VMC Foundation Lifelines

Toys, Cheeseburgers, and Santa Clara County: one opinion from VMC Foundation Executive Director

2010-04-28T15:23:00.000-07:00

In politics, sometimes it is hard to tell which issues will trigger emotion from the public. When the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors opened their chambers to public discourse on whether or not to ban the distribution of toys with food at fast food restaurants, the emotional responses were clear, launching Santa Clara County into the media spotlight.

The story is hard to miss, as it has been picked up by the New York Times, the L.A. Times and Mercury News. At issue? The County Board of Supervisor’s 3-2 decision in favor of incentivizing fast food with toy giveaways. As you know from many of the articles posted on this blog, the VMC Foundation actively supports the fight against childhood obesity in Santa Clara County.

Our Executive Director Chris Wilder was at the Board of Supervisor’s meeting, and had this observation to share with the public that we felt compelled to share with you:

“Good morning President Yeager, Board of Supervisors, County Staff. When I first saw yesterday’s half page ad in the Mercury News, I initially agreed with a part of it: this may not be the most important topic for the County Government to be taking up. County Government is better suited to work with the budget, corrections and child welfare. When I thought about child welfare a little more, however, I said to myself ‘Wait a minute. This issue does have to do with child welfare.’

I remembered that when I was 17 and began my first semester at San Jose State University, it was commonplace for tobacco companies to set up in front of the student union and give away their products. By the time I graduated in 1989 that was no longer the case. Somewhere in there, there was a policy decision that prevented them from doing that. I think this is a good example of how policy change can impact attitude and behavior. If someone walked into this room right now smoking a cigarette, I think everyone would be appalled. That wasn’t necessarily the case 20 or 30 years ago. Policy decisions can, in fact, have a positive impact on behaviors.

As described today, childhood obesity is a huge issue in this county. The combination of fat, salt and sugar is an addictive combination. It may not be as addictive as tobacco, but, on the other hand, when I accepted that free sample in front of the student union and tried it I didn’t like it. I wonder how many children don’t like the cheeseburger, french fry and chocolate shake combination that they get while incentivized by that toy.

So, as I continued to think about this, I came to the conclusion that I strongly support this ordinance and I am very glad you decided to take it up today. Thank you very much.”

VMC honors corps of 400 volunteers for National Volunteer Week

2010-04-22T16:16:00.000-07:00

Each year, over 400 hundred residents of Santa Clara County volunteer their time and services as volunteers at VMC. The work is often thankless: a warm smile given to a wayward family looking to visit a patient, a cup of water refilled in a patient room, or a book read to a child in a clinic waiting room. The roles that volunteers play at VMC are essential to the high level of care provided at the busiest hospital in Santa Clara County, and deserving of widespread recognition and thanks. Volunteers enhance the services provided in the hospital so that the staff can focus solely on patient care and raise money to support the hospital through the leadership of the Volunteer Auxiliary Leadership team.

Every volunteer completes a minimum of 100 hours each year, but some exceed this commitment by 8 fold and sustain that level of service for as long as 15-20 years. At the VMC Foundation, we call on the help of volunteers multiple times a year, and couldn't be more thankful for their support. Arriving on time and with a smile on their faces, volunteers have helped the Foundation welcome members of Congress, help guide guests to the appropriate event site, and staff reading zones in Valley Health Center clinic waiting rooms. An all volunteer staff help Foundation employee Kathy Trutz run the hospital Gift Shop, with all proceeds going to benefit the VMC Foundation. Another hospital volunteer, Jean Meddaugh, serves on the Board of Directors of the VMC Foundation. A retired VMC nurse and volunteer of 11 years, Jean helped launch VMC Foundation's Reach out and Read program and continues to serve as a volunteer on VMC's main hospital campus.

The volunteers at VMC really do play an essential role in helping achieve the mission of the hospital: to provide top quality health care to everyone in Santa Clara County, regardless of their ability to pay. So, if you see a volunteer in their signature blue smock, take a minute to thank them for all that they do each day. We thank you, VMC Volunteers! Your impact is felt in every corner of the hospital.

