Community Hospital Foundation

I N T H I S I S S U E

C O M M U N I T Y H O S P I T A L F O U N D A T I O N n ( 8 3 1 ) 6 2 5 - 4 5 0 6 n w w w . c h o m p f o u n d a t i o n . o r g

LegacyVolume 8, Issue 2 n Winter 2014

sending me a beautiful message that he was OK, and that he was happy to see me with Courtney.”

In 2012, the couple returned to that very location, arguably the most famous short hole in the world of golf, to exchange wedding vows. That night, they moved into their new home in Pebble Beach, and, after settling in, set their sights on getting to know their new community.

“When you are newcomers, you need to find your centerpiece, your home,” Jim says. “Then you need to discover your community; where to worship, where to grocery shop, where you go to feel a part of the tapestry of your town. High on that list is your healthcare facility. We

See Courtney and Jim Nantz . . . page 5

Through the first 25 years CBS Sports commentator Jim Nantz came to Pebble Beach to broadcast the annual “Crosby Clambake,”

he made it his practice to get up before sunrise and walk out to the seventh tee, his place of spiritual replenishment. Then, in 2010 he brought his now-wife Courtney to Pebble Beach for the first time, not long after he had lost his father to Alzheimer’s disease. Together, they visited the famous par-three, a place Nantz considered his sanctuary.

“Lo and behold,” says Jim, “this vibrant rainbow rose with the sun, dropping one end into the ocean and the other, into the foothills. I took it as a sign from my father,

didn’t have a reason to have a hospital in our lives, but we knew, at some point, it would be something we’d depend on.

”Good friends of ours, Lynn Knoop and Don and Sally Lucas, introduced us to CHOMP. They encouraged us to get involved with the hospital’s Partners in Caring program and told us all about it,” Jim says, referring to the program in which participating donors receive personalized attention from foundation staff if they are hospitalized.

“Our friends told us how fortunate, how blessed we are to have this hospital that will be a part of our family for many years to come,” he says.

Courtney and Jim Nantz at home with their daughter, Finley.

Annual MeetingMonday, January 262015 speaker: Julie Gerberding, MD Former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Volunteer Spring LunchSaturday, April 18

For information about the events, please call (831) 625-4506.

SAVE THE DATE

Courtney and Jim Nantz find seventh heaven

Confluence of many blessings for sports commentator, his wife, and new daughter Message from Community

Hospital Foundation’s Chief Development Officer PAGE 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Trustee Profile: Stephen SchultePAGE 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Doctors needed: Initiative aims to decrease shortagePAGE 3. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Pinnacle of Excellence AwardsPAGE 4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

For the Harts, home is where Community Hospital isPAGE 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Women’s Forum for Health . . . 14 years strong

Your gifts at workPAGE 6. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Exhibit spotlights young artists and benefactor Marti MulfordPAGE 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Events and fundraisers PAGE 8

F R O M C O M M U N I T Y

H O S P I TA L F O U N D AT I O N ’ S

C H I E F D E V E L O P M E N T

O F F I C E R

A L B E R T J . A LVA R E Z

Community Hospital Foundation Legacy

Albert J. Alvarez, Chief Development Officer Community Hospital Foundation

2

Board of TrusteesKathy BangMary Castagna, Auxiliary PresidentDonald G. Goldman, MDScott G. Kantor, MD, Chief of StaffRobert M. Kavner, ChairWilliam W. Lewis, PhDMichael D. LyonJohn H. Mahoney, Vice ChairFred O’SuchSteven Packer, MD, President/CEOJane PanattoniShelley Post, SecretaryStephen SchultePatrick L. Welton, MDPhillip Wilhelm

Development StaffAlbert J. Alvarez, Chief Development OfficerMaria Corn, Data EntryLandau Davidson, Systems AnalystMay Esquerra, Advancement Records and Research AssistantValerie Guthrie, Senior Development OfficerMartha Kennifer, RN, Nurse LiaisonYolanda Ornelas, Administrative AssistantJanet Rappa, Administrative SpecialistRobin Venuti, Senior Development OfficerJennifer Wood, Senior Development OfficerMichele Melicia Young, Senior Development Officer

