New Sonoma Valley Hospital CEO focuses on partnerships

Technically speaking, new CEO John Hennelly doesn’t work for Sonoma Valley Hospital. He, along with the hospital’s chief financial officer and chief medical officer, are employed by UCSF Medical Center, part of a partnership between the Bay Area health care giant and Sonoma’s small regional hospital that dates back to 2018.

“I spend very little time at UCSF, however. My primary reporting is to the (Sonoma Valley Health Care District) board of directors,” Hennelly said, although the chance to work with a major institution was a draw. “Professionally, that was a big plus for me.”

In his new role, Hennelly is all about partnerships. The hospital’s relationship with UCSF brings experts from the city to practice in Sonoma one or two days a week. With a special focus on stroke, cardiology and neurological care, hundreds of patients have been able to receive UCSF’s top-level care without leaving the Valley. He hopes to also expand geriatric services, especially urology and endocrinology.

“The UCSF partnership opens doors,” he said, something that is not always easy for a small hospital. “Small community hospitals are besieged, the system is working against them.”

Currently, 75% of patients who enter Sonoma Valley Hospital’s emergency room have either Medicare or Medical, government programs that pay the hospital only 86% of the cost of care. In 2019, that left the hospital with a $9.8 million gap to fill, money that was covered by private-payer patients, philanthropic donations and the annual parcel tax.

That’s why partnerships are such a big piece of Hennelly’s strategy.

The UCSF partnership will continue to bring more services to Sonoma Valley Hospital — the type of services that private-payer patients seek out. The hospital often doesn’t have enough local cases to support a full-time physician in every specialty, which lead to the closure of the Obstetrics Department in 2018. But with UCSF, patients can now access more doctors.

“UCSF wants to be able to care for those complex cases,” Hennelly said. “Our first focus is on owning this market, owning Sonoma.”

For Hennelly, that means bringing health, not just health care services, to Sonoma Valley. He speaks of a “hospital without walls,” that would meet people where they’re at, helping them to stay healthy. The hospital provides a pharmacist to review seniors’ medications at Vintage House, making sure there are no unintended side effects. They also have programs that promote exercise and healthy eating.

“(As a country), we’re not being proactive on health care. We’re being reactive. Everywhere,” he said. “The real solution is a decrease in consumption (of health care). We need to live healthier.”

While Hennelly has only been on the job for six months, having moved to Petaluma from Gilroy where he was CEO of St. Louise Regional Hospital, he saw the value of partnerships through the pandemic. Working with the Sonoma Valley Community Health Center and La Luz Center, the hospital helped organize COVID-19 vaccine and testing clinics around the community.

“We need to be advocating to be our healthiest community and keep people out of the hospital,” he said.

It’s not only better for the patients, it’s better for the hospital. The number of people over the age of 65 is expected to double between 2000 and 2030, according to the National Center for Biotechnology Information. People over 65 are twice as likely to go to the doctor, leading to a notable uptick in demand for services. At the same time, America has a scarcity of health providers, especially nurses. Sonoma Valley Hospital is no different.

“We have a critical shortage of health care workers,” Hennlley said, explaining that there are 40 open positions at the hospital. “That’s a 10% vacancy — that’s really high.”

Like so many things, his solution to the staffing problem is based on partnerships. As the pandemic allows, he hopes to relaunch the student intern program, which taught Sonoma Valley High students about careers in the medical field.

“I believe firmly that this is an educational operation,” he said. “Let’s expose the next generation to these opportunities.”

As he settles into his role at the hospital, Hennelly sees a future that’s bright, especially as the pandemic begins to slow its roll. He’s eager to get himself, and his medical professionals, out working with partners all over the Valley.

“These are the best health providers, so why would we keep them on campus? They should be out in the community,” he said.

Contact editor/publisher Emily Charrier at emily.charrier@sonomanews.com.