960 Canterbury Place, Suite 200, Escondido, CA 92025 | T. 760.739.2787 | F. 760.745.7040 | WEBSITE. www.PalomarHealthFoundation.org

In February 2012, a dedicated

group of Palomar Health

employees spearheaded the

Chapel Campaign with a

goal of raising sufficient funds to

build a chapel at the new Palomar

Medical Center. Since then, more

than 800 employees, local churches

and organizations have answered

the call with personal donations.

Palomar Health chaplains and

employees were motivated when

they recognized the need for a

personal place of reflection for

patients, their families, and the

medical staff that care for them.

Inspired by these efforts,

Palomar Health Foundation Board

Member, Harold Dokmo and his

wife, Penny, pledged $375,000

toward the completion of the

chapel, which has been on hold

awaiting private support. The

Dokmos’ leadership gift, combined

with the gifts of many other

generous members of the Palomar

Health family, has prompted the

planning and design process to

begin in earnest.

The Gift Of A Healing Place

The Dokmos discovered first-

hand the importance of exceptional

health care when Penny spent

several weeks at the Palomar

Health Downtown Campus prior

to the opening of the new Palomar

Medical Center in August 2012.

Penny said she was impressed by

the staff’s dedication to her care.

“I feel that the care I received from

the many physicians on my team

was excellent,” she said. “I also felt

that the involvement of people in

my care had a real spiritual tone.”

More than most patients,

Penny knew what constituted

good medical care and strong

organizational administration.

She is a registered nurse and spent

30 years in a variety of volunteer

roles with Rady Children’s

Hospital, including Chair of the

Hospital Board of Trustees and the

Foundation Board, President of the

Hospital Auxiliary, and Chair of the

1998 Charity Ball.

Harold echoed his wife’s

observation, adding that Palomar

Health CEO Michael Covert’s

leadership was a deciding factor in

their philanthropy. “Our gift came

after a good deal of thought, and

we knew that strong leadership

was key,” he said. “The old hospital

didn’t meet the needs of this

community, and the new hospital

is a very forward-looking, and one

of the best things is the perceptive

leadership. Without Michael

Covert, I don’t think there would

be a new hospital.”

Personal Connections Through Philanthropy

A successful owner and

executive in real estate, mortgage

banking, and construction

industries, Harold has found the

time to be involved in many San

Diego and North County civic and

artistic organizations in addition

to his work with Palomar Health,

including San Diego Symphony,

as board chair, the Poway Center

for the Arts, the San Diego

Family Justice Center, Rancho

Bernardo Sunrise Rotary and the

Salvation Army board. Penny

has also been active in the North

County Philanthropy Council,

Junior League, and the San Diego

Chamber Orchestra. Both are also

involved in outreach activities

through their church, Rancho

Bernardo Presbyterian.

“What is important to us is

making the personal connection,”

said Harold. “And we want to make

sure that our gift will meet an

important need in the community.”

Penny agreed. “As time goes on, I

feel more and more excited about

this gift,” she said. “This is very

meaningful to us and to our whole

family.”

Thanks to the generosity of the

Dokmos, employees and a local

church who made contributions,

the planning and design plans

for the chapel have begun. The

design phase will be followed by

a timeline for construction and

the needed approvals from the

Palomar Health District Board as

well as the permits issued by the

state of California and the Office

of Statewide Health Planning and

Development (OSHPD).

All gifts and pledges that exceed

the chapel project at the new Palomar

Medical Center will be directed

toward the much needed renovation

of the chapels at Pomerado Hospital

and the Palomar Health Downtown

Campus. To join the Dokmos and

the Palomar Health employees in

support of the Chapel Campaign,

please contact us at 760.586.7430

or visit us online at

www.PalomarHealthFoundation.org.

Chapel Campaign Inspires Major Giftfrom Harold and Penny Dokmo

SUMMER 2013

Penny and Harold Dokmo

B u i l d i n g Y o u r H e a lt H C a r e S Y S t e m o f t H e f u t u r e

FoundationFocus

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PALOMAR HEALTH FOUNDATION

Long before Palomar

Health became the largest

hospital district in the

state, patients were

treated by a small but dedicated

network of physicians, many of

whom have retired and still call

the area home.

