March: Health Note

Visalia Chamber December Health Notes

I’m happy to report that Kaweah Health is moving into 2024 focused on continuing our recent growth and bringing more life-saving care to Tulare County. As we enter the third quarter of the fiscal year, Kaweah Health’s financial condition continues to improve, as we are outperforming our budget, generating a modest profit, and increasing our number of days cash on hand (an important benchmark measure of an organization’s liquidity and balance sheet strength)

In an update to California’s Senate Bill 525, which will impact all hospitals across California, Governor Newsom has publicly stated he is seeking major reforms to the law, largely due to its $4 billion impact on California’s finances at a time in which it faces a record $38 billion budget deficit. The first pay increases were scheduled for June 2024, but Newsom wants to delay them until the State’s fiscal outlook is healthier. It is unclear what the scope of change will be, but we remain strongly opposed to SB 525 and are deeply concerned about its long- and short-term financial impacts, which will be felt beyond just the healthcare industry.

With the World Ag Expo approaching, people often ask me why Kaweah Health is a sponsor of the expo, considering we aren’t an agricultural business. I respond that Kaweah Health doesn’t exist just to treat people when they are sick or injured — we exist to promote health in our community, and that takes many different forms. Each year, Kaweah Health sponsors the volunteer meetings for the 1,200 to 1,500 people who donate their time to make the expo a world-class event. Sponsoring the volunteers for the expo is a way we can support an event that contributes to a healthier community. As the largest agricultural expo in the world, the local impact is vast, generating revenue and jobs, bringing international attention to our community, and providing a sense of pride in hosting the world’s largest ag show. The volunteers play a large role in the success of the World Ag Expo, and Kaweah Health is proud to help in supporting the show and the local people who make it such an amazing event.

In health care news, Kaweah Health is excited about increasing access to life-saving heart surgery through our affiliation with Stanford Health Care. Last fall, we welcomed Dr. Michael K. McLean, cardiothoracic surgeon and Stanford Medicine faculty member. Dr. McLean settled in quickly and began performing open-heart surgeries within his first few days in Visalia. With the high need for advanced heart surgery in our community, it is important that we continue to bring more access to the community, and we look forward to bringing two more Stanford Medicine heart surgeons to Visalia soon.

We are also excited to bring four new physicians to the area, three of whom have local roots in Tulare County. It’s always nice when people who have grown up here come back to practice medicine. It’s a testament to the desire of those doctors to serve their community, and we are honored to have them on our team. We have recently welcomed Tulare County natives Dr. Daniela Rangel Orozco (family medicine), Dr. Carlos Rangel (Ob/Gyn), and Dr. Rafael Martinez (family medicine), as well as Dr.Esther Flores (pediatrics), who are now practicing in Visalia and at Kaweah Health rural clinics.

Please remember that our local residents play an important role in supporting quality health care in Visalia and Tulare County. By using the exceptional primary and specialty care, clinics, labs, and testing facilities available locally, they contribute to maintaining high standards of health care. Kaweah Health remains proud to care for the people of our community.