San Mateo Medical Center Board denies cease-fire resolution

Seven members of the San Mateo Medical Center Board chose to abstain from voting to adopt a resolution in solidarity with health care workers in Gaza or call for a cease-fire between Israel and Palestine Monday.

Supervisor Noelia Corzo, who initially presented the resolution, still motioned for a second despite its guaranteed failure. 

“I recognize that the level of abstention speaks to the discomfort with taking any kind of stance,” Corzo said. “I am going to motion to approve this resolution because it’s important for the community, for our patients, for our staff, who feel strongly that silence is complicity. I will not look back and say that I did nothing and I was silent.”

The board is made up of health care professionals who work in the county’s Health Care System and Medical Center, two members of the Board of Supervisors and the County Executive Officer Mike Callagy. The March Board of Directors meeting, which was moved to the Board of Supervisors chambers in anticipation of attendance numbers, garnered a significant crowd of both those in support and opposition to the proposed resolution. 

More than a thousand written comments were received prior to Sunday at noon, Supervisor David Canepa said, and oral comments were limited to one minute allotted for each person. 

Oral comments were split among those in support and those against the resolution, the latter primarily suggesting that foreign policy and political affairs was outside the jurisdiction of a hospital board. 

“The board exists for the purpose of management of the medical center to address the needs of patients, not to pontificate on foreign policy matters,” said Mark Gurevich, a Belmont planning commissioner speaking on his own behalf. 

Dr. Diana Blum, a neurologist in San Mateo, said this resolution was ultimately against the Hippocratic Oath and a “waste of time.” 

“I have patients who are struggling with access to care, authorization denials, medical necessity treatment denials, drug shortages, a variety of things that you guys could have taken up on the agenda that would actually help my patients,” Blum said. “Instead, we’re talking about collective justice in a foreign country? Do your jobs.”

Contrarily, Zach Klieman, a lifelong San Mateo County resident who identifies as Jewish, said that this resolution should be up for consideration by the Medical Center Board because “what is happening is fundamentally a health care issue.”

Foster City Councilmember Sam Hindi, who spoke on his own behalf, thanked Corzo for bringing this topic to attention through a humanitarian lens. 

“Hospitals and other vital medical infrastructures have faced nearly 600 attacks since the war began,” Hindi said. “As a result, 613 people have lost their life and killed by the Israeli forces within health care facilities in Gaza since Oct. 7.” 

The Foster City Council decided in December to not place a resolution on the agenda that would have called for a cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages. A motion to place it on the agenda did not receive a second.

Many self-identified Jewish attendees at the meeting who shared their comments expressed concern the resolution as written was entirely one-sided and failed to mention the terrorist organization Hamas. 

Corzo said an early version of the resolution proposal included calling for the release of all hostages by Hamas. In a last effort to avoid further abstention from board members, Corzo presented revisions to the resolution relating to this matter.

“It was originally in the resolution and was taken out to focus more on the purview of the medical center,” Corzo said. “I want to say for the record that it was an oversight of mine, it should have never been taken out.”

Seven members of the board opted to abstain from voting on the resolution. All who abstained said they believed voting on the matter would go against their responsibility as a hospital to serve everyone regardless of political ideology or personal identity. 

“I have my own thoughts and opinions and views on this resolution as written, but I think I have to really look at this from the perspective of being chief of staff,” Dr. Frank Trinh said. “Looking at the 475 medical staff, I anticipate that passing a resolution, of any kind actually, would probably result in some degree of divisiveness within my medical staff.” 

Canepa said he wasn’t planning on abstaining from this item and vehemently disagreed with the resolution as presented. 

“I understand where it was coming from,” Canepa said. “But I do think on this particular issue, the best people to handle this issue are the diplomats.” 

Corzo said she will continue vocalizing support for a cease-fire and efforts that support such resolutions in the county.

“I will continue to condemn any and all attacks on innocent civilians and medical workers, even if it means I do so alone,” Corzo said. “Every forum of power is the right place to speak up for human rights and I am proud of standing on the right side of history alongside many others in San Mateo County, our nation, and the world.”

Note to readers: This story has been changed to reflect that the Foster City Council did not have a vote on placing the resolution on its agenda, rather a motion to place it did not receive a second.