Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital to Re-Open Tuesday

SANTA ROSA, Calif., Oct. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital announced today that it will reopen with full services at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 17? just eight days after the hospital was evacuated during the devastating Tubbs Fire in Sonoma County.

"We're eager to welcome patients, staff and doctors tomorrow morning," said Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital CEO Mike Purvis. "Getting back to providing health care for our community, especially during this unprecedented disaster, will be healing for all of us."

Beginning Tuesday morning, Sutter Santa Rosa will again offer full inpatient and emergency care services. Elective procedures will resume at a later date.

To reopen, the hospital had to undergo a thorough cleaning and pass inspections by both the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development and the California Department of Public Health.

"To prepare the hospital for re-opening wasn't an easy task," said Jeff Gerard, president of Sutter Health Bay Area. "So many of our team members were affected by the fire?at least 60 lost their homes?yet we are committed to reopen the hospital on Tuesday. Reopening the hospital only eight days after having to evacuate demonstrates the strength of our integrated network. Working together, we were able to marshal and quickly provide the necessary support and resources to reopen the hospital and empower the staff of Sutter Santa Rosa to do what they do best?take care of the community."

The Evacuation

The hospital, at 30 Mark West Springs Rd., was evacuated in the early morning hours on Monday, October 9. Hospital staff safely transferred 77 patients and evacuated nearly 100 community members who had come to the hospital seeking refuge from the fast-moving inferno.

"All the hospitals in our North Bay region and beyond were very quick to respond to take patients and provide resources [for the evacuation]," Purvis said. "Our staff drills for all types of unplanned and catastrophic events on a regular basis?and that definitely contributed to the success of the evacuation," he added.

Hospital's Well Water System Saves Hospital, Continues to Aid Firefighters

Firefighters were able to access the hospital's six vast underground water tanks. Sutter Santa Rosa was built with its own well water system, separate from the city's water system, to protect the hospital against disasters and support sustainability. To date, firefighters have used more than 500,000 gallons from the hospital's supply to battle the wildfires.

Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation Clinic Status

In addition to the hospital, numerous clinics were forced to close by the inferno, including 13 medical clinics operated by Sutter Pacific Medical Foundation. Ten of these thirteen, along with Sutter Walk-In Care in Petaluma, have since reopened. For a complete list of open and closed clinics and surgery centers, see https://www.sutterhealth.org/for-patients/community-alert.

Other Information

• Sutter Health has established a hotline for patients and staff seeking more information at 1-866-961-2889.
• Sutter Health donated $250,000 to the American Red Cross Wildfire Fund on behalf of its employees, doctors and volunteers to help support community members and employees affected by the devastating wildfires.
• Sutter Health is actively supporting its communities, patients, employees and physicians by:
• Donating supplies, such as gauze and saline solution, to evacuation centers in Santa Rosa and Petaluma.
• Providing support to Sutter Health staff and physicians who need it, including financial aid, disaster recovery pay, prescription assistance, and other employee assistance support ranging from insurance claims help to mental health resources.
• Creating a new Sutter Health Philanthropic Disaster Relief Fund, a special fund to support employees, physicians and other medical staff who care for Sutter patients and were affected by this disaster. Anyone can contribute to this fund. Online donation forms are available here.

For more information about the Sutter Health network visit: sutterhealth.org | facebook.com/sutterhealth | youtube.com/sutterhealth | twitter.com/sutterhealth.

Contact: Sutter Health 24-Hour Media Line: 916-286-6695
Or Lisa Amador: 707-292-6522

SOURCE Sutter Health