New Hospital CEO Takes Her Message to the Streets
dr. margaret peterson, health care, hospital ceo, message, streets,
Victor Valley Community Hos pital sits atop Victorville’s highest hill‚ overlooking the always-changing‚ always-growing city below. Founded in 1967 by Dr. Benjamin Nepomucceno‚ the 115-bed hospital is pulsing with activity and transformation.
In February 2006‚ Victor Valley Community Hospital staffers were thrilled when Margaret Peterson assumed the position of chief executive officer. Pre viously‚ Peterson had served for five years as president and CEO of Simi Valley Hospital and Healthcare Services.
“Partnering with the community – in addition to the hospital’s staff and its physicians – is a primary objective‚ as well as transforming our hospital‚” Peterson says. “The hospital has made great progress in establishing itself as a provider of quality care that meets the needs of the citizens of the High Desert.”
In Peterson’s view‚ reaching out to the community is a key step in hospital’s growth.
“Dr. Peterson has a strong belief in community service and dedicates time to be an active member of the Victorville Rotary‚ the Victorville Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and the Victorville Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Program‚” says Lovella Sullivan‚ the hospital’s director of marketing and communications.
Following Peterson’s charge of community commitment and involvement‚ VVCH puts on free events such as the quarterly senior fairs‚ immunization events and the annual Kids Care Fair in July. The hospital also supports food drives‚ blood and bone marrow drives‚ and lends its support to com munity sponsorships.
Victor Valley Community Hospital was given the HealthGrades Maternity Care Excellence Award in 2007‚ the third year in a row the hospital was honored with the coveted award.
The hospital’s foundation also experienced extraordinary growth in 2007 with the addition of Steffen Baldwin‚ VVCH foundation director. The foundation announced in June the kickoff of the Neo-Natal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Expansion Campaign. The foundation’s fundraising goal of $1 million will upgrade and expand the existing two-bed facility to a state-of-the-art six-bed facility.
Recent hospital expansion projects include a 24-hour emergency room with helipad and the enlargement and redecoration of an on-site ambulatory surgery center.
Story by Michelle Lovato
Photo by Wes Aldridge
