Wish List success continuing...

The VMC Foundation "Holiday Wish List" is now officially 75% granted, thanks to a great group of folks with big hearts...and led by two of the biggest:

Elaine Elkin, philanthropist and business owner, offered a challenge grant to fund the H1N1 Infection Control Stations this week, which was immediately matched to fulfill the $9,500 needed. VMC will now be stopping flu at the door, thanks to this holiday generosity.

Also, Silicon Valley foundation and development powerhouse John A. Sobrato funded the balance of the "art for oncology patients" program, providing a soothing atmosphere for patients undergoing radiation treatment - hugely important, and we're so thankful!

Click here to learn more about Ms. Elkin and Mr. Sobrato, and if you happen to know them, help me thank them...and watch this space next week for updates on our final "Wish List" item. Happy Holidays!

Holiday Cheer...it officially starts now!

Our 2009 Holiday Wish List is only a few weeks old and we already have one project fully funded! Last Friday we got a call from the Hammond Family Fund of the Silicon Valley Community Foundation saying that they wanted to cover the remaining costs for the Patient Lift described in this video.


Now, it wasn’t magic that the Hammond Family Fund called us out of the blue. They saw a need and were generous enough to make our wish come true, and for that we thank them. What IS magic is what that gift will do for the staff and patients at Valley Medical Center .

We need to make that sort of magic happen for the three remaining projects. Check them out and see what you can do!

How about some EXTREMELY local health care reform?

Alert readers of this blog remember that Measure A, passed a year ago by the oh-so smart and good-looking electorate of Santa Clara County, provided not just $790M to rebuild VMC, but $50M for health services in downtown San Jose.

So you want progress? Here's progress - and a huge congrats to San Jose residents and thanks to the team that negotiated this deal...from today's Mercury News:

Surprise deal for downtown San Jose hospital site
By Joe Rodriguez

Five years after downtown San Jose lost its hospital, Santa Clara County on Tuesday announced a surprising $28.3 million deal for the site in a plan that promises to bring back more than doctors and nurses.

"It gives the downtown a shot in the arm," said Sam Liccardo, the neighborhood's city councilman. "I know the community will be thrilled to hear that medical care is coming back."

Read the full story here!

Presenting the VMC Foundation Holiday Wish List!

I know that you - and many families - often make tax-deductible charitable gifts at the end of the year, around the holidays. That's why I am pleased to announce the new VMC Foundation Holiday Wish List!

This new opportunity to support vital health & hospital services comes after a tough selection process. Front line professionals from Valley Medical Center, our clinics, and all parts of the Health & Hospital System know best what our patients need...so we asked the staff, and narrowed down submissions to four top-priority projects.

They all have a goal we can reach, but only if we do it together. Please visit www.vmcfoundation.org/wishlist and learn about the four areas to which we ask you to direct your year-end giving. We hope that, with your help, we can fund all four and help a great number of patients. Giving is easy, too: Right from the website, or by check...but our deadline is Dec. 31, and I invite you to be among the FIRST to get our campaign off on the right track.

So please consider making your tax-deductible gift today - visit our site and know that your gift will fund a very important unmet need at Silicon Valley's busiest medical center, where everyone is offered world-class care regardless of ability to pay.

THANK YOU, and may I be the first to offer you a hearty and heart-felt HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

The Sharks visit VMC's young patients...check out these photos

VMC Foundation sports reporter Chris Wilder, here…the question I’m most often asked is “So the San Jose Sharks can win big on the road and have a great penalty kill, but how are they with children?”

Yesterday we found out: They RULE! Spending the afternoon with some of our young patients at Valley Medical Center was the following star lineup:

Joe Pavelski
Dan Boyle
Marc-Edouard Vlasic
Jody Shelley
Kent Huskins

Supported by their wives and girlfriends who helped raise $17,000 for our pediatrics department, these hockey heroes could not have been more terrific. On their own time, they spent time with kids who, despite the excellent quality of their care, are not stoked to be in a hospital. S.J. Sharkie (the team mascot) was of course also on hand…it never fails to amaze me that kids love Sharkie, even though he’s a 7-foot carnivorous fish with big teeth.

Seriously, this was a magic day at VMC…check the photos here, and help us root our team on to the Stanley Cup this year – these guys, and their wives and girlfriends, are truly class acts…like the staff at VMC. A huge thanks also to the staff of the Sharks, especially the team at the Sharks Foundation. Working together, we’re making cool things happen.

Chris is running? Now I've heard everything.

