John Muir Health Foundation Board Announces New Chair

WALNUT CREEK, Calif.– John Muir Health Foundation, the charitable fundraising organization for all John Muir Health programs and services, has elected Robert F. Saydah as the new Chairman of the Foundation’s Board of Directors. Saydah succeeds Susan D. Woods and now leads the current public phase of the Foundation’s Breaking New Ground Right Here Capital Campaign, which is raising $60 million to support John Muir Health’s $800 million hospital expansion and renovation projects at its Concord and Walnut Creek campuses.

“The Campaign is gaining terrific momentum and we are extremely fortunate to have such outstanding leadership during this exciting time,” said Milt Smith, President of the John Muir Health Foundation. “During his two-year term, Bob will lead an incredible team of local business and community leaders, physicians, nurses and employees who are all personally invested in the mission of our organization and the success of the biggest fundraising effort in the history of John Muir Health.”

Saydah, a longtime Alamo resident, joined the Foundation in 2005 and also serves as Co-Chair of the Major Gifts Campaign committee. A retired senior partner of Heidrick & Struggles’ San Francisco office in the firm’s Health Care Products Practice, Saydah has an extensive background in healthcare marketing and sales.

As the Chairman of the Board, Saydah will lead Campaign efforts to invite community members to support one of the top healthcare construction projects in California through individual donations.

“Contributions of any size are vital to ongoing fundraising efforts for this project,” Saydah said. “We are deeply appreciative of the support from our community and I invite all individuals to get involved and support their local hospital that has been providing award-winning patient care to Contra Costa County for decades.”

Currently, the Capital Campaign volunteer leadership team includes more than 90 employees, physicians, and civic leaders from East Bay communities including Oakley, Concord, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek, Moraga, Lafayette, Orinda, Alamo, and Danville.

For information about how to support the Breaking New Ground Right Here Capital Campaign, call 925-947-4449 or visit www.johnmuirhealthfoundation.org.

About John Muir Health Foundation
John Muir Health Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization established in 1979 to inspire and steward philanthropic support for the not-for-profit John Muir Health organization, which serves communities in Contra Costa County, and parts of Solano County and Marin County.

Locally governed John Muir Health is a leader in high quality patient care that continues to help make possible a number of “firsts” in the region, including the first oncology center in Northern California to offer breakthrough technology in the diagnosis of lung and esophageal cancer, the first Novalis stereotactic radio surgery system in Northern California, the first Level III neonatal intensive care nursery in Contra Costa County, and the first and only designated Trauma Center for Contra Costa County.