News from John Muir Health Foundation ISSUE 3 WINTER 2015 John Muir Health and UCSF Medical Center. Better Together. In a major move to improve access to high-quality health care throughout the Bay Area, John Muir Health recently announced plans for a joint venture with UCSF Medical Center that will link the East Bay s leading community hospital system with San Francisco s premier academic medical center. John Muir Health is not joining UCSF s network, but rather the two organizations are forming a new one. According to George Sauter, chief strategy officer of John Muir Health, the partnership will serve as the cornerstone of a new Bay Area health network. It will combine access to John Muir hospitals in Walnut Creek and Concord, UCSF Medical Center in San Francisco, UCSF s Benioff Children s Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland, and the doctors associated with each. On both sides, this is a major multiyear commitment between our organizations, Sauter said. Our goal is to provide the right care at the right time in the most appropriate setting, whether that s the primary care physician s office, an outpatient center or a hospital.
PRESIDENT S MESSAGE Cal Knight President and CEO John Muir Health JOHN MUIR HEALTH FOUNDATION 2015 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Thank you for your generous support of John Muir Health. Your gifts help us in so many ways to provide you, your family and our community with top-quality, compassionate health care right here in the Bay Area. 2014 included a number of important achievements, thanks to you and our amazing team of dedicated physicians, nurses, staff and volunteers. In January, we opened our new Outpatient Center in Walnut Creek, which has become a highly successful model for patient access to a variety of medical services including primary care, pediatric medicine, lab services, urgent care and more, all in one convenient location. Plans are under way to open a similar outpatient center in Pleasanton next year. Once again, in July, John Muir Health s Walnut Creek and Concord medical centers were included in U.S. News & World Report s best hospitals rankings, listed at #2 and #3, respectively, in the San Francisco-Oakland area, and were the only non-academic medical centers ranked among the Top 15 in California. On November 1, we held our first annual Celebrate John Muir Health! gala, which raised close to $900,000 to support our new Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU), which will open in early 2015. This new PICU, in partnership with Stanford Children s Health, will be the first and only unit of its kind in the East Bay. Together, we have much to be proud of. Thank you for your generous and valuable support. David D. Woodworth CHAIRMAN Peter D. Gruebele VICE CHAIRMAN Jack E. Thompson SECRETARY/TREASURER Michelle J. Bartel CHAIR, GOVERNANCE & NOMINATING Guy R. Henshaw CHAIRMAN ADVISORY COUNCIL Carlotta R. Dathe OFFICER AT LARGE Beverly A. Jones OFFICER AT LARGE Gerald D. Stroffolino OFFICER AT LARGE Patrick J. Carew PRESIDENT JMH FOUNDATION Calvin K. Knight PRESIDENT & CEO JOHN MUIR HEALTH G. Michael Fossan PRESIDENT CONCORD VOLUNTEERS Laurie Doyle PRESIDENT WALNUT CREEK AUXILIARY F. Ryan Anderson, M.D. Nourollah B. Ghorbani, M.D. Alice D. Hunter, M.D. Rev. Dwane L. Michael Margaret S. Murphy John C. Sayres Elliot D. Stein Ken Wienholz HONORARY DIRECTORS Jean and Ken Hofmann Margery B. Sterns
IMPACT UPDATE Your Gifts at Work HOW YOUR SUPPORT HELPS CARING HANDS VOLUNTEERS REACH OUT TO LOCAL SENIORS Fifteen years ago, the John Muir Health Caring Hands Volunteer Caregivers Program was created to help seniors living in Contra Costa County remain independent as long as safely possible. The program s ideal vision is a world in which every senior has a caring friend and no one approaches the final stages of life alone. Caring Hands provides free, nonmedical assistance to local seniors who are still living independently, but who need assistance with routine household chores and transportation. The program carefully matches each senior care recipient with a trained volunteer caregiver who agrees to a service commitment of 1-3 hours per week. The program s unique one-to-one matching system is based on geography, life experiences, personal interests and other factors to help foster meaningful relationships so that every senior gains a truly caring friend to provide general assistance and transportation to medical appointments, shopping or other activities. With the help of Caring Hands volunteers, seniors are able to benefit from regular social interaction and companionship that help prevent loneliness and isolation, which can lead to higher incidences of illness and depression. Caring Hands is just one of the many John Muir Health programs that serve and benefit our local community. The program has become so popular, there are now 35 seniors on a waiting list to be matched with a volunteer. For more information about supporting Caring Hands or becoming a volunteer caregiver, please call Linda Groobin at (925) 929-2999. Dorothy (L) has been a Caring Hands senior care recipient since 2004. In 2007, she was matched with Betty s husband, Ray. When he chose to take a break from volunteering, Betty picked up where Ray left off and became Dorothy s companion in 2012. THE CARING HANDS VOLUNTEER CAREGIVERS PROGRAM: Number of active Caring Hands volunteers: 336 Number of seniors being served today: 390 Number of seniors served since 1999: 1,661 Average age of senior care recipient: 84 Average age of volunteer caregiver: 63 Of current volunteers 1/3 are men, 2/3 are women Despite severe macular degeneration that has resulted in blindness, Dorothy, age 96, regularly teaches a one-hour line dancing class on Friday mornings at the Concord Senior Center.
