Hospital earns an “A” for limiting patient injuries, reducing medical errors, and preventing infections, according to the Leapfrog Group

By Antonia Ehlers, PR and Media Relations, Kaiser Permanente Northern California

Kaiser Permanente Antioch hospital is recognized with an “A” grade for patient safety as part of a longstanding commitment to provide safe, high-quality care to our members and patients.

According to The Leapfrog Group’s biannual Hospital Safety Grades report, 15 Kaiser Permanente hospitals in Northern California this spring received A grades including: Antioch, Fresno, Manteca, Modesto, Oakland, Roseville, Redwood City, Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Leandro, San Rafael, Santa Rosa, South Sacramento, South San Francisco, and Vacaville.

“The safety of our patients is our top priority, and it’s at the heart of everything we do,” said Diablo Service Area Senior Vice President and Area Manager Pam Galley. “We are incredibly proud of our physicians, nurses and health care professionals who make a difference every day.”

Leapfrog reviews hospital clinical data, assigning hospitals grades based on approximately two dozen measures that analyze patient injuries, medical and medication errors, and infections.

“Our caring health care professionals work diligently to keep our patients safe while providing outstanding care,” said Kaiser Permanente Antioch Medical Center Physician in Chief Sharon Mowat, MD. “Kaiser Permanente Antioch has received an “A” grade since 2022 – three years straight, fall and spring. We are committed to keeping everyone safe, whether they receive their care here or work here. Safety is our number one priority and goes hand in hand with our high quality of care.”

The Leapfrog Group assigns letter grades to nearly 3,000 hospitals throughout the United States. The grades are updated twice annually, in the fall and spring.

The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits, released its Hospital Safety Gradesafter examining publicly available data on patient injuries, medical and medication errors, and infections at U.S. hospitals. The report includes data collected by national health care organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Scores are calculated based on publicly available measures, and hospitals are then assigned A, B, C, D or F grades for their safety records. The grades are released as a free resource to help patients and their families make informed health care decisions.

Kaiser Permanente is one of America’s leading integrated health care providers and serves 12.5 million members. Nationally, 27 of the 39 Kaiser Permanente hospitals that were eligible for a grade, or more than two-thirds of our hospitals, received a Leapfrog Safety A grade. In contrast, less than one-third of the nation’s other hospitals received an A rating.

For more information and a complete list of the hospital safety grades, visit Leapfrog.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America’s leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve 12.5 million members in 8 states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists, and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery, and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education, and the support of community health. For more information, go to about.kp.org

Hector Placencia-Gazmuri extradited from Mexico

By Sgt. Rashad Hollis, Public Information Officer, Vallejo Police Department

On June 9, 2024, at approximately 1:51 p.m., officers assigned to the Vallejo Police Department (VPD) Patrol Division responded to multiple reports of gunshots heard on the 900 block of Amador Street.

Witnesses directed officers to a nearby yard on the 1300 block of Alabama Street, where they located an adult female suffering from at least one gunshot wound.

The victim identified the suspect who shot her as Hector Placencia-Gazmuri before being transported to a local hospital for emergency care. Multiple witnesses also reported seeing the victim exiting a moving vehicle moments after shots were fired from inside.

The Vallejo Police Department’s Patrol Division’s investigation confirmed Hector Placencia-Gazmuri, a 41-year-old Antioch resident, as the suspect in this shooting. Following their investigation, officers secured an arrest warrant for Hector Placencia-Gazmuri on a charge of attempted murder and kidnapping.

In April 2025, Placencia-Gazmuri was apprehended in Mexico and extradited to the United States. On April 29, 2025, VPD patrol officers contacted Placencia-Gazmuri at the Martinez Detention Facility in Contra Costa County, where he is being held on unrelated charges.

Hector Placencia-Gazmuri will be subsequently transported to the Solano County Jail and booked for attempted murder and kidnap.

The Vallejo Police Department urges anyone with information regarding this case to email Officer Zach Horton at Zach.Horton@cityofvallejo.net.

For media inquiries, please contact Public Information Officer Sgt. Rashad Hollis by email at VallejoPolicePIO@cityofvallejo.net or by phone at (707) 567-4233.

According to localcrimenews.com, Placencia-Gazmuri was also arrested on June 9, 2024, by Contra Costa CHP for hit-and-run resulting in injury and reckless driving with injury.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

The Contra Costa County Fair is coming May 15-18th. Tri Delta Transit goes to the fair, and so should you.