Community Hospital Foundation40 RYAN COURT, SUITE 200, MONTEREY, CALIFORNIA 93940

T R U S T E E P R O F I L E

STEPHEN

SCHULTE

Stephen and Patsy Schulte lived and worked in New York City, enjoying a demanding and dynamic life. He is a founding partner of the law firm Schulte, Roth & Zabel, where he is now of counsel. He also was an adjunct professor at Columbia, Fordham, and Cardozo schools of law. Patsy was an investment banker at The First Boston Corporation before becoming New York City’s deputy controller of finance. She later earned her law degree at Cardozo and, after passing the bar exam, went into education.

One evening, after coming home from work and taking a moment to relax, they realized that if they didn’t have a serious discussion about their future, they might come home from the office at 80 and wonder, “Why are we still here?” They got out a map of the United States to explore possible places where they might spend the rest of their lives. After circling the areas they’d like to investigate, they planned a series of three-day trips and set out on their adventures.

What brought you to the Peninsula?Patsy and I were born in New York City, and we had spent close to 40 years there in the legal and finance fields, when we realized we wanted a change. After we looked at different places around the country, friends who were active in real estate on the Monterey Peninsula suggested we take a look at Carmel. We came out for a visit, and that’s when the love affair started. We found a property in Carmel Highlands, where we built a house, which was ready for us to move into in 2000. It was a good move, better, actually, than our wildest expectations.

How have you come to know Community Hospital?I came to know Community Hospital when I needed an emergency appendectomy. At 6 a.m., Patsy and I drove down the hill from our house, and I checked into the

ER, knowing very little about the hospital, as I’d had no prior occasion to be there. I noticed how gorgeous the hospital was and how nice and caring everyone seemed. We were treated extraordinarily well in the emergency room. My surgery was performed within hours of our arrival, and the nursing care I received when I stayed overnight was phenomenal. This opened up my eyes.

As a new member of the community, I realized we had an outstanding hospital in our immediate area, and that’s a really important thing to have. I became much more interested in learning about the hospital. As you get a little older, you become more invested in healthcare and what it means to you and loved ones. Eventually, the hospital asked if I would be interested in joining the Board of Trustees. I was so impressed by the positive experience I’d had at the hospital, and so appreciative of what a good hospital means to a community that I was extremely receptive to getting involved.

Learning the landscape of the healthcare industry has a huge curve, which has taken me some time to scale, so I could contribute to the board. I have enjoyed the challenge, and I’m still climbing.

What has been the most rewarding part of your experiences with Community Hospital?Let me start by saying there is no non-profit board I’ve ever sat on which is better. Over the years, and to this day, I have been involved with a lot of not-for-profits. The Community Hospital board is composed of an amalgam of smart, committed, and hard-working people. There was a time when sitting on a board might be more for prestige factors. This is not the case with Community Hospital. This board works very hard, bringing together a terrific combination of experience, expertise, and commitment.

Community ContributionA conversation with Community Hospital Trustee Stephen Schulte

ith the changing of the seasons and the end of the year drawing near, we are called to look back on all that has been accomplished, and to be thankful.

In an era when so much is happening in the world of wellness and healthcare, we at Community Hospital are focused on staying connected to our values, our vision, our community, and the patient population we serve.

Our mission at Community Hospital Foundation is achieved through our partnership with you, the members of our community who help make it possible for Community Hospital  to be here as you need us, when you need us.

We stay connected by listening and learning, researching and recognizing the needs and expectations of our patient population, and striving to extend our reach to those who need us. It means not just providing quality healthcare, but also improving access to that care. We are committed to doing this through the recruitment and retention of qualified physicians to serve the community, many through our own growing Peninsula Primary Care system. This has been and will continue to be a key hospital initiative.

