Greenbrae, CA, February 6, 2012 — With the addition of Cardiovascular Associates of Marin and San Francisco Medical Group, Inc. (CAM), Marin General Hospital now will manage six Marin County-based medical care centers, in conjunction with Marin Healthcare District, which approved the acquisition at its November 2011 board meeting. The move includes the purchase of the group’s assets as well as facilitating contracts with CAM physicians, considered the area’s most prominent cardiovascular care providers.

In the last 18 months, San Rafael Medical Center, North Marin Internal Medicine, West Marin Medical Center, Marin Medical Group and Soluna Sausalito Health Center – formed by the blending of the Soluna Health Center and the Sausalito Medical Clinic – also have joined Marin Healthcare District’s Medical Care Centers. The new arrangement with CAM, with offices in Larkspur and Novato, brings the number of physicians that serve the Marin Healthcare District Medical Care Centers to 29.

“There is tremendous benefit to the greater Marin community in integrating these premiere practices with Marin Healthcare District and Marin General Hospital,” says Lee Domanico, CEO, Marin Healthcare District. “Residents can be assured that their primary and specialty healthcare needs are met close to home through our newly broadened network of physicians, considered among the finest in their respective fields, including cardiovascular, family practice and internal medicine, among others.”

These new relationships between Marin Healthcare District and physicians are made possible under the 1206(b) provision of the California Health and Safety Code, which enables healthcare districts to acquire medical group assets as well as to contract with physicians.

“The high cost of operating independent practice groups and offices has become prohibitive for many physicians throughout the country,” says Jon Friedenberg, Chief Fund & Business Development Officer, Marin Healthcare District. “By collaborating with them in managing their clinical operations, we can develop economies of scale in contracting for insurance and other services.”

“Our Medical Care Centers also share an integrated database, which further streamlines a continuum of patient care,” notes Friedenberg.

The six medical care centers can be reached through the Marin Healthcare District website, http://www.marinhealthcare.org. The Medical Care Centers include:

Cardiovascular Associates of Marin and San Francisco Medical Group, offices in Larkspur and Novato. Physicians include Mark Wexman, MD, managing partner; James R. Adams, MD; Margaret L. Baer, MD; Adam J. Baumgarten, MD; Sujoya A. Dey, MD; Kent N. Gershengorn, MD; Ann K. Kao, MD; Brian Keeffe, MD; Laura Pak, MD; Arun Raghupathy, MD; Joel Sklar, MD; David C. Sperling, MD; Robert T. Sperling, MD; Brian L. Strunk, MD; and Jerald A. Young, MD. Locations are 2 Bon Air Rd., Suite 100, Larkspur, CA 94939, 415-927-0666; and 165 Rowland Way, Suite 103, Novato, CA 94945, 415-878-2910.

Marin Internal Medicine, Greenbrae. Physicians include John Ward, MD*; Catharine Clark-Sayles, MD*; Ahmed El-Ghoneimy, MD; and Paul Ogden, MD*. 1341 S Eliseo Dr., Suite 200, Greenbrae, CA 94904, 415-464-8169. *Members of Marin Medical Group

North Marin Internal Medicine Specialists, Novato. Physicians include Mark Sockell, MD; Irene Teper, MD; and Stephen E. Welter, MD. 165 Rowland Way, Suite 201, Novato, CA 94945, 415-897-3174.

San Rafael Medical Center, San Rafael. E. Regina Widman, MD. 706 D St., San Rafael, CA 94901, 415-256-1980.

Soluna Sausalito Health Center, Sausalito. Physicians includes Naureen Shaikh, MD; Freya Spielberg, MD; and Darren Lipshitz, MD. 111 Second St., Sausalito, CA 94965, 415-332-2600.

West Marin Medical Center, Point Reyes Station. Physicians include Michael Whitt, MD; Eileen Gleber, MD; and Colin Hamblin, MD. 11150 State Route One, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956, 415-663-1082.
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Contact:

Jamie Maites
Director of Communications
Office: 415-925-7424 Mobile: 240-506-8556
maitesj@maringeneral.org

Hatti Hamlin
Mobile: 925.872.4328
hattihamlin@comcast.net

Sparkman has extensive healthcare experience. Since 2006 she has served as Deputy Campus Counsel for Health Affairs at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). Prior to that she served as in-house counsel at Kaiser Permanente, and also held a senior position in compliance for Kaiser Permanente program-wide. In addition, she was an attorney in private practice for thirteen years, including serving as partner in healthcare law at Hassard Bonnington, LLP.

