Save the hospital’s Skilled Nursing Facility

The task force charged by the Sonoma Valley Hospital to evaluate the closure of the Skilled Nursing Facility, has scheduled a meeting for Thursday, September 27 at 5 p.m. at the Community Meeting Room. Please attend!

Closing the skilled nursing facility (SNF) will leave a huge void in the level of care for patients requiring those services. It is doubtful that there are other excellent full service options available in the town of Sonoma let alone in the Sonoma Valley.

SNF operates currently with 24 beds and is quite often at full capacity. The skilled nursing facility is not just a place which provides a bed and a meal while you recover. SNF has ALL of the support services so vital to prepare a patient to become mobile and physically capable of doing what it takes to resume daily living functions and return to their homes. All of these vital services are under one roof and that fact alone makes this facility so unique, valuable and very much needed by our community.

The financial situation needs more examination before important services are dismantled. It is imperative that the right decision be made regarding the SNF. Over 25 percent of our population in Sonoma are seniors. The needs of seniors are growing disproportionately to the general public’s needs whether it be housing, transportation or adequate medical care.

I urge you to mark your calendars and voice your concerns. We must find a way to preserve the nursing facility at Sonoma Valley Hospital.

–– Laurie Sebesta, Sonoma