UP AND COMING Emergency Preparedness: A Top Priority From earthquakes to outbreaks, John Muir Health plays an important role in responding to disasters and health emergencies that may affect our region. We continuously plan and prepare for all types of scenarios, while actively partnering with local, regional and state agencies to create a coordinated, comprehensive emergency response network. system. Each facility also conducts an annual Hazard Vulnerability Analysis that helps us identify our top risks. Biological/Chemical Decontamination Last year, John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek, hosted a class on decontamination utilizing our Hazardous Materials (hazmat) equipment and stateof-the-art disaster decontamination shower. This class was open to all hospitals in Contra Costa County. Here are just a few ways we stay at the ready: Fire Drills Fire drills are conducted for each work shift once per quarter in our hospitals. A minimum of 50% of these drills are unannounced and patient care is never disrupted. Patient Evacuation/Transportation John Muir Medical Center, Walnut Creek also hosted a seminar on the TRAIN tool (Triage by Resource Allocation for IN-Patients). This tool focuses on preplanning to effectively evacuate and transport patients from the hospital in case of an on-site incident. Functional Disaster Drills Two functional disaster drills are conducted twice a year at our Concord, Walnut Creek and Behavioral Health campuses. When simulating an event such as an earthquake, we activate a command center, acquire resources and utilize mock patients to truly test our Ebola Preparedness In response to recent events, John Muir Health has developed a range of enterprise-wide group activities. These range from Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) trainings to drills. We also have various work groups focusing on different aspects of our Ebola preparedness plan.
Insider s Guide: Safety First, Last and Always Q&A with Scott Meyer, Director of Safety John Muir Health Photography by Mike McEuen Scott Meyer is the Director of Safety at John Muir Health, responsible for the safety of staff, volunteers, patients and visitors. A former Safety Officer and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator at Sutter Health, Scott has a B.S. in Health Science from Sacramento State University, with an emphasis in Occupational Health and Safety. He lives in Brentwood. How is John Muir Health s approach to safety different from other hospitals and health care organizations? Safety here is more than just a program. It s built into our culture. Everyone wants to do more than what s simply required. I think a big difference is how we approach patient and employee safety in a very holistic, connected way. Because you simply can t have one without the other. That s something you don t always see at other organizations. What s your role? I m responsible for implementing and managing the workplace safety program. I work closely with regulatory agencies like Cal OSHA, Department of Toxic Substances Control, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and local and county authorities dedicated to employee and patient safety. Emergency preparedness is a big part of our effort. How prepared is John Muir for an emergency? On a scale of 1 to 10, I d give us a solid 9. And that s only because there s always room for improvement. We re always looking for ways to be better and learn more. If someone in my family were injured, John Muir would be my top preference for their medical care. Ebola has dominated the news lately. How is John Muir dealing with the issue of infectious diseases? We ve been very proactive. We are constantly monitoring the updates from CDC, CDPH, Cal OSHA and other organizations to ensure that we are fully prepared at all times. It s really about communication and cooperation. We work closely with other hospitals to share best practices and ideas. And we re very open and transparent with our community. When people know what s really happening, they re not as afraid.
