History made at VMC's Flag Dedication Ceremony

History was made yesterday at Valley Medical Center.

In a moving ceremony Monday morning VMC's new flagpoles, installed as a result of 2008's Measure A, were commissioned and dedicated. The Stars and Stripes, California State Flag and POW-MIA flag are now flying proudly in front of the main hospital thanks to our own VMC Color Guard, Veteran Marines all, from VMC's Protective Services Department. No ceremony like it had ever taken place before.

VMC Foundation Executive Director Chris Wilder posted his thoughts, and a moving speech from Colonel William Peacock, on his blog yesterday. To read Chris' full article, click here: http://bit.ly/abFsIQ

Smart, strategic, self-made: VMC Foundation Board Chairperson Norman Kline was a natural choice

Entrepreneur, Mayor, Community Leader - Norman Kline, President of Library World Inc. and former Mayor of Saratoga, added a new title to his resume in January – Chairperson of the VMC Foundation Board of Directors. Norman has served on the Board since 2007. His ascension to Chairperson is not only an acknowledgment of his contributions to the Foundation, but of the important role he plays as a business and civic leader in Santa Clara County.

“Norm has a unique combination of business sense, political acumen and a passion for community involvement,” said VMC Foundation Executive Director Chris Wilder. “He was a natural choice to be our next Chair, and we are grateful for his leadership.”

Norman’s involvement with VMC started very early in life – at the very beginning, to be exact. Born at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Norman and his family relied on VMC for their care throughout his childhood, be it for check-ups or trips to the Emergency Room. He grew up in San Jose, attending public schools. In his junior year of high school, he served as the student representative to the San Jose Unified School District Board of Directors. It was his first foray into public office, and clearly inspired a lifetime of civic engagement.

“You can really change the world in local politics,” he said. “You can build a park, increase community access to transportation, help a hospital…do things that would surprise most people.”

Norman served on the Saratoga City Council from 2002 – 2006, and as Mayor during a portion of that term. He serves on numerous local boards and commissions, and takes an active role in local politics.

He also has a day job, running a successful business with customers world-wide. Library World provides online inventory management tools to school, university, public and private libraries throughout the United States, Asia and Europe. Headquartered in San Jose, Norman hopes to expand the company to serve10,000 facilities in the coming years.

“He is a classic Silicon Valley entrepreneur,” said Wilder. “Smart, strategic, and self-made.”

As Chairperson, Norman says he looks forward to promoting the VMC Foundation Capital Campaign. With funds from the voter-approved Measure A, VMC is in the process of replacing outdated facilities that do not meet California earthquake safety standards with a new hospital wing. While Measure A will pay for construction costs, millions more are needed to outfit the building with the best possible equipment. It will be a major undertaking, given the economy and decline in charitable giving.

But it is a challenge that Norman will face head on. After all, he knows the value of VMC to the next generation. The young patient of today could be a mayor, entrepreneur or community leader of tomorrow. Or, in Norman’s case, all of the above.

John Sobrato, Peggy Fleming Jenkins and Dr. Greg Jenkins unveil VMC's Sobrato Cancer Center Donor Wall

In 2009, Valley Medical Center opened a new, world class outpatient cancer treatment center, named for the Sobrato family. It is open to all, regardless of ability to pay.

Thanks to John Sobrato and other generous donors, like Peggy Fleming Jenkins and Dr. Greg Jenkins, the VMC Foundation raised over $2 million in support of the center. On March 19, the Foundation hosted these donors – and many others – to unveil a commemorative donor wall in the lobby of the Sobrato Cancer Center.

"You all know that most of the patients here are not insured. Approximately 80% of the people who are treated here, whether its cancer or something else, are not able to pay,” said Sobrato at the event. “It's because of the foresight of elected officials like Susie Wilson years ago that set up this hospital to take care of those folks that makes me proud to live in Silicon Valley, where we take care of our own."

Thanks to our generous donors, VMC is able to take care of this community. Thank you to everyone who came out for this special event.

A Social Media Minute with Ed Bennett

On Tuesday March 9, VMC Foundation Executive Director Chris Wilder presented alongside University of Maryland Medical Center Director of Web Strategy, Ed Bennett at the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI) conference in San Diego. Both presented on their hospitals use of Social Media.

Ed Bennett is often described as a Social Media "guru" in his field of work. He is constantly working to break down the stigmas and barriers hospitals and related institutions (like the VMC Foundation) face when venturing into Social Media communications. His research on how hospitals use Social Media has led to an increased appreciation of its benefits, specifically around the ROI of Social Media. When asked about the ROI for hospitals using Social Media, Ed is always quick to fire back: "Well, what is the ROI of putting your pants on in the morning?" He sees this form of communication as something that hospitals are just expected to do now. We couldn't agree more, Ed! Chris found a few minutes to sit down and discuss the importance of hospitals using these tools for our segment, A Social Media Minute.

Are you “Dining Out for Life” in April?

One of the VMC Foundation's important community allies, The Health Trust of Silicon Valley, invites you to attend "Dining Out for Life." On Thursday, April 29, 2010, participating restaurants across Silicon Valley will contribute a portion of your bill to the fight against HIV/AIDS.

For a complete list of participating restaurants and for more information, go to: www.healthtrust.org/diningoutforlife or call 408.559.9385

Santa Clara County unveils Healthy Workers program

While the debate on health care reform rages on in Washington, local leaders in Silicon Valley are getting it done. From the same coalition that created the wildly successful Children’s Health Initiative in 2001 comes a new effort to provide affordable health insurance to the employees of local small businesses. The new program, called “Healthy Workers,” kicked off Monday with a press conference on the campus of Valley Medical Center. Through a unique partnership with small businesses, community organizations, and the public health care system, the coalition has created a new insurance product that is affordable and comprehensive. Check out the video below, featuring Bob Brownstein of Working Partnerships USA and Elizabeth Darrow from the Santa Clara Family Health Plan.

Video: San Jose Sharks visit VMC Pediatric Unit

It is always nice to have visitors to cheer you up when you are in the hospital. It's good to see the people you care about when you are feeling under the weather. When you are a child, those visits are especially important. Being in a hospital can be emotional, and having a visitor take your mind off your injury is a welcome distraction. That's why we feel so fortunate that the San Jose Sharks are so generous with their time. This was the third visit from Sharks players this year, and, as always, they totally made the day of the pediatric patients they saw. This time, we brought a video camera along to document the visit. Give the video below a watch, and GO SHARKS!