January 2012

PAMF to Serve as Official Health Provider of 2012 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships

January 20, 2012

Palo Alto, CA – January, 20, 2012 – The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) has been named Official Health Provider of the 2012 Prudential U.S. Figure Skating Championships at HP Pavilion in San Jose, January 22 – 29. Throughout the week-long event, Dr. Richard Gayle, a PAMF orthopedic surgeon and sports medicine physician, will serve as the medical director for this sporting event coordinating the medical staff, comprised of almost 20 PAMF sports medicine, orthopedics and other PAMF medical staff volunteering their time and medical expertise.

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships, held annually since 1914, is the nation’s most prestigious figure skating event.  Over the course of one week, the Championships will crown 12 national champions in ladies’, men’s, pairs and ice dancing on the senior, junior and novice levels. Over 250 ice skaters from around the country will participate in the event.

Richard Gayle, M.D.

Dr. Gayle’s previous competitive sports team medical support includes the San Jose Sharks’ 1998-99 season, where he served as an assistant team physician and has had prior experience with figure skating competition medical coverage. Dr. Gayle also serves as an assistant team physician for the Oakland Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) during training camp and has previously served as team physician for the U.S. National Rugby team.

“The U.S. Figure Skating Championships is a very large sporting event with more than 200 athletes practicing and competing over an eight-day period,” said Dr. Gayle. “My PAMF colleagues and I are excited to assist in providing exceptional medical coverage to a premiere national sporting event such as this.”

About the Palo Alto Medical Foundation

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) for Health Care, Research and Education is a not-for-profit health care organization that is a pioneer in the multispecialty group practice of medicine. Founded in 1930, PAMF is part of the Sutter Health Network of Care, one of the nation’s leading not-for-profit networks of community-based health care providers. PAMF’s 1,000 affiliated physicians and 4,900 employees serve nearly 730,000 patients at its medical centers and clinics in Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties. For more information, follow PAMF on Twitter, join us on Facebook or visit pamf.org

About U.S. Figure Skating

U.S. Figure  Skating is the national governing body for the sport of figure skating in the United States as recognized by the United States Olympic Committee and the International Skating Union. U.S. Figure Skating is comprised of more than 680 member clubs, collegiate clubs, and school-affiliated clubs and more than 1,000 registered Basic Skills skating schools representing approximately 180,000 members. U.S. Figure Skating is charged with the development of the sport on all levels within the United States  including athletes, officials, sanctioning of events and exhibitions, and establishing the rules and guidelines by which the sport is governed.

About HP Pavilion at San Jose 

HP Pavilion at San Jose hosts nearly 100 sporting events annually including more than 40 San Jose Sharks regular season home games and SAP Open men’s professional tennis.. The building hosts approximately 170 events every year — including Olympic athletes, Grammy award-winners and a variety of family and children’s favorites that account for more than 200 event days. Pollstar, the leading concert industry trade magazine, nominated HP Pavilion at San Jose as “Arena of the Year” for 2005 and 2007. In 2007, Pollstar also recognized HP Pavilion at San Jose based on non-sports attendance as fourth in North America, top 10 in the world.

During the 2012 U.S. Prudential Figure Skating Championships in San Jose, media and the public can join the conversation on Twitter using the hashtag #SJ2012.

Contacts:
Cynthia Greaves
Public Affairs
Palo Alto Medical Foundation
650-444-3019
greavec@pamf.org

Jim Sparaco
Public Relations
Sharks Sports & Entertainment
408-999-5792
jsparaco@sharkssports.net

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Last I-Beam is Placed at Sunnyvale Center

January 12, 2012

The ceremonial placement of the last I-beam at the new Sunnyvale medical center

On Thursday, December 15, 2011, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation marked an important milestone with the “topping out” of the Sunnyvale Center, currently under construction on Old San Francisco Road in Sunnyvale, California.  A tradition in the construction industry, this event celebrates the completion of steel-frame construction of the new medical center. The ceremonial placement of the very last I-beam was also an opportunity to thank and honor the construction crew for their hours of hard labor.

To date, the DPR Inc. construction team and subcontractors have:

  • Put in 100,000 man hours 
  • Hauled out 100,000 cubic yards of dirt
  • Poured in 10,000 cubic yards of concrete
  • Smoothed out 200,000 square feet of finished concrete
  • Lifted and attached 750 tons of steel beams

In this “topping out” tradition, which came to the United States with European craftsmen, a fir tree and flag are attached to the last I-beam, which is then fastened into place. Workmen and event attendees had the chance to sign the I-beam before it was hoisted into place.

The event was attended by construction crew and DPR management, the project’s architecture team Hawley Peterson and Snyder, Palo Alto Medical Foundation executives, staff and doctors who will care for patients in the new medical center, and donors whose contributions are helping to fund the project.

The community can also watch the building take shape on live webcam and view a time lapse of the project online at the PAMF website.  

Construction of the new Sunnyvale medical center is on time and slated for completion by Fall 2013.

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PAMF Launches Unique, On-Site Employee Wellness Program at Marvell

January 11, 2012

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation, which is part of the Sutter Health  network of care, and Marvell Technology Group, an international semi-conductor company, have launched a unique on-site wellness program at Marvell’s  Santa Clara, California location to help make it easier for employees at the company to take care of their health at work.   