After voluntarily flying in a jet-copter last weekend (I have serious acrophobia), my friends and family are all asking me the same question: “Who are you and what have you done with Chris?”

They conclude I have been replaced by an imposter not just from the whirlybird incident, but also because I’ve been running. No, I’m not being chased, though that was my standard response for decades…until now. I blame my friend James MacGregor, Publisher of the Silicon Valley San Jose Business Journal:

JAMES: Maybe you should set some goals around running.
ME: I hate running. It makes me insane with anger.
JAMES: Nah, you just need to train for something!
ME: Fat chance.
JAMES: Tell ya what – if you run the 2009 Turkey Trot, I’ll run it with you.
ME: James, you could run that race TODAY, twice!

…and so on. Sadly, the more James talked, the more sense he made, so I am training to run the 2009 Applied Materials Silicon Valley Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning. This race is ten kilometers, which is something like 300 miles if my math is correct.

So I started running in August, and guess what? It’s not bad! I’m actually enjoying it, and ready to take on the Turkey Trot. Here’s a thought: Why not run it with me and James? It’s not expensive, so let’s get a VMC Foundation team together…if you’re game, send me an email at echristopher.wilder@hhs.sccgov.org and we’ll join forces.

Here’s the best part: the Turkey Trot raises money for some super organizations, including the Children’s Health Initiative (I serve on their foundation’s board, and their work truly benefits Valley Medical Center’s patients). Let’s start Thanksgiving right, by giving back to our community and doing something good for ourselves too.

Amazing, really. Who am I and what have I done with myself?

Global Handwashing Day - today's the day!

Today, October 15, is Global Handwashing Day…the one day a year when we’re supposed to wash our hands.

Oopsie. I’ve just been informed that we should wash our hands EVERY day, and frequently! Today’s commemoration is designed to spread awareness, instead of germs, which is what happens when we don’t wash our hands often enough. During a growing concern about Swine Flu (H1N1), it’s timely to discuss this simple but VERY important activity. So, here are some handy tips for handy washing:

Q: How often should I wash my hands?
A: All the time…after eating, before eating, after handling lizards, when the mud pies are all done, after gutting a trout, or just when you’re feeling a little grubby.

Q: Should I use soap?
A: Fo’ Sho’. That’s part of this campaign – and it’s a serious issue, because not everyone in all parts of the world has ready access to soap. But they should, and the UN, WHO and CDC are working on that.

Q: How long should I wash my hands?
A: Experts say you should sing a little song as you wash for maybe 20 seconds, something like "Happy Birthday". Then go buy me a gift. When my hands are especially dirty, I always sing "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" until my wife begs me to stop.

Q: Will washing my hands mean I won’t get the H1N1 virus?
A: No, but I like your odds. Washing your hands (with soap, and then drying them) is the best way to avoid getting the flu, a cold, and whatever is growing in the Men’s Restroom.

Q: Things grow in the Men’s Restroom?
A: For women – you wouldn’t believe the things men get up to in public lavatories. Men are pretty gross regularly (we’re like bears with furniture, really) but somehow take it to the “next level” when in the confines of the toilet. And we men ALL know that some guys still don’t wash their hands before they leave. Yuck.

Q: Where can I learn more about handwashing?
A: Today’s observance means the Web is full of great info…search away, but remember the basics: Wash your hands. For real. A lot. As VMC’s Trauma Surgeon Gregg Adams told me yesterday, “I had H1N1 a few weeks back…it was awful, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.”

…even on those guys who don’t wash their hands after using the bathroom.

A big boost for our public hospitals

Even Assemblyman Jim Beall would agree that great news doesn't come out of Sacramento every day...but thanks to him, and the Governor, today is one of those days!

That's Jim there, on the right, next to Assemblyman Ira Ruskin. They helped us break ground on the new VMC Bed Building a couple of Fridays ago...and now, with the passage of Jim Beall's AB303, other public hospitals have a chance to do the same.

As for VMC, Jim's legislation gives us options on speeding up our construction plans and leveraging the generosity of the voters who last year passed Measure A. Check out the news release from Assemblyman Beall's office below, and help me thank a great leader who has been championing VMC for a very long time. HOORAY JIM!

For Immediate Release: 10/12/2009 Contact: Rodney Foo 408.282.8920

HOSPITAL SEISMIC SAFETY FINANCING BILL BECOMES LAW
Legislation authored by Assemblymember Jim Beall, Jr. to help hospitals obtain federal funds to finance and complete state-mandated seismic safety improvements was signed by the Governor.

