You're gonna need a good lawyer...

Your doctor isn’t always the best person to solve your medical problem. Sometimes, instead, it’s a lawyer!

Consider for instance the single mom with two boys, frustrated by their weekly asthma attacks and visits to VMC. They know darned well that it’s mold in their apartment walls that’s causing the asthma, yet her landlord wont’ do anything about it…even after their VMC pediatrician wrote a letter and left voice messages. Can you imagine how that feels?

Now, imagine that landlord getting a letter not from a doctor, but from an attorney, representing the two boys! This has proven time and again to get results, and so here’s what we’re launching at VMC: Legal Advocates for Children and Youth (LACY) has teamed up with the VMC Foundation and First 5, along with some prominent families in Silicon Valley, to start a “Medical Legal Partnership Clinic.”

Beginning today, an attorney will be available on-site at VMC’s pediatric clinic to help families solve problems as only lawyers can. Issues of custody, tenant;s rights, teen motherhood and more will be addressed immediately, and these issues so often have medical implications.

Medical Legal Partnerships have been around for a while, but ours is the first in the nation at a “county/public” medical center…which is ironic, since many of VMC’s patients deal with these kinds of issues all the time…and for too many, they often feel under-represented; that nobody has their back. Well, not anymore – not with this new initiative.

Huge thanks are in order, from Jolene at First 5, to VMC’s LeeAnna Botkin, M.D., to Jennifer Kelleher at LACY, and Steve Harris, M.D., the chair of VMC’s Pediatrics…and let’s not forget Santa Clara County’s Board of Supervisors who continue approving innovative programs like this one.

The results of our Medical Legal Partnership Clinic won't be known for a while, but they have a long history of success. We're pretty sure that, in the case I opened with, that landlord will make some repairs, and the boys' asthma will subside. That means better health for them, fewer missed days at school, and fewer visits to the doctor. Good for the kids, the family, VMC, and our whole community.

Now - who needs a good lawyer?

A new year, and new hope for one family...

I received a very difficult phone call three months ago. I'll never forget it.

Now, before I tell you how this story ends, I invite you to read the following letter I received just a week ago...

Dear Chris:

Back in September of this year you received a call from a mutual friend, Dave Henderson. I think Dave explained that our 16 year old son, Christian Bauerle, sustained a serious injury in a football game and was in intensive care up at Stanford.

Christian sustained an injury to his brain stem artery which caused a blood clot and stroke. The doctors at Stanford performed emergency surgery on him to clear the clot.

We were told that if he survives they did not know to what extent he would regain his functions. At the time I spoke with Dave the doctors at Stanford thought that Christian’s best chance at recovery would be immediate aggressive physical therapy. I spoke with Dave on Wednesday night September 10th and by Thursday afternoon a VMC representative met with Christian and us. By Friday September 12th around noon Christian was admitted into VMC.

Christian was at VMC for eight weeks. When he arrived all he could do was move his eyes and his left leg some. By the end of the eight weeks he was lifting weights, walking, climbing stairs, eating and talking. My wife Karen and I, along with Christian and his brothers and sister, are very grateful for everything you did to get Christian into VMC. We also want to give our thanks to Dr. Duong, Dr. Lin, Amy, Hubert, Kei, Carlo and the rest of the staff in the head injury section of the hospital.

Enclosed is a check in the amount of $1,000 for the VMC Foundation to be used for whatever the hospital committee deems necessary to continue VMC’s fine health programs.

Christian continues to recover now at home, is attending school, and plans to make the high school basketball team next year. We thank you and the VMC staff again for all that you have done for Christian and our family.

Sincerely,

Randy Bauerle

So there's the letter. Now you see why I'll never forget it. Though he has a long road ahead, VMC's Rehab Team (with the support of a great family and determined young man) have once again defied the odds.

I promised to tell you how the story ends. Well, in fact, it hasn't yet. You see, I spoke to Randy (Christian's Dad) at length yesterday and they want very much to be involved. If you come to VMC Foundation's events this year, chances are you'll meet them. If you visit VMC's Rehab Center this year, Christian may be there providing peer support or volunteering.

And if you attend the right High School basketball game this fall, watch for him. He'll be the guy with the most positve attitude on the court...and probably the most points on the board.

What's twenty tons and sticky?

...a big magnet, that's what. A REALLY big magnet.

