Health

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.

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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.

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PAMF Reaches out to Parents on New California Pertussis Vaccine Requirement

March 25, 2011

Pertussis (whooping cough) has reached epidemic proportions in California, prompting a new California state law that requires all students entering the 7th through 12th grades to provide proof of having received a booster vaccination (called Tdap) against the disease.

In February 2011, the State Superintendent of Education, Tom Torlakson, sent a letter to schools informing them about this immunization requirement. Many San Francisco Bay Area school districts in turn contacted parents about this required booster.

“PAMF has tens of thousands of pediatric patients, so we anticipated an increase in calls from parents requesting their child’s immunization records,” said Kathy Korbholz, PAMF vice president of Ancillary Operations. “We coordinated a mass mailing to the parents of all PAMF pediatric patients who are affected by the new law.”

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PAMF Launches Award-Winning Online and Mobile Teen Health Program: WAY2GO!

March 16, 2011

How do you motivate teenagers to develop good habits that will keep them healthy their whole life long? Use their favorite communications method to motivate them – a cell phone! That’s why the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) has partnered with Vivecoach, a Silicon Valley-based online and mobile health application developer, to create and launch a new award-winning online health and wellness program – called WAY2GO! – designed specifically for teenagers.

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Specialized PAMF Program Helps Keep South Asians Healthy

March 15, 2011

When it comes to diabetes and cardiovascular disease, South Asians are one of the highest risk groups, and they also die from heart disease at a much younger age. To ensure that South Asian patients can live longer, healthier lives, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) has created a South Asian Health Program that provides services and resources tailored to South Asian patients’ specific health needs.

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PAMF’s San Carlos Medical Center to be Built in Two Phases

March 14, 2011

Outpatient medical center is slated for completion in 2013



Plans for the Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s (PAMF) San Carlos Center at 301 Industrial Road in San Carlos have been amended and will be built in two phases. The first phase will be a state-of–the-art, full service outpatient medical center, and the second phase will add a hospital (construction is not yet scheduled).

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PAMF Offers Free e-Messaging Service for Patients Using MyHealthOnline

March 1, 2011

E-Messaging allows Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) patients who use My Health Online to send a secure electronic message to their doctor and health care team.  Effective today (March 1, 2011) PAMF patients can now enjoy free e-Messaging as part of their online services through My Health Online.

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PAMF Breaks Ground on New Sunnyvale Center

February 24, 2011

Demolition of the 57-year-old Sunnyvale Clinic medical building began on February 3, 2011, making way for its long-anticipated, modern replacement. 

“I joined the Sunnyvale Medical Clinic as an internal medicine physician in 1988 and am also a Sunnyvale resident, so I am thrilled that we are now about to start work on this beautiful new and much-needed facility,” said Lizz Vilardo, M.D., Camino Division president (pictured below at the start of demolition with PAMF CEO Dr. Rich Slavin). “It is our vision to build a contemporary healing center for all the patients who have been loyal to us for so many years.” 

The beginning of demolition and the groundbreaking ceremony brought together Sunnyvale project planning teams, some of the physicians who will practice in the new center, as well as several retired physicians who helped build the original clinic more than five decades ago. Dr. Vilardo and Rich Slavin, M.D., PAMF’s CEO, spoke briefly about the history of the clinic and the new level of care that will be provided in the modern medical center. 

The new 120,000-square-foot, two-story medical facility will house 70 primary care physicians and specialists, and create space that will allow for the recruitment of new physicians. The Sunnyvale Center will also feature a Cancer Care Center with infusion therapy, as well as a complete laboratory and areas for diagnostic radiology and digital imaging services. There will be two levels of underground parking and a two-level parking structure above ground. 

Construction is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2013.

The construction camera for the PAMF Sunnyvale Center is up and running.  View the building progress via webcam.

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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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PAMF Sleep Center Expands to Meet Growing Number of Sleep Disorder Patients

January 25, 2011

Starting February 1, 2011, many more Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) patients with sleep disorders will be able to have a sleep study to help speed their diagnosis and provide them with quicker relief from their condition. 

 “We’re very pleased to offer our patients six additional sleep study suites at our Sunnyvale Sleep Center, which will allow us to conduct a much larger volume of in-depth sleep studies,” said David Crichton, director of PAMF’s Sunnyvale Sleep Center. “There’s an increased awareness that excessive daytime sleepiness is often due to a sleep disorder that can be diagnosed and resolved. The additional sleep suites will help us meet that growing demand.”

With the six additional suites, the Sunnyvale Sleep Center will be able to offer patients a total of 16 rooms for overnight sleep studies. PAMF’s Capitola Sleep Center has eight sleep study suites. Each private room is furnished with a queen-sized Sleep Number bed that lets patients adjust the bed’s firmness and support according to their preferences, a private bathroom, cable television and its own air-conditioning system.

During a sleep study, technicians carefully observe patients during their sleep and monitor and record a variety of functions including eye movement, muscle activity, heart rate, blood oxygen levels, airflow from the nose and mouth, and movements of the chest wall and abdomen. With the help of the sleep study, our specialists diagnose sleep disorders including insomnia, snoring, sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome, sleepwalking and sleep terrors, and narcolepsy.

 PAMF Sleep Centers are located in both  Sunnyvale and Capitola, California.

Learn more about PAMF’s Sleep Medicine Program.

Learn more about sleep disorders.

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