Healthcare at the Regional Level
John Hennelly, CAO,
St. Louise Regional Hospital
Saint Louise
Makes Community
Connections
• Annual health clinics in partnership
with Rotocare and Gardner Health
Center. Community outreach events to
promote stroke awareness, diabetes care,
and other community health priorities.
• Two breast care centers, at Saint
Louise and at the De Paul Urgent Care
Center, offer free digital mammograms
to uninsured patients.
• An annual community event to honor
First Responders; local fire, police and
EMS personnel who work together
to keep us safe and who save lives in
emergency and disaster situations.
• First aid booths at annual community
events like the Mushroom Mardi Gras,
Gilroy Garlic Festival, and Taste of
Morgan Hill.
• A 2018 health and wellness fair with
the Gilroy Downtown Association.
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If we define the South County market-
place to include Morgan Hill, San Martin
and Gilroy, census figures show it’s less
than 120,000 people. The challenge,
Knopf explained, is to build a market.
“Many people who live here are
employed at companies to the north
so they get healthcare services close to
work,” Knopf said. “This might include
Santa Clara Valley Medical Center,
Regional Medical Center, Sutter Health,
or Stanford Health.”
“When it comes to healthcare, we
expect to have choices,” Knopf added.
“It’s not unusual for people in South
County who need anything from a knee
replacement to cancer therapy to say
if they have a choice, they’re going to
Good Samaritan Hospital or Stanford
Hospital. In truth, we need to be able
to afford our choices.”
Modern medicine is breeding
increased specialization. And specialists
gravitate to urban areas where they can
work in healthcare centers of excellence.
In our region, Kaiser Permanente San
Jose Medical Center has a 242-bed
hospital, just north of Coyote Valley,
with centers of excellence in genetics,
spine surgery and other areas. Its Gilroy
Medical Offices employ physicians
trained in family medicine, internal
medicine, obstetrics, pediatrics and
other specialties.
A significant proportion of South
County residents happen to be members
of Kaiser Permanente, the nation’s largest
integrated health system. Kaiser has a
GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017
large member base, an efficient health-
care delivery model, and it employs
its doctors, who sign up to follow the
Kaiser model of care and follow well-
defined protocols. Best practices are
implemented systemwide.
“ Kaiser Permanente understands
preventive medicine,” Knopf said. “They
want patients to be healthy and to stay
on their health plans. Their doctors
combine good people skills and clinical
skills. They listen carefully to patients
and take the time to gather meaningful
patient histories. And they encourage
healthy habits.”
Saint Louise Regional Hospital is our
community hospital and part of the
six-hospital Verity Health system. The
93-bed facility is a certified stroke center,
with ER services including helicopter
transport. Saint Louise provides general
acute care for medical, surgical, and
pediatric needs. Among its other services
are diagnostic imaging, maternal child
health services, nuclear medicine,
orthopedic/sports medicine, and
minimally-invasive surgery.
The De Paul Health Center fulfills an
important need as the only acute care
walk-in facility in Morgan Hill. Also
part of the Verity Health System, De
Paul provides primary care services at a
reasonable cost, with the ability to refer
and transport patients to other facilities
when needed. People invariably find
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