On the eve of the President’s health care summit, I spent a day in Sacramento with my American Leadership Forum class. We’re a small group, but represent a cross-section of industries at fairly high levels – so we got a high-level look at how things roll at the state-level.

In short, things are NOT rolling well.

Whether you care about health care reform or solving the $20B budget shortfall mess, Sacramento is “broken”. We heard this consistently, starting with Senator Joe Simitian, who painted a grim picture of what he called Hyperpartisanship. “If you even appear to reach across the isle”, he told our group, “you wake up to find you’ve been stripped of committee assignments or that no one will support ANY bill you author – regardless of the topic."

We met with Possibly-Maybe-Soon-to-Be Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado, who agreed. “Used to be,” he said, “that we were Republicans or Democrats when debating on the floor, and then Californians when spending time together after hours. No more.” I agree that he should be confirmed, and that the hold-up is a great example of Simitian’s Hyperpartisanship. It’s also silly. It’s the Governor’s choice, and unless Abel has a screw loose, they should give him the job and move on (his screws aren’t loose; I’ve gotten to know him and although I don’t agree with him much of the time, he’s a good man and incidentally, really loves Valley Medical Center).

Speaking of the Governor, I got to visit his cigar-smoking tent. Yes! No one gets to do that! More importantly, we had lunch with his Chief of Staff, Susan Kennedy, who is one of the most experienced and brightest bulbs in the chandelier. A career-long Democrat, she risked (and lost) life-long friendships when she agreed to work for Arnold Schwarzenegger.

She lost ME only when I asked her if she could provide her opinion of just how the partisan divide grew so wide over the past dozen years or so, as described by every legislator we’d met with that day. Ms. Kennedy shot back that it hadn’t; it’s always been this way, and in fact we’ve gotten lots of great stuff done in the past couple years. I kept myself from reminding her that 2007 was supposed to be the Year for Health Care Reform in California. Other than supporting Obama’s plan, let’s be honest: Schwarzenegger hasn’t shown up for health care at all.

So we cannot even agree on the problem.

Can we agree on any solutions? Possibly.

Pretty much everyone we met with understands that term limits have screwed everything up (I agree) and should be extended or even abolished. We met with many moderate Dem’s and Rep’s who all want the “Open Primary” to pass in June (I’m not sure yet). Pretty much everyone opposes the idea of a Constitutional Convention (me too), and I have to disagree with Assemblywoman Fiona Ma’s suggestion that “Democrats dislike public/private partnerships”. This Democrat doesn’t, and in fact many VMC Foundation successes have come from them.

We ended the day with a final meeting with Joe Simitian, where he handed out hankies to dry our crying eyes. We’ve got to change the system – we all agree. How long has it been broken, you ask? Well, in thanks for reading this far, two quick stories offered by Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher: He was asked recently how he felt about California’s legislature having a 9% approval rating. His response: Who are those 9% and what could they possibly be thinking?

Second, he took us back to the 1850’s and why Mount Whitney is called that. It’s the highest peak in our state, and is named for a geologist/surveyor named Josiah Whitney. When legislators moved the State Capitol to Sacramento, it was to be near and with the railroads. Railroads attracted mucho dinero in Federal subsidies to build track, and building in mountainous regions cost more – and therefore meant the fed’s paid more dollars per mile than those built on flat ground.

Can you guess? According to Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher, our legislature (largely controlled by railroads then) benefitted greatly when Mr. Whitney reported to the federal government that all land east of Sacramento in California was mountainous. Cha-ching! To show their gratitude, our elected officials named our highest peak for Mr. Whitney.

So some things change…and some don’t!

We're dominating the blogosphere!

Getting tired of reading my thoughts and musings in "The Wilder Side of Health?" No, of COURSE you're not...but, there's more to say, and more voices with which to say it.

That's why The VMC Foundation is proud to announce the launch of its new blog: VMC Foundation Lifelines. This forum will be used to highlight trends in heath care, philanthropy and how "The Great Recession" is impacting people in all walks of life in Santa Clara County.