It was an era when practicing

physicians were intimately

familiar with each other’s

work. Over time, the size of

the community and the expert

medical care grew exponentially.

“The medical community back

then was very tight-knit,” said Dr.

Lee Human. “In the 40-plus years

here, I’ve watched an explosion in

medicine.”

Dr. Human joined Palomar

Health in 1966 when the hospital

had hardly any practicing medical

specialists. He remembers patients

being treated in a one-story

hospital that was “very small with

a corresponding small staff”.

Human recently recounted

his experience as a physician

with fellow Palomar Health

doctors of years gone by, Dr. Lynn

Sheffey and Dr. Oliver Thomas.

The three participated in an oral

history project led by Dr. Ralph

Ocampo and the Palomar Health

Foundation.

Honoring The PastIn honor of physicians like

Drs. Human, Sheffey and Thomas

and Dr. G. Douglas Moir, who

continues to practice today since

his arrival to Escondido in 1975,

the Palomar Health Foundation

hosted the first Physician Alumni

Reunion to help establish a

tradition of honoring past

physicians and the history of

Palomar Health.

“We hope this will be a

vehicle to reaching our former

colleagues and friends,” said

Dr. Moir, chairman of the

Palomar Health Foundation

Physician Campaign. “It’s

important to document the

progress we’ve made.”

More than 50 retired

physicians (and some of their

spouses) attended the reunion

at Vintana Wine + Dine which

featured a luncheon and special

presentation that detailed the

progress Palomar Health has made

across the decades.

“Things have changed here

quite a bit,” said Dr. Jerry Kolins,

master of ceremonies of the

reunion. Guests saw footage of

the old Palomar Medical Center in

downtown Escondido along with

several black and white photos of

themselves.

Films detailing technology

of yesteryear also showed how

nurses and doctors communicated

using bulky walkie-talkies that

were fastened to their waistbands.

At the time, it was their innovative

approach to communicating

patient care.

Envisioning The Future

By contrast, Dr. Benjamin

Kanter, Palomar Health’s chief

informatics officer, shared the

latest technology projects taking

place at Palomar Health with

the alumni group.

A co-inventor of the Medical

Information Anytime Anywhere

(MIAA), mobile health care

application, Dr. Kanter

explained the application’s

ability to provide physicians

with real time, accurate patient

information in the palm of their

hand using mobile devices, such

as smart phones and tablets

powered by Google Android™.

He also demonstrated the

ViSi mobile monitoring system

featuring Sotera Wireless

technology. Palomar Health is

Sotera’s first customer testing

the device which monitors a

patient’s blood pressure, heart

rate, breathing and temperature,

and relays the information back to

a physician.

“Tomorrow’s standards of care

started yesterday at

Palomar Health,” Dr.

Kanter said. “Our goal

is to make Palomar

Health the safest

hospital in the U.S.”

Dr. David

Rousseau, an internal

medicine doctor at

Pomerado Hospital

who retired in 1996,

said: “Dr. Kanter’s

presentation was

spellbinding. The

technology he is

talking about is

just amazing. It

really is incredible

stuff for medicine.”

Others found

the reunion a nice

way to reconnect with familiar

faces.

“I enjoyed seeing old friends.

We have children who are the

same age and have friends in

common,” said Nancy Knipstein,

wife of Dr. Thomas Knipstein.

“I’m particularly amazed at the

Physician Alumni ReunionHonoring the Past, Celebrating the Present and Envisioning the Future

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SUMMER 2013

progress Palomar

Health is making.

It’s incredible!”

New Hospital Tours

The physicians

and their wives

were able to witness

the progress

first-hand with

a private tour of

the new hospital

following the

reunion.

Guests

toured the

Emergency

Department

where they

learned how patients can be

viewed quickly and admitted

beyond the waiting room. “We

built it and they came,” said Cathy

Prante, director of emergency

services. Up to 215 patients a day

can be seen at the new Palomar

Medical Center, in comparison to

168 patients a day at the hospital

in downtown Escondido.

The day turned into a

reunion of sorts when several

staff members who worked with

Dr. Donald Bernstein ran to the

hallway to hug and greet him as

the tour group made its way past

the operating rooms. The beloved

doctor said he spent 40 years

in the operating room and was

glad to see the staff was still with

Palomar Health.

