Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital Receives Top Safety Rating In The County

Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital was rated by Consumer Reports and The Leapfrog Group as one of the state's top-rated hospitals for patient safety.  SVMH ranked eight out of 168 California Hospitals and was the highest ranked hospital in California  It was the only hospital in the county to receive an "A" grade, the highest possible.  SVMH is currently considering a proposal from Natividad Medical Center to merge the two hospitals into a new public health care authority.  The proposal is being reviewed by a special committee at SVMH and the board of directors of the hospital will review the proposal and vote on it on July 26.  It's the only one on the table, so hospital executives will have two options, go forward with the merger or remain as a stand-alone entity.  But given its tenuous financial condition, it's likely the merger will go forward.