We are pleased and grateful our donor community has responded so generously and with such insight and understanding in support of this initiative. Through this partnership, our efforts yield access to the highest-quality healthcare and continue to help us keep the goals of our medical staff and hospital closely aligned with our community.

With gratitude,

See Trustee Profile . . . next page

W

Community Hospital Foundation Legacy 3

Dr. A. Nicky Hjort was recruited to return to Monterey County.

Every morning, after she drops off her children at school, Dr. A. Nicky Hjort thinks about the patients she will see in her office at Peninsula

Primary Care in Marina and those she will visit at Community Hospital, pausing to feel the gratitude she harbors for where she lives and works and with whom.

Hjort, an obstetrician-gynecologist, believes she is doing exactly what she was meant to do, where she is supposed to be doing it. It just took about a dozen years and a huge loop, she says, to bring her home.

Doctors needed: Initiative aims to decrease shortage

Hjort first came to Monterey County in 2004, after graduating from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas and completing her residency at Exempla St. Joseph Hospital in Denver.

”After six or seven years, I moved to Central Florida, and worked in a very busy, very successful boutique ob-gyn practice,” she says. “We were the practice everyone went to for a second opinion. We did a lot of research studies. It was an incredible experience and a big change for me. I had gone there from

Natividad Medical Center, where I took care of high-risk obstetric patients, and didn’t do a lot of gynecology besides pap smears and birth control. Then, in this affluent area of Florida, with a large retirement community, I did mostly post-menopausal, gynecological care.”

In March 2014, as part of Community Hospital’s initiative to recruit and retain qualified physicians to help improve the health of the entire community, Hjort returned to the area to join Peninsula Primary Care (PPC), in a similar capacity.

“The generous recruitment package from the hospital was the only reason I was able to come back to the Peninsula,” she says. “Without that assistance, it would have been impossible.”

Hjort is one of more than 20 physicians brought to the area or who have stayed in the area through the efforts of Community Hospital Foundation, with philanthropic support from individuals and foundations. PPC was established to alleviate a shortage of primary care physicians in the area, but recruitment efforts have grown to fill voids in specialties including neurology, urology, cardiology, and obstetrics-gynecology. The first PPC office opened in 2009 in Carmel, followed in 2011 by the office at Peninsula Wellness Center in Marina, where Hjort practices. In 2014 an office opened on Garden Court in Monterey, focusing on cardiology; a second Monterey PPC is expected to open soon at Carmel Hill Professional Center, near Community Hospital.

As a relatively new member of Peninsula Primary Care, Hjort believes in building her practice in phases, the first of which was to receive referral patients who had not seen a gynecologist in several years. Many of her patients had not had a gynecological exam in six to 10 years, had not had a recent mammogram, had not talked with anyone about hormones or their physical and emotional changes.

“This is fascinating for me because I can step in and catch everyone up,” she says. “I see patients who have landed at Peninsula Primary Care, where the doctors actually care about them as patients and as people, and we have the skills to pull it off, and the grace to deliver it. I am so blessed to be doing what I want to do, with this incredible opportunity to be of service. I have passed my sixth-month honeymoon phase, and I’m still excited.”

“My quest,” she says, “is not merely how can I fix this medical problem, but how can I assist this beautiful person? I talk about what’s going on in their lives, and I hold a space of unconditional acceptance that enables them to approach a problem without feeling judged. I talk with my patients about the psychological drama that occurs after an interruption of pregnancy, and the changes and losses associated with menopause. I have so many patients who have never talked about these things. Yet if we can just talk about them, we’re going to do so much better than our parents did.”

From day one, I have been very impressed with the senior administra-tive staff, starting with Dr. Steve Packer. He has extraordinary talent; he works as hard as or harder than anyone I’ve ever seen at the top. I think he works eight days a week. He has a tremendous investment in the community and in the hospital and its health services. He wants to do it right. I believe in him and his senior staff; I’ve seen them in operation, and I know how they work. This is motivation for me to work that much harder as a member of the board.