Enter to win a four pack of tickets to the County Fair. Four people will win! Visit www.trideltatransit.com

for details and how to enter. Come visit our booth at the fair.

With help from Sheriff’s helicopter, K9’s

By Antioch Police Department

We’re just having a good time. Arresting criminals per usual. This little firebug lit his ex-girlfriend’s tent on fire while she was inside. The victim was okay, but there were now attempted murder charges in the works. The Brentwood Police Department put out a BOLO for his arrest and the next day he made his way to our city. When he stopped to get some car parts, he was unaware that his arrest was already imminent.

Contra Costa Sheriff’s helicopter STARR 3 was overhead watching the car while a team waited out of view. When he attempted to get into his car to leave, we swooped in with overwhelming force. Seeing he was surrounded, and K9 Boss was watching his every move, he surrendered without incident. K9 Nox conducted a firearm search inside the vehicle to make sure there were no guns hidden inside.

Another felon of the streets. Justice for another victim. Teamwork makes the dream work.

By Brentwood Police Department

Around 11PM on April 20th, a Brentwood officer was patrolling the area of Sand Creek Road and Highway 4 when they observed a vehicle weaving on the roadway. A traffic stop was conducted, and the driver was identified as 50-year-old Gerord Maurice Neil of Antioch.

During the stop, the officer noticed an open container of alcohol inside the vehicle. After conducting a series of field sobriety tests, it was determined that Neil was driving under the influence of alcohol, and he was placed under arrest.

Following his arrest, a loaded firearm was discovered inside the vehicle.

Neil was transported to the Martinez Detention Facility for booking on charges related to DUI and possession of a loaded firearm.

According to the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Department, Neil is Black and as of April 22nd he had bonded out of custody.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

Get your unwanted documents shredded at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1360 East Tregallas Road, Antioch on Saturday, May 10 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Donations will raise funds for scholarships and other charitable purposes coordinated by the church’s Endowment Committee.

Through its endowment, the church has given scholarships to students pursuing college degrees as well as continuing education opportunities such as gaining teacher certification. It has also given a grant to support training school tutors, said Eileen Blumhardt-Butler, chair of the endowment committee.

The endowment has provided a grant to a childcare center to enhance art education. A teacher received a grant to purchase microscopes for her middle school classroom

“These grants are a way our church can share God’s love with the community,” Blumhardt-Butler said.

St. John’s Lutheran Church has Sunday School and services at 9 a.m.  on Sundays. stjohnsantioch.org.

Dante Tosetti will represent California’s Central Valley and San Francisco Bay Area

Has branch in Antioch

By Josef Britschgi, Marketing & Communications Administrator, BAC Community Bank

Stockton, CA – The Independent Community Bankers of America^® (ICBA) has announced the appointment of Dante Tosetti, CEO of BAC Community Bank, to its Safety and Soundness Committee. Tosetti will help shape national policy positions and advocate for the vital role community banks play in strengthening local economies.

Tosetti’s appointment ensures that the voices of community banks, businesses, and residents across California’s Central Valley and San Francisco Bay Area are represented in national discussions on banking policy and regulation.

“Community banks are the heartbeat of Main Street, driving local economies and forging lasting relationships with consumers and small businesses,” said Tosetti. “I’m honored to represent the Central Valley and Bay Area as I contribute to ICBA’s mission — ensuring community banks have a strong voice in policy discussions and access to tools that strengthen their service to local communities.”

In this leadership role, Tosetti will:

• Advocate for community banking interests at the national level.
• Promote ICBA’s policy positions and programming.
• Serve as a bridge between California’s community banks and ICBA leadership in Washington, D.C.

“Dante brings invaluable insight and dedication to the table, reinforcing the importance of community banks in fostering economic stability and opportunity,” said ICBA Chairman Jack Hopkins, president and CEO of CorTrust Bank in Sioux Falls, S.D. “We appreciate Dante’s leadership and look forward to working together to champion policies that empower community banks and the communities they serve.”

About BAC Community Bank

BAC Community Bank is celebrating 60 years of award-winning local banking and operates branch offices throughout San Joaquin, Stanislaus, and eastern Contra Costa counties, including in Antioch at 3448 Deer Valley Road. Established in 1965, BAC is one of California’s oldest state-chartered banks.

