Healthcare - Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula

Bill and Barbara Strohm
Bill and Barbara Strohm are joiners. They
appreciate community and a sense of
giving, of getting involved, of belonging.
They’ve done it all their lives and now
they’re doing it through Community
Hospital.
When Bill was diagnosed with cancer, the
couple handled it the way they do most
things — with energy and investigation.
They also engaged the support of
Community Hospital.
“My treatment at Community Hospital was
exemplary,” says Bill. “I have had treatment
before, but nothing like this. It was above
and beyond — delightful, warm, caring.
It made my whole journey easier. And I felt
I wanted to do something for the hospital,
to show my appreciation.”
The Strohms recalled that when Bill’s
older sister went through her own cancer
journey in another community, she felt
isolated and very much alone. Bill belongs
to a cancer support group and has
appreciated the opportunity to look, with
others, at life after cancer, to share new
ways of living, to shift attitudes, and
set goals with the support of those who
can empathize.
And so, after meeting with Dr. Grant
Swanson, medical director of Community
Hospital’s Comprehensive Cancer Center,
and Phillip Williams, RN, center director,
the Strohms donated $100,000 in seed
money to create a survivorship program.
“We had contributed to the hospital
over the years,” says Bill, “but never
like this. Cancer survivorship programs
are becoming a national trend in bigger
hospitals, and it seemed interesting
and important to us to initiate this kind
of community here. We are excited.”
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