Other tour stops included

the 3rd floor Café and Outdoor

Terrace; a patient room on the

7th Floor and a surprise stop on

the helipad. Shuttle buses drove

the group back to Vintana Wine

+ Dine where some physicians

in the alumni group planned

to attend the evening Doctors’

Day Awards Reception held for

Palomar Health physicians every

year in honor of Doctors’ Day.

“The turnout was

tremendous,” said Dr. Sheffey.

“It was a good start to a new

tradition.”

A similar physician event is

planned for this fall in September.

To learn more about the Palomar

Health Foundation events, please

call us at 760.739.2787 or email us at

ph.foundation@palomarhealth.org

National Doctors’ Dayrecognizing Physicians for exceptional Care

Annually on March 30, we celebrate National Doctors’

Day – a day of special tribute to the physicians who spent

years in studies, training and practice to care for patients.

At Palomar Health, the day presents a special

opportunity to celebrate these physicians whose compassion

and dedication greatly impacts the lives of patients at our

hospitals.

In honor of these doctors, the Physician Development

Department and the Palomar Health Foundation co-hosted

this year’s annual Doctors’ Day Awards Reception at Vintana

Wine + Dine following the Physician Alumni Reunion.

Physicians from years past attended the celebration joined by

150 current physicians, guests and Palomar Health employees.

To honor your physician with a gift in his or her name,

please visit us online at www.PalomarHealthFoundation.org

and include the name of your physician with a personal, brief

message in the comments section.

1. (from left to right) dr. franklin martin, dr. Bruce tarzy and mrs. Beth tarzy, dr. Sanford Behrens and dr. Jerry Kolins.

2. dr. Sanford Behrens and dr. robert reichman.

3. dr. roman Wandalowski and dr. michael larocque.

4. Surgical team at the old Palomar medical Center (now known as Palomar Health downtown Campus).

5. Birth Center in the old Palomar medical Center (now known as Palomar Health downtown Campus).

6. Patient room in the old Palomar medical Center (now known as Palomar Health downtown Campus).

7. operating room in the old Palomar medical Center (now known as Palomar Health downtown Campus).

8. Chairman of the Palomar Health district Board, ted Kleiter, speaks with dr. Bruce tarzy.

9. dr. Ben Kanter intently listens to the afternoon presentation. on his right wrist, he wears the ViSi mobile monitoring system featuring Sotera Wireless technology.

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4

PALOMAR HEALTH FOUNDATION

Holly Lanpher takes no

sound for granted.

Born in 1985 in Vista

with severe hearing

loss in her left ear, Holly grew up

depending only on her right ear for

hearing.

After seeing multiple doctors

who could not determine the

cause of her hearing loss, she

began using a hearing aid at 5

years old. During 1st grade she

decided to stop wearing the device

after being left out of a school

activity where students got to hear

through a stethoscope.

“My teacher told me I couldn’t

participate because of my hearing

aid. So, I started feeling different,”

Holly said. That’s when I decided I

didn’t want to wear a hearing aid.”

Leaving her hearing aid

behind, Holly experienced much

of her elementary school years

with muffled hearing, but she

made the most of her young life

like most other children her age.

When she was about 12 years

old, her hearing worsened after

she dove into the deep end of

a pool to retrieve a diving toy

that was 12-feet underwater. The

pressure from the dive perforated

the ear drum in her right ear. “I

felt intense pain but I was told

sometimes eardrums heal on their

own,” she said. That injury later

led to an ear infection.

Holly continued to focus on

school and sports but she realized

her hearing was deteriorating. She

could hear some people but not

others. “I started to hate myself

because I couldn’t hear. I felt like

half a person and I prayed every

night to become whole again.”

By 11th grade Holly’s hearing

was practically gone. High school

was very hard. Doctors couldn’t

figure out what was wrong and

Holly began to lose faith in finding

any doctor who could help her

improve her hearing, she said.

“From then on, my hearing

began affecting my social life in a

negative way,” Holly said. “I played

softball in high school as a pitcher

and earned most valuable player

for my first season. But, I felt so

lost and alone. For instance, in

the school bus, I couldn’t interact

with others. I could see their lips

moving but no sounds would

come out. I just got very, very

depressed and withdrawn from

social activities.”

