14 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY December 5-11, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com The ground is rapidly shifting underneath the foundation of Monterey County’s health care marketplace, bringing big changes in 2025. Montage Health announced on Dec. 2 that it will have a new president and CEO from Virginia beginning in spring. Two days later, on Dec. 4, Kaiser Permanente ceremoniously cut the ribbon on its new 24,000-square foot clinic in North Salinas. It will be fully staffed and ready to see new patients on Jan. 2. The county’s three biggest hospitals—Montage’s Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, Salinas Valley Health and Natividad—are already facing increased scrutiny from California officials for being the highest priced in the state, if not the country. An investigation by the Office of Health Care Affordability is underway and the OHCA Board has expressed interest in imposing a 0.1-percent spending increase cap on all three hospitals. A discussion on the matter is expected on Dec. 16. In June, long-time president and CEO of Montage Health, Dr. Steven Packer, announced that he would be retiring in 2025, after 25 years at the helm, spurring a nationwide search. Montage’s Board of Trustees announced they hired Dr. Michael McDermott, CEO of Mary Washington Health in Fredericksburg, Virginia. McDermott is a diagnostic and interventional radiologist who rose up to lead the nonprofit regional system, beginning in 2015. He oversees two hospitals, four emergency departments and over 60 other outpatient clinics and specialty offices. When he arrives in Monterey a few months from now, McDermott will step into a smaller system with big challenges. One of those challenges, launched in response to the state scrutiny, is a “Community Affordability Initiative” already in motion to cut $50 million in costs by the end of 2026. Another challenge includes possible competition from Kaiser, a mega health care system with 12.5 million members nationwide—9.4 million in California alone—even though its new clinic is 30 miles and at least 30 minutes away from CHOMP. Kaiser’s nearest hospital services are at Watsonville Community Hospital—for now. Just two doors down from a Montage Wellness Center offering gym memberships, the new clinic in a shopping center on North Davis Road includes 20 patient care rooms, radiology and mammography, a lab and a pharmacy. It will have a staff of 97, with 10 rotating physicians, offering primary care, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynecology, dermatology and more. “It’s a one-stop shop for medicine,” says Dr. Sergio Gonzales, the physician leader of the clinic, explaining Kaiser’s integrated care approach. “All your preventative needs can be taken care of here.” He notes that the Salinas and North County region “is a community in need of more attention,” especially when it comes to common diseases like diabetes and hypertension. About 80 percent of the staff speaks Spanish, and Kaiser has translation services for up to 250 languages, including indigenous languages from Mexico. New Blood Montage Health announces a new leader, just as Kaiser opens its doors in Monterey County. By Pam Marino Dr. Sergio Gonzales has come full circle, after doing his residency at Natividad, just miles from the Kaiser clinic he now leads. “It opened my eyes to the community and all the joy that comes with it,” he says. NEWS “It’s a one-stop shop for medicine.” DANIEL DREIFUSS Let’s make sure no grandparent goes hungry or feels alone. Donate: montereycountygives.com/mows
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