Finally, proof that palliative care works...

Dr. Gary Lee (that’s him at the keyboard) came up to me a couple days ago and asked me this:

“Chris, if you had a terminal disease, and you knew there was a drug that would not only make you feel a lot better but also give you three more months with your family and friends, how much would you pay for it?”

The obvious answer is “Everything I’ve got!” Gary’s next sentence was less obvious:
“There already is a treatment like that. We give it away to our patients, and now we can prove it works.”

Gary then shared with me the study in the New England Journal of Medicine that demonstrates the value of palliative care. That’s what Dr. Lee does at VMC, along with Dr. Shoshana Helman and their team. Palliative care, as just reported in the NY Times, “… typically begins with a long conversation about what the patient with a terminal diagnosis wants out of his remaining life. It includes the options any oncologist addresses: surgery, chemotherapy and radiation and their side effects. But it also includes how much suffering a patient wishes to bear, effects on the family, and legal, insurance and religious issues. Teams focus on controlling pain, nausea, swelling, shortness of breath and other side effects; they also address patients’ worries and make sure they have help with making meals, dressing and bathing when not hospitalized.”

So, palliative care isn’t actually a drug or procedure, but rather a better way of thinking about how a patient’s end of life will be for them and those they love. Yes—better, as proven by the study; Patients with lung cancer who received palliative care lived more happily, and actually lived longer.

Doctors Helman and Lee were obviously thrilled at the study’s results, but they weren’t surprised. They’ve been demonstrating it at Valley Medical Center for years, and the VMC Foundation has assisted with grants to expand their palliative care program. Gary and Shoshana are already leading experts in this relatively new field…and now, we’ve got a scientific study to support what they do.

The next step is to ensure palliative care remains in the health care overhaul happening at the federal level. The cries of “death panels” absolutely need to be silenced, and science seems to be the best way to do that.

…not that scientific proof ever throws ideologues off their game. Spread the word about palliative care, because it’s a proven way to improve life and stop thinking of patients as a bunch of symptoms. We’re proud at VMC that our team thinks of patients’ whole lives.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, there’s a reason I posted the photo of Dr. Lee rocking out in our band, Idol Hands. It’s a perfect example of how our MD’s are creative, well-rounded idealists, not just academics in white coats. In fact, it was while setting up for this performance last week that Gary told me about the study. Then we went on to rock the party.

My job? I think I’ll keep it.

How is a winery like a hospital?

If you’re not a wine lover, this post may not be for you…but you never know until you read it...

Last weekend I stopped in to my favorite winery, Burrell School Vineyards (that's them, in the old red school house). My wife and I have been members of their wine club for years, and I appreciate their “futures” tastings.

For you non-wine-nerds, “futures” are young wines that aren’t quite ready to drink or even release, that the winery will sell you at a discount for you to pick up months later…and cool wineries like Burrell School will let you taste from the barrel to get an idea how the wine is shaping up.

I was with just one other couple, and the wine maker/owner Dave Moulton, who answered a question the other couple had of him: Why do some wineries produce better wines than others?

“If a winery gets too big, it’s hard to take an individual approach to every barrel, every bottle”, Dave explained. “Here? It’s just me. No one else.” Pointing to the racks of barrels behind him, Dave said “I know every patient here.”

“Dave, did you say ‘patient’? Are you comparing your winery to a hospital?” I asked.

“In a manner of speaking, yes”, he said. “I monitor the health of each barrel, make sure the ‘patients’ are comfortable, quiet, and at the right temperature. I monitor their vital signs all day, every day.”

He went on. “Just like a hostpital, we are meticulous about cleanliness and infection control, and if infection does happen, and we catch it right away, we can cure it. And, none of my patients gets discharged until they are healthy enough, and if I’ve done my job, each bottle will stay healthy for years, even decades to come.”

Sounds like Valley Medical Center to me! That’s why it should be no surprise that, for the fourth year running, Burrell School is the wine sponsor of the VMC Foundation’s annual Gala. If you are attending “Luxury by the Lake”, you will be enjoying the result of Dave’s (and of his wife Ann, and their great team) efforts.

If you’re not yet attending our gala on October 2, there may be just a few tickets left available…for more info, call Judy at the VMC Foundation: 408-885-5205.

And, if you’re up on Summit Road in Los Gatos this weekend, stop by Burrell School and taste for yourself. If you love wine, you’ll be glad you did.

VMC's first-ever Car Show (with just one car)...

Join Valley Medical Center on Tuesday for our first-ever Car Show!

Yes, I know it's only one car, but it's a historic one: The first-ever automobile designed and built from the ground up for the disabled community.

Naturally, the car, called the MV-1, is attracting attention nationwide...and naturally, it will be visiting your public hospital's Spinal Cord Injury Unit--since ours is one of the best in the nation.

Come see this unique and inspiring vehicle and meet the designers:

Tuesday, July 20, 12 noon through 3pm (come any time)
Valley Medical Center's "Rehab Parking Lot"
751 S. Bascom Ave, in front of the Rehab Center (facing Bascom, between Renova Drive and Enborg Lane)

Mingle with VIP's, elected officials and VMC's patients and former patients for whom this car could be a real game-changer. See you there!

Three events up and coming...come one, come all!

Allow me to fill your summer/fall social calendar with some worthwhile events. Each is unlike the other, but all have one thing in common: They promote and support Valley Medical Center. Get ready to mark your calendars, friends…

1. VMC’s Rehab BBQ, Thursday July 29, 11:30 to 1pm. Taking place on the “Rehab Lawn”, 751 S. Bascom Ave. in San Jose, this event benefits VMC’s Therapeutic Recreation Program. Enjoy great food, drawings, prizes, and live rock n’ roll provided by the Idol Hands Band (your humble writer plays bass guitar). All this for just a $5 donation? Amazing!