Sparkman has a law degree from the University of San Francisco (USF), a nursing degree from UCSF, and an undergraduate degree in Zoology from University of California, Berkeley.

“I am so pleased that Ann has agreed to join the Marin Healthcare District Board,” said James Clever, Chairman of the Board. “I am confident she will bring valuable and unique perspectives that will support the advancement of the Marin Healthcare District.”

“I am very excited to join the Marin Healthcare District Board,” stated Sparkman. I am looking forward to working with my colleagues on the Board to ensure that Marin county residents have access to state of the art health care.”

The directors of the Marin Healthcare District are elected at large by the residents of the District, which encompasses all of Marin with the exception of Novato and portions of West Marin. District directors serve 4-year terms and strive to promote the health and welfare of the residents of the communities they serve.

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Contact:
Hatti Hamlin
Office & Mobile: 925-872-4328
hattihamlin@comcast.net

Jamie Maites
Director of Communications
Marin General Hospital
Office: 415-925-7424
Mobile: 240-506-8556
maitesj@maringeneral.org

Marin Healthcare District Board member Sharon Jackson has resigned effective September 30, 2011. The Board’s remaining members have 60 days to appoint a replacement to serve out the remainder of her term, which expires on December 1, 2012. A district-wide election to for the next full term will be held in November, 2012.

Marin Healthcare District is currently accepting applications from anyone interested in filling the vacancy. Applicants must reside in the District and be registered to vote. Duties include attendance at regular monthly meetings of both the Board and its committees. (More information can be found at the District website, www.marinhealthcare.org.) The deadline to submit applications is Oct. 24th.

“This is a critical time for the future of the hospital and health initiatives throughout the District. We need strong leadership,” said Lee Domanico, CEO of Marin Healthcare District. “The District faces many crucial issues in the next few years, including the need to plan and finance a replacement hospital to meet state-mandated seismic safety requirements as well as to address the health needs of Marin for many years to come.”

Ms. Jackson, a native Californian and thirty-year resident of Mill Valley, had served on the board since 2004, a period that spanned the transition of Marin General Hospital back to local control after years of management by Sutter Health.

“We are deeply grateful for Sharon’s critical role as a Board member during the transition,” said Dr. Jamie Clever, Board Chairman. “Her leadership will be missed.”

For those interested in applying for the vacancy, the application with FPPC forms is available for download at www.marinhealthcare.org). The application package may be submitted in person to Marin Healthcare District from 9 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday; by fax: 415-464-2094; email: dianaharris@marinhealthcare.org; or mail 100 B Drake’s Landing Road, Suite 250, Greenbrae, CA 94904. All parts of the application must be submitted by October 24th.

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Jamie Maites
Director of Communications
Marin General Hospital
Office: 415-925-7424
Mobile: 240-506-8556
maitesj@maringeneral.org

Marin Healthcare District will participate in a public. statewide earthquake drill on the Marin General Hospital campus on Thursday, October 20th. The drill is part of an earthquake preparedness effort, “The Great Shakeout.” It’s anticipated that millions of California residents will participate, including individuals, schools, local government agencies, non-profit organizations and medical facilities.

“Studies put the likelihood of a major Bay Area quake at greater than 70% in the next 30 years,” said Jon Friedenberg, Chief Fund and Business Development Officer of Marin Healthcare District. “As the only trauma center in Marin, we feel a responsibility to help Marin residents prepare for that eventuality. In addition to our mission to build a new seismically sound hospital, we want to do everything we can to help residents prepare individually to minimize damage and injuries.”

At the event, Marin Healthcare District will distribute emergency preparedness information and provide information on how to sign up for “Get Ready Marin,” an education and awareness initiative coordinated by public safety agencies throughout the county to insure that all residents are prepared to survive for 72 hours in their homes following a disaster. Get Ready Marin offers a two-hour course to teach citizens what to do before, during and after a disaster.

Marin’s Great Shakeout will feature Northern California’s only “Quake Cottage,” a mobile earthquake simulator that provides a demonstration of how a real 8.0 seismic event would feel. The Quake Cottage is open to the public but requires a waiver to enter.

