California wildfires force two hospitals to evacuate

At least two hospitals evacuated patients yesterday due to the wildfires in northern California. Kaiser Permanente transported about 130 patients from Santa Rosa Medical Center to Kaiser Permanente San Rafael and other area hospitals. The Santa Rosa hospital was not damaged but was closed, with scheduled appointments and surgeries cancelled. “Kaiser Permanente is making an initial $250,000 donation to the American Red Cross to help with the community’s immediate needs,” the organization said. “We will continue to evaluate the situation and provide more information as it becomes available.” Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital also evacuated 70 patients to other area hospitals. “I want to take a moment to thank our dedicated Sutter Health team,” said Sutter Health President and CEO Sarah Krevans. “Many people came in to help, some even after evacuating from their own homes. We will support all employees impacted by these fires.” Gov. Jerry Brown yesterday declared an emergency in seven counties due to the fires.