“Assembly Bill 303 ensures our emergency rooms can remain open during a catastrophe,’’ Beall said. “It also creates thousands of construction jobs statewide. It’s a stimulus package that works on two fronts.’’

Assembly Bill 303 allows specified public hospitals and some private hospitals that are contracted to serve Medi-Cal patients to use local funding in place of state funding to qualify for reimbursement from the federal Construction Renovation Reimbursement Program for new capital projects to meet state seismic safety deadlines. Currently, there is no state funding available to draw those federal funding.

After 11 hospitals were completely or partially closed in the aftermath of the 1994 Northridge earthquake, the Legislature passed a 2013 deadline for hospitals to begin safety retrofitting or replacement of their most vulnerable buildings. The law also requires that hospital buildings with retrofitting must be replaced by 2030. Fifteen years ago, the initial total cost was projected at $14 billion to make the buildings safe. But more detailed and accurate studies have now placed that figure at $110 billion or more.

The bill’s passage was hailed by hospital officials on Monday.

“This bill really means a lot to us as a Public Safety Net institution,’’ said Kim Roberts, chief executive officer of Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, Santa Clara County’s biggest hospital. “Public Safety Net hospitals have the greatest challenge of how to meet the seismic mandates because we don’t have the funding. This bill is a great example of creativity.’’

Said Ron Smith, senior vice president of the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California: “In the current financial situation our country faces, this bill allows about 60 hospitals to raise enough capital to rebuild. It’s likely many of these hospitals would have otherwise closed. Without Assemblymember Jim Beall’s bill many of these hospitals might have closed.’’

Mr. Wilder goes to Washington...

...Don't worry, I haven't been elected to anything - the country need not panic.

Tomorrow I’m flying to Washington DC, to give a presentation on how social media can help promote your medical center. You are reading this, so you helped…thanks!

Heading to our nations’ capital has me thinking about politics, especially since the health care debate has continued simmering all summer long. Last week, VMC’s executive director Robin Roche was talking to the management team about “the public option” – because that’s what we are, really. And about how Medicare is a pretty successful example of the public option, as is the VA hospital. I took the moment to shout “You LIE!” from the back of the room, Congressman Wilson-style. Everyone laughed, getting the joke, which was lucky because 1) the joke expired pretty much last week, and 2) if they hadn’t laughed, Robin would have kicked my butt.

But we have to laugh at the health care debate…for one thing, finding common ground is harder. From Senator Kyl’s “I don’t need maternity care” to death panels, to “health co-ops” (???)…well, I thought the circus came to town at our gala two weeks ago (see previous post).

My fave, though, came today in the report of House Minority Leader John Boehner’s comment: “The public option is about as unpopular as a garlic milkshake.” Leave it to our own Mike Honda to send him a basket of Gilroy garlic along with a poem praising the public option – and garlic – as being good for you. Congressman Honda admits to never having a garlic milkshake, which has me planning.

I’ll whip one up for him (soy milk, of course) and deliver it next week when I visit the Capital. If you have any unusual deliveries or messages you’d like me to take with me, let me know in the next few hours as I pack. I’ll be preparing for a week in DC by reading Dan Brown’s latest novel on the plane…it’s reputed frantic and over-the-top plot should be just the thing!

The. Best. Party. EVER.

Friends, the VMC Foundation held our annual gala Saturday night, and I know I say this pretty much every year, but this one ROCKED.

If you've ever been to one of our events, you know the VMC Foundation will NOT do "chicken dinner at the hotel ballroom"...no offense to hotel ballrooms, or chickens. We find unique venues, like Club Auto Sport, to show off some of the most amazing cars in the world. We find the coolest entertainment, like Earth Circus - "Cirque" style performers who amazed our 450 attendees. I like the photo above, taken by Elisabeth Handler with her cell...blurry but magical.

We serve the finest wine, provided by Burrell School Vineyards. The best food, thanks to Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme. The best band, David Dumont's Li'l Big Band. The slickest auctioneer, attorney Richard Alexander. If you were there, then you know. If not, hey - come next year!

We do all of this for three reasons:

1. Our donors and supporters deserve a great party.
2. The VMC Foundation staff, especailly Gala Diva Judy Cosgrove, will not settle for less.

3. I go attend a zillion events every year, as many of you do...so I want ours to stand out. It did, and I thank everyone who made it happen. Go visit our Facebook page later this week to see the photos!

