With the benefit of his 10-year tenure at the Medical Center and nearly 25 years of experience in hospital administration, Warren Kirk offers keen insights in the following Q&A about the vital role the community plays in the Medical Center’s current and future viability.

Q: Given the wide array of health care institutions in the Bay Area, why should people look to Alta Bates Summit for their medical care — and their donations?

Warren Kirk: Alta Bates Summit Medical Center has demonstrated some of the highest quality in clinical care of any of the hospitals in the Bay Area. Among the nation’s medical facilities, we consistently rank in the top 10 percent or higher. In stroke care, for example, HealthGrades ranked us among the top 5 percent in the country. Our outcomes related to treatment of heart attack, heart failure, and pneumonia are among the elite, both statewide and nationally.
For current and prospective donors, this record of achievement is significant — and persuasive. Residents and patients in the East Bay know about this hospital’s excellent reputation, know it provides excellent care, and know we’ve done so for generations. They can be assured that this Medical Center is a deserving beneficiary of their contributions. And if the community continues to support us, they can continue to count on our world-class facilities and staff — now and in the future.

Q: How has philanthropy benefited the Medical Center recently?

Warren Kirk: Practically every quarter of the fiscal year, I work with the board of the Alta Bates Summit Foundation on behalf of the Medical Center to request hundreds of thousands of dollars for needed clinical equipment and services. For example, just recently the Medical Center received $750,000 from the Foundation for surgical and imaging equipment. The Foundation’s generous donors also supported the purchase of digital mammography machines and the establishment of the Carol Ann Read Breast Health Center. About $10.5 million of the Breast Health Center’s total $13 million cost was contributed by the Foundation.
Throughout its history, the Foundation and its donors have funded a wide array of programs, services, and technology — just in the last 10 years this includes major expenditures for our state-of-the-art catheterization lab, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and robotic surgery equipment. Only with Foundation support was any of this possible.

Q: What makes it possible for 100 percent of donations to the Foundation to go to programs that donors specify?

Warren Kirk: All the administrative costs of the Foundation are paid for by the hospital. Unlike contributions to other nonprofits, if you donate $100 for breast care at Alta Bates Summit, you can be assured $100 goes for breast care. Here, your dollars are not only well appreciated — they’re well spent.

Here’s the bottom line: Every day, Alta Bates Summit provides lifesaving care for patients. Every day, we need access to high-quality equipment and staff. And every single day, we need people in the community to contribute to their community hospital. That’s how they can invest in miracles and how we can continue to save lives.