Ojai Valley Community Hospital honored for emergency care
The national organization Women’s Choice Award: The Voice of Women has named Ojai Valley Community Hospital one of America’s best hospitals in California for emergency care.
The Ventura County hospital received the honor for its exceptional patient care and treatment, making it one of six facilities across the state to receive the recognition. A member of the nonprofit Community Memorial Health System, Ojai Valley is part of a regional network that includes Community Memorial Hospital and 12 family-practice health centers called Centers for Family Health.
“This award is an evidence-based designation reflecting exceptional clinical performance and women’s preferences. It recognizes that women highly recommend Ojai Valley Community Hospital as one of the best hospitals for emergency care,” Chief Administrative Officer Haady Lashkari said in a statement.
Also in Ventura County, Camarillo Hospice received its first-ever grant from the Union Pacific Foundation for providing support, education and care to resident seniors.
The facility has earned about $75,000 through mid-May, which includes grants from the city of Oxnard, Gene Haas Foundation and Sidney Stern Memorial Trust. It also received grants for its programs for children and teenagers from the Harriet H. Samuelsson Foundation and Burch Family Foundation.
On the South Coast, nearly 3,000 Santa Barbara County students were awarded a record-breaking total of $8.7 million in financial aid from The Scholarship Foundation of Santa Barbara.
The foundation received 3,481 applications for financial support, ultimately awarding critical aid to 2,948 of those students, and will celebrate the achievement of scholarship recipients during ceremonies on May 27 and 28 in different areas of Santa Barbara County.
“This is the largest amount awarded by any community scholarship provider in the nation,” Janet Garufis, president of the Scholarship Foundation’s board of directors, said in a statement. “However, as proud as we are of this achievement, we never stop thinking about the many worthy young people that we had to turn away. It is heartbreaking to deny aid to any deserving student who wishes to pursue a higher-education degree or credential.”
Elsewhere in the county, the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History added three new members to its board of directors.
Larry Barels, Chris Blau and Paul J. Russell have joined the board for the museum, which was founded in 1916. It features 10 indoor exhibit halls on natural history and outdoor exhibits such as the Museum Backyard & Nature Club House and a real 74-foot Blue Whale skeleton.
Barels, a graduate of Brigham Young University, is currently a co-founder and executive chairman of Aqueos Corporation. Blau has worked in publishing and in the financial services industry at Dow Jones & Company. Russell is a retired former executive for two Fortune 500 companies and a chartered financial analyst.
On the Central Coast, 10 nonprofits received $57,500 in grants from The Bank of America Charitable Foundation.
“Bank of America funds critical needs nonprofits because people with better access to education, jobs, affordable housing and food gain personal and financial stability that contributes to the overall success for San Luis Obispo,” said Greg Bland, Central Coast market president at Bank of America, in a statement.
The San Luis Obispo groups that received aid include Dignity Health, Habitat for Humanity of San Luis Obispo County, Cuesta College Foundation, Atascadero Loaves and Fisheries, Community Action Partnership of San Luis Obispo County, Economic Vitality Corporation of San Luis Obispo County, Food Bank Coalition of San Luis Obispo County, 5Cities Homeless Coalition, San Luis Obispo County Housing Trust Fund and United Way of San Luis Obispo County.