Reach Out and Read (with your Congressman)

The alert reader of the San Jose Mercury News may have seen the photo of Congressman Mike Honda reading to kids at Valley Health Center, East Valley, this week.

If not - even if so - here's the low-down: Our cool representitive wanted to see one of the VMC Foundation's best programs. So, we took him to our clinic on McKee Road where he met our doctors and nurses and staff who run the show...and run Reach Out and Read (click here to learn about ROR...it's the fourth program listed)

This fusion of health care and literacy is so powerful, and watching Mike Honda read to kids in fluent Spanish was a blast...in the photo above, he and David were reading about a cow who ate too many pears. Sounds like more fun than being shouted at by foes of your health care reform ideas.

It was also amazing to see how many people knew and liked Congressman Honda, everywhere he went. People would just run up to hug him or shake his hand. Makes me wonder how many other legislators are so well-loved in their districts. Thanks, Mike! Oh - here are more pictures too.

Everyone Eating

Everyone Eating
Originally uploaded by VMC Foundation

How big was our party? Our "Give a Booster Shot" party? We served 1300 meals, gave away 1400 bottles of VMC Foundation water (compostable!) and the Idol Hands Band (way in the background of this shot) rocked for two hours.

We had so much fun, we're thinking of doing this again...in part for the folks who couldn't attend this one (we need an event for the swing/night shifts) and in part because it was just such a BLAST!

Thanks so much for everyone (that's a lot of people) who made this party a success...and for those who gave a booster shot to the VMC Foundation: www.giveaboostershot.org

VMCF Staff Making Paella

VMCF Staff Making Paella
Originally uploaded by VMC Foundation

So Thursday, we threw a party for the staff of the Santa Clara Valley Heatlh & Hospital System. Two reasons: The excellent work everyone does to care for all the patients that need VMC, the clinics, mental health, alcohol & drug services, public health...are we the best public hospital system in the nation? Is that paella pan big?

That's Elizabeth, Hayley, Andy, Debbie and Judy. Okay, they didn't really cook the food...Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme did.

Health Care Reform: Just the facts, Wilder...

As the director of the VMC Foundation, it's not my job to weigh in on our nation's health care reform debate...but as an engaged member of our community, it is my responsibility to have an opinion.

So, when Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren and PACT (People Acting in Community Together) asked me to speak at their news confrerence last week, I did so, on my own time, and stuck to the facts. Mostly.


But it's really HARD keeping one's cool when VMC's Emergency Dept. is so crowded, or when I see VMC's Dr. Lee and Dr. Helman work so hard for culturally appropriate end-of-life care, only to have it distorted by those crying "Death Panels!" Can somone please put a tent over this circus?

Anyhow, if you can't see YouTube at work, send this to your home email. Finally, here's a letter in today's Mercury News from my good friend Gary Ater who blogs about issues of the day at American Chronicle:

Health care crisis must be addressed
It's very disturbing that there are so many Americans misinformed about the country's health care issues. Every day, more than 2,000 Californians alone lose their health care coverage due to either losing their job or they just flat can't afford it. At the current rate of increase, for the average family of four, in less than 10 years, annual health care coverage will cost over $22,000.

The "Palin Dunces" who talk about "death panels" and "forced euthanasia" or say that we're going too fast (after this issue has been in discussion for the last 60 years) don't deserve low-cost health care. But, if we do nothing, we will still pay double for their health care in America's hospital emergency rooms.

Gary Ater

Santa Clara

I'm an uncle again!

Wonderful news: My sister-in-Law gave birth to Sophie and Olivia this week, so I'm an uncle twice more!

My extended family's new twins reminds me of a great event you should attend the day after our VMC Foundation gala - which the alert reader knows is September 12.

So, hosted by the Coalition for Alcohol and Drug Free Pregnancies, their "Mothers' Tea for Healthy Babies" takes place 9/13 at the St. Elizabeth Day Home in San Jose. Details are on their website, where you can buy tickets, but consider WHY you should attend:

- When a pregnant woman smokes, drinks or uses drugs, so does her baby (this you likely know)

- This NUMBER ONE cause of mental retardation is 100% preventable (again, you knew)

- Drug and alcohol use during pregancy has NOT declined in recent years (this really shocks me...maybe you too?)

Obviously, they have a lot of education to do, and your attending this event will help them do it. Thanks so much, and welcome Sophie and Olivia.

Dancing With the CARS - September 12!

As I'm sure you know, we here at the VMC Foundation like to have a big, formal, opulent gala every fall...except this one.

