Curatola

Dr. Dominick Curatola, a cardiologist and member of the El Camino Hospital District Board of Directors, will speak at the Main Street Forum at the Main Street Cafe & Books at 7 p.m., Thursday.

Curatola, first elected to the district board in November 1992, has been a member of the hospital medical staff since 1984. He plans to discuss the hospital district’s accomplishments and the challenges that lie ahead.

El Camino Hospital, a not-for-profit hospital in Mountain View, was conceived in the mid-1950s. A proposal was made to form a hospital district and levy a tax so the cost would be shared over the population of the entire area. Voters approved the formation in 1956 by a 12-to-1 margin, and construction started in 1958. The first medical staff, 21 members strong, was established in 1960 and the first patients were admitted Sept. 1, 1961.

Over its 40-plus years of operation, the hospital district has faced a number of challenges, including the restructuring to a private delivery system in 1992 and returning to district board control in 1996. Between 1997 and 1999, under the leadership of the district board and Richard M. Warren, a 40-year veteran of health-care administration, the hospital began its long road to recovery.

By 2003, significant milestones were reached. The board voted unanimously to proceed with the development of a new hospital building. The hospital received the highest ranking for overall performance in the PEP-C II Survey (Patients Evaluation of Performance in California), the only hospital in Santa Clara County to get the top score.

Measure D passed, raising funds for the rebuilding of the hospital patient tower.

Dr. Curatola will address these in his presentation and answer any questions from the audience.

For more information on this and other Main Street Forum lectures, call 949-0411. Main Street Cafe & Books is located at 134 Main St., Los Altos.