Technology Empowers VMC Rehabilitation Patients

2010-04-09T15:50:00.000-07:00

Imagine that you wake up one day in a hospital after a serious accident and are told that you are paralyzed. How do you communicate with the outside world? What do you do when you need to write someone an e-mail or access the Internet? Luckily, patients who are admitted to VMC’s rehab center have an answer: the Technology Access Program (TAP), championed by the VMC Foundation’s own Debbie Burdsall.

An Occupational Therapist with 22 years of experience, Debbie understands her patients and their shifting needs. “The whole point of rehab is to become as independent as possible and to get back to life,” Debbie explains. “Technology is now a part of almost everyone's life, and part of getting back to life today is resuming paying your bills, talking to your friends online, and emailing.”

Because technology is so pervasive, allowing rehab patients access early on is empowering. “It is the connectivity to the outside world and what happens as a result of that that is the most compelling part of TAP,” Debbie explains. “Because of this program, patients are now looking online and seeing what their options are for bath equipment, wheelchairs, etc. They are doing price comparisons and taking a much more active role in making decisions early on. I think that translates into a better outcome when they go home.”

Another one of TAP’s strengths lies in its ability to facilitate a patient’s interaction with their life and loved ones; to communicate with a world that doesn't easily accommodate their life changing injuries. Using technology to communicate is such a creature comfort these days, checking e-mails and chatting online serves to reduce stress levels and improve the mood of patients, all elements that help the healing process.

While outcomes vary for each patient, the stories of recovery Debbie catalogs really solidify TAP’s importance. Take the young girl who wasn't expected to live when she came in as an example. Her diagnoses was dire, but she began showing lightning fast progress when she was re-connected with the poetry she had written on her MySpace page after being loaned one of TAP’s laptops. At the time she was re-introduced to the Internet, she could only move her eyes. But because of the Technology Access Program's ability to match technology assistance to a patient’s need (i.e. voice recognition, eye tracking software, and customized operating system) her recovery occurred that much faster. Today she is talking and beginning to walk; two skills doctors never thought she would accomplish on her own.

And the stories go on and on, one after the other highlighting a different strength of the Technology Access Program. Each laptop that patient’s use, every head mouse and customized operating system are purchased through the generous donation of community members and corporations. Currently, Debbie has 14 laptops to loan out to patients during their stay. Those laptops are in constant use and require maintenance from wear and tear. It’s hard for Debbie to keep up with the demand, so what does her ideal world look like? “Well,” she thinks out loud, “More laptops for patients to use while they are here, and I really wish I was able to send a laptop home with the patients who can’t afford to buy one of their own!” A noble goal for a very special program.

To learn how you can contribute to this program, please contact Michael Elliott at 408-885-5299

History made at VMC's Flag Dedication Ceremony

2010-03-30T09:25:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-25T14:04:00.001-07:00

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

2010-03-24T08:48:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-12T13:07:00.000-08:00

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?

2010-03-11T09:29:00.001-08:00

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

2010-03-03T08:49:00.000-08:00

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

2010-03-01T18:05:00.000-08:00

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!

Great article from the Merc highlights tai chi practice at VMC Rehab

2010-02-26T15:53:00.001-08:00

Mercury News: Ancient art of tai chi finds new disciples
By Marissa Cevallos

Every Monday afternoon, a handful of people roll, hobble and shuffle to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center to learn an ancient art that students say reduces pain, steadies their balance and makes them feel happy.

For patients with spinal cord injuries-about 475 at Valley Medical alone-exercise options are slim, and most are done alone. Patients with spinal cord injuries are more likely to be depressed, and Shem hopes that tai chi, which is often done in a group, will help them feel more "emotionally connected."

FULL STORY

Doing More With Less: A Look Into the Increased Efficiencies in VMC's Emergency Department

2010-02-23T14:08:00.000-08:00

To say that Dr. Jeffrey Arnold, VMC’s chief of the Emergency Department (ED) is a busy man is a dramatic understatement. He is in charge of heading up the team of docs and nurses responsible for providing emergency medical services in the busiest hospital in Santa Clara County, home to San Jose, the 10th largest city in the United States. We had a chance to sit down with Dr. Arnold and talk about some of the advancements in patient care and increased efficiencies that have been implemented over the past three years. We’re so glad we did, because the accomplishments the ED has seen since 2006 are truly remarkable.

