NOVATO COMMUNITY HOSPITAL: World-Class Emergency Care That’s Close to Home

Veronique Au, MD

The Novato Community Hospital Emergency Department is committed to providing high-quality, compassionate care in the community setting. By incorporating technological advances such as a robust electronic medical record, telemedicine consultations and the latest in diagnostic equipment, our emergency physicians have all the resources they need to provide patients with the same quality of care found at larger medical facilities while offering the personal attention to detail and friendly service our community hospital is known for. Combining this with the resources of Sutter Health’s 27-hospital system offers patients the benefit of close-tohome access to world-class comprehensive emergency care.

A prime example of this level of care coordination is our acute emergency stroke program.

Novato Community Hospital is a proud recipient of The Joint Commission’s Certificate of Distinction for Primary Stroke Centers. (An independent nonprofit organization, The Joint Commission is the nation’s oldest and largest health care standards-setting and accrediting body.) In coordination with the world-class stroke neurologists at Sutter Health’s California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, all patients presenting to our Emergency Department with stroke symptoms receive the same extraordinary level of service close to home that they would in San Francisco. Emergency physicians at Novato are able to initiate testing and treatment while simultaneously involving the California Pacific Medical Center Stroke Team. Dedicated telemedicine monitors connect stroke neurologists in San Francisco with colleagues in the Novato Emergency Department, offering immediate consultations and the best possible outcomes for stroke patients. Novato Community Hospital has also earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Heart-Check mark for Advanced Certification for Primary Stroke Centers.

We strive to make giant leaps forward in the safety, quality and affordability of health care in the U.S. by promoting transparency through our data collection and public reporting initiatives.

Technology is paramount to providing leading-edge care, and Novato Community Hospital provides advanced care when and where it matters. Advanced-technology imaging and state-of-theart laboratory and surgical capabilities provide excellent care to the patients we serve. Yet how care is delivered is also a key aspect of successful patient outcomes. One of the key factors that makes the Novato Community Hospital Emergency Department a favorite among North Marin residents is the friendly, compassionate, quality care patients are sure to receive. Many of our long-term, dedicated staff grew up in Novato and have been practicing medicine for over 20 years. Emergency room staff members know many of their patients like family because our patients often are parents, children or neighbors of the medical staff caring for them. The unmistakable community connection here makes a true difference in the patient experience.

Novato Community Hospital is located on a 10-acre Sutter Health Medical Campus on the border of a wetlands area near the intersection of highways 37 and 101. Key features for a sustainable health care facility include energy conservation/landscaping, non-toxic building materials, recycling and waste management, ambient interiors and healing landscapes. The hospital operates a 24-hour Emergency Department, inpatient/outpatient surgery, orthopedic surgery, total joint replacement surgery, a medical/surgical unit, a critical care unit, imaging services, outpatient laboratory, and a physical therapy and sports fitness center.

---

Dr. Au is vice chief of staff at Novato Community Hospital, where she is also co-medical director of the Emergency Department and Urgent Care.
Email: auv@sutterhealth.org