This holiday "gift" for VMC's patients arrived yesterday at the end of this crane, and was oh-so carefully lowered down into our diagnostic imaging center in the main hospital. Heavy work for a rainy Wednesday: The 3T (Tesla) magnet weighs forty-four thousand pounds, and so does the sheilded wall we had to remove from the side of the hospital to load it in.

What this means is that we have a new MRI about to come on line! This ultra-efficient, faster, more accurate machine will provide exceptional anatomic detail...and speaking of detail, don't ask me to describe the technical aspects of this gizmo. My little brain will overheat.

Instead, be comforted that Valley Medical Center has world-class experts ready to run the new MRI, and as our patient population increases, we need all the speed and efficiency we can get.

And now we do. Happy Holidays, everyone!

2,000 bikes = ho ho ho!

Allow me to demolish any remaining cynicism you have about the holidays:

Saturday was an incredible day, as hundreds of Silicon Valley volunteers came together to build thousands of bikes for children who might otherwise have nothing – and that’s just the beginning…

Turning Wheels for Kids is a grass-roots group of caring people that became a program of the VMC Foundation a couple years ago. Today’s annual Bike Build began early in the morning at the San Jose Convention Center, when FOUR 18-WHEELERS full of unassembled bikes were unloaded by teams of builders. Volunteers from Juniper, Yahoo, Google, Fox Racing, local bike clubs and just regular folk worked their butts off so that kids could have something new, empowering and healthy for the holidays.

At one point, Sue Runsvold was left speechless…hard to do, if you know Sue! She’s the executive director for TWFK and was presented a check for $20,000 by local construction heroes DPR, Inc. Sue’s a nurse manager as well, so you’d think she was used to surprises. Other firms and groups gave too – thousands more – and the money was nothing compared to the inspiration of seeing the kids get their new shiny bikes.

Brandi Chastain, “Sharkie”, and elected officials joined in as Christmas came early for so many needy families. I could write about it all day and not do it justice…to get a better idea of what this event feels like, check out http://www.turningwheels.org/ to see all they offer. Am I proud to be a part of this? Does Rudolph have a shiny shnoz?

P.S. A big hug to Leah Toeniskoetter, VMC Foundation Board Chair and one of Turning Wheels’ greatest champions, for taking these photos. Did you see us on the news?

A gift for Edgar, and a happy Thanksgiving

Edgar Flores was introduced to Silicon Valley on Monday...and by Tuesday morning, Silicon Valley was already doing what it does so well: Helping in a time of need.

Today, a day later, I walked in to the office in the early afternoon to find the VMC Foundation staff sniffing back tears as they opened envelope after generous envelope. Thousands of dollars, yes, but more touching: The cards, letters and wishes of well for a little boy who deserves all good things.

In case you missed this amazing story, please read the article from wonderful Mercury News columnist Patty Fisher, which launched this flood of giving - and have a happy Thanksgiving!

Fisher: A gift for Edgar

By Patty Fisher
Mercury News

Edgar Flores wants to be a doctor when he grows up. And what is it exactly that doctors do?

"They poke," he tells me. "And they help children."

Five-year-old Edgar has become quite an expert on doctors. After a car fire in July 2007 left him burned over 85 percent of his body, he spent five months in the burn unit at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and had 16 operations. Several times, his doctors didn't think he would make it.

But Edgar had too many plans to give up.

"I want to grow up to be a doctor and a firefighter,'' he says now. "And a police!"

Weeks after leaving the hospital last December, he was running around and riding his scooter. Last month he was named student of the month in his kindergarten class at Trace Elementary School in San Jose .

"He always does his best," said Kathy Rivera, assistant nurse manager of the burn unit. "He's such a happy child that it makes it hard to feel sorry for him."

Last week, Edgar was back at VMC for more painful skin grafts, and I stopped by to pay him and his parents a visit. The door to his hospital room was decorated with seasonal pictures of turkeys and a cornucopia he had colored in with crayons. He showed me his temporary tattoos — the planet Saturn and a shark — that decorate his arms, which are crisscrossed with marks from skin grafts.

"My nurse, Jennifer, gave me those tattoos," he said proudly.

Edgar is a slender little boy with bright eyes and long, dark eyelashes, the only hair on his head. He has just two fingers on his right hand. Flannel pajamas conceal the scars on his legs, and two bandages on his tummy cover the places where healthy skin had been removed and grafted onto his neck.

He doesn't remember much about the fire. He and his big brother were on their way home from a family gathering in his uncle's Volkswagen van on a warm July day. As they drove through Pacheco Pass on Highway 152, the engine in the rear of the van caught fire.

