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Chambers retires from hospital board

Dr. David Chambers has resigned from his position on the Sonoma Valley Hospital board, which oversees Sonoma Valley Hospital.

In an announcement last week to colleagues and friends said, “Wonderful changes have taken place during the past two years and I have been grateful to have been a part of that. We have built new relationships with our physician community and have begun an alliance with Marin General Hospital, we will be breaking ground soon on a much needed new ER and operating rooms; we now have a Quality Committee; and we are engaged in a comprehensive review of the governance and education structure of the board. We have come to a point, however, where I feel the board can better accomplish its goals with a different kind of input than I can provide.”

Board Chair Peter Hohorst praised the contributions Dr. Chambers has made during his time on the board as “significant.” He listed some of those contributions as including the establishment of a Board Quality Committee, the drafting of a complete revision of the District's 20-year-old bylaws, and clarification of the board's role in governance of the hospital. Hohorst said, “We will clearly miss Dave's viewpoint and advocacy."

Former board chair Bill Boerum said, “The hallmark of Dave’s tenure on the board was a striving for excellence. His legacy will include codifying high standards for governance and quality.”  

SVH CEO Kelly Mather, on behalf of the whole administrative team, praised Chambers for his contribution, saying, “His unique approach and level of knowledge helped catapult SVH to the next level. “

Chambers was appointed to the board in 2009, after a careful selection process following the resignation of boardmember Arnold Riebli. He was elected to the board last November, along with Kevin Carruth, who filled the seat vacated by the resignation of Dr. Richard Kirk.

Under California law the Board has 60 days to appoint a replacement to fill Chambers’ position. In order to meet this requirement, the board is soliciting applications from interested citizens during the next four weeks.

Applicants must be registered voters of the Health Care District and must submit an application – limited to two pages – describing their qualifications, to be received no later than 5 p.m., Friday Sept. 16, which can be picked up and dropped off at the administrative offices of the hospital, 347 Andrieux St. The board will interview all applicants and make their selection at a special board meeting on Wednesday, Sept. 28.