It gives me great pleasure to introduce Ojai Health Care – a periodic report to the community on the strides we are making at Ojai Valley Community Hospital and our Con-tinuing Care Center.

One important element that sets our hospital apart from so many small, rural facilities is the high level of community involvement and commitment we in Ojai enjoy. We are grate-ful that this sense of ownership has taken root, and we hope to nurture it by keeping our stakeholders informed of the chang-es and workings of our hospital. Much of our success is due to the volunteer efforts of the Hospital Foundation and Hospital Foundation Guild. These sister organizations generate significant financial support from the community to help strengthen the care and services we offer patients in the Ojai Valley. Made up of your friends and

neighbors, the Foundation and Guild represent your interests and priorities for improvements. The results of their labors can be seen throughout our facilities. With this new quarterly publication, we intend to highlight the projects and accomplish-ments of these two groups in addition to updating activities of the hospital itself and the work being done with our parent organization, Community Memorial Health System. I was fortunate to join the Ojai team last year as we commemorated our hospital’s 50th anniversary. In learning more about our half-century of service, I was particularly impressed with how our hospital evolved from a struggling for-profit institution into the thriving non-profit organization we have today. This evolution – and the progress we have made in pa-tient care – came about because this community recognized what an asset we have and how valuable it is to the well-being of our community. It is our hope that Ojai Health Care will reinforce your commitment to this community treasure and encourage your continued interest. We welcome your comments.

Summer 2012

OjaiValley

CommunityHospital

Bringing Quality Healthcare to the Residents of the Ojai Valley

BY HAADY LASHKARI Chief Administrative Officer

Ojai Valley Community Hospital is a 103-bed, non profit,community-based acute care facility serving the over 35,000 residents of the Ojai Valley.

AMONG OUR DISTINCTIONS ARE:• Licensed by the California Department

of Health Services.• National accreditation from DNV

Healthcare, focusing on quality, innovation and continual improvement.

• Highly trained physicians and specialists work closely with our full staff of healthcare professionals, management and volunteers to bring a high level of care to the residents in the Ojai Valley.

PROGRAMS AND SERVICES:• Acute Medical/Surgical• Cardiopulmonary• Continuing Care Center

(24 hour skilled nursing care)• Clinical Laboratory & Pathology• Outpatient Diagnostic Imaging

& Radiology• Dietary & Nutrition Services• General Surgery• Center for Family Health

(locations in Ojai and Oak View)• Multi-Specialty Clinic• Rehabilitation Services including

physical, occupational, speech and respiratory therapies

• Pharmacy• Same Day Surgery• Stand-by 24 Hour Emergency Department

A Message From the OVCH Chief Administrative Officer

Much of our success is due to the volunteer efforts of the Hospital Foundation and Hospital Foundation Guild

The Ojai Valley Community Hospi-tal Foundation – a major source of financial and community support for the hospital – continues to be a

valuable resource and partner in efforts to provide quality medical care and services for local residents. The Foundation, together with its sister organization, the Hospital Guild, is respon-sible for many of the facility improvements, equipment upgrades and technological ad-vances the hospital and its patients now enjoy. Made up of volunteer board members from diverse backgrounds, the Foundation also serves as a primary link between the hos-pital and the community. “The Foundation is committed to build-ing and maintaining a three-way partnership with the community and Community Memo-rial Health System,” said Sue Horgan, Foun-

dation Chair. “The past several years have shown how much we can accomplish working together, and we believe this very productive relationship is essential to meeting the chal-lenges of the future.” Since its establishment in 2005, the Foundation has contributed nearly $3.6 million to the hospital for a wide variety of projects, including the new Emergency De-partment. The Foundation awarded more than $250,000 to the hospital last year, primarily to strengthen patient care and services and underwrite modernization and exterior beautification projects. The Foundation offers several ways for the community to make tax-deductible do-nations to the hospital. These include semi- annual mail appeals, planned giving and endowment opportunities, bequests, Guild events, employee giving programs and the

October Classic. “Our board members are all involved in the community in various ways and are able to convey the concerns and health care priorities of Ojai residents,” Horgan said. “We are also very mindful and appreciative that the community recognizes the stake it has in the hospital.” In addition to Horgan, Foundation board members for 2012 are Gary Farr and Tim Wolfe, vice chairs; Jeff Loebl, secretary; Peggy Russell, treasurer; and Barbara Pops, past chair. Others members of the Board of Direc-tors are Meredy Benson Rice, Dottie Combs, Ann Costigan, Craig Edwards, Michael El-lingson, Peter Haggerty, Dr. James Halverson, Dennis Neil Jones, Don Law, Dr. Martin Pops, John Russell, Dr. Daniel Sommer and Nita Whaley.

