SIMI VALLEY : Hospital Plans to Change Its Name
Simi Valley Adventist Hospital plans to change its name to Simi Valley Hospital and Health Care Services, officials said Tuesday.
The reason for the new name is to reflect the numerous changes that have recently occurred, said Timothy Patten, hospital vice president.
Those include the buyout of the Aspen Center, a private medical facility nearby, and the $1.4-million renovation under way at the 215-bed hospital.
Patten said that the hospital had surveyed 400 residents and 60 physicians and that the overwhelming majority said they liked the idea.
But several doctors, who asked not to be identified, said the hospital was changing its name to improve its image.
A grand jury report released in June said the hospital had violated state law in the mid-1980s by giving hundreds of thousands of dollars in non-repayable loans to doctors in exchange for referring patients to the hospital.
Hospital officials deny the accusations, saying that the loans must be repaid and that the three doctors mentioned in the report have been sued to get the money back.
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