Mills-Peninsula Hospital Foundation’s (MPHF) Grants and Disbursements Program
distributed more than $2 million worth of donor gifts to department teams across Mills-Peninsula
Medical Center (MPMC) in November 2019, funding 28 requests for cutting-edge technologies
that will substantially improve patient care.
Since its inception, this program has provided more than $10 million to fund new technologies, programs and research to ensure patients receive the best possible care. Philanthropic contributions from community members and employees that are directed to MPHF’s Greatest Need Fund provide the financial support needed to bring these advancements to MPMC.
“We are so grateful for the generous support that our donors provide. Their generosity plays a crucial role in the success of the Grants and Disbursements Program and enables the Foundation to fulfill the most urgent clinical needs of the organization,” says Peter Gielniak, president, Mills-Peninsula Hospital Foundation. “Physicians and clinical staff are able to articulate their equipment needs and programmatic ideas to the members of the Foundation Board, who ultimately decides how the funds are allocated.”
Below are a few of the items that received funding:
- Advanced ENT Care
- Ceribell Rapid Response EEG: Provides immediate detection of non-convulsive seizures with real-time remote reviewing of EEG data to support the growing number of complex patient cases involving neurological symptoms.
- Glidescope Core: Comprehensive system offering immediate access to visualize the airways for video laryngoscopy, bronchoscopy and multimodal procedures.
- Radlink GPS: Software that provides non-invasive, intraoperative feedback and implant verification during total hip and knee replacement surgeries. This technology allows for immediate uploading of detailed imaging, to improve accuracy of implant placement and shorten surgical time.
- Fusion Prostate Biopsy System: An MRI/Ultrasound fusion prostate biopsy system to use in the diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancers. This state-of-the-art technology increases the diagnostic accuracy with fewer biopsies.
- I-STAT Analyzer and Point of Care (POC) Testing: Allows
neonatologists and nursing staff to quickly obtain POC blood gasses for critically
ill babies in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Immediate blood gas tests help caregivers
adjust ventilator settings to meet the needs of these most fragile patients.
New Philanthropy-Funded Equipment Enables Advanced ENT Care
“I have been so grateful for the philanthropy effort here at Mills-Peninsula because it allowed me to purchase additional equipment that really expands the care we can provide for patients,” says Amelia K. Read, M.D., who is fellowship-trained in rhinology and skull base surgery and practices with Mills-Peninsula’s Ear, Nose and Throat group.
That new equipment includes a navigation system that allows ENT surgeons like Dr. Read to use the patient’s individual CT scan as a personalized GPS. “The CT scan is linked to sinus instruments I am using, so I can see in real time that person’s unique anatomy inside their nose and skull base,” Dr. Read explains.
The system works in conjunction with a new 4K tower — a special piece of endoscopic equipment that enables surgeons to use tiny cameras inside the nose while viewing the operation on very high-definition video screens. This allows the surgeon to discern normal tissue from potentially cancerous tissue, to remove tumors and do other precision surgery, all without having to make an incision in the patient’s face.
“This equipment allows us to safely know exactly where our instruments are in this critically delicate space that is so close to the eyes and the brain,” says Dr. Read.
The new equipment also allows Dr. Read and her colleagues to care for patients who previously needed to be sent outside of Mills-Peninsula for care. “For example, people with complex sinus anatomy or anatomy that has been altered from prior surgery, those with inflammatory conditions that make operating inside the nose more challenging, and individuals with benign or malignant nasal tumors had to be sent elsewhere,” she says. “Now these patients can have all of their clinic work-up, surgery and post-operative visits within our system, allowing us to deliver high-quality care in an efficient and patient- centered manner.”