OUT AND ABOUT Award of Distinction DIABLO COUNTRY CLUB APRIL 3 The Foundation s annual Award of Distinction event recognizes John Muir Health medical staff and community members for outstanding leadership and philanthropy. The award itself is a bronze representation of the naturalist, John Muir. This year s honorees were Kathryn Bennett, M.D., Henry Fourcade, M.D. and Guy Henshaw. Held at the Diablo Country Club, the event was chaired by Foundation Board member Bev Jones with Douglas Lange, M.D. serving as master of ceremonies. Upon receiving their awards, each honoree spoke about how much John Muir Health has meant to them throughout their lives and careers. Legacy Brunch JMH OUTPATIENT CENTER, WALNUT CREEK JUNE 1 In the spirit of enjoying Sunday brunch with family and friends, 160 members of John Muir Health s family of donors gathered on June 1 to honor longtime consecutive donors and those who have included John Muir Health in their estate plans. Also in attendance were 20 volunteers from the John Muir Health Caring Hands Volunteer Caregivers Program. Guest speakers Heather Kenward, Rita Gordon and Robin Clancy shared their experiences as Caring Hands volunteers and the significant difference that program has made in their lives, as well as in the lives of seniors in our community. For more information about Caring Hands, see page 3. 1 2 3 4 1. Event chair Bev Jones (R) with Foundation Board member Steve Davenport 2. Roy Kaplan, M.D. (L) presented his longtime friend and colleague Kathryn Bennett, M.D., with her award. 3. Honoree Henry Fourcade, M.D. (R) was presented with his award by retired John Muir Health physician, Clair Weenig, M.D. 4. Master of ceremonies Douglas Lange, M.D. (R) presented Guy Henshaw with his award for exceptional volunteer service leadership and philanthropy in support of John Muir Health. 1 2 3 1. Guests enjoyed brunch catered by McCall s Catering and Events. 2. Guest speaker Heather Kenward, a Caring Hands volunteer for 10 years, currently assists a Concord resident named Trudy, age 99. 3. Rita Gordon (L) and Robin Clancy first met when Robin began providing volunteer assistance to Rita s mother. Rita was so impressed by the personal bond they developed, she chose to become a Caring Hands volunteer herself. SAVE THE DATE THURSDAY, JANUARY 29 JOHN MUIR HEALTH FOUNDATION DONOR APPRECIATION DINNER 5:30 P.M. Reception 7:00 P.M. Dinner & Program Blackhawk Auto Museum Formal invitations will be mailed. Inquiries please call Lori Johnson (925) 947-3292 FOR THE LATEST INFORMATION Visit us at johnmuirhealth. com/givehealth
LEAVE YOUR LEGACY Learning, Leading and Legacy Find the thing that stirs your heart and make room for it. Joan Chittister Philanthropy is a response to the emotional stirring we experience within ourselves as we sense our own desire to make the world a bit better. Through philanthropy, our lives and our hearts grow bigger by making room for the needs of others. Our giving behavior is often shaped by those around us, beginning with our parents. In fact, the simple act of parents talking about giving with their children makes it 20% more likely that those children will also give to charity. Children learn through life experiences, and that pattern continues into our adulthood. We are lifelong learners and we lead best by example. Our charitable legacy provides an example to others of those things for which we have made room for in our lives for the good of the community. Philanthropy shows others what we value and encourages others to find and express what is important to them. Please consider including John Muir Health in your philanthropic estate plans. We can help you and your advisers achieve maximum tax benefits and personal satisfaction, while showing you how your gift will have a meaningful and lasting impact in our community. For more information please contact Mike Crvarich at (925) 941-2120 or email michael.crvarich@johnmuirhealth.com. Visit us online at johnmuirhealth.com/givehealth. Create Your Own Legacy of Giving Charitable estate planning can be beneficial for families and individuals of various ages and income levels. Contact Mike Crvarich, Vice President, Legacy Planning to find out what planning a Legacy Gift to John Muir Health can do for you and your loved ones now and in the future. There are several ways that you can plan for the future to create income for you and your family, and ultimately make a significant charitable gift to John Muir Health. GIFTS JOHN MUIR HEALTH CAN USE TODAY Appreciated Securities Real Estate GIFTS THAT CAN PAY YOU INCOME Charitable Gift Annuity Charitable Remainder Trust GIFTS TAKING EFFECT AFTER YOUR LIFETIME Bequest Retained Life Estate Charitable Beneficiary Designations: Retirement Plan Life Insurance
John Muir Health Foundation 1400 Treat Boulevard Walnut Creek, CA 94597-2142 NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID JOHN MUIR HEALTH FOUNDATION WHY WE GIVE Making a Difference a Step at a Time It s often been said that good things come in threes. In 1993, Walnut Creek residents Doug and Ruth Waterman put that adage to the test. I needed two operations on my heart that year, recalls Doug. And three days after I got home, I had to go back for emergency gallbladder surgery. We used to laugh that the minute we left the house, the car would automatically head to John Muir. It was those lifesaving experiences that inspired the Watermans to begin making charitable gifts to John Muir Health, a practice that continues to this day. John Muir has always been there when we needed it, says Ruth. And the entire experience from the doctors and nurses to the facility itself is always wonderful. We feel it s important to support that kind of community care. A former mountain climber with more than 36 climbs of over 14,000 Loyal donors Ruth and Doug Waterman have been making charitable gifts in support of John Muir Health regularly every year since 1993. feet, Doug describes an interesting parallel between his dedication to climbing and supporting John Muir Health. We re not huge donors, says Mr. Waterman. But we give a little bit every year, and over the years it s added up to make a big difference. It s like climbing. You take just a small step, one after the other, and pretty soon you re on top of the world.