A straight ‘A’ student, Holly

also saw her grades begin to

decline due to her hearing loss.

“You asked a teacher for

help and you couldn’t hear them

anyway,” she shrugged. “So, I would

teach myself. But it wasn’t easy.”

I spent a lot of time focusing on

trying to hear. It was exhausting.”

One day, while in class, Holly’s

right ear began to bleed. She

was sent to a nurse and later to a

physician who referred her to Dr.

Patrick Fitzgerald, an ear, nose and

throat specialist with Arch Health

Partners.

“He looked in my ear with a

microscope and he took a step

back and took a deep sigh,” she

remembers. “He told me he saw

a terrible ear infection and that I

would need surgery right away.”

The infection turned out to be a

cholesteatoma - a tumor that had

eaten away Holly’s ear bones in

her only good hearing ear – and

the tumor was headed toward her

brain. “I was devastated,” Holly

said.

Along with the tumor, Dr.

Fitzgerald removed 2 ½ of

the three bones in her ear at

Pomerado Hospital. “I totally

trusted him. You could really

tell he cared. It was scary but it

was really exciting to know my

hearing was going to get fixed.”

It was the first of multiple

surgeries Holly would undergo

at Pomerado Hospital under Dr.

Fitzgerald’s care.

After the first surgery,

Dr. Fitzgerald implanted two

prosthetic ear bones to replace the

two bones the cholesteatoma had

deteriorated. “I remember waking

up from surgery and I could hear

– even through the bandages,”

Holly said. However, due to the

extensive damage and scar tissue

that remained, the prosthetic

bones had nothing to latch on to.”

Holly’s only option was

to wear a hearing aid. “All the

horrible memories from childhood

had returned, but I had no choice.

I couldn’t hear.”

When Holly was 20, her

fight for her hearing continued

when she went in for what she

thought was an ear infection only

to discover that the tumor in her

ear returned, most likely due to

wearing the hearing aid too much.

“I was in shock. I had just

accepted having to wear a hearing

aid for the rest of my life and then

the tumor returned,” she said.

Dr. Fitzgerald recommended a

mastoidectomy to keep the tumor

from spreading to Holly’s brain.

He also recommended implanting

a bone-anchored hearing device

known as a Baha™ System, which

was new at the time.

“I was devastated with

losing my hearing again,” Holly

remembers. “But as bad as it was,

Dr. Fitzgerald never presented me

without an option. He always had

an option.”

In this case, Holly could try the

innovative procedure that hadn’t

been tried on patients before, or

she could learn sign language. For

Holly, the Baha device was really

her only choice.

She had the device’s abutment

implanted at the Surgery Center of

Pomerado Hospital in March 2005,

where “the staff was amazing,”

she said.

A few months later, Holly

remembers sitting in Dr.

Fitzgerald’s office when he turned

on the Baha for the first time.

“I became alive. I burst into

tears – happy tears. I could hear

the nurse’s footsteps out in the

hallway behind a closed door.

Who knew walls were not sound

proof?”

Today, Holly is a thriving

28-year-old who enjoys interacting

with people. A Lancôme business

manager, Holly says she loves all

kinds of music – ranging from

Country to Classic Rock ‘n Roll

and is enthusiastic about life,

family and friends.

“I used to be so quiet and

angry on the inside, but that just

wasn’t me,” she said. “I have a lot

of time to make up. My hearing

does not hold me back anymore.”

“Holly has come a long way,

not only with her hearing but

maturing into a wonderful young

lady,” Dr. Fitzgerald said.

She continues to discover

life through sound and a bone-

anchored hearing device.

“I no longer start every

conversation with the word

‘what?’ I’ll sometimes hear a

sound and ask my friends: ‘What’s

that noise?’ And they’ll say: ‘A fan.’

And car blinkers! Who knew they

made noise?!”

To make a tax-deductible gift

in support of Palomar Health’s

hospitals and clinics, including

Pomerado Hospital, please visit

www.PalomarHealthFoundation.org

or call us at 760.739.2787.

Silence to Sound: Holly Lanpher’s Journey with Hearing Loss

Holly Lanpher, 28, proudly displays the Baha™ System – a bone-anchored hearing device she wears behind her right ear.