When Dr. Arnold joined the ED in 2006, VMC was just starting to feel the impact of a surge in patient demand from the closure of the San Jose Medical Center, among other factors. They knew that if more and more people kept coming to the ED and did not act, they would run over capacity. Understanding the urgency of the situation, Dr. Arnold and his team of talented physicians and nurses went to work implementing changes to the way things were run in the ED. Just to give you an idea of the type of changes we’re talking about here, since taking over in 2006, the collective ED team has reduced the time to provider rate (the amount of time you wait to be seen by a doctor) by 9,000 hours each month. If you multiply that out over the entire year, just for fun, the residents of Santa Clara County were saved 4,500 days of human wait time in 2009. 4,500 days! Oh, and did we mention they save lives during all of that, too? Because they do.

2006: a new beginning

To get a true sense of how far patient care has advanced over the past three years, we should take a step back to 2006. In 2006, the average number of patients visiting the ED each day was around 200, or 73,000 a year. At that point in time, new systems weren’t yet in place to help accommodate such a large patient population, and wait times often suffered as a result. “Back in 2006,” Dr. Arnold explained, “what the patient experienced in our ED was going directly against why they came to see us in the first place. From a patient perspective, they came to see a doctor. They didn't come to see anybody else. From a treatment perspective [the way we were running things] was preventing the patient from being united with what they came to get.” So Dr. Arnold and his team went to work immediately implementing two key processes to begin the process of repairing the patient experience: the expansion of the Express Care Clinic, and the adoption of Rapid Medical Evaluation (RME).

Express Care Clinic

Most patients who present at the ED throughout the day do not have immediately life threatening conditions. Those that do are, of course, rushed into the ED and treated immediately. But what happens to those people who aren’t having a heart attack? Before, they would wait for hours to be seen, or go elsewhere. But now they have a third, and much more reasonable, option: the Express Care Clinic at VMC.

“The Express Care Clinic serves patients coming to the hospital with urgent problems by combining an urgent care setting with doctors and nurses who are experienced in Emergency Medicine,” Dr. Arnold explains. This is a 14 bed unit directly adjacent to the ED. Each bed is in a private room that is stocked with medical equipment, and by the time each patient gets to a room, they have already seen a doctor. That’s right; the first person a patient talks to when they present at Express Care is a doctor. The intake doctor takes the patient through a filtering process called a Medical Screening Examination. They take a “why wait?” attitude with the goal of “keeping vertical patients vertical.”

“Once you take somebody, put them on a bed and put oxygen on them, they start looking a lot sicker than they actually are,” says Dr. Arnold. “If someone comes in complaining of pain when they urinate, it's kind of a no-brainer; they need a urine test. Why would we make them wait another hour to get a room, to see a doctor, who then orders a urine test, etc. Why not just see them then? Send them to get the test, and by the time they get back the test results are there and a room is ready.” Today, nearly 70% of patients coming through the ED doors know to head directly to the Express Care clinic, a huge win for both the patients and VMC.

Rapid Medical Evaluation (RME)

This type of common sense approach to emergency medicine has gone a long way in improving the patient experience. A similar approach to care has been adopted by Dr. Arnold’s team in the ED proper. RME take is a small 4 bed unit right next to the ED proper which takes low acuity patients out of the pool that goes into the ED. RME is used for outer extremity injuries that are easily observed without need for additional observations like x-rays or CAT-scans. The same “why wait” approach is still applied to slightly more serious cases, preventing the unnecessary clogging of ED beds. Patients are treated in this small unit, and released directly from there.

Essentially, the team of doctors and nurses have created three levels of injury treatment to slot patients in to when they come to VMC: the ED proper, where people with life threatening emergencies should go. RME, where patients that present with non-life threatening but still emergency situations like lacerations can be treated. And Express Care, for less acute patients like those with chronic low back pain.

