FAIRFIELD Does community hospital conjure an image of a place where complex brain and spinal surgery happen on a regular basis?

Where life-saving orthopedic care is available 24/7/365?

Where cutting-edge technology, equipment and medical know-how allow cancer patients to get treatments close to home?

Where open heart surgery regularly saves lives?

Or where parents of fragile newborns can keep an eye on their baby using their cellphones and a video monitoring system?

Unless youve had a stroke, heart attack, brain tumor, traumatic accident or a fragile baby, chances are you dont realize these services exist in your local, community hospital.

But they do. And thats because NorthBay Healthcare has been committed to systematically redefining the concept of a community hospital, according to President and CEO Konard Jones.

NorthBay Healthcare is Solano Countys only homegrown health system, Jones said.

We not only make all of our health care decisions right here, we are residents, neighbors, family, friends and care providers. Weve grown with Solano County, he said.

Primary and specialty services have grown from ground zero to 130-plus providers in less than 10 years. Additionally, as a member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, NorthBay physicians have access to more than 4,000 physicians and scientists at Mayo Clinic for second opinions, knowledge and expertise.

When it comes to saving lives, every minute counts. Advancing care in Solano County with the help from the No. 1 hospital in the nation is a badge of honor, Jones said.

NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield was the first verified Level II trauma center in Solano County and is the only Baby-Friendly facility and accredited Chest Pain Center. Both NorthBay Medical Center and NorthBay VacaValley Hospital are accredited Stroke Centers.

And VacaValley Hospital offers a fully accredited Joint Replacement Program, specializing in hips, knees and shoulders.

NorthBay expanded in Vacaville in 2016, opening the VacaValley Wellness Center, which is now home to the Center for Diabetes & Endocrinology, the Center for Integrative Medicine and the 30-year-old NorthBay Cancer Center. Cancer patients have state-of-the-art equipment for radiation oncology, and spacious infusion bays for chemotherapy.

Also in the building is the countys first medical fitness center open to the general public for membership. The 56,000-square-foot NorthBay HealthSpring Fitness is managed by EXOS|Medifit, a worldwide industry leader in training professional athletes and the military, among others. On three floors it comprises workout equipment, rooms for exercises classes, three swimming pools, fitness specialists, massage therapists and more.

Work is progressing on the Fairfield hospital campus on a $183 million, 77,000-square-foot, three-story wing that will replace older parts of the 57-year-old hospital. It will offer six new operating rooms, 22 patient rooms of the future, a new caf, imaging services, cardiac catheterization labs and 16 post-acute care beds.

An expanded Emergency Department is also in the works.

Its an exciting time to work for NorthBay Healthcare, as were redefining what it means to be a community hospital, Jones said. We are committed to developing and growing services in neuroscience, heart and vascular, stroke and trauma care and to embrace new technology as we go.

That desire to embrace advanced medicine is not new to NorthBay, according to Elnora Cameron, vice president for strategic planning. In fact, it is part of the organizations mission statement, Compassionate Care, Advanced Medicine, Close to Home.

NorthBay Healthcare is the smallest health care system in the county, but ironically, we also provide the most sophisticated services, Cameron said. From neonatal intensive care to trauma to neuroscience, we have brought services home to Solano County, allowing patients to receive treatment here, instead of having to travel far from home, far from loved ones.

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NorthBay redefines community medicine - Fairfield Daily Republic