It will also provide you a venue to meet the doctors, nurses, administrators, therapists, technicians and others who make Santa Clara Valley Medical Center one of the finest county hospitals in the country.

Follow our blog at: http://www.vmcfoundation.org/blog

Just now, you can learn about how many High School students fainted during a recent tour, and about the biggest grant we've ever sought (help us by crossing your fingers!)



You can also connect with us on Twitter http://www.twitter.com/vmcfoundation

AND Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/vmcfoundation

A hospital is no place for sick people.

As I'm sure you know - or can easily understand - hospitals work really hard to prevent infections in patients...but the truth is, infections of all kinds happen, and in hospitals it's a major concern.

That's why Valley Medical Center is very proud of its record in preventing them, as described in today's release by Consumer Reports. CR is all no-nonsense, so you know their putting us in the top tier really means something.

Ironically, as VMC works to increase our use of technology, it's a low-tech solution that works to prevent some infections. Just goes to show you - or remind you - it's really all about the dedication of the team, isn't it?

Below is a portion of their report, with additional info available here. See the fourth paragraph, where they refer to VMC as an "urban giant". Is that like the green guy on the broccoli package?

Consumer Reports Health: Many Hospitals Fail To Lower Infection Risk Despite Lifesaving ChecklistNew online ratings provide patients with easy access to hospital infection rates, a first for consumers

YONKERS, N.Y., Feb. 2 -- Far too many hospitals expose patients to deadly central-line bloodstream infections despite the availability of a simple life-saving checklist proven to prevent hospital acquired infections, says a new investigative article in the March issue of Consumer Reports.

The report coincides with the addition of infection rates to Consumer Reports' in-depth hospital ratings available online at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org.



A First for Consumers; For Too Long "in the dark"

"For far too long, consumers have been in the dark, with no easy way to find out how well their hospitals perform when it comes to these often deadly infections," said John Santa, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Consumer Reports Health Ratings Center. Consumer Reports collected and compared data for ICUs in 926 hospitals, finding tremendous variations within the same cities and even within the same health-care systems. Bloodstream infections cause at least 30 percent of the estimated 99,000 annual hospital-infection-related deaths in the U.S. and add on average $42,000 to the hospital bills of each ICU patient who gets a central-line infection.



Poorly performing hospitals include several major teaching institutions in major metropolitan areas. Some examples include New York University Langone Medical Center in New York City, the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville, the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, Strong Memorial in Rochester, New York, Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey, Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton, New Jersey, and the Santa Monica UCLA Medical Center in California.



Meanwhile, determined reformers across the country have shown that hospitals can cut their infection rate to zero or close to it by following a low-tech program that includes a simple checklist. Those hospitals range from modest rural hospitals to urban giants such as the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian, St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, Harris Methodist in Houston, Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, and seven Kaiser hospitals in California. The full list of 105 U.S. hospitals that have tallied zero central-line infections in their most recent reports can be found at www.ConsumerReportsHealth.org.

The State of the County...not bad, considering!

Today the baton was passed from Liz Kniss to Ken Yeager, who is now the President of the Board of Supervisors of Santa Clara County - that's the "county of Silicon Valley", for youse out-of-towners.

In a ceremony before hundreds led by VMC Foundation Board Member Susie Wilson, Ken outlined his plans for 2010. I won't recount them all now, because you can do that here, and I encourage you to read his official "State of the County" address.

That's beacuse most of his initiatives have to do with our health. He wants to keep teens off tobacco, create a council on health, and fight childhood obesity. Ken is also a big-time environmentalist, which is also good for...yes! Our health!

So congratulations, Ken, and here's to a successful 2010. As you stated powerfully in your address, the economy may be in the tank, but our community is TOPS.

"The doctor will see you now. Like, RIGHT now."

We're having crazy-bad weather in Silicon Valley, which always makes me grateful for Valley Medical Center's Emergency Department - at the ready 24/7/365.