Results

If these changes were implemented during a period of time when patient use of the ED was staying steady, they would be impressive and still needed; but the results Dr. Arnold’s team have seen have been remarkable. In 2006, VMC’s ED department treated 73,000. In 2008 they treated 102,220 patients. In 2009, they hit 127,750. In the first month of 2010, the ED treated 12,144 patients. If they patients keep coming at that rate, VMC’s ED will treat 145,728 patients in 2010. That means that the patient rate will have doubled in 4 years. While the patient population has doubled, our VMC ED has reduced the left without being seen rate from 40% in 2006, to 2.5% in 2009.

“Statistics show that 1 out of 10 patients who leave an ED without being seen need to hospitalized later with greater morbidity and cost,” Dr. Arnold points out, “the difference we make is that four people every day are now getting care that wouldn’t have. That means that there are around 1,500 people out there who you have really done an incredible service to by preventing them from leaving without being seen.” To add to the degree of awe, these improvements have taken place with 50% fewer beds than what a patient population of that size is expected to have. They have streamlined processes, dramatically reduced patient wait times, improved the quality of patient care, and saved countless lives all within the context of a doubling in the patient population, having a deficit of patient beds, and budget cuts.

When asked what he was most proud of about his and his team’s work in the ED, Dr. Arnold summed things up with humility:

“We always have stories in the ED about how we heroically do something, or we make the right diagnosis, or save someone's life by intervening at the right moment, and they are real stories. But the thing we are the most proud of over the past three years is affecting so many people in a positive population way. We have really good patients at Valley. They are really grateful, good patients.”

Weekend health headlines from Santa Clara County:

2010-02-22T11:07:00.001-08:00

Santa Clara County Executive Jeff Smith is featured in Biz Journal and is working hard on balancing big projects against big budget cuts:

Full article here: http://bit.ly/9NWY6S

Santa Clara County President Ken Yeager calls for the creation of a "Council on Health" in siliconvalley.com opinion piece.

Full article here: http://bit.ly/9nlO01

Middle School students weigh in on VMC Foundation and Health Care

2010-02-19T10:50:00.001-08:00

It has been a busy week here at the VMC Foundation. We’ve submitted a grant to Cisco to help expand the reach of our Technology Access Program, toured 40 members of Community Leadership San Jose, and even took time to send staff member Andy Groggel to speak at Roosevelt Middle School’s Career Day in San Francisco!

The presentation focused around the expansion of our work with Social Media, and we thought it would be a fun exercise to have the 7th and 8th grade students (who were GREAT participants, by the way) write their own observations on the presentation down Tweet-style. Take a look at what some of them had to say:

“I hope I can go to one of your fundraising events. I don’t have a Facebook, Twitter, or a blog, but this job seems like fun. I’m excited to learn more about these jobs” ~Sally

“Health care is important. Everybody should be allowed to use the hospital, even if they don’t have money.”

“Help the poor please!”

“Woah! This is such a great association to use when at a hospital.”

“Raising money? Hard to do in this economy. Our Washington D.C. club needs your tips on how to do that.” ~Susan, Teacher at Roosevelt M.S.

VMC Foundation Champion and Donor Dick Levy recieves 2010 David Packard Award.

2010-02-19T10:30:00.001-08:00

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SAN JOSE, Calif. February 8, 2010 Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network announced today that Varian Medical Systems board chair and longtime Silicon Valley community leader Richard M. Levy is the recipient of the 2010 David Packard Award.

The Packard Award is Joint Venture’s highest honor, presented annually to an individual who brings an entrepreneurial, cross-boundary, problem-solving approach to Silicon Valley’s challenges. Recipients embody the spirit of David Packard, Silicon Valley’s legendary pioneer who set the highest standard for civic engagement.

“Richard Levy’s long record of selfless personal and professional commitment to our region made him the unanimous choice of the jury,” said Russell Hancock, president and CEO of Joint Venture.

“He has been willing to step outside his normal role in order to tackle hard problems,” Hancock added. “It’s one thing to serve on boards and commissions; it’s quite another to lead them, and to start new ones. This is what Dick has done for decades, most recently by chairing Joint Venture’s Smart Health Initiative.”