5

SUMMER 2013

Dee Raley: Making a Difference in the Lives of Those who Depend on Palomar Health

Not long after

joining Palomar

Health, Dee Raley,

a registered nurse

and administrative supervisor at

Pomerado Hospital, witnessed a

personal miracle that reinforced

her desire to support Palomar

Health’s mission. Dee recalls it

as the nightmare every mother

dreads. While working her night

shift, she received a call from

her husband reporting that their

son had blacked out, fallen, hit

his head and suffered a severe

head injury; possibly a cerebral

hemorrhage.

“We still don’t know if he

had a cardiac event that led to

his fall,” said Dee. “But it was

very frightening as I met the

ambulance in the Emergency

Department. He thought the

medics were the police and he

didn’t recognize me at all.”

A CAT scan revealed bleeding

on the brain. Emergency surgery

and a subsequent two-week stay

in the intensive care unit (ICU),

rehabilitation and outpatient

rehabilitation visits followed.

Fortunately, thanks to the

exceptional care he received, he

survived that incident and later

recovered, she said.

Her son’s experience

strengthened Dee’s resolve in

supporting the highly-skilled

physicians and nurses she works

with at Palomar Health. Dee

decided to give back by becoming

involved in the i care. i give.

employee capital campaign led by

fellow colleagues.

The campaign started in

2008 with the people who know

Palomar Health and its health care

goals the best; the people who

work here. Today, with Dee’s help,

$2,800,000 has been raised by

more than 72% of Palomar Health

employees who contributed to

the employee campaign. Monies

raised support the Building Your

Health Care System of the Future

campaign for Palomar Health.

“I believe the majority of those

who work at Palomar are here

because they want to help people.

We work hard in an effort to

help our patients and each other.

There’s tremendous teamwork

here,” said Dee.

Dee’s colleague, Nancy Ravelo,

R.N. Administrative Supervisor,

said: “Dee’s always been a very

dedicated team member and

engaged colleague who cares

about her patients

and co-workers. In

fact, Dee recruited

me for the i care.

i give. employee

campaign and I love

being involved in it.

I know that Dee does

it because she’s very

supportive of all of

us. She’s definitely in

the right place here at

Palomar Health.”

Dee remains

instrumental in

recruiting other

committee members

and in continuing

to spread the news

to the nursing staff

and raising awareness for the

employee campaign.

“She’s a great advocate and

true champion and has been very

supportive of the team. We both

live in the community where our

family and friends are treated at

Pomerado Hospital. We’re very

proud to work here,” said Lori

Carroll, R.N. Medical Surgery

Supervisor at Pomerado Hospital.

“It’s such an important

statement about who we are

to be able to give back to the

organization where we work,” said

Dee. “We are just one big family

trying to help people. It makes a

huge statement to the community

we serve.”

To join the many employees

who have given to Palomar

Health, please consider making

a gift of your own. For more

information on the various ways

you can give, please contact Ann

Braun, Palomar Health Foundation

executive director, by phone at

760.586.7430 or email her at

ann.braun@palomarhealth.org.

Dee Raley

To unsubscribe to our newsletter, please notify the Palomar Health Foundation

in writing.

Editor’s Note:It has come to our attention that the employment status for Linda Greer, a Palomar Health District Board Member featured in the Fall 2012 edition of the Foundation Focus newsletter, was incorrectly stated in print and online. Greer accepted a position with Vista Community Clinic just prior to the publishing of the Fall newsletter issue.

A series of educational seminars launched in 2012 by the Palomar Health Foundation to help raise awareness about Palomar Health and

the medical specialties available to patients across the district.

The complimentary dinner seminars, named Vital Matters, feature brief presentations by Palomar Health-affiliated physicians with extensive

experiences in various specialties. Financial and wealth planning experts have also been guest presenters of the Vital Matters seminar series,

offering guidance on ways to support the Palomar Health Foundation through planned gifts.

Following their presentation, speakers are available for a question-and-answer session which is popular among many of the guests.

Since its launch in June, nearly 300 guests have attended the seminars that focused on heart health, orthopedic surgery, retina and

vitreous disease, health and wellness, hearing loss, spinal disorders and estate planning and wealth management. Many guests have been

inspired to support the Palomar Health Foundation with a gift or a pledge

following their attendance at a seminar.