What: “The Great Shakeout,” featuring Northern California’s only mobile earthquake simulator, the “Quake Cottage”

Where: Marin General Hospital campus

When: Thursday, Oct. 20, 2011, 10 AM to 2 PM

No registration is necessary.
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Contact:
Jamie Maites
Director of Communications
Marin General Hospital
Office: 415-925-7424
Mobile: 240-506-8556
maitesj@maringeneral.org

Hatti Hamlin
Office & Mobile: 925-872-4328
hattihamlin@comcast.net

Those are questions that will become increasingly important as Marin General Hospital—the only hospital between San Francisco and Santa Rosa that offers all these services—gears up to raise money to build a new wing that complies with State-mandated seismic safety requirements. A majority of that money must come from general obligation bonds which would have to be approved by a two—thirds majority of local voters.

“No one should have to drive across the bridge to get the care they need,”said Lee Domanico, Chief Executive Officer of Marin Healthcare District. “But without voter approval for those bonds, Marin General Hospital won’t be able to comply with the new safety standards, and thus will not be permitted to continue to provide vital services residents depend upon.”

The earthquake risks are not idle speculation, either. The U.S. Geographic Survey (USGS) study completed in 2008 forecast a 70% probability of having one or more magnitude 6.7+ earthquakes in the nine-county Bay Area in the next 30 years. And it points out that quakes of that size can be deadly—as shown by the 1989 magnitude 6.9 Loma Prieta and the 1994 magnitude 6.7 Northridge earthquakes.”

As the June, 2011 Marin Grand Jury Disaster Preparedness Report concluded about Marin’s ability to withstand an earthquake:

“Highways and roads may be impassable due to landslides, downed overpasses, and gridlock. Basic utility services could be out for several days. Hospitals and health care facilities may be damaged and become inaccessible. In short, emergency services and first responders may not be immediately available in the event of a disaster.”

A full service hospital close to home—one built to withstand a major quake—will be absolutely vital if such a quake hits.

The USGS survey estimates that the highest probability for a Northern California quake is along the Rodgers Creek/Hayward Fault, the one closest and most likely to affect Marin General Hospital. All this underscores the critical need to prepare now for the powerful quakes the report calls “inevitable in California’s future,” according to Domanico, “the vote for or against seismic safety bonds amounts to a vote on the hospital’s future viability.”

“We Californians have lived with the threat of earthquakes for so long we’ve become blase about the possibility,” said Domanico. “But we can’t afford to discount this risk. If a major quake occurs before we’re ready, the hospital could be so damaged it would be unable to respond to the needs of local residents, putting their very lives at risk. Marin needs a hospital that is still standing when that big one hits.”

That’s why the District will seek voter approval of a general obligation bond measure that will help finance construction of a new, earthquake-safe hospital building. State law requires completion of the project by 2020.

The proposed project would include a five-story, 300,000-square-foot hospital replacement building. Most importantly, it would be built to the latest safety standards, able to withstand a major quake.

“We have no time to lose,” Domanico said. “Marin General Hospital has been central to the health and welfare of county residents for the past 50 years. We hope the community agrees we need to make sure it can continue to serve our community for the next 50.”

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Contact:
Hatti Hamlin
Office & Mobile: 925-872-4328
hattihamlin@comcast.net

Jamie Maites
Director of Communications
Marin General Hospital
Office: 415-925-7424
Mobile: 240-506-8556
maitesj@maringeneral.org

Marin Healthcare District (MHD) has begun providing support and management of the West Marin Medical Center at Point Reyes Station, augmenting the clinic’s resources and increasing access to primary care at the 42-year-old clinic that has been a healthcare mainstay for more than 4,000 West Marin residents. The support includes insuring that primary care physicians Michael Whitt, Eileen Gleber, and Colin Hamblin will continue to serve the West Marin Community through the clinic.

The office was originally opened four decades ago by Dr. Michael Whitt. In 2000, Dr. Molly Bourne joined the clinic, but in late 2007 she announced that the increased financial pressures on primary care doctors were forcing her to close down the office. Fortunately, several members of the tight-knit community stepped forward to help keep the clinic afloat. Subsequently, MHD provided support to hire Dr. Gleber and Dr. Hamblin.

“Access to primary care is essential to maintain a healthy Marin community and West Marin Clinic’s primary care physicians have been dedicated to this mission,” said Dr. Joel Sklar, Chief Medical Officer of Marin General Hospital. “The economics of primary care-particularly in a place like West Marin”-make it extraordinarily difficult for private practice physicians to survive financially. By taking this action, MHD is enabling West Marin residents to continue to have the care they need without having to go elsewhere.”