What do you value in life?I value family first. We have a very close family; my wife, our three children, their spouses, and our five grandchildren. I think of family as the scaffolding of one’s life. It is the foundation upon which we first build our value systems. As an adjunct professor in law schools, I incorporated an emphasis on ethics in my courses. My biggest interest and concern now is that my grandchildren learn the importance of ethics, and

develop a strong value system that will enable them to grow up to be people who care about and contribute to their community. Of course, family also is a source of great joy in life. I am very fortunate to have a strong and loving family. I realize that not everyone does, and I’m very thankful for mine.

What are some of your interests?My interests, outside of my family, are travel, photography, and cooking. In addition, I study Italian, and I love to fly fish. Also, I am a founding member and the vice chair of the Innocence Project, a nationwide organization seeking to exonerate, through DNA, men and women who have been wrongfully convicted. I have been the vice chair of the Big Sur Land Trust, and I served for five years as chair of the York School board. I believe that it’s very important to reach out and provide support to your community in keeping with your diversity of interests and values.

What do you hope and envision for Community Hospital during the next five years?What I hope for the hospital in the next five years is, in a sense, really for the community. It is the sustainability of the breadth of healthcare programs the hospital offers now. The reason is, I live in the community, and I think a strong hospital is an essential, integral component of a vibrant and sustainable community.

I hope the board and the hospital will meet the challenge of identifying the on-going healthcare needs of the community, and that we will be able to address them. This will require that we continue to attract not only top-quality physicians to the area, but also other healthcare providers; collectively they will, in large part, determine the health of the community we live in. We’re changing from a hospital where patients come in and we address the problem and then discharge them, to a place invested in keeping people healthy,

addressing their health before they get sick. I wholeheartedly believe in this. We are dedicated to the healthcare needs of our community and we strive to provide the highest quality and value of service.

What would you say to other people about getting involved in the hospital?I got involved because I had an inter- section with the hospital. Getting involved with the hospital before you have the need for it is something one should really think about. You want to help ensure it is there before you need it. A strong hospital is essential for the continuing vitality of our community. Schools, the hospital, the beauty of the land all contribute to the vibrancy of the community, and we have a responsibility to protect and promote its well-being.

I suggest getting involved now. You don’t want to wait for an emergency appendectomy to get acquainted with the hospital.

Trustee Profile . . . from page 2

Community Hospital Foundation Legacy4

Forward-thinking donors have

been the cornerstone of

Community Hospital of the

Monterey Peninsula since its

inception. Their support and commitment

enable the hospital and Community

Hospital Foundation to serve the

community’s needs today and to plan

for its needs tomorrow.

On September 18, the foundation hosted

its sixth Pinnacle of Excellence awards

dinner, designed to recognize special

donors for their significant contributions

to the vision and progress of Community

Hospital. The 2014 honorees are Sally

and Don Lucas, Velma and Ted Balestreri,

and Monterey Peninsula Foundation.

Sally and Don LucasWhen it came to developing a strong work ethic, Don Lucas had an impressive role model in his mother. After his father died when Don was 8, his mother sold their old car, packed up their belongings, and bought train tickets to move her young family of three boys from rural Indiana to California to start a new life.

In Pasadena, she got a job as a stock clerk for a grocery store; Don delivered newspapers before and after school, and on weekends, he mowed lawns. By the time he was 10, he was checking the tire pressure on autos at the local gas station for 25 cents an hour. His work at a service station led to meeting his future wife, Sally, after her car ran out of gas.

Sally encouraged him to go to college and while at San Jose State he launched his future career. Don started selling used cars and, in his senior year, opened his own used car lot.

Three years after graduating, he opened his first new car dealership. At the height of his career, he controlled 40 dealerships, of nearly every make and model. Sally, meanwhile, became a teacher and started a design business, informed by her love of color and art. As they excelled in business, the couple also excelled at giving back.

“We are very community-minded,” says Sally. “It is part of my family’s culture.”

They made a significant gift to San Jose State, funding Lucas College and Graduate School of Business, and became major supporters of Montalvo Arts Center in Saratoga. They have also given generously to Community Hospital.

