Another amazing story from a VMC family...

After receiving permission from the family, I am excited to share this story with you. As difficult as it is to imagine feeling "locked in" your own body, imagine being given a chance to start communicating again. That's what VMC's team did for Laure, and part of what the VMC Foundation proudly supports.

When I asked Mr. Chow if I could share this with you, in fact, he responded right away, saying You can certainly share. We credit the staff at SCVMC, especially Dr Duong and your PT/OT/ST staff for challenging while respecting Laure. Laure always faces her challenges head on.

You should also know the nursing staff has always been fantastic. Laure was very particular about her care and Laure felt both safe and genuinely cared for by your nursing staff.

Laure has a long way to go, but your staff has been a source of compassion, support and encouragement towards her recovery.

This, then, from Mr. Chow:

To Laure’s extended family:

It has been a long and difficult year for Laure and her family. She is still paralyzed and mute, and everyday life has been extremely challenging. Today however, I share some good news.

Since Laure has been working diligently with physical/occupational therapy every day, she has managed to gain enough head control to hold her head steady. This allows her to use a machine called Dynavox.

The machine tracks her eyes along a keyboard and when Laure blinks, it accepts this as if she were pressing a key. Once she completes a sentence, she uses her eyes to “click” on the “speak” button and the machine speaks what Laure has just typed with her eyes.

At first Laure spelled, “I am tired”, then “thank you Larry”, and “Annie (her caregiver) you are special”. Then Laure was on a roll, spelling:

I want Internet.

I want email.

I want email.

I want email.

She was then able to spell / speak, “I love Ton Ton” and “I love Caillou”.

Finally, she spelled, “ I am happy” and “I have a voice”. We all cried.

All this took well over an hour; the device is not 100% accurate, and Laure gets exhausted just trying to hold her head steady, but we will keep practicing and hopefully send a few emails soon.

I know you share in our joy, and thank you for your thoughts, prayers, love and support of Laure.



Larry Chow

A new troubling study on our health...

What do you suppose makes the biggest difference to your health? Genes? Kicking the cigarette habit?

These things are important, sure, but according to a groundbreaking new study done by our own Public Health Department, racism you experience and where you live are MORE important.

Troubling? You bet it is. I've been fighting racism and injustice where I see it for a long time, and if this study (done in partnership with The Health Trust) doesn't get make you as mad as it does me, then I'm sorry for you.

The way people treat you based on the color of your skin, and the amount of money you make, and the neighborhood you live in have a dramatic effect on your health. This is unfair, and as a society we need to figure out what to do about it...at least that's how I feel.

Check out the study here, and let me know your reaction to it.

VMC Foundation and Silicon Valley lose a dear friend

I met Leonard Ely in 2007, and by 2008 he had become such a strong supporter of our "Measure A" campaign to rebuild Valley Medical Center that I'm not sure we'd have won without him.

"VMC saved my life", he often said of his time with us, which was told and retold by news sources around Silicon Valley.

Now Leonard Ely has passed away at 87, and will be greatly missed and remembered. A generous man, he was also a shrewd business leader - and woe unto anyone who misjudged that!

Mr. Ely, thank you for all you have done for our community...your gifts will keep giving for generations to come. The full obituary can be read here.

Social media and fund raising...we're getting there!

I'll be in San Diego for a couple of days this week, attending a national conference on behavioral health. My presentation is on social media and how we in the public benefit sector can use it to raise awareness - and money - for the work we do.

One fun little tool I like is QR codes, which turn your web address or file into a Jackson Pollack painting...which you can then read with your smart phone, and have a video or website pop up. The one above right is a funny video we made for hospital staff demonstrating phone etiquette.

I'll be wearing one at the conference as a name tag, which will be my electronic business card...anyone who scans it with their smart phone will land on this blog page, and have my contact info:

E. Christopher Wilder
Executive Director
Valley Medical Center Foundation
2400 Moorpark Ave. #207
San Jose CA 95128
408.885.5299
echristopher.wilder@hhs.sccgov.org
www.vmcfoundation.org

Fun! Think of ways you might use these neat little tools, and of course, follow me and the Valley Medical Center Foundation on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Also, if you want to get an idea of what I'll be talking about this week in San Diego, here's the slide show.

