Santa Clara University and O'Connor Hospital celebrate unique 10-year partnership

San Jose, CA - September 2004 marked the 10-year anniversary of a unique partnership between O'Connor Hospital and Santa Clara University's Markkula Center for Applied Ethics. This partnership includes an onsite program at O'Connor for students interested in the health care professions, a rare opportunity for undergraduates. The University's ethics center, named after A.C. "Mike" (one of the Apple founders) and Linda Markkula is one of the largest university-based ethics centers in the nation.

Pictured are Rob Curry, President and CEO of O'Connor Hospital, Margaret McLean Phd., director of the Applied Ethics Center, and Kirk Hanson, Executive Director of the Markkula Center for Ethics.

Recently, board members and employees from both institutions, together with community leaders, gathered at O'Connor Hospital to celebrate the partnership's anniversary and to reminisce on the grass roots beginnings. "Our joint venture with O'Connor allows Santa Clara University to expand its commitment to the important topic of ethics," said Margaret McLean, Ph.D., Applied Ethics Center director. "The mission of the Applied Ethics Center at O'Connor is to clarify and enhance the role of ethics in the practice and delivery of health care." A new promotional film about the Student Intern Program debuted. "The ethics intern program has had incredible impact on university students, helping them to decide if medicine is right for them and to understand some of the ethical dilemmas they will face whether or not they choose a health care career," continued McLean.

The Applied Ethics Center at O'Connor seeks to:

• address contemporary ethical issues in health care through research and education;

• provide health professionals with the knowledge, methods, and resources necessary to address ethical problems they encounter in their work;

• assist patients and families in making better ethical decisions;

• raise awareness among members of the general public of the ethical implications of contemporary issues in health care; and,

• provide educational opportunities for students and professionals to explore health care ethics with practitioners, policy-makers, and the general public.

The O'Connor Hospital Bioethics Committee, a medical staff committee at O'Connor Hospital, develops and reviews Hospital guidelines and policies to ensure optimal patient care. Together with the Applied Ethics Center, the Bioethics Committee provides patients, families, and health care providers with the resources needed for ethical decision making.

To contact the Applied Ethics Center at O'Connor Hospital, call (408) 947-2579.

Located in the heart of Silicon Valley, O'Connor Hospital is a 358-bed, faith-based, acute care, not-for-profit community hospital. Established in 1889 by the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, O'Connor is a values-driven organization dedicated to providing excellent healthcare that is attentive and compassionate to the whole person: body, mind and spirit. Key services include cardiac care, cancer care, maternity and mother-baby care, sports medicine, arthritis care and joint replacement, vascular care, and wound care.