“Most people think philanthropy is just wealthy people giving away large sums of money,” Don says. “But philanthropy comes in all sizes and shapes.”

Velma and Ted BalestreriTed Balestreri’s name is synonymous with Cannery Row, but he and his wife, Velma, have also been tightly bound to Community Hospital, giving time, expert guidance, and money. Velma was active with hospice in its early days, Ted served on Community Hospital Foundation’s Board of Trustees, and, fittingly, the hospitality leaders funded the remodeling of the Fountain Court Café dining area.

Ted arrived on the Peninsula as a high school senior, moving from his native Brooklyn. He met Velma at a dance.

“My aunt once told me,” says Ted, “There are a lot of women you can live with, but marry the one you can’t live without.”

The young couple began their marriage with very modest means. “We didn’t have anything,” says Velma, “so Ted worked day and night. He came home one night and said, ‘I’m going to buy Cannery Row.’ And I said, ‘All of Cannery Row?’ ”

And he did, joining with three partners.

“Cannery Row would not be Cannery Row were it not for Ted Balestreri,” says Leon Panetta, former secretary of defense, director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and congressman. “He really believes the important thing he can do is leave the community better for his children. It was a real experience to be on the hospital board with Ted. He brought all his practical common sense and experience to the board, and was extremely helpful in providing a business sense.”

“The hospital is an important investment for all of us,” says Ted, “because it’s got the most important dividend you can give anybody — keeping us alive.”

Pinnacle of Excellence Awards

Monterey Peninsula FoundationMonterey Peninsula Foundation traces its roots back to 1937 — the first “Crosby Clambake” golf tournament — almost as deep as those of Community Hospital. The two have forged a lasting relationship promoting health and wellness in the community.

“Community Hospital is our largest partnership,” says Steve John, CEO of the foundation. “Wellness and health education are in line with our mission statement and what we believe in, what our grants committee believes in.”

The foundation has two goals: staging two celebrated golf tournaments, the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am and the Nature Valley First Tee Open at Pebble Beach, and giving the proceeds to charity. Community Hospital has benefited significantly from those efforts.

In recent years, major gifts have been directed toward improving breast cancer detection and reducing childhood obesity.

The foundation provided a $500,000 grant to the Carol Hatton Breast Care Center for digital mammography.

The foundation also awarded $500,000 to Kids Eat Right, a classroom-based Community Hospital program designed to tackle childhood obesity by teaching 4th graders through the county how to make and eat nutritious food, and stay healthy and active.

“Community Hospital and Monterey Peninsula Foundation is a great marriage,” he continues. “We both believe in the same things and are both committed to the community. With our funds and their knowledge, I think we’re going to get to the end result quicker.”

. . . humble hearts and generous spirits

Community Hospital Foundation Legacy 5

Courtney and Jim Nantz . . . from front pageTwo years later, on March 14, 2014, Jim and Courtney experienced that blessing firsthand when they arrived at Community Hospital’s Family Birth Center to bring Miss Finley Nantz into the world. They fell in love with the name at the same time they realized their daughter would share it with the man who established their beloved Pebble Beach and donated the land for Community Hospital, Samuel Finley Brown (SFB) Morse.

“We visited the Family Birth Center during my pregnancy and were amazed at how beautiful and welcoming it was,” says Courtney. “I had never been a patient in a hospital before so I was apprehensive. However, I found that no question was too insignificant, and the nurses took the time to explain everything. They made us feel so special that several months after Finley was born we returned to the birth center to visit and thank all the staff.”

income, a portion of which is tax free, for life. Upon its maturation, the Harts’ gift will benefit the hospital’s Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The Harts purchased the home after a particularly wild winter in Utah, where they had moved after early retirement, to ski in the winter and play golf in the summer. Seeking a more temperate climate, the couple chose Pacific Grove among various favorite vacation destinations, and looked forward to the fog.