Centrally headquartered in Stockton, California, BAC is continuously recognized for its strength and banking excellence in the communities it serves.

BAC Community Bank is an Equal Housing Lender and Equal Opportunity Employer. Member FDIC. More information is available online at www.bankbac.com.

About ICBA

The Independent Community Bankers of America^® has one mission: to create and promote an environment where community banks flourish. We power the potential of the nation’s community banks through effective advocacy, education, and innovation.

As local and trusted sources of credit, America’s community banks leverage their relationship-based business model and innovative offerings to channel deposits into the neighborhoods they serve, creating jobs, fostering economic prosperity, and fueling their customers’ financial goals and dreams. For more information, visit ICBA’s website at www.icba.org.

UPDATE: Following traffic stop; head-on crash sends driver to hospital, leads to more crashes

Two from additional collisions also taken to hospital

By Allen D. Payton

In an early morning post on X on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, by Jimmy Lee, Contra Costa County Sheriff Director of Public Affairs, “Officer-involved protocol was invoked last night after a fatal vehicle collision. Deputy sheriffs terminated a pursuit on Highway 160 after the suspect crossed the divider and drove in the opposite direction. A short time after the pursuit was terminated and the deputies no longer had sight of the suspect vehicle, the collision occurred. DA’s Office and Sheriff’s Office are conducting the investigation.”

In a press release late Wednesday afternoon, Lee shared the following additional details:

A fatal traffic collision is being investigated by the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office and the Contra Costa Sheriff’s Office per the county Law Enforcement Involved Fatal Incident Protocol.

On Tuesday, April 22, 2025, at about 9:19 PM, deputy sheriffs conducted a traffic enforcement stop in the area of Willow Avenue and E. 18th Street in Antioch. The vehicle did not yield leading the deputies on a pursuit. Once on southbound Highway 160, the suspect vehicle crossed over the center median and drove south in the northbound lanes. The deputies immediately terminated the pursuit and lost sight of the vehicle.

A short time after the pursuit was terminated, the California Highway Patrol received calls about a collision on the Highway 4 overpass onto Highway 160. It was later determined the suspect vehicle was involved in the collision. The suspect was later pronounced deceased at the scene. He is identified as 50-year-old Victor A. Vigil of Pittsburg. Three others were taken to local hospitals.

Anyone with any information on this incident is asked to contact the Investigation Division at (925) 313-2600. For any tips, email: tips@so.cccounty.us or call (866) 846-3592 to leave an anonymous voice message.

CHP Says Crash was Head-On, Led to More Crashes, Driver of Car Struck by Suspect, Two from Subsequent Collisions Taken to Hospital

UPDATE: Later, CHP – Contra Costa offered more details about the incident.

On Tuesday, April 22nd, 2025, at approximately 9:23 p.m., officers assigned to the California Highway Patrol’s (CHP) Contra Costa Area office responded to a four-vehicle, head-on crash that occurred on the transition ramp from eastbound SR-4 to northbound SR-160.

As officers responded to the crash, they were advised that the wrong-way vehicle had previously been involved in a pursuit with the Contra Costa County Sheriff’s Office; however, the pursuit had been discontinued prior to the crash.

Our preliminary investigation indicates a Lexus sedan was traveling southbound in the northbound lanes of SR-160 before continuing wrong-way onto the transition ramp from eastbound SR-4 to northbound SR-160. While traveling the wrong way on the transition ramp, the Lexus crashed head-on with a Mercedes SUV, resulting in major damage to both vehicles. This crash led to a series of crashes involving two additional vehicle: a solo occupied Honda Civic and a Dodge Caliber occupied by driver and passenger. Both occupants of the Dodge were transported to a local hospital for treatment of moderate injuries. The driver of the Mercedes sustained major injuries and was airlifted from the scene to a local hospital for medical treatment. The wrong-way driver sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The transition ramp from eastbound SR-4 to northbound SR-160 was closed following the crash and reopened at approximately 6:24 a.m. the next morning.

This crash remains under investigation. If anyone witnessed the incident or the events leading up to it, please contact the Contra Costa Area office in Martinez at (925) 646-4980 or email your contact information to 320Investigations@chp.ca.gov to be contacted by the investigating officer.

According to localcrimenews.com, Vigil had five previous arrests by Walnut Creek, Pittsburg and Vacaville Police and the Contra Costa Sheriff dating back to 2013 for drug crimes.