From the CEO
At a recent town hall event hosted by Kaweah Health Board Member Armando Murrieta, I joined community members for an important conversation about the exciting opportunities and significant challenges ahead for Kaweah Health. I was joined by a panel including Chief Nursing Officer Schlene Peet, ED Nurse Manager Cameron Beatty, and Dr. Terese Hammond.
Strengthening Our Workforce
Schlene spoke about her priority to reduce our reliance on travel nurses at Kaweah Health. She has already made great strides in this area, offering travel nurses opportunities to become permanent full-time employees. She is also excited about our partnerships with Unitek, College of the Sequoias, and Carrington College as we work to train the next generation of nurses.
Cameron shared updates about our record-breaking ED volume this summer and our preparations for the coming RSV season, ensuring we are fully staffed every shift. He also highlighted our improving patient experience scores and decreased wait times in the ED —tangible results of our team's dedication.
Dr. Hammond shared her journey to Kaweah Health, and how she initially came her on a temporary assignment but quickly fell in love with the organization and the community She also focused on the importance of training homegrown talent to recruit and retain more physicians at Kaweah Health. Reorganizing our GME slots to establish an internal medicine program is one strategic way we are considering to bring more physicians to Visalia.
Addressing Financial Challenges
High on the community's list of concerns was the potential impact of H.R.1 (the One Big Beautiful Bill) on our hospital. We anticipate this legislation could cost us up to $25 million in reduced Medicare and Medi-Cal funding this fiscal year, with annual reductions growing to almost $60 million by fiscal year 2029. However, let me remind you, Kaweah Health is a very resilient organization, and we have successfully overcome daunting challenges in the past. This is no different. The Executive Team, in concert with the Board of Directors, has developed and begun executing a variety of growth and cost containment initiatives. Meanwhile, we continue our advocacy efforts at the state and federal levels.
A Major Infrastructure Win
On a positive note, we recently received permission to use a computer model to test the earthquake stability of our Mineral King wing. The results showed it could potentially meet state seismic safety standards, which would mean we could pursue a waiver to keep our current structure with minor upgrades rather than replacing the entire building. The computer model results have been submitted to the state and are pending approval. While we do still want to eventually replace the Mineral King wing, this waiver would give us more time to figure out exactly how, both logistically and financially. It would also allow us to use the current building beyond the Jan. 1, 2030 deadline.
Looking Ahead
As we look forward to the new year, we have many exciting projects opening, including our new Kaweah Health Akers Clinic, the Youth Crisis Stabilization Unit, and a lab draw station in Exeter. These expansions will improve access to care for our community and create new opportunities for our physicians and staff. I am confident that Kaweah Health will continue to grow and thrive as we work together to meet these challenges head-on.