“At Marvell, it’s a priority to help our employees achieve the best possible work/life balance,” says Alycia Osborne, senior benefits analyst at Marvell. “We know that healthy employees are happier and more productive at work.”

PAMF’s employer services team has been providing regular monthly lunchtime lectures to Marvell’s staff and has participated in the company’s health fairs as a vendor for the past three years. Developing a more structured wellness program – tailored to employees’ unique health needs – was the next, and most recent, step. To further develop this wellness program, PAMF collaborated with Sutter Health, which has established on-site wellness programs at employer sites throughout the Bay Area and Northern California.

Dr. Ronesh Sinha, medical director for PAMF’s Employer Services Program

“When we surveyed Marvell’s staff about their health history and habits, we found out that more than half the employees did not have a primary care doctor,” says Ronesh Sinha, M.D., medical director for PAMF’s Employer Services Program. “Many of the employees also have East or South Asian ethnicity, with a higher risk for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. This was an excellent opportunity to help employees see the value of an ongoing relationship with a primary care doctor and provide them with the benefit of our expertise in caring for an ethnically and culturally diverse group of patients.”

12-Week Wellness Evaluation Pilot Program

In September 2011, PAMF and Sutter Health collaborated to launch a 12-week Wellness Evaluation Pilot Program for Marvell. The program comprised three key components, all held on Marvell’s campus, making it easy for employees to participate at work:

  • Biometric screening: Nurses from an outside company visited Marvell and screened participating employees’ weight, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol.
  • PAMF’s online personal Health Risk Assessment (HRA): Employees recorded their biometric screening results, completed the HRA and printed a copy to take to their wellness evaluation for review.
  • 40-minute appointment with a PAMF primary care doctor: Doctors reviewed each employee’s personal HRA, discussed the employee’s health goals, formulated a wellness plan and provided resources for long-term follow-up care.

“The one-on-one, in-depth consultation with one of our primary care physicians was a very special feature of the program,” says Dr. Sinha. “This provided an excellent opportunity and generous amount of time for employees to discuss their health concerns and questions and realize the value of establishing a relationship with a good primary care doctor.” Eleven doctors from PAMF were available for the individual consultations.

Approximately 200 employees participated in the pilot program, and in a post-pilot survey more than 85 percent said they would like to participate in a similar program if it was offered again. “The whole program was good and I got some new ideas on how to improve my health,” says one satisfied employee.

PAMF and Sutter Health’s work with Marvell is just one example of the way these organizations  support the health and wellness of local employers throughout the Bay Area. Learn more about PAMF’s Employer Services Program.

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Dr. Sharon Tapper Selected for New Innovation Advisors Program

January 3, 2012

Sharon Tapper, M.D., has been selected to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) Innovation Advisors Program. The initiative, launched by the CMS Innovation Center in October 2011, will help health professionals deepen skills that will drive improvements to patient care and reduce costs. 

Dr. Tapper is one of 73 individuals from 27 states and the District of Columbia participating in the Innovation Advisors Program.  After an initial orientation phase, Innovation Advisors will work with the CMS Innovation Center to test new models of care delivery in their own organizations and communities.  They will also create partnerships to find new ideas that work and share them regionally and across the United States.

Funding for this initiative was made possible by the Affordable Care Act. 

Dr. Tapper brings considerable expertise to the advisory board. She has served as medical director of Hospice of Santa Cruz County (2003-2010), medical director and creator of the Palliative Care Program at Dominican CHW Hospital (2004-present), and vice chief of staff at Dominican CHW Hospital in Santa Cruz (2009-2011). She is currently the chief of staff for Dominican CHW Hospital. Additionally, Dr. Tapper is the regional director of Inpatient Palliative Care for Sutter Health’s Peninsula Coastal Region, and the medical director and creator of outpatient Palliative Care and Support Services for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. She earned her medical degree from the University of Maryland, and completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at the University of California, Davis.  Dr. Tapper is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

 “There has been an incredible groundswell of interest in becoming an Innovation Advisor.  It’s clear that doctors, hospitals and health care providers are enthusiastic about implementing the Affordable Care Act and strengthening our health care system,” said CMS Acting Administrator Marilyn Tavenner. 

The 73 individuals were selected from 920 applications through a competitive process, and include clinicians, allied health professionals, health administrators and others.  By attending in-person meetings as well as remote sessions to expand their skills and applying what they learn, the Advisors will be able to deepen their knowledge in health care economics and finance, population health, systems analysis, and operations research.  

“We’re looking to these Innovation Advisors to be our partners—we want them to discover and generate new ideas that will work and help us bring them to every corner of the United States,” said CMS Innovation Center Director Rick Gilfillan, M.D. 

Among other duties, the advisors will be expected to support the Innovation Center in testing new models of care delivery, to form partnerships with local organizations to drive delivery system reform, and to improve their own health systems so their communities will have better health and better care at a lower cost.

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation will receive a stipend of up to $20,000, which will be used to support Dr. Tapper’s activities while serving as an Innovation Advisor. 

More information about the Innovation Advisors Program, including a fact sheet and a list of participants and their affiliated organizations.

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