Edgar, who was strapped in a booster seat in back, couldn't get out. His uncle and 8-year-old brother, Jose, tried to release him. Jose badly burned his hands and face. Eventually another driver stopped and used a knife to cut Edgar out before the fire trucks arrived.

From the day Edgar and Jose arrived at VMC, the family won the hearts of the staff.
"We watched the way the family stepped up, how worried Jose was about his little brother," Rivera said. "We've watched these parents work with Edgar and help him cope with his injuries. He does really well with what he has."

As we stood around Edgar's hospital bed, his mother, Margireta, gently stretched the muscles in his feet. He has a tracheostomy, a permanent opening in his throat, and she needs to clear it several times a day. But she can't keep up with him on the playground.

"All the children know they have to be careful with him," she said in Spanish.

Edgar's father, Miguel, lost his job detailing cars because he spent so much time at the hospital. Since then he has had only occasional construction jobs. MediCal pays for Edgar's treatment, but his parents are having trouble making ends meet. In addition to Jose and Edgar, they have a 3-year-old son, Miguel Jr.

"We have gotten help from family," his father said, "but it has been very, very difficult."
That's when the people who saved Edgar's life stepped in with some extra special caregiving. The nurses in the burn unit passed the hat and raised $720 in three days to help the family pay its rent. Local firefighters pitched in $2,000.

VMC spokeswoman Joy Alexiou said the staff members will provide gifts for the Flores family this Christmas. But they're hoping others in the community will step up and help buy Edgar the present he wants more than anything: a computer.

The injuries to his hands will make it difficult to type or write with a pencil, so it's essential that he adapt to a computer in order to succeed in school.

"He needs something with a touch screen because his fingers aren't strong enough to use a mouse," Alexiou said.

When she first told me Edgar's story, I thought it odd that the burn-unit nurses, who see so many severely injured children, so many family tragedies, would take up the cause of this one little boy. But having met him, I understand.

"He's a very smart little boy with a wonderful attitude," Rivera said. "He has us all wrapped around his little finger."

if you're interested: To help Edgar, mail checks made out to "The Edgar Flores Fund" to the VMC Foundation, 2400 Moorpark Ave. #207, San Jose 95128. Or donate online at http://www.vmcfoundation.org/.

Rebuilding VMC...time to get started!

If you pay taxes in Santa Clara County, then Valley Medical Center quite literally belongs to you.

That’s one of three reasons why we’re going to keep you informed every step of the way as we rebuild Silicon Valley’s largest hospital. It’s all starting pretty much NOW…we’re getting set to knock down the old outpatient building (as soon as everyone is moved out, of course) and make room for the new patient tower. Yes, we’re ready to go this winter, now that Measure A passed with more votes than any other issue on the ballot (including Barack Obama. I know…totally amazing.)

The second reason we’ll keep you up to speed is that it’s required. The Citizen Oversight Committee, mandated as part of Measure A, is coming together to ensure the funds are used wisely and per the will of the voters. Watch this space, as I’ll use it as just one way to share information about this massive and crucial project…I’ll get more specific as decisions are made and timelines set.

The third reason? It’s going to be just SO COOL. The new VMC will be beautiful, state of the art, world-class and way more efficient than the buildings it will replace. I know I speak for the executive team of the Santa Clara Valley Health & Hospital System when I say we cannot wait to get going!

The rendering above gives you an idea of what’s coming, and again, we’re not wasting any time. The result will be an absolutely breathtaking VMC - better for patients, and for our commuity.

And why shouldn’t it be? It’s yours.

Measure A WINS!!!!!!

To all who voted for Valley Medical Center: Thank you.

Measure A, as of 5:30am today, has passed with 78% of the vote - well above the 2/3 needed. Wow.

Even in a tough economy, the voters understood. In a huge, complicated ballot, the voters understood. I wish I could go door-to-door and thank everyone who voted YES on Measure A.

Since that's impractical, what we'll do instead is to start building the new parts of Valley Medical Center. We'll start soon - early next year - and we'll keep county residents informed every step of the way. We'll use the funds wisely, and make everyone proud of supporting VMC.

To all those who donated to the campaign, made phone calls, knocked on doors, or helped shape our messages...well, you must have done it right because Santa Clara County responded. This is a great day for health care in Silicon Valley, and a great day for the thousands of people who work for our county's largest hospital. The message has been received: We all need VMC, and Santa Clara County appreciates you.

Now, there's a great deal of work to be done. Let's get on it!

With deep appreciation,
Chris