Alta Bates Summit Medical Center has been an integral part of the social fabric of the East Bay for 100 years. Through award-winning community health and chronic disease management programs, the medical center has expanded its focus on health, wellness, education, and disease prevention into all corners of a richly diverse community.

Youth Bridge Celebrates 15 Years

For 15 years, at-risk teens have been beating the odds and shattering stereotypes with a little help from Alta Bates Summit’s Youth Bridge mentoring program. “Many of our kids struggle with graduating from high school because of some of the challenges they may face, such as pregnancy, family situations, violence, or drug addiction,” says Deborah Pitts-Cameron, the founder of Youth Bridge and Alta Bates Summit’s manager of public affairs.

Through Youth Bridge, more than 500 teens have been exposed to positive role models—inside the medical center and beyond—and inspired to dream outside of their current circumstances. Some 30 students per year attend the program to learn skills, such as how to interview for a job or how to choose a career in anything from medical care to politics. They are paired with an adult mentor, then complete a paid internship. “Nearly all of our kids graduate high school and about 80 to 85 percent go on to some form of higher learning, like a vocational school or a two-year or four-year college,” says Deborah.

“For a lot of the students in Youth Bridge, this is a first opportunity for them to be successful and to feel like they’re good at something,” says Katherine Sullivan, who completed the program in 1994 and is now working on a master’s degree in public administration. “This program provides an opportunity for them to hear and experience how wonderful they really are.”

Still Calling After 35 Years

When the Tele-Care program began at Herrick Hospital in 1970, it consisted of one volunteer calling eight homebound people every day to check on their well-being. Now 60 volunteers serve 300 clients and make 10,000 phone calls per month.

“We make daily calls to seniors and isolated, homebound people at risk for things like depression, heart attack, stroke, and loneliness,” says Sabra Learned, Tele-Care’s program coordinator. “One thing that distinguishes our program from others is that we follow up on our clients if we don’t reach them at the designated time.”

In its 35-year history, Tele-Care has garnered numerous awards and national attention for this innovative, compassionate approach, including recognition by President Ronald Reagan and in a New York Times feature story. “In the beginning, we were the model program in the country, and a lot of people emulated us,” says Sabra, who adds that by 1977, more than 1,000 telephone reassurance programs were started, based on the Tele-Care model.

Fundamentally, Tele-Care hasn’t changed since its inception. But since then, it’s grown in size and added services such as sending flowers to clients on their birthday. “They call us up crying or send us heartfelt letters,” says Sabra. “You have no idea how much it means to them that someone remembered their birthday.”

If you’re interested in becoming a Tele-Care volunteer, making a donation, or signing up for the free service, call (510) 204-4487.

The Fabric of Compassion

The blankets are no more than three feet wide, but their warm embrace has spread across an entire community. Amy Reid started the Brightest Little Star blanket-making program after her son, Jonathan, who was born with a life-limiting disorder, died in Alta Bates Summit’s Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) when he was 2 days old. She sewed tiny blankets to give to other parents whose infants had died as a remembrance and comfort.

Now, the program has expanded to provide blankets for critically ill infants with extended stays in the NICU. Alta Bates Summit collaborates with Amy and Stone Mountain & Daughter Fine Fabrics, which has donated fabric, technical and creative support, and the space to sew the blankets. “It’s been inspirational to be involved in this and to see my customers and others in the community come together and create this soulful connection with newborns,” says Suzan Steinberg, co-owner of Stone Mountain, which is also collaborating with the medical center to create its centennial quilt.
The blankets these volunteers sew are 100 percent cotton flannel, and come in pink, blue, green, or yellow; the ones for dying babies feature a tiny yellow star and a tag that reads, “Hand made with love, for your brightest little star.”

Parents can use the blanket to personalize their baby’s bed space in the NICU and keep their baby warm. “If a baby has died, we’ll wrap the baby in the blanket so the child’s scent is absorbed into it,” says Alison Brooks, R.N., M.S., clinical nurse specialist in the NICU. “The blanket is something that parents treasure.”

To make a donation to support the NICU-TBLS Blanket Fund, contact Alta Bates Summit Foundation at (510) 204-1667.

Knitting Pals Keep Cancer Patients Warm

A project to warm the heads and hearts of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy has expanded to the East Bay. Volunteer knitters make “chemo caps” using soft yard in a variety of colors and patterns. The Knitting Pals by the Bay, East Bay Branch, consists of approximately 75 volunteers who knit and donate caps to Alta Bates Summit and other hospitals. “Cancer patients can wear them during outings, at home or while sleeping to keep their head warm,” says Dede Muhler, the East Bay facilitator. “The caps are attractive, comfortable, and most importantly, a gift of love.”

Muhler created the East Bay branch of the program after volunteering for Jenny Carp, who founded the program for San Francisco cancer patients. “I realized that we have a lot of cancer patients in the East Bay who need caps, so it made sense to develop an East Bay branch,” says Dede, who estimates that her volunteers have created 900 caps since the program began 10 months ago.

For more information about becoming a Knitting Pal, call Dede at (510) 531-5155 or go to www.knittingpals.org.