The same doctors who bring people back to life on an average day in the ER are leading the effort to build a new, state-of-the-art Emergency Department on the Peninsula

• Highlights

On an ordinary Monday morning in Peninsula Medical Center’s Emergency Department, Michael Bresler, M.D., and Robert Argand, M.D., prepare for their shift during one of those moments of relative calm that punctuate the storm.

“To work in emergency medicine, you have to not be rattled by a very loud, confusing and chaotic environment where you never know what’s going to happen next,” Dr. Bresler says. “You have to be exhilarated by it.”

“Your decisions can mean life and death in that moment - it can literally be a matter of minutes or seconds,” Dr. Argand adds. “Emergency physicians have to thrive on that.”

Both doctors maintain a polished professionalism and uncannily steady nerves without losing their sense of humor – even as the chaos builds.

Within the hour, they are brought seven simultaneous emergencies. Some come by ambulance with chest pain or stroke symptoms. Others walk through the door with injuries or urgent symptoms of illness.

Paramedics, firefighters and police officers move gurneys down the corridors. Family members anxiously stand by. Emergency department staff transport patients and equipment in and out of exam rooms while checking and updating computers at the front desk.

The phone never stops ringing.

Doctors Bresler and Argand are in constant motion - examining patients, consulting with specialists and family members, ordering tests, reading results – making lifesaving decisions.

Yet, the people they serve today – like every other day – may never know them.

“They come in, their life is threatened, and they are often unconscious or in shock,” Dr. Argand explains. “We literally bring them back to life – but they might wake up three days later and never know what we’ve done.”

Yet the physicians themselves live with and understand the gravity of their work in the community.

Emergency Departments at Mills Health Center and Peninsula Medical Center receive more than 43,000 visits every year.

Dr. Bresler, who was recently named “Hero of Emergency Medicine” by the American College of Emergency Physicians, has worked more than three decades in emergency medicine at Mills-Peninsula.

He helped build the staff and continuously raise the level of professionalism and dedication.

As a professor at Stanford University, he often trains the very doctors who come to practice here.

“Several doctors on our staff teach at Stanford and others come to work here from a Stanford residency, so there’s a constant renewal of knowledge and technology within the group,” the doctor said.

Mills-Peninsula is the major receiving hospital for most emergencies on the Peninsula, with centers for acute stroke and cardiac care.

It’s also the official destination for emergencies at the San Francisco International Airport, Dr. Argand emphasizes. He’s been an emergency physician at Mills-Peninsula for 12 years.

“On a daily basis, we see travelers who are in dire straits from all over the world,” he said. “It’s a little like the United Nations – every type of culture, language and problem can show up at any minute – which puts us on the front lines of world medicine.”

Yet, the Mills-Peninsula Emergency Departments in Burlingame and San Mateo also serve the doctors themselves – many have treated family members of others on staff.

“This is our home base, both professionally and personally,” Dr. Bresler said. “We don’t have offices outside the ER. This is where we practice medicine.”

The doctors say this sense of home is one of the reasons their group of physicians has taken a leading role in fundraising efforts for the new Mills-Peninsula Medical Center with it’s expanded, state-of-the-art Emergency Department.

“We began the campaign for the new medical center with our internal staff, board members and employees,” says John Loder, president of the Hospital Foundation. “The ER physicians were one of the first groups to step forward, and they’ve been incredibly generous.” The ER physicians group has pledged a total of $200,000 toward the new facility, one of the largest group gifts among Mills-Peninsula physicians, Loder said.

“These efforts have been instrumental in helping us reach over half of our $75 million goal.”

The doctors themselves are grateful for community philanthropy, which has helped put state-of-the-art technology in their hands over the years, including the latest monitors and ultrasound screening devices, which can save valuable time in the ER.

“Donors to our Hospital Foundation should know that their contributions can be seen and touched right here,” Dr. Bresler said.

Having the right technology can be key in those life and death situations.

That’s why the ER in the new medical center will incorporate state-of-the-art cardiac monitors at every bed.

“We’ll ultimately have 40 percent more capacity to treat patients in all private rooms with negative air pressure, which will protect against the spread of infection,” Dr. Bresler said.

“Wait times will be reduced – we’ll see patients more quickly in a more comfortable environment that protects their privacy.”

Sound absorbent materials and the absence of loud speakers will make the new ER more tranquil. And waiting rooms – including a children’s area – are designed to be as warm and welcoming as the front lobby, Dr. Argand said.

“The emergency room has traditionally been a hard, cold, industrial place,” he said. “Our concept is to make people feel they are welcome and in good hands, knowing that they are often uncomfortable, in pain and more than a
little frightened coming in.”

The doctors also expect the new facility to continue to draw bright young physicians to the community.

“Physicians like Dr. Bresler have paved a highly professional and distinguished path that will allow younger physicians to make their mark and flourish in the new environment,” Dr. Argand said.

Meanwhile the doctors in the ER will continue to thrive on the daily hustle that makes saving lives, healing injuries and recovering from illness possible for people across the Peninsula.

For a closer look at the new hospital, visit millspeninsulanews.org.
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Highlights

Enlarged by 42 percent to accommodate 50,000 visits per year
+ All private exam rooms
+ State-of-the-art heart monitors at every bed
+ Negative air pressure rooms to protect against spread of infection
+ Operating rooms and imaging services adjacent to Emergency Department for optimum efficiency and patient care
+ Comfortable waiting rooms, including children’s area
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