In Brief: Sean Parker Funds Allergy Research Center At Stanford; Kaiser Opens New Redwood City Hospital
Sean Parker Funds Allergy Research Center At Stanford
Silicon Valley entrepreneur Sean Parker will donate $24 million over the next two years to establish a new research center for allergies at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
Parker is best known as the founder of the ill-fated music downloading service Napster, and an early consultant and investor in Facebook. He has a net worth of about $3 billion.
The Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy Research at Stanford University will delve into the underlying autoimmune mechanisms behind allergies and find a potential cure. About one in three Americans suffer from some form of an allergy, with physician-diagnosed food allergies affecting about 2% of adults and about 8% of children. Such allergies can be life-threatening.
The center will be headed by Kari Nadeau, M.D., an immunology researcher at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and at Stanford Medical School.
“We need to make catalytic changes in the field of allergy research by studying immune mechanisms in order to apply discoveries in real time to new safer and more durable therapies for adults and children,” said Parker, whose firsthand experience with life-threatening allergies led him to found the center. “I’m excited to partner with Stanford and believe that under the leadership of Dr. Nadeau, the center will make a transformational impact on how we understand and treat allergies.”
Kaiser Opens New Hospital In Redwood City
Kaiser Permanente has opened a new hospital in Redwood City.
The 149-bed facility cost $500 million to build, according to Kaiser spokesperson Karl Sonkin. It is a replacement for an older hospital. The new hospital includes features such as all private rooms, wi-fi and pullout beds for guests of patients.
“Our new Redwood City hospital is the culmination of a $2 billion commitment by Kaiser Permanente to our members and the communities we serve,” said Gregory A. Adams, group president and regional president of Kaiser Permanente's Northern California division. "We are an industry leader in delivering high-quality, affordable healthcare, and as the third new facility we have opened this year, the Redwood City hospital reflects our commitment to providing exceptional, patient-centered care to our members in modern, up-to-date facilities."
Kaiser's Northern California division operates 21 hospitals. The Redwood City facility is the sixth hospital Kaiser has built in the region from the ground up over the past dozen years, including three replacement hospitals.
144,000 Sign Up During First Month Of Open Enrollment
The Covered California health insurance exchange has signed up 144,178 people during the first month of open enrollment. Another 216,423 state residents have also signed up for Medi-Cal, officials said.
Open enrollment continues through Feb. 15.
