Community Benefit

Palo Alto Medical Foundation, Sutter Health Contribute $50,000 to Local Food Banks

November 14, 2011

PAMF Employee Nancy Hidaka delivers food donated by PAMF staff for local children and families in need.

To help local families in need of food this holiday season, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Sutter Health have made a $50,000 donation to Second Harvest food banks in the South Bay Area: $33,500 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties, and $16,500 to Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Cruz County.

The funds are a portion of a quarter-million-dollar donation by the Sutter Health network to 29 food banks throughout Northern California, which will help provide more than a million healthy meals to families in need.   

According to food banks representatives, monetary donations help maximize the amount of food available for the hungry – in many instances, a $1 donation can translate to over $5 worth of distributed food.

“Many of our patients and neighbors are still struggling to afford healthy, regular meals,” says Pat Fry, president and CEO of Sutter Health. “We recognize that health care extends beyond the walls of our care centers. Wellness begins in our communities with a healthy meal on the kitchen table. We hope that by supporting our local food banks we can provide some comfort this holiday season.”

On average, every dollar donated translates to 4.5 meals provided by regional food banks. This year’s donation – made on behalf of our network’s 48,000 employees, physicians, staff and volunteers – will help provide more than 1 million meals.

The Sutter Health network of care has donated $762,500 over the past three years to food banks in local communities.

View a complete list of food banks which received donations from Sutter Health. 

In addition to the fall donation, employees at PAMF recently organized a Second Annual Summer Food Drive, to ensure that several local children wouldn’t go hungry over the summer. This year’s food drive ran from June 1 to 30, and employees, doctors and patients contributed a total of 1,530 pounds of food (worth almost $2,300) to help feed local low-income kids and their families.

Would you like to help? Volunteer, donate online or drop off food donations at your local East Bay or South Bay food bank:

 

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Free Prostate Screenings, Health Lecture – September 17 in Santa Cruz

August 29, 2011

In honor of National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, Sutter Maternity and Surgery Center (SMSC) and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation will host the 10th Annual Prostate Cancer Awareness Day on Saturday, September 17, 2011 in Santa Cruz, California. The event is free and open to the community. The event provides an extremely important prostate cancer screening opportunity for those men in the community who otherwise may not have access to screenings.

According to the National Prostate Cancer Coalition, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer in American men. It is the second greatest cause of cancer related death for men, second only to lung cancer. Over 90 percent of prostate cancer cases are found while the cancer is still either local or regional, and nearly 100 percent of these men are still alive five years after being diagnosed. In cases where the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, 34 percent survive five years.

Event Information:

Free blood work (PSA test) and prostate exams 7 – 11 a.m.

Free one hour lecture 8 – 10 a.m., “Prostate Cancer: What every man should know about screening, treatment and prevention.” Lecture presented by Steven Roberts, M.D., a urologist and surgical oncologist at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation.

Are you at risk for prostate cancer?

You may be at higher risk, if you:

  • Have a family history of cancer
  • Are African American
  • Eat a high-fat diet
  • Are overweight
  • Have a sedentary lifestyle
  • Are over 50 years of age

Who should be tested?

  • All men should have a baseline PSA

How often should I be tested?

  • Men over 50 years old should have an annual exam
  • Men under 50 with risk factors also need to be tested

Learn more about Prostate Cancer:

PAMF Prostate Cancer Website

National Cancer Institute Prostate Cancer Website

Visit Prostate Cancer: A Family Affair, PAMF Prostate Cancer Nurse Navigator and patient advocate Frank dela Rama, RN’s new blog on Sutter Health’s MyLifeStages.org.

Event Date and Location:
Saturday, September 17, 2011
7 a.m. to 11 a.m.
2900 Chanticleer Avenue
Santa Cruz, CA 95065
Google Map

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New PAMF Medical Building Earns Leed Gold

August 15, 2011

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s (PAMF) new medical office building at 49 Wells Avenue has been awarded LEED® Gold certification as established by the U.S. Green Building Council. The most recent addition to Palo Alto campus, the 17,000 square foot, two‐story clinic opened to patients in October 2010. It houses the Breast Imaging Center, Encina Practice and Executive Health Program.

Developed in March 2000, LEED, or Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, “provides building owners and operators with a framework for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions…and promotes sustainable building and development practices through a suite of rating systems that recognize projects that implement strategies for better environmental and health performance.” [Read more…]

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PAMF Scholarships Help Pay for Future Doctors’ Education

June 20, 2011

With our country’s aging population and the continued rise in chronic diseases, ensuring there are enough doctors to take care of our increasingly complex health needs is a daunting challenge. The Palo Alto Medical Foundation is helping to meet this critical need by awarding scholarships to deserving students who are committed to becoming future doctors.

Since 2007, PAMF’s affiliate Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center in Santa Cruz and the Central California Alliance for Health have awarded a two-year, $5,000 scholarship ($10,000 total) to pay the medical fees of a University of California, Santa Cruz health sciences graduate, who is dedicated to returning to his or her local community to take care of uninsured patients.

This year’s scholarship winner, David Pham, has gained hands-on medical experience working as an intern for a local Santa Cruz family medicine doctor and during a medical mission to Honduras. With ambitions of becoming a pediatrician, Pham has volunteered regularly with an East Palo Alto charter school’s healthy eating program and as a Spanish translator at the Watsonville RotaCare community clinic.