West Marin Medical Center is located at 11150 California Hwy 1, Point Reyes Station. For an appointment or to get more information, call 415-663-1082.

Plans must be submitted to the County in order to get the entitlements necessary before starting construction on the site. The current site plan will result in a hospital that meets the state’s seismic standard and will provide the community with expanded and upgraded Trauma and emergency services, new operating rooms for open heart and other surgeries, new labor and delivery rooms, private patient rooms as well as many other support departments. A thorough Environmental Impact Report is on of the next steps that will need to be completed before the County can approve the project and master plan amendment.

“We are looking forward to meeting with the County officials, showing them our plans, and getting valuable feedback from both County staff and supervisors” commented Lee Domanico, the Marin Healthcare District’s CEO. “We think the community will be pleased with the plans and we look forward to presenting it to MGH employees and medical staff as well as the public in the coming months to gather additional input.”

Following and extensive due diligence process, the Marin Healthcare District announced that is has selected Union Bank to provide credit and financing facilities for Marin General Hospital following its return to community control on June 29th. Union Bank’ s proposal includes a $30-million line of credit secured by accounts payable and an additional $30-million term loan. The District received favorable interest rates for the credit which will be approximately 3.25% and 4.25% respectively.

District CEO Lee Domanico noted “The District is pleased to accept Union Bank’s proposal. We view this as a significant indication of support for Marin General Hospital and our community. Of the eight proposals we received and evaluated, Union Bank’ s proposal was superior. They have also indicated their desire to expand their presence in the community, their support for our employees, our medical staff, and financing for future ventures. This is another important step in the transition process.”

On April 1st, the existing Marin General Hospital Board of Directors authorized the hospital’s current management to work with the District in order to complete the transaction. The credit facilities are subject to negotiation of the final documents. The credit facilities will be in place prior to the transfer of Marin General Hospital back to community control on June 29th and are to be funded immediately post-transfer.

The Marin Healthcare District announced today it has hired Jon Friedenberg as its Chief Fund and Business Development Officer, expanding its Executive Management Team at the District as it prepares for the June 30th transition of Marin General Hospital back to community control upon Sutter Health’s departure.

In his position Mr. Friedenberg will provide the overall direction and serve as the primary resource for all activities related to business development, marketing, planning, government relations, media relations, and external communications for the District. Friedenberg will also oversee the Marin General Hospital Foundation, plan, develop, and implement strategies to increase philanthropy.

Mr. Friedenberg received his Bachelors Degree from UC Berkeley, a Masters Degree from UC Davis. He has an extensive background in management of nonprofits, hospital foundations and fund raising. Most recently he was Vice President of El Camino Hospital where he founded the Genomic Medicine Institute, South Asian Heart Center, The Fogarty Institute for Innovation and the Center for Technology Integration. Experienced in political campaigning, he led the successful effort at El Camino Hospital to secure $148 million bond measure for construction of the new Hospital facilities.

District CEO Lee Domanico said “We are pleased to have someone of his caliber joining our team. Jon did an outstanding job working for me at El Camino Hospital where he quadrupled fundraising, lead the passage of a G.O. Bond measure, and introduced several innovative programs. Jon brings a strategic mindset to this role which is important as we begin to chart the future of Marin General Hospital.” Domanico concluded.

When asked about his new position with Marin Healthcare District Friedenberg said “I’m looking forward to joining the organization as it goes into this important period and planning for its future. I look forward to working closely with the physicians, employees, volunteers and public to help make Marin General Hospital the very best it can be.”

Friedenberg, who is married with two children, has lots of family and friends in Marin County and has spent a lot of time here over the years. “The entire family is excited about moving here” he said. They plan to move to Marin in the very near future. An avid backpacker, he has enjoyed Marin’s trails and coastline for most of his life.

“We are pleased to see Sutter make a donation to Marin Community Foundation with a goal of increasing access to healthcare for the uninsured and underinsured. Every dollar that stays in Marin, for the community’s benefit, and not sent to Sutter’s Sacramento headquarters, is a positive development. We continue to hope Sutter will ultimately leave Marin General Hospital with the reserves it has built up for itself over the years, rather then continuing to transfer and hold them in Sacramento for other Sutter projects. That would go a long way toward helping our community with the costs of meeting new seismic standards for the hospital which has been so lucrative for Sutter over the past 10 years.”