San Andreas, CA….Robert Diehl, who took over as President of Mark Twain Medical Center six months ago, has a very clear explanation of its role in the community. He says, “We are friends and neighbors taking care of friends and neighbors.” “Our community is made up of individuals at differing stages of life and health. We are here for everyone. And,” he emphasizes, “we are here for the long haul. Our team of seasoned administrators and medical professionals are the day-to-day stewards of MTMC. The community is aware of the ongoing conversations regarding our governing lease, yet at the same time everyone can see we are investing in the future with recent capital improvements like painting the facility and repairing the roof and HVAC system. Nothing is in a holding pattern around here.”

Dignity Health currently operates MTMC under a 30-year lease with the Mark Twain Health Care District. It expires at the end of 2019 and the district board has indicated it is exploring options which range from renewing the relationship with Dignity Health, to possibly contracting with another health care system or operating the hospital independently. Any new lease agreement must be approved by voters.

“I think of myself as wearing three hats,” Diehl says. “First, I am a Calaveras County guy. I’ve loved the area for a long time, enjoying backpacking and fly fishing here for years before I came to MTMC. Second, I am a professional hospital administrator with 25 years experience. And third, I am a Dignity Health guy linking Calaveras community health care to the resources of one of the nation’s largest health care systems.”

Chief Financial Officer Chris Roberts, CPA, joins Diehl in the MTMC Administrative Office, along with Administrative Coordinator Ana Pedersen. They coordinate the expertise of an impressive Leadership Team made up of specialty administrators and medical professionals. All three emphasize an open door policy which encourages the public and MTMC’s 300-plus employees to contact them at any time with questions or concerns.

“Our team is focused on the here and now,” Diehl notes. “The hospital is designated as a critical access facility, which means we provide core services. And we do them incredibly well. We’ve earned high marks in a recent national survey assessing patient satisfaction in areas like nursing care, cleanliness and our food services.”

“In addition, we operate five rural health clinics where we are currently strengthening primary care connections. We continue to solidify plans for relocation of our Angels Camp and Valley Springs clinics and at the same time are working to expand our specialty clinics. The Orthopedic Clinic in Angels Camp and the Cancer Center in San Andreas are unprecedented resources for a rural community. We are looking to provide more links to specialists with programs like physician rotation and tele-medicine. Our goal is to provide more convenient health care options locally. One size does not fit all.”

Diehl notes, “Our Leadership Team brings decades of experience to their roles at MTMC. They are here because – like me – they love living in Calaveras County.”

More about Bob Diehl
Bob took over as MTMC President in June 2016, coming from St. Joseph Health System, a California-based integrated Catholic health care delivery system, where he held positions of progressive responsibility over 12 years. Most recently he served as Vice President of Operations for Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa.

He passed on a regional post with Dignity Health offered at the same time he was following up on the opportunity to lead MTMC. “Once my wife Susan and I spent a few days in Calaveras when I was interviewed, we knew this was where we wanted to be. Everyone was so friendly and welcoming – it was amazing.”

Bob cites one “meant to be moment” during that visit. “I’m an avid member of U.S. Masters Swimming,” he explains, “so I checked on-line ahead of time to see if there might be a group in Calaveras. Soon I had a call back from one of the members at Bret Harte Aquatic Center. When I showed up for my first workout, that person turned out to be someone I recognized from the hospital — it was Dr. Peter Oliver.”

The Diehls are now settled in a 1930’s classic home in Angels Camp which they’ve enjoyed renovating. Their son, Penn, 19, is a sophomore at St. Mary’s College in Moraga.

Meet Chris Roberts
Chris is a veteran of two years as MTMC’s Chief Financial Officer. He also turned down other opportunities to relocate in Calaveras County. “Once I walked in the lobby of the hospital, I knew it was the place to be. People smiled and made eye contact everywhere I went in the county. That was a pleasant change,” he adds, noting his previous posts dealt with fallout from quality and patient care challenges at facilities in Oroville and Marysville.

“I’ve now been here longer than most others on the Leadership Team” he notes, “and we’ve had some turmoil during that time – including the Butte Fire – but nothing has distracted us from our connection to our patients and community.”

Chris was eight years into a 15 year career with the U.S. Postal Service in Salinas and then Marysville, when he went to go back to school to study accounting. “I just decided I wanted to do more and needed a change, and with encouragement from my wife, Regina, signed up for a class at the local community college. That led to more classes and before long I was both in college and working full-time.”

Regina also worked for USPS and their three children were very young at the time. “I was 34 when I graduated from Chico State University,” he says. “I joined an accounting firm in Yuba City at about half the pay I was receiving with the USPS, but gained the experience and knowledge to pass the CPA exam.” After some three years as a CPA he moved into health care finance. Their children, Amanda, Tina and Brett, are now young adults; and, they have two grandsons, Tyler and Adam, who are both eight years old.

At MTMC he has observed “the final pieces of a dynamic new team falling into place. These are professionals who have chosen Calaveras County as home and are setting a new direction and standard of excellence for local health care.”

Meet Ana Pedersen
Ana joined the MTMC team in late December with years of administrative support expertise in banking and health care systems. “I’d been watching for opportunities here at the local hospital since we moved to the county,” Pedersen explains. Like Bob and Chris, she turned down another job offer to come to MTMC. She says, “I feel very fortunate to be part of this team and I know this is where I am supposed to be.”

Born and raised in Portugal, she moved to the Bay Area at the age of 17 and studied law for a couple of years after earning a marketing degree at California State University Hayward. Her early career included positions as Y2K project manager for Bank of America in the Bay Area and marketing and communications for a major software company. She was married, later divorced, and has a son, Adam, who is now 26. Ana was also a personal trainer and spent a year as an Oakland Raiders Raiderette cheerleader. Combining her years of office experience and people skills, she then became an administrative assistant for executives at Bank of the West.

She married her husband Peter in 2005 and they moved to Valley Springs in 2013, drawn to a quieter lifestyle. She first commuted to French Camp, and then to Sacramento, supporting physicians in major health care systems. But her commute became even more challenging when the couple moved to Copperopolis last year. They own and operate a 20 acre ranch where they breed and raise hogs, adopt rescue alpacas and nurture countless other animals.

Ana is the face of the Administrative Team, with a welcoming smile reflecting its Open Door Policy. She notes, “We don’t let anyone walk out of here without feeling we’ve been helpful.”