“By the time we moved here,” says Doris, “we had gotten to the point where we needed to use the hospital for various health issues. We actually have had many experiences at Community Hospital, and

For the Harts, home is where Community Hospital is

Tom and Doris Hart in their Pacific Grove home, which they donated to the hospital.

A few years ago, Tom and Doris Hart began entertaining the notion of leaving their Pacific Grove home of 23 years, in favor

of one more adventure, one more move, one more setting in which to spend the rest of their lives.

Instead of selling their house and leaving the area, the Harts decided to stay put, and to donate their house to Community Hospital as an investment in their care and the care of others. The couple “gifted” their house to Community Hospital Foundation and retained a “life estate,” which means they can continue to live in their home for as long as they wish. In addition, the value of the property enabled the Harts to establish a charitable gift annuity, which provides them an

they all have been positive, especially our interaction with the people who work there. We realized, if they have the right tools to work with, they’ll always do the best job. So we decided to do what we could within our budget to provide those tools.”

Over the years, the Harts made contribu-tions to the hospital foundation. Wanting to do more, they began to look for a way to make a more significant gift.

“Since we don’t have children or other relatives to whom we would leave things,” says Doris, “we chose the hospital. They do a wonderful job and are very forward-looking, progressive, and open to new ideas. It seemed like a natural thing to give them our house for when we get to the point in our lives that we no longer need it.”

The first home the Harts shared was in San Francisco, where they met through their respective jobs at the telephone company, back when it was called Pacific Telephone and Telegraph. In an era when jobs were scarce, and college funds even scarcer, Doris’s parents put their then-18-year-old daughter and her best girlfriend on a train in Denver, bound for San Francisco, where they had heard about some openings at the phone company.

“We lived in a girls-only boarding house,” says Doris, “and later moved into a tiny little apartment we called the Dark Hole of Calcutta.”

Meanwhile, Tom Hart was living in La Jolla and considering his options, after selling his business. His father had worked for the telephone company and he had heard it had a program where qualified employees could fast-track their way to management within five years.

During their visits leading up to Finley’s arrival, they had noticed throughout the birth center original artwork created by Dennis the Menace cartoonist Hank Ketcham. Years before, covering what was known then as “The Crosby” golf tournament at Pebble Beach, Jim had met and watched Ketcham play in his usual foursome, which included Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz.

”It wasn’t until I was walking into the room where Courtney would give birth to Finley,” says Jim, “that I noticed, hanging outside the door to our room was an original Ketcham piece of what looked like Hank and Charles playing the seventh hole at Pebble Beach. You could call it a coincidence, but I believe it was figuratively a guiding hand and a comforting sign as we brought Finley into the world – that once again the seventh hole was showing up prominently in our lives.”

Moreover, on the day Finley was born, Jim’s office staff called to let him know who else shared the birthdate of March 14: Hank Ketcham.

“There can’t be another birthing center like ours anywhere in the world,” says Jim. “When it comes to patient care, it was the most beautiful experience one could ever receive. We were so fortunate and blessed to be in the hands of such capable, compassionate people.

“We love our community and are so happy to be a part of it. Everything about the whole Monterey experience is five-star, and the hospital is right at the top of the list. A great hospital, particularly one that serves the whole community, is really the backbone of a community.”

The couple’s interest in healthcare isn’t new. Jim and Courtney have dedicated considerable time and resources to build

a research center, the Nantz National Alzheimer Center, in Houston, where Jim majored in broadcasting and where his father was treated for Alzheimer’s.

“This is not just something we did to put my father’s name on the building,” says Jim. “We are driven to fight the cause and hopefully help find a cure for Alzheimer’s. At the same time we understand how vital clinical care is to a community. We have that here at CHOMP.

“We are grateful to Dr. Steve Packer and his staff, and we’re big fans of SFB Morse. His mission to build something like CHOMP runs commensurate with everything else the great man envisioned. His timeless view of the world lives on every day and so, too, does the hospital that he helped establish for the Monterey Peninsula.”

In one year, Tom had his management position and his girl.

