MERGER BROCHURE ALTA BATES SUMMIT MEDICAL CENTER The Merging of Two Great Hospitals Alta Bates and Summit Medical Centers have combined, with the goal of preserving and strengthening our community health care. Each hospital began as a response to local needs and each has evolved into a state-of-the-art medical center. Together we now continue our  long tradition of providing highly skilled, compassionate care that is attuned to local needs. Rising health care costs and lower reimbursements have made it difficult for independent hospitals to survive on their own. Over the last decade, more than 40 Northern California hospitals have had to close their doors and many others have cut back on services. Together we form the East Bay's largest not-for-profit medical center. By joining forces, we can  sustain campuses in Oakland and Berkeley and better serve the unique needs of both communities. The strengths of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center are the depth of clinical programs that are offered, the excellence of the medical and clinical staff, our historical leadership in the development of clinical services in the East Bay, and our commitment to a community health mission. Our Foundation raises funds to help support our excellent programs and services. We pledge to you that every donation will be directed 100% to the medical center where it originated. Our mission remains the advancement of your community health care. ALTA BATES SUMMIT FOUNDATION Supporting Excellence at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center (inside) Stability Creates Excellence Alone, neither Alta Bates nor Summit would have been able to maintain specialty services such as organ transplants and critical surgeries of heart, brain and spine. We would not have been able to keep pace with technology and invest in state-of-the art equipment. Together, we can accomplish this, as well as maintain a highly skilled staff. More than 89% of our physicians are Board certified -- an unusually high percentage for a community hospital. Combining forces brings us financial stability, and allows us to better serve your health care needs -- not just today, but looking ahead twenty years and more. Summit Medical Center has also chosen to link with the not-for-profit Sutter Health. This relationship helps ensure our long-term future. As part of Sutter Health, we can draw on the strengths of a unique cooperative of 27 not-for-profit hospitals, all dedicated to high-quality medical care. This affiliation brings us a wealth of clinical expertise and information-sharing from outstanding medical centers throughout Northern California. Our partnership preserves and enhances local 24-hour emergency services and medical care. It enables us to remain locally governed and focused on our not-for-profit mission of serving our community with the very best of care. For Patients, Not For Profits As a not-for-profit hospital, we do not make money for investors. We reinvest in our excellent programs and services. We provide our community with special health services such as the East Bay AIDS Center; Small Voice, serving children with disabilities; Health Ministry/Parish Nurse Program; and the Ethnic Health Institute, promoting the well-being of all populations. More than 70% of our inpatients are covered by Medicare or Medi-Cal. Reimbursements from these sources fall far short of the cost of their care. Adding to that financial burden, we also sustain the cost of charity services provided at no charge. Under these conditions, maintaining a premier facility depends on economy and on philanthropy. Our goals remain to achieve the highest standards in clinical quality, customer service and financial stability. Donations often make up the needed difference to enable us to acquire new technology and renovate our facilities, to offer the most advanced care. Our Donors Are Our Future Generous donors help us begin new programs, provide ongoing training for our staff, and conduct one of the most active research programs of any community hospital. Donors underwrite many essential improvements of our facilities. They also fund services such as our free and low-cost health screenings and our health education programs. Philanthropy makes a big difference in the lives of the indigent, elderly, premature infants and critically burned people, as well as for victims of substance abuse, sickle cell disease, cancer and those suffering with other life-altering maladies. We are very grateful for the enthusiastic support we receive every year from many donors in our community. With your support, we will continue providing state-of-the-art medical care to East Bay communities well into the 21st century.