To learn more about the Vital Matters series, please call 760.739.2787

or visit us online at www.PalomarHealthFoundation.org/VitalMatters.

As the Palomar emergency

team rushed to care

for her son, Kim Young

lived every parent’s

nightmare. She was powerless

to help her then 17-year-old son,

Jason, who was injured in an off-

road motorcycle accident.

“I was lucky I was so close to

the hospital. I got there in time to

see the helicopter bring him in,”

Kim said.

Jason had been airlifted to

the Palomar Health Downtown

Campus in Escondido with what

appeared to be serious injuries.

Among the chaos, Kim remembers

a doctor taking the time to guide

her to an observation room where

she could wait nearby to be

informed.

“I was so grateful that the doctor

showed me the room where I could

see the medical staff taking care of

Jason. I was so impressed that they

were so attentive to him and took

the time with him and me.”

It wasn’t the only time

Kim witnessed Palomar Health

physicians, nurses and staff

provide compassionate care to her

and her family.

Setting the Foundation

Raised locally in the San

Marcos and Escondido area, Kim

originally learned of the Palomar

Health system and the Foundation

through her mother-in-law, Gladys

Young, a former Foundation Board

member and longtime generous

supporter of Palomar Health.

Years later, Kim became

acquainted with the health system

when her father had open-

heart surgery at Palomar Health

Downtown Campus in Escondido.

“The care they gave my father

was above and beyond anything I

expected,” Kim remembered.

The positive care experiences

combined with her desire to be

involved in the community tipped

the scales for Kim. She joined

the Palomar Health Foundation

Board in 2012. Kim explains why

she now offers her time, wisdom,

energy and support.

“It’s important that people,

especially those of us being baby

boomers, not only look to our

future, but we take the time to

care and do something for our

children and grandchildren,” Kim

said. “For me, the money and time

spent on these efforts are well

worth it.”

As a Palomar Health

Foundation Board Director, Kim

has become a generous donor

herself and is motivating others to

give as well. She was instrumental

in securing a $25,000 gift from her

employer, Union Bank.

“Every time I go to the board

meetings, I’m fascinated to see

all the planning and innovation,”

Kim said.

Honoring a Family’s Legacy of Service

Kim credits her newfound

learning and appreciation of

Palomar Health to Gladys, whom

she honors with her commitment

to the Board. As an early foundation

board member, Gladys was part of

forming traditions and systems.

When asked about why she

originally got involved, Gladys

explained her inspiration:

“I remember when the

Foundation was just beginning,

back in the 1980s. Even back then,

I felt it was important to support

the hospital. Over the years, we’ve

had to use the facilities, including

numerous visits to the Emergency

Room and the Surgery Center. I

certainly want to be proud of our

hospitals and I’ve always received

good care,” Gladys said. “I support

other causes, but this is the most

important. As I’m able to, I do as

much as I possibly can.”

Through her board service

and support, Gladys makes her

gratitude a tangible reality. In

turn, through her board service

and support, Kim makes the

Young family a living legacy of

service to Palomar Health and the

Palomar Health experience.

To learn more about the

Palomar Health Foundation,

contact Ann Braun by phone at

760.586.7430, email her at

ann.braun@palomarhealth.org

or visit us online at

www.PalomarHealthFoundation.org.

6

PALOMAR HEALTH FOUNDATION

Honoring a Family’s Legacy of Service

The Young Family: (From left to right) Scotty, Kim, Scott and Jason.

Gladys Young

Many employers match charitable donations made to 501(c)(3) tax-deductible organizations. A

matching gift enables you or your spouse to double or triple your gift to Palomar Health. Check with your

company’s personnel office to see if your company offers matching gifts. It’s as simple as filling out a

form and returning it to the Palomar Health Foundation. Our staff will do the rest. Call Monica Heath,

Director of Advancement Services, at 760.739.2760 or email her at monica.heath@palomarhealth.org

for more information. Please visit us at www.PalomarHealthFoundation.org.

Sandi Baxter was skiing in

Big Bear and planning a

vacation in Hawaii just days

before an allergic reaction

threatened her life. Less than a

week after being on the slopes,

Sandi was barely hanging on to her

life. It has been several years since

Sandi survived an allergic reaction

to a chemotherapy treatment

received outside of Palomar Health

that sent her into a coma for four

months. She still speaks with quiet

amazement at how it all started:

“I was diagnosed with

lymphoma and had a chemo

treatment on a Thursday,” she

remembers. “I immediately

started to feel sick and by the next

Tuesday, it’s pretty much blank for

me from there.”