“I stayed with the job and we were able to take early retirement at age 49,” he says. “We will always be able to say we did what we wanted with our lives, and that includes our gift to Community Hospital.” The Harts were particularly grateful to the hospital after Doris brought Tom to the Emergency department last year, when he felt very shaky and faint.

“When we walked through the door to the ER, a lovely woman got Tom a wheelchair right away,” Doris says. “They took him into a room where they could monitor him, and determined he had atrial fibrillation. I don’t know how many doctors were in the room, maybe three, and everyone was so concerned. They told us Tom would have to have a pacemaker, and were very specific and positive and persuasive, saying he should have it done right away.”

“I found it very impressive, the way they moved in, took over, and immediately did something about my problem,” Tom says. “All hospitals are not equal.”

“That’s a masterpiece of an understate-ment right there,” says Doris. “We have a lot of experiences to compare it to, and the difference is startling. The attitude at Community Hospital has always been one of concern and ensuring us they can do something to help. And now we’ve found a way to help the hospital. As long as we can take care of our house and ourselves, we’ll stay here, knowing the hospital will take care of us, too.”

For information on planned giving, including options with tax and income benefits, please call (831) 625-4506.

What began as a small group of 32 community members interested in women’s health issues has grown

into a major annual educational and fundraising luncheon, the Women’s Forum for Health, drawing more than 300 people each year to hear from leaders in their clinical fields.

At the 14th annual event, held in October at Spanish Bay, Dr. Paula Johnson spoke about the dearth of medical research specific to women and urged audience members to join her effort to do something about it. Johnson is executive director of the Connors Center for Women’s Health and Gender Biology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and chief of the Division of Women’s Health and a professor at Harvard Medical School.

Inspired by her grandmother, Johnson became interested in women’s health at a very early age. As a young child, Johnson would head to her grand- mother’s Brooklyn apartment, where they would meet for “coffee.” She would hear tales of factory work and how her grandmother still managed to save money to travel to Europe. And then they would dance.

But when Johnson was 8 years old (and her grandmother was 60), “there was no more coffee,” Johnson said. “There was no more music. And, certainly, there was no more dancing.”

After visiting countless doctors — “nobody could figure out what was wrong,” Johnson said — it was determined that her grandmother had fallen into a deep, life-altering depression. She never recovered.

Johnson turned the loss into her passion — her work in women’s health. Presently, she said, women are 70-percent more likely than men to experience depression. That female depression is misdiagnosed 30–50- percent of the time. She talked about the challenges of diagnosing heart disease in women, their No. 1 killer. She noted that women who never smoked are three times more likely than men who never smoked to develop lung cancer. And, finally, she said women have two times more likelihood than men to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

“Men and women are different down to the cellular level,” Johnson said. “Without equity in research, you compromise the quality and integrity of science. And, therefore, you compromise the care.

“My grandmother inspired my work. That is her legacy. Our legacy can be to improve the health of women for today and generations to come.”

With her appearance, Johnson joined a growing list of pioneers who have shared their insights at the forum. Previous speakers have covered topics including how men and women’s brains are different; memory fitness and brain health; successful aging; and holistic and integrative medicine.

Attendees expand their knowledge of women’s health issues — and raise money for programs and services from Community Hospital directed at women and families. Since 2010, the Women’s Forum for Health Fund has raised close

Community Hospital Foundation Legacy6

Women’s Forum for Health . . . 14 years strong

to a quarter million dollars. The 2014 event has raised more than $83,000 to date through sponsorships and gifts during and after the event. The funds will be directed to Community Hospital’s Tyler Heart Institute to increase resources to reach out to women across the county to talk to them about the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of heart disease.

In previous years, funds were used for initiatives including providing screening mammograms for women who couldn’t afford them; comprehensive training of hospital staff to better address the needs of elderly patients; diabetes education and outreach; and mental health issues.

Women’s Forum for Health is co-chaired by Laurie Benjamin and Mae Johnson.