Oh - we'll have a huge party all right, but it won't be stuffy, or formal. Leave the penguin suit at home and come to the most FUN event of the year: Dancing with the CARS.
Club Auto Sport in San Jose is hosting us, featuring some of the world's rarest and most amazing cars you've ever seen...including my favorite pictured above. Yes, they have a Bugatti there and it's so pretty my knees get weak.

But even if cars aren't your thing, we'll have amazing food by Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme (like last year), world-class wine by Burrell School Vineyards (a returning sponsor), fabulous dance music from David DuMont's Li'l Big Band (back again) and something new: Cirque performers to astound and amaze.

And auction items. And prizes. And race car simulators. Kids will even enjoy this party, and in a shocking show of non-stuffyness, we've lowered the ticket price to $149 each - down from previous years, and well worth it for the fun you'll have.

So make plans, and get your tickets here. There are still some larger sponsorship opportunities as well, which could be beneficial to your organization and to the VMC Foundation. Of course, give us a ring at 408-885-5299 with any detail questions.

129 miles and 15 BIG hearts!

In another example of "this is so amazing I'm nearly speechless", I give you this year's Turning Wheels for Kids' DEATH RIDE team!

The team is led by VMC Foundation's Board Chair, Leah Toeniskoetter...she rode the Death Ride three years ago, and has grown the team since then. This year, the group you see will embark on one of the hardest bike rides in the nation: 129 miles, 15,000 feet of elevation change - all in one day. It's not called The Death Ride lightly - Team TWFK is seriously risking a lot by attempting to finish this race.

Why on earth would they do this, other than "what doesn't kill us makes us stronger?" Well, turns out they're all raising money for one of the VMC Foundation's most inspiring program, consider a gift to support the team's amazing ride, which they'll be undertaking this Saturday!

GO Leah, Go Dan, Go John...GO TEAM TWFK!!!

To all giving "Booster Shots"...some national exposure!

Many of you know that we've recently launched a new campaign at the VMC Foundation called Give a Booster Shot. The plan is to encourage employees of the Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System to support us, and I've recently been asked how it's going.

Well, how about this:

I was contacted by a corporation called Tonic, whose website is dedicated to spreading "good news" around the globe. The asked me to tell the "Booster Shot" story, which I have done - click here to read just how it's going...you may be amazed.

I know I was.

And if you are a "Booster Shot" donor, congratulations...you have made international news, and given a big bit of publicity to our medical center. Your next task: Help us spread the word and drive traffic to Tonic!

Support VMC the easy way...Rock n' Roll and BBQ!

So, last night's band practice was totally excellent...I know because my ears are still ringing.

We're practicing for the upcoming VMC BBQ, put on annually by your public hospital's award-winning Therapeutic Recreation department. This dedicated crew supports our patients with spinal cord and brain injuries - and their family and friends.

Oh - the band...yes, it's the famous Idol Hands, in which your humble author plays bass guitar. We do blues, rock, R&B...fronted by our amazing singer Veronica Giles, R.N., we provide live entertainment for all the big VMC events...maybe because we play for free.

Come support VMC's Rehab Center, National Parks and Recreation Month, and the Idol Hands Band:

Thursday July 9, 11:30 - 1 (ish)
Valley Medical Center's Rehab Lawn, Bascom at Renova
BBQ, live music, games, prizes and fun
Five Dollars for lunch, rehab patients FREE

This great mid-day, mid-week escape is open to the public...tell a friend or two and come on down!

Deep cuts to the County Budget - it's happening now

Typically I like to use this space to tell you some good news, or uplifting information. Today, I'm afraid, not so much.

Today is the day our county will decide on some of the most drastic cuts we've faced - it's happening now, and so this is getting to you a day later than I'd like...but you may have seen the editorial in yesterday's Mercury News that outlines what we're all facing:

Half of the county's regional public health nurses — gone. These are the people who, among other things, make sure expectant mothers get prenatal care and that TB cases are properly managed.

Transitional beds for people recovering from mental illness — gone. Drug and alcohol treatment programs designed to keep people working — gone.

After eight straight years of budget deficits, there's no obvious fat left to trim. Programs once seen as bare essentials will be dramatically curtailed.

Please read the full editorial here. this nightmare would have been worse had the Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System not worked with Deloitte to find $60M worth of savings and efficiencies...but it's bad enough, and there's little our county leaders can do about what they must do today.

...and, depending on what happens at the state level with California's budget crisis, this may not be the end of this story. Watch this space.