“One of the many things that make Dick Levy such a special volunteer is his passion for the mission of improving lives,” said United Way Silicon Valley president and CEO Carole Leigh Hutton. Levy chaired the organization for the past two years. “Working under his leadership is as inspirational as it is informative.”

Tim Guertin, president and CEO of Varian Medical Systems, said Levy “is consistently looking for ways to make the world better, from working to transform healthcare to meeting the most urgent needs of our community.”

Levy, who has been with Varian since 1968, has been chair of the Varian Medical Systems board of directors since 2002 and was CEO of the company from 1999 to 2006. Levy is also vice chair of the board of trustees of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and a board member of the Sutter Health.

Don Watters, director emeritus of McKinsey & Company, will present this year\'s award to Levy at the annual State of the Valley conference this Friday, February 12, in San Jose.

Previous David Packard Award honorees are Paul L. Locatelli, S.J. (2009), William F. Miller (2008), Eric Benhamou (2007) and Bruce Chizen (2006).

Hospitals and Social Media- good to reflect on your strategy

2010-02-18T10:13:00.001-08:00

It is always a good idea to take a step back and evaluate the effectiveness of your Social Media strategy. This blog post from Mark Horoszowski is a good reminder of that.

He links to two great resources: VMC Foundation friend, and hospital Social Media pioneer, Ed Bennett, and to a great presentation by Phil Baumann.

This is a must read reflection piece for all of you #hcsm followers out there.

As H1N1 fears subside, support for Public Health Departments should not

2010-02-12T15:46:00.000-08:00

Fifty-seven million Americans were infected with H1N1 since last April, according to a new estimate for The Center for Disease Control released today. That’s roughly the population of all of Italy. While thousands did sadly perish form the disease, the rate of mortality was nowhere close to previous flu pandemics, thanks in large part to the aggressive response by local, state and federal public health agencies.

Of course, the danger from this pandemic and others is still present. And while we breathe easy that our worst fears about H1N1 never materialized, major weaknesses to our public health infrastructure have been exposed, so says Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, public health officer for Santa Clara County. Many public health agencies, including the one in Santa Clara County, are have seen budgets and staff slashed in recent years, slowing the ability to monitor and respond to major public health crisis.

As we think about health care reform in this country, it is critical that we remember how essential Public Health Departments are to our safety net. It seems we dodged a bullet this time with H1N1 – but it’s a game of Russian Roulette not worth playing.

Chef Jamie Oliver speaks eloquently on America's obesity epidemic

2010-02-12T13:44:00.000-08:00

This is an eloquent summary of the obesity issues we have been discussing on the blog this week. Please take the time watch this video.

VMC Foundation and Santa Clara County take action against Childhood Obesity

2010-02-11T16:46:00.000-08:00

If you have been following us on Twitter this week, which we know you have, you’ll know that First Lady Michelle Obama launched her obesity awareness, called “Let’s Move.” Let the record show that we think this is a great program with tons of potential. By changing the food served to children in our schools, promoting active lifestyles, and actively educating youth through a social media campaign, Let’s Move will make a huge difference in the lives of our nation’s youth.

1-in-3 three children in the United States are obese. The rate of obesity in children has tripled in the past three decades for children aged 6-11. The first step in any recovery is admitting that you have a problem, so articles like this one published in the Mercury News in January is an encouraging first step; but action is needed to help stymie this epidemic.

Thankfully, we have been directly addressing this at the county level for some time. Currently, the VMC Foundation helps support a program, VMC’s Pediatric Healthy Lifestyles Center, which intervenes directly with populations at the highest risk for childhood obesity. The SCC Board of Supervisors is also making this epidemic a priority. County President Ken Yeager committed to promoting prevention and healthier living for all residents today in an opinion piece in the Mercury News. Supervisor Liz Kniss with support from the SCC Library, SCC Office of Education, and San Jose Public Library Foundation, is also taking action by using the Silicon Valley Reads program to educate both adults and children on healthy eating habits.

When we work together to combine our resources, our ability to affect change grows exponentially. Let’s hope these actions are sustained far into the future.