Reducing sepsisCommunity Hospital has had a remarkable

reduction in the incidence of the deadly

infection sepsis, thanks in part to training

provided through a $22,000 gift. The

contribution helped pay for a mobile

sepsis education and training bus to be

stationed at Community Hospital for

a week, during which 63 staff members

participated in simulation exercises with

life-like robotic patients.

Nursing students work at Community Hospital A gift of $5,000 paid for nursing students

from the Maurine Church Coburn School

of Nursing at Monterey Peninsula College

to help patients at Community Hospital

navigate the discharge process. Nursing

students taught patients how to view

their discharge instructions online through

Community Hospital’s Central Coast Health

Connect electronic health records system.

Speech therapy toolPatients who have speech challenges

after a stroke or other serious illness or

injury are getting their voice back with

the help of Visi-Pitch software, purchased

with a $4,570 gift. Working with a speech

therapist, patients speak into a microphone

connected to a computer. The software

records the voice and provides visual and

auditory feedback in real time. Therapists

can then provide target vocalizations for

comparison and the patient works to match

these to reach their goal.

Exercise during rehabilitationPatients who come to our Inpatient

Rehabilitation Unit undergo intensive

therapy to try to regain skills lost due to

stroke or other serious illness or injury.

For many, our NuStep® recumbent

exercise cross trainer, purchased with

an $8,000 gift, has become an essential

part of recovery. The equipment enables

patients to have a low-impact cardio-

vascular and strengthening workout,

under the supervision of a therapist.

Your gifts at work Gifts to Community Hospital support programs and services both large and small. A few recent examples show the range of benefits that contributions can bring to improving the health and well-being of our community.

This year’s Women’s Forum for Health speaker, Dr. Paula Johnson.

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Community Hospital Foundation Legacy 7

Marti Mulford’s legacy brought together Community Hospital and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County

for an exhibit featuring the work of more than 30 club members.

The annual Marti Mulford Youth Arts Exhibit was displayed at Community Hospital during the summer, opening with a reception and awards ceremony and continuing with a month-long display of the collection.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Monterey County (BGCMC) has recognized its young artists through a show for more than a dozen years. In 2013, the exhibi-tion was renamed in honor of Mulford, a ceramic artist who had a passion for art and nurturing the creativity of youth. Mulford passed away in 2012.

Mulford’s legacy included a bequest to Community Hospital to support an intern program for art students to learn to catalog artwork when it comes in from donors and to wrap art objects

Exhibit spotlights young artists and benefactor Marti Mulford

for transit. They participate in security-mount installations and work with ancillary professionals, including framers and conservators, gaining experience in those specialty careers as well. Interns from the program installed the BGCMC exhibit.

The artists ranged in age from 6–18 but are mostly 9–12 years old. They participate in a comprehensive arts program at the clubs that includes exposure to and training in various media. Members produce work ranging from crayon drawings to elaborate digital photography to fine arts projects.

Mulford’s former husband, Bob, says she was always impressed by the art at Community Hospital.

“It is so soothing and beautiful,” he says, “and it has affected us both.”

If you would like to help increase the number of art internships offered at Community Hospital, please call Development at (831) 625-4506.

I LOVE ART of all kinds, whether it is created by nature, happenstance, or on purpose. I believe that art belongs in all of our lives — hey, that’s what makes us human! MARTI MULFORD

Community Hospital Foundation Legacy 8

PINNACLE DINNER Top row (left to right) ; Kathy Bang; Marilyn Kren, Jim and Maureen Brill; Patricia Maddox, Fred O’Such Second row (left to right) Angela and Glen Charles; Lori Hightower, Robert and Allyson Kavner, Dr. Daniel Hightower

WOMEN’S FORUM FOR HEALTH Top row (left to right) ; Susan Lansbury, Mary McCary, Jan Schmied; Carol Todd, Dr. Paula Johnson, Ramona Smith Second row (left to right) Joni Gustaveson, Susan Madsen, Susan Byerly; Kathleen Hicks, Linda Murtland; Ann Mahoney, Anne Washburn