OVCH Foundation:A Vital Asset“The Foundation is committed to building and maintaining a three-way partnership with the community and Community Memorial Health System”

OJAIHEALTHCARE OJAI VALLEY COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

Families in the Ojai Valley have a whole new range of healthcare op-tions available in 2012, thanks to the recent extension of medical services

at the Ojai Valley Community Hospital’s Center for Family Health at 1202 Maricopa Highway. Four physician specialists – in urology, rheumatology, gastroenterology and inter-nal medicine – are now seeing patients by appointment at the center throughout the week, making these valuable, and often cru-cial, specialties more accessible to everyone in the Ojai Valley. “This enhancement will bring these ser-vices to our doorstep, offering patients better and more immediate diagnosis and treatment in important areas of medicine,” said Haady Lashkari, administrator of Ojai Valley Com-munity Hospital. The four specialists now serving patients at the Center are: Dr. Tammy Cheng, rheu-

matology; Dr. Chuck Menz, gastroenterol ogy; Dr. Marc Beaghler, urology; Dr. Viktoriya Nel-son, internal medicine, and soon there will be a fifth, Dr. Ishu Rao, cardiac electrophysiology. Four physicians met recently with Ojai citizens at a general meeting of the Hospital Foundation Guild at the Ojai Museum. They described their specialties and answered ques-tions about the operations of the Center for Family Health. Guild president Ann Costigan called their appearance “informative and help-ful” in furthering the ends of health care in the Ojai Valley.

The Center for Family Health wel-comes most private and managed care insur-ance plans, including Medicare, Gold Coast, SCAN, Secure Horizons and Tricare. Persons wishing to schedule appointments with the specialists are asked to call (805) 640-2296.

Specialty Healthcare in the Ojai Valley

OJAIHEALTHCARE OJAI VALLEY COMMUNITY HOSPITAL

Dr. Tammy ChengRheumatology

Dr. Chuck MenzGastroenterology

Dr. Marc Beaghler Urology

Dr. Ishu RaoElectrophysiology

Dr. Viktoriya NelsonInternal Medicine

Tuesday, June 5, 2012Soule Park Golf CourseBanquet Room 1033 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai5:00: Refreshments5:15: Presentation

You’re Invited, Come See How Your Hospital is Doing

State of the Hospital AddressOjai Valley Community Hospital

presented byGary WildeCMHS President & CEO

Haady LashkariOVCH Chief Administrative Officer

Gary FarrOVCH Foundation Vice Chair

Modernized Ojai Valley Community Hospital | Conceptual design only

• Update on the modernization of Ojai Valley Community Hospital.• Healthcare reform and how it affects you.• Bringing new medical specialties into the Ojai Valley.

Ojai Olé Saturday, May 19, 2012St. Joseph’s Retreat2464 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai805/640-2317 State of the Hospital AddressTuesday, June 5, 2012Soule Park Banquet Room1033 E. Ojai Ave., Ojai805/640-2355 www.cmhshealth.org/rsvp October Classic: 5K, 10K Run/WalkSaturday, October 6, 2012Nordhoff High School1401 Maricopa Hwy., Ojai Nightingale Ball Saturday, December 1, 2012Ojai Valley Inn & Spa905 Country Club Rd., Ojai

For more information regarding any of these events please contact the Ojai Valley CommunityHospital Foundation Office at (805) 640-2317.

Space is limited. For reservations please call 805/640-2355 or visit cmhshealth.org/rsvp.

UPCOMING EVENTS

NEXT ISSUEBrigitte Lovell, DMDThe Keeler Center, Ojai Specializing in headache, orofacial pain, and dental sleep medicine.

Springtime in Ojai is a season for renewal and growth, when birds, bees, flowers and people burst from their wintry shells and start living

again. Many of them (mostly the people) start the process with the Ojai Community Hospital Foundation Guild’s annual spring event. For sheer fun and action, probably noth-ing in Ojai matches this antic fund-raiser, which this year features a south-of-the-border theme, “Ojai Ole!” with music, food, dancing and costumes designed to put you in a Latin mood. It will be held on Saturday, May 19,

at St. Joseph’s Retreat on East Ojai Ave. “We’re expecting a sell-out crowd for ‘Ojai Ole!’ and our members are once again pitching in with features that will keep the evening lively and our guests happy,” said Jane Weirick, who with husband Dick Wei-rick, is cochair of the event. “We guarantee nobody will go away bored.” The Guild’s spring event has become a tradition in Ojai since its first edition in 2002, and over the ensuing ten years it has raised nearly $500,000 for the hospital. Along with the Guild’s autumn event, the Nightingale Ball, it is mainly a volunteer

effort by members, who pitch in on almost every aspect, from the décor to the menu, mu-sic and guiding theme. The Weiricks have assembled a deter-mined team of volunteers, including Ren Adam, Don Anderson, Roger Beerworth, Dot-tie Combs, Deborah Edwards, Barbara Hag-gerty, Charlene Hartenstein, Claire Hill, Linda Law, Vickie Mahan, Barbara Parsons, Barbara Pops, Don and Sue Reed, Ann and Don Scan-lin and Nita Whaley. Along with other funds raised by the Foundation and Guild, proceeds from “Ojai Ole!” will be used to modernize the Ojai cam-pus with new technology and systems and make improvements for patients and their families at the Continuing Care Center.

The Hospital Guild’s Latest Rite of Spring Builds on a Tradition of Fun-Funds Events

Saturday, May 19, 20126:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m.St. Joseph’s Retreat2464 East Ojai Avenue, Ojai

Ojai Olé! is open to the public, and tickets and information may be obtained by calling the Ojai Valley Community Hospital Foundation office at (805) 640-2317.

Community Memorial Hospital of San Buenaventura147 N. Brent St.Ventura, CA 93003

Non Profit OrgUS Postage

PAIDCommunity Memorial

Hospital of San Buenaventura