(Victorville, Calif. – September 5, 2019) – “Desert Valley Hospital has been there for me and my loved
ones countless times throughout the past 25 years and we always received
excellent care, not only from Desert Valley’s dedicated staff and
team but also from the most sincere, helpful volunteers I have ever had
the pleasure to be assisted by in my most crucial times of need,”
said Rebecca Tennison, District Representative for Senator Scott Wilk
“My most grateful experience at Desert Valley Hospital that will
remain forever in my heart was when they saved, mended, and healed my
mother from a massive heart attack, literally during the grand opening
ceremony of the hospital’s new Heart Center in 2012.”
For the more than 400,000 people who live or work in Victor Valley, Desert
Valley Hospital, a member of Prime Healthcare, has become a trusted resource
for expert medical care over the last 25 years. A place where babies are
born and hearts are healed. A place of comfort that every member of the
community can count on in an emergency.
This is the legacy that Desert Valley Hospital is celebrating on Friday,
September 6 with its
“25 years of award winning care” silver anniversary event. “Our hospital was founded by a respected
member of our community, Dr. Prem Reddy, and it is staffed each day with
many people who are proud to call Victor Valley home,” said Fred
Hunter, CEO of Desert Valley Hospital/Desert Valley Medical Group. “It
is a privilege to serve this strong, vibrant community, and our silver
anniversary event is a celebration of the people of our community, as
well as of our hospital’s history and future.” The event will
include presentations, a visual timeline, photo gallery, and a special
time capsule presentation that will give guests the opportunity to share
their best memory of Desert Valley Hospital over the past 25 years.
“This 25th anniversary milestone speaks volumes to our commitment to quality care
and our dedication to our community,” said Dr. Prem Reddy, MD, FACC,
FCCP, Founder, Chairman, President and CEO of Prime Healthcare. “I
am appreciative and proud of the Desert Valley Hospital staff and the
legacy we have formed.”
An important part of that legacy is the work performed outside of the hospital
in partnership with others, such as a program that Desert Valley Hospital
funds at Victor Valley College to provide tuition and books for 16 nursing
students each semester, benefitting 64 students annually who are offered
a nursing career upon graduation. Desert Valley Hospital also offers annual
scholarships through the Dr. Prem Reddy Family Foundation to residents
from the High Desert pursuing a
career in healthcare. A dedicated supporter of causes that impact the community,
Desert Valley Hospital also partners with local organizations such as
A Better Way, American Cancer Society, High Desert Phoenix Foundation,
Today’s Woman Foundation, Victor Elementary Education Foundation
and the local Chamber of Commerce.
What is little known about Desert Valley Hospital is its brush with possible
closure and its place in the history of one of the top health systems
in the nation. Built in 1994 by Dr. Prem Reddy, a double-board certified
cardiologist, Desert Valley Hospital was an 83-bed acute care hospital
that, under the guidance of its physician-leaders, garnered clinical awards
and earned recognition in the medical community. So much so that it gained
the attention of investors and was sold by Dr. Reddy. He believed he was
leaving the hospital in the hands of an organization with the experience
to continue his work; however, under new management, the hospital struggled
and faced imminent closure.
In 2001, Dr. Reddy once again stepped in. In so doing, he founded Prime
Healthcare Services and purchased the then-failing Desert Valley Hospital.
Under the management of Prime Healthcare Services, Desert Valley Hospital
was quickly transformed into a profitable and successful entity serving
the community once again. News spread swiftly of Desert Valley Hospital’s
revival and soon Dr. Reddy was approached by a second struggling hospital
in nearby Chino. Prime Healthcare Services welcomed a second hospital,
today’s Chino Valley Medical Center, into its management, and so
began the journey of “Saving Hospitals, Saving Jobs, Saving Lives.”
Prime Healthcare is now 45 hospitals strong and an admired beacon of quality.
“Dr. Reddy’s commitment to our community cannot be understated.
Dr. Reddy has partnered with Victor Valley Community College in creating
nursing scholarship programs that have not only benefited hundreds of
students here in the valley, but also throughout Southern California and
far beyond,” said Supervisor of the First District for San Bernardino
County, Robert Lovingood. In 2017, Dr. Reddy and his wife Dr. Venkamma
Reddy received the 2017 Bernard Osher Philanthropists of the Year award, recognizing their
generous support of Victor Valley College and other Southern California
community colleges.
Today, Desert Valley Hospital provides a broad range of services to the
local community, including 148-beds for inpatient care, a 12-bed intensive
care unit, 24-hour emergency care, urgent care, state of the art Heart
Center/Cardiac Cath lab, women’s and maternity services, occupational
medicine, outpatient and inpatient services, orthopedic services, pharmacy,
health education and lab services.
Over 25 years, Desert Valley Hospital has received numerous awards, including:
- 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015 – Truven Health Analytics
(now IBM Watson Health) “100 Top Hospital”
- 2010 Becker’s Hospital Review “Best Community Hospitals” award
- 2014 – 2016 Patient Safety Excellence Award
- 2015 – 2017 Healthgrades Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical
Excellence
- 2012 – 2019 Nine Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade “A” awards
- 2015 - 2017 Healthgrades America’s 250 Best award
- 2018 – 2019 U.S. News & World Report High Performing Hospitals
– Heart Failure
- 2018 – 2019 U.S. News & World Report High Performing Hospitals
– COPD
“Desert Valley Hospital is very much about a culture of family. My
mom started working for Desert Valley Hospital in 1994, six months after
it opened. She worked in the Med-Surg Department and many others for over
20 years! I began working for Desert Valley Hospital in August of 2000
as a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU),” said Amy Pullen, Chief
Nursing Officer, Desert Valley Hospital.
“Fast forward 19 years later and I am now the CNO. My cousin, Brian,
is the Emergency Preparedness Manager for our division. My sister was
a social worker, my husband an Emergency Room tech, and so many more.
My children were born at Desert Valley Hospital, my daughter in 2003,
and she is now a student volunteer. So, when I say Desert Valley Hospital
is family, it truly is a family that cares for so many other families
in our region. I am grateful for the leadership at Desert Valley Hospital
and the support that we provide our community,” continued Pullen.
For more information about Desert Valley Hospital, please contact Eddie
Hernandez at
EddieHernandez@primehealthcare.com.
###
About Prime Healthcare:
Prime Healthcare is an award-winning national hospital system with 45 acute-care
hospitals providing nearly 45,000 jobs in 14 states. Fifteen of the hospitals
are members of the Prime Healthcare Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity.
Based in California and one of the largest hospital systems in the
country, Prime Healthcare is committed to ensuring access to quality healthcare. Prime Healthcare and its hospitals have been recognized
as among the “100 Top Hospitals” in the nation 42 times and
among the “15 Top Health Systems” three times, and Prime is
the only "10 Top Health System" west of the Mississippi. Prime
Healthcare hospitals are annually recognized as “Top Performers
on Key Quality Measures” by The Joint Commission. For more information,
please visit www.primehealthcare.com.