If you would like to support any of the programs run by the VMC Foundation, please contact us at 408-885-5299

Ken Yeager highlights plan for County success

2010-02-11T10:47:00.003-08:00

Santa Clara County President Ken Yeager highlights plan for County success amidst fiscal challenges. Focus on prevention and healthier living is central in county efforts. http://bit.ly/9QpCcI

Youth from San Jose Leadership Academy tour VMC

2010-02-09T11:03:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, the staff of the VMC Foundation had the opportunity to take 40 high school students from the San Jose Leadership Academy on a tour through VMC. The group, composed of Juniors from seven San Jose Unified high schools, spend nine months expanding their awareness of the San Jose community, networking with their peers, and inspiring change. We conduct tours each month but rarely with young adults from the community, so this was an exciting day for the staff of the VMC Foundation.

Before touring VMC, the youth from San Jose Leadership Academy had visited the county jail and a homeless shelter downtown, two experiences that opened the eyes of these high school students to a completely new side of San Jose. After observing these county services it was fitting for them to tour our county's Safety Net Hospital. We were given the chance to show how comprehensive VMC's system of care really is. The young leaders were able to see our Valley Health Clinic at Bascom, which serves a large portion of San Jose's homeless population. We were also able to point out that we really do treat everyone regardless of their ability to pay here at VMC, even prisoners from the jail they just visited! Educating the community to the vast array of services that are offered throughout the Health and Hospital System is a critical part of connecting everyone to the mission of VMC.

Touring our hospital for the first time can be an emotional experience. Being exposed to people receiving care during critically important moments in their life can sometimes feel invasive. Seeing pre-mature infants being cared for in our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit is an experience that you will never forget. The students from the San Jose Leadership Academy approached this tour with a mature curiosity that was contagious. In fact, the first question some of the youth asked us (even before the tour started!) was, "how can we sign up to volunteer?" Talk about being impressed!

A big thanks to the San Jose Leadership Academy, to their leader, Rick Holden, and to the VMC Foundation staff for conducting the tours. We can't wait until next year!

If you are interested in arranging a tour of VMC, please contact Jace Soper at 408-885-5299.

For more information on the San Jose Leadership Academy, go to: http://www.sjleadership.org/sjlc/npo.jsp?pg=about

VMC Partners with Stanford University Medical Center in Traumatic Brain Injury Study

2010-02-04T16:44:00.001-08:00

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF.-Approximately 1.5 million people suffer from Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs) each year, and TBIs are the leading cause of disability for individuals under age 44. Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is joining Stanford University Medical Center in the Progesterone for the Treatment for Traumatic Brain Injury (ProTECT) collaborative study to research if the administration of progesterone improves patient recovery.

"We can achieve exponentially more when public and private entities work together," said Board of Supervisors President Ken Yeager. "As one of three trauma centers in Santa Clara County, VMC is an ideal partner for Stanford in this important study."

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VMC Foundation submits Beacon Community grant application for $20M

2010-02-02T16:58:00.001-08:00

The VMC Foundation just submitted a $20 million federal grant application to establish a Patient Care Collaboration Platform through the Beacon Communities program. This exciting health information exchange will create seamless transitions of care for the "shared" patients seen at both the Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System and the Community Health Partnership clinics by creating an online portal where providers can access information about common patients. A huge thanks to the grant team from SCVHHS and CHP for their contributions to the submission. This is the VMC Foundation's largest grant application ever! Stay tuned to find out if we are awarded the funds in March.

Welcome to Lifelines, the new blog of the VMC Foundation.

2010-02-02T11:24:00.001-08:00

As the public hospital of Silicon Valley, we thought it appropriate to abandon the paper version of our newsletter for the blog format. We'll save some trees, money � and allow for more frequent updates.

This forum will be used to highlight trends in heath care, philanthropy and how "The Great Recession" is impacting people of all walks of life in Santa Clara County. It will also provide you a venue to meet the doctors, nurses, administrators, therapists, technicians and others who make Santa Clara Valley Medical Center once of the finest county hospitals of the country.

Please check back often for new entries, and join the conversation. We want to hear from you.