Adventist Health Medical Ctr Tehachapi dba Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley

Adventist Health Medical Ctr Tehachapi, dba Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley (AHTV), provides quality medical healthcare regardless of race, creed, sex, national origin, handicap, age, or ability to pay. AHTV is part of the Adventist Health Central California Network, a non-profit, faith-based organization operating eight hospitals including Bakersfield, Specialty Bakersfield, Delano, Hanford, Selma, Reedley, Tehachapi and Tulare with over 130 clinics throughout the Central Valley. Although, reimbursement for services rendered is critical to the operation and stability of Adventist Health Medical Ctr Tehachapi, the organization recognizes that not all individuals possess the ability to pay for essential medical services.Adventist Healths vision is to enhance the health of the communities where we live and serve by engaging our communities and our patients in a new definition of and partnership for personal community health. In keeping with this commitment to serve all members of the community, the following coverage will be considered when individuals who need health care cannot afford to pay: Free care and/or subsidized care Care to persons covered by governmental programs at/or below cost Health/wellness activities and community education programsNot only does Adventist Health Medical Ctr Tehachapi provide low-cost care to individuals covered by government programs, and those unable to afford healthcare, it also helps patients find and access private and governmental resources for healthcare benefits.AHTV recognizes below-cost reimbursement as charity and uncompensated care in meeting its mission to the entire community. The unreimbursed cost of providing care to these patients in 2024 was $1,344,360.The following Inpatient services were provided to all our patients:60 surgeries performed3,998 patient days The following Outpatient services were provided to all our patients:23,730 emergency department visits139 outpatient surgeries performed27,100 outpatient visits 18,948 clinic visitsAHTV recognizes it has an obligation to provide human services above and beyond its role as a healing facility. Schedule H provides more details on the tangible ways in which the organization is fulfilling its mission. The total unreimbursed cost of these community benefits in 2024 was $2,748,572.AHTVs quality and performance awards include: American Heart Association Get WithThe Guidelines - Stroke Silver Award, Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award, 5-Star performance in hospital cleanliness by the Centers for Medicareand Medicaid Services,and 5-Star performance in patient recommendation by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.Adventist Healths mission statement of living Gods love by inspiring health, wholeness and hope is coupled with a vision to transform the health experience of our communities through collaborative programs, community investments and community outreach. We are inspired by the healing ministry, as represented by the life of Jesus Christ, and believe we are called to live out our mission intentionally in the communities we serve. In the small towns, suburbs, and inner cities we serve, we continue our journey to provide quality healthcare until every person made in Gods image has experienced the best health today, hope for tomorrow, and Gods love that endures forever.As part of Adventist Healths long-term commitment to expanding access and improving care in rural communities, a major step forward is underway in Tehachapi. In November 2022, voters approved Measure X, which extended Adventist Healths lease agreement in exchange for the development of a new Outpatient Pavilion. This new facility will expand access to outpatient services and provide space for a broader range of medical care, reinforcing our mission to serve the community with compassion and innovation. On June 5, 2024, Adventist Health announced another major milestone: the expansion of our Graduate Medical Education (GME) program to include Tehachapi. This will bring new physicians to the region as part of a three-year rural family medicine residency program. Jason Wells, President of Adventist Healths Central California Network, shared the vision behind this expansion: Doctors who come to Tehachapi for their residency will get to do so much more than they would in a big-city hospital. They'll become part of the communityand we believe theyll fall in love with it and want to stay. Our goal is for these residents to become the next generation of physicians serving this region. Also speaking at the announcement was Dr. Raul Ayala, who is leading the networks primary care and residency program expansion. He emphasized that the future of healthcare is not just about treating illness, but promoting preventative, community-based wellness. Its about embedding ourselves into communities like Tehachapi, Dr. Ayala said. We want to take the best of the hospital and clinic systems and build a strong healthcare workforce from within.Drawing on his own small-town roots in South Texas, Dr. Ayala painted a powerful vision for the future:These hospitals and clinics will be filled with white coatsdoctors engaged in patient care, research, and innovation. Thats the future of healthcare: compassionate, patient-centered, and community-driven.Adventist Health is proud to partner with the Tehachapi community to grow local talent, improve care access, and invest in a stronger, healthier future.The following story illustrates how Adventist Health Hanford provides quality care for our community in a caring manner:Shirley Kirby inspired our team.When she came to Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley, Kirby was feeling nauseated and running a fever. She was in septic shock , a potentially fatal condition that occurs when organ injury leads to low blood pressure. Caregivers placed her on a respirator and transferred her into Adventist Health Tehachapi Valleys new Intensive Care Unit.Family members wondered whether she would survive. She had sustained multiple organ injuries and was on multiple drips with heavy duty meds to keep up her blood pressure.It was like she was on her death bed, Kirbys son, Brian Henry, recalled.After four days in the ICU, nurses prepared to take her off the respirator. Its a frightening moment. Its when they remove the breathing tube and pray for their patient to breathe on their own. Sink or swim. Life or death.ICU Manager Alida Lorenz remembered the moment vividly when the tube came out. Kirby gasped for air, then began breathing normally. It was inspiring.It reminded me of the reason why I became a nurse to care for the critically ill, Lorenz said. This is what were doing for this community. This is why were here.Registered Nurse BreAnne Patterson called it a blessing to care for Kirby.I have never felt more loved in my job than I did by Ms. Kirby and her family, Patterson said. It was a wonderful experience that continues to remind me that we have a deep impact on peoples lives. These moments are why we do what we do.A couple of days later, Kirby was released from the hospital and sent home.Im very grateful. What happened to me was very serious. They didnt know if I was going to make it, Kirby said. But God was with me.Kirbys son added that it was the high level of care immediately available in his mothers community through Adventist Health Tehachapi Valley that kept her alive.Its a blessing. If she wasnt here, we might have lost her, Henry said, adding that he had never contemplated the value of a hospital until that moment. I wish there were a hospital like this in every rural community. Im so grateful.Websites for our community benefit information: https://www.adventisthealth.org/about-us/community-benefit/