Her husband, Jack Baxter,

clearly remembers what followed.

“I had gone to work but

something told me to go home early.

I found her talking on the phone but

not making any sense and then she

passed out. The paramedics took one

look at her and told us they were

taking her to the nearest hospital,

which was Palomar Medical Center

(now the Palomar Health Downtown

Campus),” Jack said.

“The trauma team was

amazing, but after only six hours

in the ICU (intensive care unit), Dr.

James Otoshi told me to gather the

family because he didn’t think she

would make it through the night,”

Jack said.

Sandi’s condition was

even more precarious because,

in addition to the recently

diagnosed lymphoma, she has

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia.

The chemotherapy treatments

wrought havoc with her already

compromised immune system and

that first month was the hardest.

“Every day, I wasn’t supposed

to make it to the next day,” Sandi

said. In ICU, one nurse was assigned

to be with her at all times. Sandi

remembers the exceptional care

she received.

“My mother, who is a retired

nurse herself, couldn’t believe how

caring and attentive the staff were,”

she said. “I don’t remember much

of that time, but I never felt alone,

and I never felt that I was going

to die. I always felt that they were

going to fix it. I

honestly shouldn’t

be here. I attribute

it to Dr. Otoshi

being there for me;

there were times

when he just sat

there and held my

hand, and I knew

he was there.”

After a year and a half of

recovery and almost daily therapy

to relearn how to walk, swallow,

read and write, Sandi was able to

return to work part time. Two years

later, she was back full-time on

the job. She now works with the

supply team management group at

ViaSat, the Carlsbad-based satellite

communications company.

“Sandra Baxter’s care was a

total team effort from the nurses

and respiratory therapists to

the many physician specialists

involved in her care,” Dr. Otoshi

said. “In critical care medicine, we

do not often hear about the long-

term outcomes of our patients.

In our world of high stress and

rapid change, it is easy to become

discouraged. However, Mrs. Baxter

is a reminder that all our efforts in

caring for the critically ill are truly

worthwhile.”

Over the years, the Baxters

say they’ve made a host of friends

among the hospital’s medical staff.

“They aren’t doctors and

nurses, they’re Ginger, Evelyn and

John – we know so many of them

because they’ve been there for us

time and time again,” said Jack.

The Baxters’ care at Palomar

Health continues. Jack has had a

record-setting 16 stents placed in

his heart’s arterial walls, and he

continues under the care of Dr.

Mikhail Malek, a cardiovascular

specialist whom the Baxters

consider a personal friend.

Staff members now refer other

patients to Sandi, asking her to

recount her amazing story – and

to share her hope and optimism.

Sandi is enthusiastic about giving

back.

“I tell them that after all of that,

I now feel fabulous, fantastic and

wonderful,” she said with her ever-

present smile. “When people call, I

tell them, ‘You can do this. You can

survive. I did it and you can too!’”

To learn more about the ways

to support Palomar Health’s life-

saving care, please contact Ann

Braun at 760.586.7430 or email her

at ann.braun@palomarhealth.org.

7

SUMMER 2013

Palomar HealtH foundation leaderSHiP

Palomar Health foundation BoardJohn Forst, ChairCraig Brown, Vice ChairSharon CafagnaJohn ClarkHarold DokmoKevin HarkenriderSue HerndonHarvey HershkowitzAngela JensenGeorge Kung, M.D.Fred NasseriElizabeth “Liza” Pille-SpeachtJaime Rivas, M.D. Tom SilbergDennis StansfieldAl StehlyMichael StelmanKim Young

ex-officioMichael H. Covert, President and CEO, Palomar HealthAnn Braun, President and Chief Development Officer, Palomar Health Foundation

Honorary Campaign CabinetJack Raymond, ChairCarol Lazier, Co-ChairBarbara Warden, Co-ChairRoger Acheatel, M.D.Kenneth and Marjorie BlanchardGeorge ChamberlinJean ChengJim DesmondRichard C. Engel, M.D.Don HigginsonKenneth H. LounsberyLori PfeilerLaDainian and Torsha TomlinsonTom WilsonCharlene Zettel

Palomar Health district BoardT.E. (Ted) Kleiter, ChairSteve Yerxa, Vice-ChairLinda Greer, R.N., SecretaryJerry Kaufman, P.T.M.A., TreasurerBruce Krider, Immediate Past-ChairJeff Griffith Aeron Wickes, M.D.