As part of our commitment to supporting future generations of doctors, PAMF physicians also awarded scholarships to the following three outstanding local high school students to help pay for their undergraduate studies:

  • Roshni Bhatnagar from Harker School in San Jose, who will attend Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois
  • Raymond Downer from Santa Cruz High School, who is going to University of California, Los Angeles
  • Nina Ho from Carlmont High School in Belmont, who will be attending the University of California, Berkeley

The Palo Alto Foundation Medical Group (PAFMG) Pre-Medical Scholarship, established in 1993 and funded by our physicians, provides $5,000 a year (a total of $20,000 per recipient) to deserving students who attend a four-year college and plan to pursue careers as doctors. Unlike most other scholarships, which are one-time awards, the PAFMG Pre-Medical Scholarship repeats for all four years of college, helping students fulfill their ambition to become a doctor and give back to their communities. 

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Philanthropy Website Highlights Patients’ Stories

June 9, 2011

What’s the best way to show our deep commitment to serving the health care needs of the people in our communities? Invite patients to tell their own compelling stories about the top-quality care we’ve given them.

A collection of these inspiring stories is now featured on the Palo Alto Medical Foundation Philanthropy website.

“Patients give because of the compassionate and exemplary care they receive,” says Mara Hook, regional vice president of philanthropy. “It is an expression of their gratitude for the people, programs and facilities of the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. Our patients’ generosity makes a crucial difference in our ability to fulfill our mission. One of the ways we express our appreciation toward these donors is by sharing their stories on our website.”

The recently redesigned Philanthropy website currently features seven inspiring patient stories, one of which is in video format. These patient stories are drawn from a variety of different areas and include:

The featured video tells cancer survivor and patient Marty Collins’ story. New patient stories will be added regularly to the site, to inform, inspire and encourage our commitment to excellent patient care.

“I invite you to view Marty’s video – an incredible and heartwarming story of a cancer survivor – and share it with friends and family,” says Hook. “At PAMF, our story is that of our patients and the excellent care they receive. If you know of any grateful patient stories, we would love to hear from you.”

Explore PAMF’s new Philanthropy website

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California Children’s Health Initiatives Honors PAMF and Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center with “Champion for Children Award”

May 9, 2011

The California Children’s Health Initiatives (CCHI) has named the Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center of Santa Cruz as recipients of the CCHI 2011 Champion for Children Award. The award presentation will take place May 9, 2011 in Sacramento, California at the annual CCHI Day at the Capitol. The event is titled, “Navigating a New Course to Coverage.”

[Read more…]

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PAMF Works with School of Imagination to Provide Free Developmental Screenings for Children

April 18, 2011

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF)  is supporting the Happy Talkers Community Outreach Fair on May 1, 2011 and looks forward to helping to make this year’s event another success. The fair is organized by the School of Imagination (SOI), a non-profit education center in Dublin, CA, and provides a wide range of free developmental screenings for children.

[Read more…]

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PAMF’s Online, Mobile Teen Health WAY2GO! Program Receives Award for Innovative Approaches to Adolescent Health Care

April 13, 2011

The Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine (SAHM) has awarded the 2011 Hilary E.C. Millar Award for Innovative Approaches to Adolescent Health Care to the Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s (PAMF) Wellness Assessment for Youth To Get Organized Program – known as WAY2GO! .

The 2011 Hilary E.C. Millar Award for Innovative Approaches to Adolescent Health Care is presented once per year at the Society’s Annual Meeting in Seattle, WA. Nancy Brown, Ph.D., a PAMF health education manager and the WAY2GO! project director, accepted the award in person and shared a slideshow and overview of the WAY2GO! program with meeting attendees.

[Read more…]

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Community Invited to Free Senior Health Fair in Santa Cruz, April 30

April 4, 2011

For the 14th year in a row, Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center and Palo Alto Medical Foundation Santa Cruz, will host a Senior Health Fair for the community on April 30, 2011, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. This free event is open to seniors in the community and offers multiple free health-screening exams for diabetes, cholesterol, blood pressure, dental hygiene, skin cancer, bone density, glaucoma, hearing and other health issues.

[Read more…]

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PAMF Event Celebrates Children with Down Syndrome: Families Share, Learn, Exchange Experiences

January 25, 2011

Families with Down syndrome children recently got the chance to share experiences and watch two inspiring short films that celebrate the successes of children with Down syndrome. The viewing took place at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s (PAMF) Family Film Day that was held at the PAMF Mountain View Center on January 16, 2011.

“This was very much a time for sharing and celebrating,” says Jane Chen, M.D. , a pediatrician PAMF’s Sunnyvale Center who organized the event and whose 4-year-old daughter, Melissa, has Down syndrome. “I’ve learned so much myself from other parents, I wanted to provide an opportunity for families with Down syndrome children to gather and exchange their unique experiences.”

Parents, grandparents and children watched and discussed the films “Dakota’s Pride,” and “Emma’s Gifts,” which chart the progress of two children with Down syndrome. One parent, who works for the educational toy maker Leapfrog, engaged other parents in an informal brainstorming session on new ways to support Down syndrome children in their learning. The event also attracted a couple of special guests – Melanie Manning, M.D., the director of the Center for Down Syndrome at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford and two of her genetic counseling students.

Down Syndrome Resources

Looking for up-to-date Down syndrome resources in-person? More information, books and videos are now available at PAMF’s Mountain View Center Community Health Resource Center (CHRC) thanks to recent generous donations from Dr. Chen and the Silicon Valley Down Syndrome Network.

Visit the National Down Syndrome Society online.

Visit the Silicon Valley Down Syndrome Network online.

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