2. National Health Reform Law: Implications for Silicon Valley
Friday, September 10, 2010
The Mayer Theater, Santa Clara University.
9:00-11:00 am (free to the public)
rsvp: nicolek@healthtrust.org

Speakers will address topics including implications for our safety net, coverage, children’s health, seniors, public health and the health care workforce.

Confirmed Speakers include:
Congressman Mike Honda
Sarah Muller, Director of Health Care Policy, Working Partnerships
Chris Wilder, Executive Director, VMC Foundation
Kathleen King, Executive Director, Santa Clara Family Health Plan
Lisa Shugarman, Director of Policy, The SCAN Foundation
Dr. Marty Fenstersheib, Public Health Officer, Santa Clara County
Ellen Schaffer, CA Public Health Association North

3. VMC Foundation’s Annual Gala: Luxury by the Lake - Saturday, October 2

This will be the signature event in our 22-year history, held at the stunning Sunnyridge Estate in Los Gatos, one of the finest mansions in the Bay Area. Tickets are $200 per attendee for this black-tie optional ball, which will be the highlight of the social season. Sponsorship opportunities and details can be obtained by contacting the VMC Foundation's Judy Cosgrove at 408-885-5205. This is one fund raising ball you won’t want to miss!

Why I oppose toys in fast food (and why you should)

When I directed City Year in San Jose, we called this a "ripple", as in, the waves that radiate out from a rock dropped in a pond that get bigger, and bigger, and bigger.

The alert reader will remember my wacky, mixed-up support for Ken Yeager's new law passed on April 25. Ken is the President of the Board of Supervisors for Santa Clara County, where it is now illegal to sell fast food meals with toys inside. This made national news, you'll recall.

Fast forward to today.

I'm as supportive of the law as I was when it passed, but to offer equal time, here is an opposing viewpoint that mirrors the opinion of many in our community and others. I support the ban, which actually affects very few fast food restaurants in the county (and NO McDonalds), and I'll share my opinion by paraphrasing what I said publicly when the law was being debated:

"President Yeager, members of the board, when I first heard about this proposed ordinance I thought 'come on...surely local government could better spend its time on the budget, or on public safety.' Public safety? Well, that got me thinking.

"And I remembered that as a 17-year-old freshman at San Jose State University, in 1985, it was common practice for tobacco companies to give away their products free in front of the student union. By the time I graduated, in 1989, they weren't there anymore. Clearly, some policy decision had been made, changing the behavior.

"But policy can change more than behavior; it can change culture and attitude. If those same tobacco companies showed up tomorrow and started giving out 'free samples', I bet the community would be outraged, just as you would be if someone walked into these chambers with a lit cigarette. People would go nuts, yet thirty years ago it was commonplace.

"That's what's at stake here. Kids want the toy, they bug mom and dad for the fast food, and our childhood obesity epidemic is further fuelled. This really is a public health issue, and a seemingly small policy change can - and I think will - ultimately change culture and attitude...and we'll look back on the time when fast food companies lured kids with toys to their meals loaded with sugar, salt and fat, and wonder what we were thinking."

The law passed that morning, national media went ballistic...and here's the punchline (which you already know if you clicked the link above): San Francisco City and County is now proposing a similar ordinance!

So that's the "ripple". I hope it spreads, and believe it will. I welcome all thoughtful responses, as always.

...and THIS is what collaboration looks like!

It's ground-breaking - as in, it's never happned before, and it's happening here in Silicon Valley. Funny...that happens a lot here.

But usually that means it's happening in the tech sector. Probably by Apple. What if it happened for the benefit of the poorest segment of our population who rely on Second Harvest Food Bank to feed their families, and on Valley Medical Center to keep them healthy?

See where this is going? Click here - you'll be inspired I promise. A Huge thanks to Pat Morino at Citizen Blog for the publicity!

Saying goodbye to my DIET soda?

Yesterday was it. I'm quitting Diet Pepsi.

I'm doing this in support of our "Soda Free Summer" campaign, and also in light of some new information about what sweet sodas actually do to you...and by "you", I mean "me."

First, you may have heard recently on the news about Santa Clara County's ongoing effort to convince more families to go soda-free this summer. What you may not know is that the VMC Foundation is the fiscal agent of this campaign, working with Kaiser, our public health department and the Bay Area Nutrition and Physical Activity Collaborative.

The plan is simple: Educate folks about how sodas fuel the raging childhood obesity epidemic, can lead to diabetes and oh-by-the-way, have no nutritional value. A 20-oz bottle of Coke has 17 teaspoons of sugar! As Santa Clara County Board President Ken Yeager said on the news earlier this week, "It's like opening your mouth and spooning in 17 teaspoons of sugar. Nobody in their right mind is going to do that."

No, of course they wouldn't (but they do). "But Chris," I hear you saying, "You said you were giving up DIET sodas...they have no calories and no sugar!"

A Fair point. HOWEVER...it turns out that diet sodas have their own problems, beyond not really knowing what the artificial sweeteners do long-term. "When you drink that much ultra-sweet soda," explains Dr. Rami Keisari, VMC pediatrician, "it seems your body gets used to and craves more sweets...and not just desserts, but also starches. They can make it very hard to lose weight."

Now THAT is a problem I understand! And I know it's true for me - I practically live on carbohydrates, and I can't seem to stop.

So I'm putting down the diet sodas, which I've guzzled since High School. I'll let you know if it helps me lose weight, and if you care to come along with me on this journey, let me know if it works for you. Together, let's make it a SODA-FREE SUMMER!