Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula’s robotic-assisted surgery program pairs a team of specially trained surgeons with the newest da Vinci Xi surgical system.
At 6 a.m. on January 14 — the day after an intensive operation to remove his entire prostate gland and 12 pelvic lymph nodes — Allan Polley got out of his bed at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula and walked four laps around the nursing unit.
Robert Lea has been backpacking since high school, his affinity for the natural world leading him through much of the Sierra Nevada and, especially, Yosemite.
One in 25 people experiences problems swallowing each year; for most, it’s a temporary issue that resolves on its own. But for others, it can be serious and even life-threatening.
He had lost the ability to swallow, eat, or speak. That’s when he met Paige Vega, the speech language pathologist with whom he would spend the next three-and-a-half years, relearning the vital functions that enabled him to survive and thrive once again.
A heartfelt gift became an investment in a healthier future for a Pebble Beach couple whose contribution helped build the state-of-the-art electrophysiology lab for Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula’s Tyler Heart Institute. Paul and Cassandra Hazen consider it some of the best money they’ve ever spent.
When Lisa Phares began having a little trouble taking deep breaths, particularly when paddling, she tried to dismiss it. But lung screenings at her company’s annual worksite wellness fair made her take it seriously. And she’s so grateful she did: The red flag warning ultimately led to a cancer diagnosis, at its earliest, most curable stage.
Workplace wellness used to focus on safety: Has a business done all it can to reduce hazards and the risk of injury? In recent years, the lens has widened for many companies, taking in the overall health of the workforce.
Lisa Phares had a lung CT (computed tomography) scan after a lung-capacity screening indicated she might have some sort of obstruction that was hindering deep breathing. The scan detected a small mass that turned out to be cancer — found, fortunately, at a very early, very treatable stage.
Montage Health is turning urgent care as you know it on its head. MoGo Urgent Care is an entirely new approach to delivering on-demand care, completely redesigned around the patient experience. At urgent care centers in Monterey and Marina and, later this year, in Carmel.
When John arrived at the Emergency department at Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, suffering from advanced lung disease, his inability to breathe had become so critical that the only way he could get enough oxygen was to intubate him — insert a breathing tube in his throat and put him on a ventilator.
During the first days of the COVID-19 pandemic, we turned to Dr. Susan D. Swick for help navigating a challenging time with children and teens. Swick, the physician in chief of Ohana, our Center for Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health, sat down for a series of short videos on some big topics.
Montage Health Foundation has named its second group of Physician Scholars and Clinical Volunteers in a program launched in 2019 to recognize outstanding Monterey County doctors and provide grants in support of their pursuit of professional excellence and volunteer work.
Philanthropic contributions are crucial to our health.
They help pay for patients who can’t pay for their own care, for new technology to diagnose diseases earlier and treat them more effectively, and for state-of-the-art facilities, designed specifically to promote healing. On the following pages, you’ll see the names of those who generously contributed to Montage Health Foundation in 2019. Who gives? Patients pleased with their care. Neighbors who want to invest in the community’s well-being. Staff members who believe in Montage Health’s mission. Thank you to our donors.
Pulse magazine provides educational information on health topics
of interest to people in the Monterey Bay Area.
Pulse is published twice a year by Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula,
a nonprofit subsidiary of Montage Health.
Editor: Brenda Moore
Art Director/Designer: Ingrid Davis
Web Design: Nicole Pahl
Writers: Lisa Crawford Watson, Brenda Moore, and Dennis Taylor
Photographers: Rick Pharaoh, Amy Black, and Randy Tunnell
On the Cover: Dr. Thomas James Cunningham and Dr. Harsha R. Mittakanti and the da Vinci Xi.
pulse@chomp.org
(831) 658-3630
Kathleen Bang, Chair
Diana Busman
Randy Charles
Matthew Fritsch, MD
Gene Hill
Stan McKee, Vice Chair
John O’Brien
Frederick O’Such
Steven Packer, MD
Carrie Panetta
Leslie Snorf
Bill Warner, Secretary
Patrick Welton, MD
Phil Wilhelm
William Young
Steve X. Cabrales, MD, Vice President, Medical Affairs
Kevin Causey, Vice President/Chief Development Officer
Montage Health Foundation
Mark Carvalho, MD, Chief Executive Officer, Montage Medical Group
Scott Kelly, Vice President/Chief Operating Officer
Aspire Health Plan
Liz Lorenzi, Vice President/Chief Operating Officer
Community Health Innovations
Matthew Morgan, Vice President/Chief Financial Officer
Tim Nylen, Vice President
Steven Packer, MD, President/Chief Executive Officer
Cynthia L. Peck, Vice President
Debbie Sober, MSN, RN, Chief Nursing Officer
Laura Zehm, Senior Vice President/Chief Administrative Officer
