On our SJLA day earlier this week, you heard quite a large number of
despairing comments: not enough money was the overriding one. Both
from the City Council members and from Chris at VMC, the main issue
was that there are huge areas of unmet needs. But my question is, did
you find any ray of hope in what you heard? Was there a positive
message that you were able to take away at all? If so, what was it?
If not, what are our options for the future?
Saturday, March 15, 2008
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I believe that our options for the future are endless. We only limit ourselves by the grasp we have today as we simply look at the tools we have now and not at the possible tools we will be handed by society in the years to come.
At the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, I was amazed by the amount of opportunity which flourished out of such an underfunded organization. I was incredibly impressed by Chris at VMC because he truly got me motivated to help out VMC through donations and my time in the very short amount of time allocated.
In terms of hope, I believe it is omnipresent. There will always be hope in our community and society, we just have to know where to look. We should be focused more on the support we can provide each other rather than the support we can provide ourselves. Something as monumental as the foundation of the US government was not simply formed by a single person, but instead through the support of thousands of people over many years, each looking to each other for motivation to take the next step forward in changing the world.
As far as our options for the future are, there are many. However, two major ones make themselves very apparent in my mind. The first is to be able to look back at what we have done and learn from our mistakes. The second is to have the ability to take chances and keep the possibility of future failures in mind. In my opinion, the answer lies somewhere between those two extremes. Indeed, we need to look back at our past struggles and learn from past mistakes but we also need to seize that knowledge and use it to make the best decision when it comes to taking a chance at something new.
In the end, the answer to a problem almost never lies simply at one extreme or another. In truth, the real answer we seek lies between these two extremes and we must be open to the possibilities of both sides to create the best possible solution to a problem.
I think the problems regarding funding will be resolved in the future. Although I certainly do not hold the answers to this problem at the moment, I believe I can contribute to the final solution in my own ways. However, the most important idea to take away from all the financial problems of our City of to be able to save money when we have it. If there is a surplus, save it for a rainy day and know when it is truly appropriate to use such funds.
But most importantly, know that the person with the final decision can be trusted. That is the most crucial part of it all.
I particularly enjoyed this event because as a citizen of San Jose and a member of the San Jose leadership academy, I finally got to meet and converse with the leaders of San Jose. It's hard to notice all the things they do, but personally hearing from them made me realize just how much they accomplish and work to constantly improve our city. Seeing our leaders work together to care for nearly a million people is great. After meeting them, I found these councilmembers to be genuine and dependable. At Valley Medical Center, meeting these heroes and being able to observe the tiny babies and patients going through physical therapy, it gave me hope. There will always be those who are willing to work to improve and better society. Money is a huge issue in our city today, but at the underfunded Valley Medical Center, they are able to provide one of the best services any patient can receive in the nation. Truly inspiring C:
you find any ray of hope in what you heard? Was there a positive
message that you were able to take away at all? If so, what was it?
If not, what are our options for the future?
After my experience at SJLA last Monday I found myself driving home very concerned about our community as a whole. I also kept on asking myself what would happen if I got caught in a situation where I could not be provided with health services because I wasn't insure and there wasn't enough funding to help people like me or those in my situation. It kind of dumb founded me at how hospitals such as Kaiser spend millions of dollars a year on advertisements, where as Valley Medical could of used the money on furthering their facility.
As far as the future goes, (possibly before one of use wins the lottery and donates millions of dollars to Valley Medical) we really need to see ourselves in the shoes of the patients Valley Medical and find out how to make a change. Weather it be donating our time, money, or just plain spreading the word, the future is a broad image that we can pursue.
Talking with the council members, it seems that money is the solution to our city's problems.
Maybe so, but I think there is more behind that.
In order for our city to pick itself up, more of San Jose's residents should know what's going on with our city budget, and why we're not in a good situation. That way, more would be open to give a little to receive a lot, like, I don't know, one fourth of a cent more on sales taxes?
It lookes like our city has a lot to figure out, but that doesn't mean there's no hope for the future. Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is an excellent example of that. Even with all the economic obstacles, they have a good reputation with patients and in the medical field. I didn't know half of what I learned there that day, and I was BORN there!
I think our generation can accomplish a lot. Tours at the City Hall and SCV Medical Center can make us aware early on about what our community needs, and we can get careers or contribute to our city's "health" in the near future.
Wow, that was a great response, David. And of course, everyone else, too :) I wanted to add that Santa Clara Valley Medical Center is in itself a beacon of hope in our county that will hopefully light the way for more community-oriented services and institutions. If we allow financial troubles to weigh us down, we limit ourselves to worrying solely about costs and may ignore the positives that emerge from certain investments. Unfortunately, while money shouldn't be the primary deciding factor, council members made it awfully clear that it is. With that in mind, it is critical that we make thoughtful decisions on resource allocation, etc. At the same time, taking chances is really what it's all about; as long as there are good intentions, hard work and a collaborative effort, we are making a change for the better. After witnessing heroes at work and the miracles that are produced every day at the medical center, its hard not to catch a glimpse of hope and simply good feeling. There are so many individuals who are willing to save lives and make our community a better place. To come to a close, what is perhaps a positive message that truly struck a chord with me is that despite hardships, change is never impossible, for its the things of greatest value that are most difficult to attain.
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