, which required hospitals to meet new seismic standards. As a result, Sequoia Hospital explored the possibility of building a new hospital, possibly at a new location in Redwood City. However, in 2007, the hospital decided to construct the new building on its existing campus. On November 30, 2007, the Sequoia Healthcare District approved a funding plan for the new hospital in which Sequoia Hospital, Sequoia Healthcare District and CHW would each contribute $75 million toward the cost, with an additional $15 million to be raised by Sequoia Hospital Foundation. The plan called for CHW to take full ownership of the hospital, with half of the earnings over forty years to go to Sequoia Hospital District. The building plan includes a new hospital with 167 beds, an expanded emergency room, a new medical office building with outpatient surgery facilities and a four-story parking garage. Construction of the garage began in February 2008 and is expected to be complete by September 2009. The new medical office building is expected to be complete by the winter of 2011, while the new hospital building and all seismic upgrades are expected to be complete by the spring of 2013.

Medical services

The hospital is certified by the

Joint Commission The Joint Commission is a United States-based nonprofit tax-exempt 501(c) organization that accredits more than 22,000 US health care organizations and programs. The international branch accredits medical services from around the world. A majori ...

as a Primary Stroke Center Program. The cardiac care department is highly ranked by HealthGrades, including: * Best in California for Coronary Interventional Procedures * HealthGrades 2008 Cardiac Care Excellence Award recipient * HealthGrades 2008 Cardiac Surgery Excellence Award recipient * Top 5% in the Nation for Overall Cardiac Services, Cardiology Services, and Coronary Interventional Procedures

References

External links

*
Sequoia Healthcare DistrictPrimary Stroke Center ProgramThis hospital in the CA Healthcare Atlas
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