

Steeling for a slow and grueling recovery from COVID-19, El Camino Health officials planned for the economic pain to continue, with deficit spending through the end of 2020 and meager gains through the start of this year. And its investments in the stock market, while normally fruitful, showed staggering $71.8 million losses in March 2020 alone. Photo by Michelle LeĪround this time last year, El Camino Health was hemorrhaging as much as $24 million each month as patient numbers dwindled and costs soared. More information on the hospital's anniversary can be found online.El Camino Hospital is posting a huge surplus despite the pandemic.
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This includes Medi-Cal services in which the government fails to reimburse the full cost of care, along with clinical programs that are operated at a loss in order to benefit residents with needed services. Since 2007, El Camino Health touts that it has contributed nearly $823 million in community benefits, the bulk of which falls under subsidized care at its hospitals and clinics. "Especially now, in the midst of ever-changing circumstances related to the ongoing pandemic, our staff has never been more deserving of recognition and celebration," he said.Įl Camino Hospital celebrates 60th anniversary as Mountain View's local health care providerīy Kevin Forestieri / Mountain View Voice In a statement, El Camino CEO Dan Woods said the hospital is still committed to its original mission, and that the thousands of staff working for El Camino Health - from physicians and nurses to volunteers - deserve recognition for their contributions. "Throughout the pandemic when other hospitals had to be cajoled or exhorted to step up on testing, El Camino was right there from day one and said 'We'll commit the resources and we accept that responsibility,'" Simitian said.

Supervisor Joe Simitian said El Camino Health has been a close partner with the county for years, helping with everything from publicly available defibrillators to launching an intensive after-school program for teens in need of mental health services.Īnd when the pandemic came bearing down last year and COVID-19 tests were in short supply, El Camino was one of the few health care providers that didn't have to be named-and-shamed for not doing their part. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors congratulated El Camino on its 60th anniversary on Tuesday, with supervisors praising the hospital's high-quality care and millions of dollars in annual grants to nonprofit health care providers in the community. It also means open access to governance meetings and documents. Since the 1990s, the hospital has been operated by a separate nonprofit corporation rather than directly controlled by the health care district.ĭespite the handoff, the health care district retains oversight powers of El Camino Health and gives district residents an unusual amount of power to steer the policies and decision-making of the hospital. El Camino purchased and operates a second campus in Los Gatos and runs clinics spanning from Mountain View to Gilroy, with an annual budget surpassing $1.1 billion. The hospital has rebranded itself as El Camino Health, and has broadened its scope beyond the original district's boundaries. Things have changed drastically since then. At the time, other hospitals in the region were reportedly overwhelmed with patients, leading voters to heavily support construction of the original four-story hospital campus along Grant Road.

Unlike past anniversary celebrations, which focused on the hospital's fancy new tech and medical robots, there won't be an in-person celebration this year due to COVID-19.Įfforts to build El Camino span back to 1956, when voters formed the El Camino Healthcare District - a government agency tasked with creating a hospital that would serve residents in the growing suburbs of Mountain View, Los Altos and Sunnyvale. The date marks the opening day of the El Camino Hospital and the first patient that was served on Sept. 1, as the 60th anniversary of the hospital and its rich history serving Mountain View and neighboring cities. What began as a humble start with a 21-member medical staff has since turned into a health care powerhouse with thousands of employees serving patients in hospitals and clinics throughout the county.Įl Camino Health officials are celebrating Wednesday, Sept.

Courtesy El Camino Health.Įl Camino Hospital has come a long way since the 1950s, when local residents rallied together to transform 20 acres of apricot orchards into a hospital serving North County residents. El Camino Hospital is celebrating its 60th anniversary of treating patients at the Mountain View campus.
