Annual Report 2002-2003
Health Care
Expecting the best from a trusted resource
Originally from the United Kingdom, Andrew Mellows came to the United States in 1972 and has lived in Palo Alto since 1974. After many years designing television cameras, Andrew changed jobs to work in the field of intellectual property and video content security. He and his wife, Carol, keep busy on the weekends videotaping events for friends and colleagues.
Andrew feels that it's unfair to expect policemen, firemen and doctors to live outside the areas in which they work simply because they can't afford to live in the communities they work so hard to serve. "It's amazing to me that new doctors can't afford housing where they practice, yet that's the norm here," he said.
Much of Andrew's appreciation for health care quality stems from personal experience. "I come from a family of five, including a brother and sister who are both physicians – and both are now married to physicians," he explained. "So I know that medical professionals must continually expand their knowledge base to learn about new technologies and new drugs. As a society, we want to pay as little as possible for our health care, yet we demand the very best care. And the very best care is expensive."
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"People in this area expect the best care, but too often, they take that care for granted. My gift to Camino Medical Group was very small, but it meant a lot. When patients receive good care, it's natural for them to want to recognize the people who provided it. If enough people give regularly, however small their gift, they could make a tremendous difference."