Since 1934, Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula has cared for people from birth to end of life
and everything in between. Patients can expect the best care available, inside the hospital or at any of our
outpatient settings.
Community Hospital, in 2020, with its 2,501 employees and 432 members of the Medical Staff
treated 12,165 inpatients, delivered 1,036 babies, saw 44,706 patients in the Emergency
department, cared for 374,296 patients in our outpatient departments (lab, radiology, etc.), and
completed a total of 9,965 surgeries, all during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Response to the pandemic came early. Community Hospital staff activated its emergency response, the Hospital
Incident Command System (HICS), in early January when cases started to hit California. As a result, the hospital
was ready to safely and effectively treat COVID-19 patients when they started arriving. The effort included starting
a robust community education campaign, increasing the supply of personal protective equipment for staff,
erecting a respiratory triage tent to quickly identify COVID-19 patients, implementing visitor restrictions, halting
some services, creating and eventually implementing a surge plan for a high-volume of COVID-19 patients, and
more. During parts of January 2021, more than half of Community Hospital’s patients were COVID-19 patients.
Montage Health Foundation inspires philanthropy that strengthens the health of our community. Powered by the
generosity of our donors and volunteers, the foundation supports critical health needs, innovative special projects,
and meaningful medical programs within Montage Health.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, foundation donors and volunteers stepped up to increase our philanthropic
impact. Highlights include emergency support through our COVID-19 Relief Fund and significant investments in
the excellence of our healthcare workforce.
More than $2 million in donor support granted through the COVID-19 Relief Fund, supporting:
More than 13,000 hours served by nearly 450 volunteers supporting free community vaccine clinics.
Countless meals, flowers, cloth masks, signs, and more donated by nearly 200 community
members and organizations, and shared with our healthcare heroes.
Nationwide, there is a shortage of nurses due to an aging workforce, aging population, and a limited supply
of new nurses. That’s why in April 2021, the Helen Baszucki Center for Nursing Excellence
was created with a $6.5-million gift from philanthropist Paul Baszucki to honor his late wife
Helen, a dedicated nurse and clinical instructor.
The center will invest in the growth of nurses and the nursing profession at Montage Health, and serve as
the umbrella for numerous initiatives, including scholarships and educational support, advanced training
opportunities, leadership development, research and innovation, and significantly expanded enrollment at
the Maurine Church Coburn School of Nursing.
As with nursing, there is also a shortage in available doctors in Monterey County and across the nation.
Recruitment and retention of qualified physicians is paramount to the health of our community.
To invest in physician excellence for our community, in June 2021, the Lucas Fund for Physician
Excellence was established through a $5-million gift from philanthropist Sally Lucas.
This important gift will have a lasting impact on the health of our community by enhancing and investing in
a wide array of programs and initiatives that support the recruitment, retention, and ongoing engagement
of the best and brightest doctors to serve our community. The fund will support opportunities such as
continuing education, professional development, clinical volunteer work, well-being and support resources,
housing support, and events to connect physicians to each other and to the community.
As in many communities across the country, Monterey County is faced with a shortage of doctors, coupled
with obstacles to recruitment, including the high cost of living and limited social opportunities for
younger professionals.
Montage Medical Group hired 9 new physicians in 2020 (6 were in primary care) and a new chief
medical officer. 7 new physicians have already been hired in 2021, including specialists in rheumatology,
neurology, sleep medicine, OB/GYN, psychiatry, and pulmonary critical care medicine.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, patients were reluctant to leave their homes and come to a medical facility
for care. Montage Medical Group launched a robust telehealth program so doctors could continue to treat
most patients through video and phone visits. By April 2020, 70 percent of patients were seen through
the telehealth program. Some patients now prefer this method of care, which now accounts for about
15–20 percent of Montage Medical Group visits in 2021.
In addition, Montage Medical Group and Montage Health Foundation collaborated to offer free online doctor
visits for community members with respiratory symptoms. This service has helped 2,602 patients so far
and continues to reduce the spread of COVID-19 in our community.
MoGo Urgent Care clinics welcome reservations or same-day, walk-in visits at locations in Monterey, Marina, and Carmel. The clinics provide fast, exceptional treatment of minor illnesses and injuries, sports physicals, and occupational medicine for employers. Visit-related lab work, X-ray, and medications are on-site, saving time and extra trips.
To see patients safely, the clinic developed enchanced screening protocols, modified clinic procedures to minimize person-to-person contact, and offered a COVID-19 rapid test for those with COVID-19-related symptoms.
Aspire Health comprises our health plan products, including our Medicare Advantage plan, and our population
health efforts focused on disease management and coordinating care across the healthcare spectrum. Aspire
was started by Montage Health and is now jointly owned with Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare System.
In 2020, Aspire Health Plan and Community Health Innovations merged into Aspire Health to offer our community
Medicare Advantage, commercial health plans, and population health services (for those with or at risk for
developing chronic disease). Aspire Health served almost 40,000 people in Monterey County during 2020.
Aspire’s Medicare Advantage plan improved its membership satisfaction scores by 6 percent year-over-year by launching a 12-week employee training program — Member Out of the Middle (MOOM).
With more than 45 percent of Monterey County affected by prediabetes or type 2 diabetes — Aspire Health created a diabetes and prevention program to increase the awareness of and decrease the prevalence of diabetes in Monterey County. The Don’t Feed the Diabetes campaign engaged more than 34,000 community members with education. In addition, the Pediatric Wellness Program helped 1,099 through its free coaching program for children and families at risk for developing diabetes and other obesityrelated diseases.
To address the pandemic when shelter-in-place orders were put in place, Aspire called to check in on 100 percent of all Medicare Advantage members. As a result of this outreach, the following services were provided:
With state-of-the-art facilities in Marina and Salinas, Montage Wellness Center keeps our communities healthy
and active, offering gyms, pools, classes, customized personal training, wellness programs, and rehabilitation.
Montage Wellness Center was closed to the public for most of 2020 due to the pandemic. The Marina location
served as a high-volume vaccine clinic site for several months in the first half of 2021, with almost 37,000
COVID-19 vaccines — 63 percent of the total 59,063 administered by Montage Health —
given at that site alone.
Montage Wellness Center Salinas opened with some restrictions on April 1. The Marina site reopened on
July 1 (vaccine clinics ended June 22). More than 1,000 members signed up within the first week.
Established with an unprecedented $105.8 million gift from Bertie Bialek Elliott, Ohana will transform
mental and behavioral healthcare for children and teens. The focus is on providing high-quality evaluations and
evidence-based treatments for the common psychiatric problems of childhood, including depression, obsessivecompulsive
disorder, anxiety disorders, attention deficit disorder, and associated problems with self-regulation,
including self-injury, substance abuse, and disordered eating.
Montage Health celebrated the start of construction on the new Ryan Ranch building that will house Ohana
on November 23, 2020. Anticipated to open in spring 2023, the 55,600 square-foot facility will include
an outpatient treatment wing, 16 beds designated for intensive residential stays for youth who agree to
participate in treatment, rooms for one-on-one and family counseling, indoor and outdoor recreational and
quiet spaces, a kitchen and dining area, a family resource center, space for community activities, classrooms for
inpatient youth, and space for training and workshops.
Ohana’s mental health providers reached more than 5,200 patients in 2020 and more than 5,500
so far in 2021 (January–June 30).
More than 730 group therapy sessions were held to help those needing additional therapy.
Ohana continued to provide clinical services throughout the pandemic, both virtually and in-person. Additionally,
experts from Ohana created videos, tip sheets, and other resources to help families navigate the many mental
health challenges created by the changes everyone faced at school, work, and home over the past year.