Palo Alto Medical Foundation Makes Major Gift to Ravenswood

PAMF Commits Resources and Expertise to East Palo Alto Health Center

The Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF), Palo Alto Division, announced today its gift of $150,000 to Ravenswood Family Health Center (RFHC) in East Palo Alto.

"The gift represents not only the Palo Alto Medical Foundation’s financial contribution to Ravenswood Family Health Center, but also our commitment to work closely with Ravenswood administrators and staff as they work to meet the health care needs of the community,” said Francis A. Marzoni, M.D., president of PAMF’s Palo Alto Division.

In addition to the $150,000 donation made by PAMF, physicians of the Palo Alto Medical Clinic (PAMC) have committed to a gift of $300,000 over three years. PAMF’s partnership with RFHC will allow the health center to measure and improve their quality of care, as well as implement more efficient methods to deliver the care.

“It is such an honor to be the recipient of a major gift from the Palo Alto Medical Foundation,” said Ravenswood’s CEO Luisa Buada, R.N., MPH. “The donation comes at the most opportune time as we focus on developing a systematic process to ensure accurate data collection and reporting with the goal of improving the quality of care, particularly in chronic disease care.”

PAMF’s Senior Director of Quality and Planning Tomas Moran and his staff have worked closely with RFHC staff for more than a year assessing the health center’s organizational strengths and needs. His team’s findings helped to shape a comprehensive plan in which PAMF makes significant financial contributions over a three-year period, assists in the hiring and training of new staff, provides electronic health record support and shares knowledge and expertise to improve overall quality, planning and efficiency.

“In general, it’s difficult to achieve quality care in underserved communities,” said Moran. “However, the Palo Alto Medical Foundation has the tools to improve health care efficiency and quality, and we are happy to share these best practices with our neighbor. The intended result is more health care for the dollar and less paperwork.”

“The ultimate goal of bringing PAMF’s data technology and best practices to bear on our patient population is a vision that our Board and medical team endorse. They recognize the long-term impact that these assets will have in helping to effectively reverse the health disparities that concern us all,” said Buada.

PAMF’s Education Division, which currently works in collaboration with several East Palo Alto organizations to promote health and wellness in the schools and throughout the community, will also play an integral role in PAMF’s ongoing partnership with RFHC. It will help RFHC develop chronic disease management education programs.

For example, PAMF offers programs for patients with diabetes and heart failure that not only provide the patients with information, but also teach them basic skills to manage their health at home and the motivation to take better care of themselves. Similar programs shaped to meet the community’s specific needs will be implemented by RFHC with PAMF’s assistance.

“We will meet with the health center’s staff regularly to assist in enhancing their current education programs, as well as establish new ones,” said Janet Lederer, vice president of PAMF’s Education Division. “As a not-for-profit organization, we continue to pursue opportunities to improve the health and wellness of our community.”

For more information about PAMF, visit www.pamf.org. For more information about RFHC, visit www.ravenswoodfhc.org.


The Palo Alto Medical Foundation for Health Care, Research and Education is a not-for-profit health care organization that is a pioneer in both multispecialty group practice of medicine and outpatient medicine. The foundation has three health care divisions – the Palo Alto Division, the Camino Division and the Santa Cruz Division – and is creating a fourth health care division, the Palomares Division. The Palo Alto Division, staffed by 316 physicians of the Palo Alto Medical Clinic, has provided a full range of care for Peninsula residents since it was founded in 1930. It operates clinics in Fremont, Los Altos, Palo Alto, Portola Valley, Redwood City and Redwood Shores. PAMF is part of the Sutter Health family of not-for-profit physician organizations and hospitals that share resources and expertise to advance health care quality. Serving more than 100 communities in Northern California, Sutter Health is a regional leader in cardiac care as well as care of women and children, and is a pioneer in advanced patient safety technology. For more information, visit www.pamf.org.

Ravenswood Family Health Center was established by a coalition of public and community partners and opened in December 2001. In the tradition of community health centers, its mission is to provide access to affordable, primary and preventative care services to all ages regardless of ability to pay. Among the services provided through the health center are pediatrics, adolescent health, adult medical care, comprehensive prenatal care and health education. For more information, visit www.ravenswoodfhc.org.
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