Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital Celebrates 60-Year Anniversary

Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital celebrates 60 years of providing vital healthcare services in northern Santa Barbara County on Saturday, November 9.

In 1962, a dedicated group of 68 local women, physicians and other community leaders recognized the need for a hospital in the Santa Ynez Valley and organized a grassroots community-wide fundraising effort to build what is today Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital.

The campaign inspired more than 1,225 donors who contributed $352,392 toward the $487,000 needed to build and equip the new 18,211 square-foot facility, which included 32 patient beds. On the first day the doors opened in 1964, eight patients were admitted for overnight stays and the first baby was delivered.

“The vision of the Santa Ynez Valley community brought the hospital to life 60 years ago, and it has been an incredibly important resource for the local community,” said Ron Werft, President and CEO of Cottage Health. “I’m proud that Cottage Health has been providing life-saving services for 29 of those years, and we continue to ensure the community has care they need close to home.”

Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital Today

Today the hospital continues to provide 24-hour emergency services, outpatient surgical procedures, inpatient care, comprehensive imaging (including MRI, CT, 3D mammography, ultrasound and X-ray), laboratory services, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation and a physicians specialty clinic. The hospital has more than 30,000 outpatient visits annually, including over 10,000 emergency department visits.

“In recent years, community support has helped us expand services and upgrade technology,” said Katie Gorndt, Vice President of Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital. “Our achievements include being named a Top 20 Rural Hospital, receiving the Acute Stroke Ready Joint Commission Certification and the Geriatric Emergency Accreditation.”

Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital has earned numerous accolades over its 60 years of service, including recognition from the National Rural Health Association, which named it one of the top 20 critical access hospitals in the nation for best practices in patient satisfaction. The hospital has also achieved Joint Commission Acute Stroke Ready Certification, the Get With The Guidelines® – Stroke Rural Bronze recognition, and Silver Level 2 Geriatric Emergency Department Accreditation (GEDA) from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP).

To celebrate the anniversary, the community is being invited to mark this milestone with a gift that honors the hospital’s 60 years of excellence, such as donating $60, $600, or even $6,000. Support from the community helps ensure that Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital can continue to deliver exceptional levels of care.

To learn more about the healthcare services that Santa Ynez Valley Cottage Hospital offers, visit cottagehealth.org/santa-ynez-valley-cottage-hospital.