San Mateo' s Mickelson pool reopening; concerns over timeline remain

While encouraged by the planned opening, Raike and Warm Water Wellness are worried about the lack of concrete detail around the timeline and are pushing for a July 1 opening. She noted that the Pomeroy Center therapy pool in San Francisco, a comparable type of facility, completed required post-COVID structural renovations and reopened within months and questioned why Sutter Health could not do the same. Raike said Sutter Health officials has not given any detailed specifics as to why it could take years.

“Sutter keeps making vague references to regulations but has yet to provide us with any substantiated reasons why it should take three years to reopen this facility,” Raike said.

A Sutter Health spokesperson said by email that it remained committed to supporting pool therapy for its patients as it works on reopening plans.

“Based on community feedback and direction provided by Sutter Health President and CEO Warner Thomas, we are going to re-open the Mickelson Center,” a Sutter Health spokesperson said in an email. “Our teams are currently identifying the most efficient way to expedite needed repairs, and we will share more information on the opening timeline as soon as those details are finalized. In an effort to ensure community collaboration throughout this process, we recently engaged stakeholders to discuss potential pool therapy solutions. We are discouraged these efforts to work collaboratively resulted in a negative response and misinformation. We will continue to do all we can to listen, consider and include our community as we re-open the pool.”

In a May 8 letter from San Mateo County elected representatives and leaders with the Peninsula and Sequoia Health Care Districts to Sutter Health CEO Warner Thomas, the signees called for Sutter Health to commit to reopening the pool for both physical therapy and open-access self-directed therapy for all community members for a monthly fee and to set a firm date for opening, preferably July 1 of this year. The signees are Assemblymember Marc Berman, D-Palo Alto; Assemblymember Diane Papan, D-San Mateo; Assemblymember Phil Ting D-San Francisco; state Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo; state Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco; San Mateo County supervisors David Canepa and Noelia Corzo; Zell; Sequoia Healthcare District CEO Pamela Kurtzman and Sequoia Healthcare District Director Kimberly Griffin.

Canepa said people in need have already been locked out for three years and cannot afford another three years without the pool.

“Sutter can surely afford to reopen the therapy pool,” Canepa said. “For a nonprofit, it seems to be putting profits before public health, especially considering it had a bottom-line gain of $194 million during the first quarter of this year, according to financial fillings.”

U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, said he was pleased that Sutter Health had made the decision to reopen the pool.

“This decision is good news for those with chronic pain and those who may be rehabbing from injuries or surgical procedures,” Mullin said. “Many have worked and advocated to make sure the pool reopened, some in front of and others behind the scenes. While in the Assembly, I engaged with Sutter officials and others, culminating in a letter to CEO Thomas before I left office in December urging Sutter to strongly consider reopening this valuable resource. It’s wonderful to know that a solution has been reached to the benefit of our community. Let’s work together with the goal of reopening the pool as expeditiously as possible.”