But it's gotten harder to meet the need, what with fewer hospitals around, and a skyrocketing number of unemployed coming to the "ED" (we don't call it an "ER" like the TV show) because they just don't have anywhere else to go.

So, to meet the need, the team opened an "Express Care" clinic across the hallway. It's there for folks who are sick, but not sick enough to need a bed in the ED. "When you get there," explains Dr. Jeff Arnold, Chief of the ED, the first person you see, right when you check in at the registration desk, isn't a clerk or an administrator. It's a doctor."

Dr. Arnold has seen this speed up care dramatically. "If the first person you meet is an M.D., they can say things like 'Okay, I want you to see the attending physician, but while you're waiting I'll refill your blood pressure medication'". Then the doctor does it with a few key strokes, just moments later. The medication can be ready before the patient is ready to leave!

He's really bothred by the number of newly-uninsured who have to choose between their vital medications and, say, groceries or paying the rent on time. "The advantage of having a doctor see patients right there at the desk extend beyond the obvious," Dr. Arnold says. "Our patients know that right away, their care has begun. It gives them a feeling of comfort at a time when they are feeling pretty vulnerable and lousy."

Sometimes, that's as important as the clinical care VMC provides. If you want to help fund this unique program, visit the VMC Foundation website, or as always, give us a ring any time. To learn more about VMC's emergency services, click here!

A gift shop that's MORE than a gift shop

Happy New Year, everyone...hope 2010 brings good things your way. At the VMC Foundation, I'd like to start the year by celebrating a sometimes underappreciated part of our organization: The VMC Gift Shop.

Managed by Kathy Trutz and staffed by volunteers, our gift shop is a really special place. That's a group of our volunteers there in the photo, pitching in to build the new VMC Bed Building.

NOTE TO BLDG. & TRADES COUNCIL: YOUR HUMBLE BLOGGER IS JUST KIDDING! OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE POWERFUL, YET NOT SUITED TO CONSTRUCT A HOSPITAL. HONOR LABOR!

So why is our gift shop more than a gift shop? It's really a place of refuge and community. Patients might go there to buy a book while waiting for an appointment, but what they'll find is a team of caring people willing to listen. Even VMC's staff visit to escape, share a laugh with a volunteer, or pick up a gift for a friend. Let's face it, many of our daily schedules don't leave room for shopping.

The intent may be that the gift shop is a place for family and friends to buy something nice for their loved one while staying at VMC...but over the years, it's become known as the place where you can just escape for little while. In fact, during last year's audit of the VMC Foundation, the gift shop was figured as a program expense, not just a fund raiser...that's how powerful the human element is.

Oh - and of course, everything is low-priced, high quality, and every dime of "profit" gets donated right back to VMC. So, next time you are visiting your public hospital, stop in and brouse...you'll be surprised what you find, and delighted with whom you meet.

Toby Gerhart visits Matt Blea at VMC - what a winning team!

You likely remember reading about Matt Blea, the high school student injured on the football field on Thanksgiving. Well today Toby Gerhart, Stanford University football star and Heisman Trophy runner-up, came to visit while Matt is back at Valley Medical Center for rehab!

Matt, just weeks after life-saving surgery, started his day jogging in the grass outside the Rehab Unit where his progress has been amazing. Matt had no idea that Toby, one of the players he especially looks up to, was planning to visit him. Toby had heard about the high-schooler's injury from his coach, and decided to pay Matt a visit.

Coming directly to Valley Medical Center from The Stanford team's practice for their New Years Eve Sun Bowl game against Oklahoma , Toby met Matt in the day room of Valley Medical Center's Brain Injury Rehabilitation unit.

Toby was accompanied by Stanford football assistant coach, Tom Steiner, and as family, staff and other patients looked on, Matt accepted gifts of a Stanford jersey and a signed football.

Matt told Toby that he was a huge fan, and shared that his goal was to become a high school coach one day. Toby said how impressed he was with Matt's progress, and congratulated Matt on his planned discharge from VMC on Christmas Eve - the perfect present!