Great Medicine, History in the Making, Issue 8 - John Muir Health

i s s u e 8 | S p r i n g 2 0 0 8Great MedicineNews from John Muir Health FoundationRetired Gen. Dan Helix leads achampagne toast to the expansionof John Muir Medical Center -Concord Campus.Diane Hanson (L) points out her husband, Fred Hanson, M.D., depicted in a 1963photo of the first groundbreaking for John Muir Memorial Hospital in Walnut Creek.Irene Malley (R) also appears in the photograph, second figure from the right.b r i e f i n g sHistory in the MakingJohn Muir Health Foundation donors and friends usher in an exciting newphase for john muir health as two hospital expansion projects break groundleft Photo by Akim Aginsky; right photo by Terry lorantJohn Muir Health Foundation donors and friends recentlycelebrated two historic John Muir Health events: groundbreakingfor the new Thomas J. and Muriel T. Long PatientCare Tower at the WalnutOn The MoveCreek Campus on January 16and groundbreaking for theThe first phase of the new Walnutnew patient care tower at theCreek Emergency Department isConcord Campus on Februarynow open. It relocated without7. The John Muir Health Foundationhosted special pre-any interruption in service at3 a.m. on January 29, 2008. receptions before each of thegroundbreaking ceremonies,with champagne toasts to salute the rich histories of bothmedical centers, and to honor the many donors, friendsand community leaders who have supported the work andmission of these hospitals.Both hospitals are expanding to meet the growinghealthcare needs of our community, and both projects aretargeted for completion in late 2010.“It’s great to expand infrastructure, but it’s also importantto keep in mind that you measure a hospital not justby its capacity, but by the quality of the healthcare that’sdelivered,” says retired Gen. Dan Helix, a former volunteerleader at the hospital in Concord. “John Muir is clearlycommitted to quality care. These important groundbreakingsmean we’re one step closer to delivering an evenhigher level of care and furthering our tradition of serviceto the community.”

l u e p r i n t f o r g r o w t hBreaking New GroundJanuary 16, 2008, groundbreakingJohn Muir Medical Center - Walnut Creek CampusPhoto by Terry Lorant(L-R) William Hoddick, M.D., Chief of Staff, John Muir Medical Center -Walnut Creek Campus; Ken Meehan, Executive Vice President, Operations,John Muir Health; Jane Willemsen, President & CAO, John MuirMedical Center - Walnut Creek Campus; Ken Anderson, President &CEO, John Muir Health; Gwen Regalia, Mayor, City of Walnut Creek;Bob Coakley, Executive Director, The Thomas J. Long Foundation;Don Ritchey, Chairman, Board of Directors, John Muir Health.Susan Woods (center),Chairman of the John MuirHealth Foundation Boardof Directors, withCampaign donorsJanet and Rick Cronk.Guests view anarchitectural modelof the expandedWalnut CreekCampus.Don Ritchey, Chairman of theJohn Muir Health Board of Directors,invited all communitymembers to join him and hiswife, Sharon, in supportingthe exciting building projectsat the Walnut Creek and Concordcampuses.Photo by Terry LorantFebruary 7, 2008, GroundbreakingJohn Muir Medical Center - Concord CampusJohn Muir Health FoundationHonorary BoardMembers Margery Sternsand Jerry FitzPatrick.all photos by akim aginsky unless otherwise indicatedMichael Levine, M.D.,(L) and Stuart Shikora,M.D., examine floor plansof the new patient caretower that will house theJohn Muir CardiovascularInstitute and a new, largerEmergency Department atthe Concord Campus.Tamera and Ken Anderson, with Jim Diaz(R) of Kaplan-McLaughlin-Diaz, the architecturalfirm that designed the new ConcordCampus patient care tower.(L-R) Retired Gen. Dan Helix, former Mayor, City of Concord; KenAnderson, President & CEO, John Muir Health; Bill Shinn, Mayor,City of Concord; Ken Meehan, Executive Vice President, Operations,John Muir Health; Randall Wenokur, M.D., Chief of Staff, JohnMuir Medical Center - Concord Campus; Tom Harlan, President &CAO, John Muir Medical Center - Concord Campus.

o n t h e j o bBuilding forthe Betterget the scoop on JohnMuir’s building projectsfrom our new VPMichael Monaldo recently joined JohnMuir Health as Vice President for FacilitiesDevelopment, just in time to overseeJohn Muir’s multimillion-dollar constructionprojects in Walnut Creek and Concord. Here,Monaldo discusses some of the nuts and bolts of theconstruction plan, which is designed to maintain healthservices without interruption and minimize neighborhoodimpact.What are the main benefits of the two building projects?The goal of these projects is to provide an exceptionalenvironment that matches the extraordinary healthcarethat John Muir is known for. That means providing the latest,greatest technology and creating a holistic, healingenvironment for patients and their families. We’re alsomaking sure we comply with the new stringent requirementsfor seismic safety, which means these facilities willnot only remain safe during and after an earthquake butwill also remain fully operational.What are the first stages of the construction projectsthat patients and the community will notice?Both hospitals are expanding out into former visitorparking areas, and there have already been some significantchanges at both campuses. On the Concord Cam-Copyright © 2008 by John Muir Health Foundation. Great Medicine is published byJohn Muir Health Foundation as a community service and is not intended for thepurpose of diagnosing or prescribing.“What an exciting building project,”says new VP Michael Monaldo,who’s also a licensed architect.“Theculture of this organization is reallydevoted to quality care.”pus, we’re closing a portion of the front parking lot andalso Almond Avenue, which will reopen at the project‘send. On the Walnut Creek Campus, we’ve created anew, interim entry to the building and a new 767-stallparking structure opened on January 2. The first stageof the Emergency Department relocation and expansionopened on January 29, so now the best route tothe ED is to come to it directly off Ygnacio Valley Roadwithout turning onto La Casa Via. We will continue toprovide complimentary valet parking at both hospitalsfor patients’ and visitors’ convenience.With both projects, we worked very closely withcity officials and the neighbors to mitigate effects ofthe construction. Street sweepers will sweep adjacentstreets, for instance, and we’ll hose down trucks beforethey leave the job site. We’ve also paid close attentionto noise control in planning routes for truck deliveries.Is there a phone number the public can call if theyhave questions or concerns?We’ve set up a 24-hour hotline for both campuses,(925) 947-3333, to field questions and get input. We wantto be a good neighbor and we are glad to hear from thecommunities we serve.photo by akim aginsky1400 Treat BoulevardWalnut Creek, CA 94597-2142Non-Profit Org.U.S. PostagePAIDWalnut Creek, CA 94596Permit No. 1351