Finding the cash for ‘humankindness’

The mission of St. Mary’s Medical Center in San Francisco, as expressed by its new President and CEO Pam Lindemoen at the opening of its Denise and Prentis Cobb Hale hybrid suite/operating room on Wednesday, Sept. 27, is “humankindness.” Plainly put, however, in the case of a hospital — particularly a hospital that treats anyone who walks in, no matter their financial state — it’s money that makes “humankindness” possible. Before the speeches began and before

Denise Hale, who’d given $1 million, arrived at the opening of the facility, which is in the Takahashi-Suzuki Heart & Vascular Center, I nosed around the new suite. It cost about $8 million, said Dr. Remo Morelli, medical director of cardiac services and friend of Hale’s. Their relationship had resulted in Hale’s donation.

The operating rooom is a large square room, designed to allow surgeons, cardiologists and radiologists to perform procedures side by side, using real-time on-site scans and X-rays. As guests milled about, wine glasses and hors d’oeuvres in hand, chief technician Alex Chan activated what looked like some kind of lunar exploratory device, an imposing piece of equipment with a “robotic C-arm.” This enables images to be projected live on a large screen to a surgical team working, for example, on reopening a clogged artery. Asked the cost of the thing, which was stretching its tentacle-like arm, Morelli estimated it at $2 million or $3 million. “It’s the most state-of-the-art equipment in the whole state of California,” he added, “the envy of all the other hospitals.”

Morelli completed medical school in 1976. I asked him whether he’d foreseen then how involved he’d be in the future with technology. “That’s what I was hoping,” he said. “Every day we see new technology . ... Every six months I have a new toy I can play with.” If that sounded lighthearted, there’s nothing flippant about achieving his goals. “Now, we rarely lose people to heart failure,” he said.

There were speeches by former S.F. Mayor Willie Brown, Supervisor London

Breed, Lindemoen and Lloyd Dean, president and CEO of Dignity Health, the parent group to which the hospital belongs. St. Mary’s was the county hospital when it was founded by the Sisters of Mercy 160 years ago, and the city never paid a $100,000 bill for its medical services as official provider. In today’s money, he said, that would be $474 million. Even then, it was money that made human kindness possible.

In response to the other day’s item about Mad Libs describing the mutual contempt expressed by Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un, several readers jumped aboard the insult bandwagon. What was needed was words to fill these requirements: “And further, because that guy with the strange hair is a (nasty noun), I will (retaliatory act).”

Joel Weiner suggests that if the nasty noun is “hairball,” the retaliatory act would be to “squeeze him until he upchucks.” Among other suggestions for acts, Tim Curley suggests “putting shaving cream on his hand, then scratching his nose” and “putting a ‘kick me’ Post-It on his back.” Norm Goldblatt would have one leader threatening to tap-dance on the other’s face. And although a pie-in-the-face has been previously suggested, Fenton Brooks sees it as a competition, suggesting that “these two knuckle heads should take their hands off the nuclear triggers and have a pie fight. The whole world could relax and enjoy.”

If a staring competition or thumb wrestle don’t quite have enough dramatic impact, why not force the two into a talent show competition. Admit it, in 2017, we are long past the age of beauty contests. But I think there are great entertainment possibilities in the prospect of a baton-twirling Kim and Trump singing “You Are the Wind Beneath My Wings.”

Conversation between women walking dogs near Lincoln Avenue, overheard by Steve Finacom

Thirty-six artists from 21 countries designed rugs around the theme of refuge for the For-Site Foundation’s new “Sanctuary” show, which opens Saturday, Oct. 7, at the Fort Mason Chapel. The exhibition is free for anyone to see, but not to stand on. Visitors will be asked to “remove their shoes before entering the Chapel space,” not only to protect the rugs, said For-Site founder Cheryl Haines, but also to “encourage the viewer to interact.” For those shy about exposing their soles, thin white socks will be dispensed free of charge; and keepsake commemorative socks will be sold.

Although the exhibition is free, organizers are hoping to raise more at a Thursday, Oct. 5, Night Without Borders dinner, to be prepared by Traci Des Jardins and chefs from La Cocina. More information: www.for-site.org/support/donor-events

PUBLIC EAVESDROPPING First woman: “Is it a really long email string?” Second woman: “Yes, but the only important stuff is what I wrote.”