Summer starts here. June 4 - get ready to party!

For most of the northern hemisphere, summer starts on the twenty-first of June.

However, this year, for a select few, summer will come early.

This year, the season of barbecues and baseball, of suntans and lemonade, of long days and warm nights, will begin on June 4 on a rooftop in Silicon Valley...

We invite you to "Swing Into Summer," a fundraiser for the VMC Foundation, presented by Lexus Stevens Creek and American Medical Response. It just may be our best party yet.

Dance to the big band sounds of the 18-piece "Full Spectrum Jazz".

Savor the delectable cuisine of Parsley Sage Rosemary &Thyme.

Taste local artisan wines from 8 local winemakers.

Enjoy gift bags and prizes that include music, gift cards to local restaurants and attractions...this is just about worth the price of admission by itself, seriously. Thanks to Armadillo Willy's for sponsoring these great gifts.

And that's not all. One lucky couple will win airfare for two to Hawaii courtesy of Peak Travel Group, just for showing up! It might be you (I promise it won't be me, sadly).

Saturday, June 4th 7:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Rooftop of Lexus Stevens Creek 3333 Stevens Creeks Blvd., San Jose

Tickets are a bargain at $100.00. Click here to purchase or call 408-885-5299.

VMC Among "America's Best Hospitals"

Silicon Valley is home to some of America’s best hospitals. So when the competition is this tough, there is no shame in taking the silver. In U.S. News and World Report just released “America’s Best Hospitals” annual report, VMC was ranked second only to Stanford for best hospitals in the San Jose Metro Area. VMC was specifically recognized for “high performing specialties” in Ear, Nose and Throat, Gynecology, kidney disorders and rehabilitation care. Rankings aren’t everything, of course. But the recognition is well deserved. VMC and Stanford, of course, share a long-established bond. Together, both hospitals operate Santa Clara County’s only top level trauma centers. VMC is an official teaching hospital of the Stanford University School of Medicine, and numerous VMC physicians also serve on the Stanford faculty. To see the report, check here.

Why do we give to charities, anyway?

Is healthcare philanthropy in big trouble?

I agree that #1 and #2 of the "triple threat" to healthcare giving are real, as reported by Health Leaders Media: Uncertanty of health care reform and local (county) budget crises nation-wide.

#3 I'd like your opinion about. Here's the situation:

President Obama's proposed 2012 budget caps charitable deductions at 28%, while a Bowles-Simpson Deficit Reduction Commission proposal would reduce the tax incentive for charitable giving to a 12% tax credit for donations that exceed 2% of a taxpayer's adjusted gross income.

Nine out of 10 AHP [Association of Healthcare Philanthropy] respondents surveyed in February said the Bowles-Simpson proposal would cause significant reductions in overall giving to their organization, with 64% saying the adverse impact on major gift-giving would be considerable. About 40% said giving would fall between 10% and 30% if significant changes are made to the current tax incentives for charitable donations—which conservatively could amount to more than a $1.07 billion drop in total annual giving to nonprofit hospitals, AHP said, based on its own FY2009 statistics.

AHP Chair Mary Anne Chern said any reductions in the tax incentives for charitable giving could be "devastating for healthcare in the U.S."

The implied assumption here, of course, is that people donate to get a tax deduction. While that may be true, I cannot believe it's the driver. Especially here in data-driven, outcomes-based Silicon Valley, my strong sense is that we donate because we want to see a positive, measurable change in our community as a result of our help. We want to make Santa Clara County a better place for everyone.

Let me know: If your donation was only partially tax-deductable, would you give as much to the charities you support? Frankly, the future of the VMC Foundation may depend on how we collectively answer this question. I welcome your thoughts: vmcfoundation@gmail.com