A Grateful Patient’s Account of Lifesaving Care

“I honestly shouldn’t be here. I attribute it to Dr. Otoshi being there for me; there were times

when he just sat there and held my hand, and I knew he was there.”

Sandi Baxter

Jack and Sandi Baxter

8

PALOMAR HEALTH FOUNDATION

960 Canterbury Place, Suite 200Escondido, CA 92025 TEL 760.739.2787 | FAX 760.745.7040 EMAIL ph.foundation@palomarhealth.org

TO:

NON PROFIT ORG

U.S. POSTaGe

PeRMIT 751SaN DIeGO, Ca

Paid

The Palomar Health Foundation launched

a new initiative this spring to recognize

corporations and organizations that support

Palomar Health’s mission to heal, comfort

and promote health in the communities we serve.

We welcome the founding members of the

Corporate Partners in Health program and are grateful

for the impact their contributions are making at

Palomar Health - California’s largest hospital district.

In appreciation of their support, our Corporate

Partners in Health are being recognized at Palomar

Health Foundation events attended by Palomar

Health Foundation donors, fellow corporate partners,

physician leaders and Palomar Health executives,

District and Foundation Board members. Our corporate

Partners in Health are also featured in the foundation’s

print and online publications.

To become a Corporate Partner in Health, please contact Laura Gallerstein,

Palomar Health Foundation Development Associate at 760.739.2198 or email her at

laura.gallerstein@palomarhealth.org.

Make a gift today.www.PalomarHealthFoundation.org

Thank You To Our Founding Corporate Partners In Health

Rincon’s Roots Resound at Palomar Health

Years before Escondido was even

founded in 1888, the Rincon Band of

Luiseño Indians was a recognized tribe

that governed a reservation in Valley

Center. Their deep roots in the community

have resonated throughout North San Diego

County and grown stronger over time.

Recently, the Rincon Band demonstrated

their partnership with the community by

generously making a $100,000 gift to the Palomar

Health Foundation in support of Palomar Health

and the new Palomar Medical Center.

“We try to honor what’s important,”

said Bo Mazzetti, chairman of the Rincon

Band. “With this gift, the Rincon people are

expressing our gratitude for the care we have

received in the past and investing in future

healthy living for ourselves and our neighbors.”

Many of the Rincon’s members rely on

Palomar Health for their medical care.

Generations of tribal members have been

born in the original Palomar Hospital in

downtown Escondido. For instance, Rincon

tribal member Delisle Calac’s children,

grandchildren, and his niece, Mavanny Calac-

Verdugo, were born there, as well as her

two sons.

Mavanny said both her parents

were treated there along with

many elder tribal members.

She said the care and personal

attention was excellent and deeply

appreciated.

“Tribal people, especially elders

who don’t like leaving the reservation or

going to hospitals, like the friendly, hometown

feel of Palomar, and a sense that we are

important to the staff,” said Calac. “It is also

reassuring to know that the hospital and staff

are equipped and trained in the most advanced

medical treatments and technologies.”

Brenda Guachena, a Rincon tribal member

and former employee of Palomar Health for

18 years, said she was impressed with the

willingness of staff in the emergency room

and doctors to talk to the family when her

mother was recently admitted.

“They helped us plan for and understand

what was needed for mom, not just at the

moment but what to expect in the

future. Taking the time to talk to

families with this type of life-

changing experience is what makes

Palomar staff so great.”

Rincon’s significant gift is

particularly meaningful for Palomar

Health not just for strengthening

our community hospital system but

in building a stronger bond between their

community and our community, said Ann

Braun, president of the Palomar Health

Foundation. “We are grateful and respectful for

their thoughtful contribution.”

The Rincon Band, which now enjoys

an economic partnership with neighboring

communities, shares its good fortune in the

region through tribal government donations

to worthy causes that contribute to the welfare

and health of the region.