Alameda East Professional Corporation history

1860 Medical Association Formed On August 18, 1860, seven physicians met in the Alameda County Courthouse in San Leandro.

Founded in 1864 as Alameda County Infirmary, we’ve forged a legacy of commitment to our communities.

The second floor held professional offices, while the third floor - left unfinished until 1882 - contained furnished rooms for rent.

1895 First Female President Sarah I. Shuey, M.D. served as the first female president of the ACCMA and, as near as can be determined from a nationwide survey of medical societies, she was the first president of any medical society in the nation.

By 1905, over 150 structures lined Park Street and the surrounding roads.

The second reinforced concrete structure on Park Street, the Citizens Bank building was completed in 1907 at a cost of $30,000.

In 1927, Highland Hospital opened, pioneering its own school of nursing.

Commissioned by the Nasser Brothers, operators of a chain of Bay Area movie theaters, the Alameda Theater opened on August 15, 1932.

Another monumental change for the street was the opening of the Park Street Bridge, in 1935.

1936 Created Health Plan, Becomes Blue Cross of California Striving to make medical care more affordable and increase access to care, the ACCMA led efforts with local hospitals to form the first medical-society created non-profit insurance company.

1945 Created Blood Bank Recognizing the vital need to maintain an adequate supply of blood and blood products in the East Bay, the ACCMA assumed ownership and management of the fledgling Alta Bates Blood Bank and recreated it as the Blood Bank of the Alameda-Contra Costa Medical Association.

1946 Created First Professional Liability Group Insurance Program The ACCMA created a medical society-sponsored group professional liability insurance plan that became the model for doctor-owned malpractice carriers.

1947 Issued Formal Recommendations for an Emergency Medical Care System Recognizing the need for a high quality and community-wide emergency medical care system, the Alameda County Medical Association issued recommendations to make that a reality.

1954 Established Median Physician Fee List The ACCMA created the "Median Fee Plan," a statistical study of doctors' fees identifying the median fee in the community for individual physician services.

Insurance companies, self-insured groups, and patients applauded the program, as demonstrated in a February 10, 1955 editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle commended the ACCMA as follows:

Insurance companies, self-insured groups, and patients applauded the program, as demonstrated in a February 10, 1955 editorial in the San Francisco Chronicle commended the ACCMA as follows: It served as a precursor to CMA's development of the Relative Value Scale (RVS) in 1956, which established a statewide physician fee list.

Russell Franck ran his music/hi-fi store here until 1968, when it was sold to Lance Pederson and renamed Pederson's TV & Stereo.

As part of this plan, the ACCMA organized the first multi-casualty airport disaster drill, conducted at Oakland International Airport in 1971.

In 1973, it was purchased by the Robert L. Lippert theater chain, and soon after underwent $85,000 in alterations, including the conversion of the balcony to two additional theaters.

To learn more about how the ACCMA led the establishment of MIEC with other county medical societies, read “How MIEC Began in the Medical Liability Crisis of 1975.”

They ultimately sold the building in 1979.

It is a strong contributor to the Park Street Historic Commercial District (National Register, 1982).

1985 First African American President of the California Medical Association ACCMA member and Past President Clarence Avery, MD, was elected as the first African American President of the California Medical Association (CMA).

In 1988, it was purchased by Peggy and Richard Williams, who completed a sensitive conversion to a restaurant.

1989 Created ACCPAC The ACCMA formed ACCPAC as its local political action committee to support candidates and issues who share the values of the ACCMA and its members in improving the quality of health care.

Blue began her career with SEIU as an organizer for the SEIU Healthcare Division organizing RNs and healthcare workers throughout the United States in 1990.

John George Psychiatric Hospital opened in 1992, as our separate components consolidated into what is now Alameda Health System, employing over 4,500 and charged with ensuring quality health care for all.

1995 Created Claremont Medical Group Concern about the managed care industry prompted the ACCMA to create an Independent Practice Association (IPA) to be a competitive, physician-directed managed care organization which is responsive to the needs of patients and physicians.

1998 Created Investment Advisory Service ACCMA Investment Advisors, Inc. was formed to provide investment services in a group program which offered economies of scale and reduced investment fees to assist members in reaching investment goals and planning for a comfortable retirement.

2002 Bay Area Preferred Physicians (BAPP) Along with eight other Bay Area Medical Societies the ACCMA helped form BAPP, a "Super Messenger Model" organization to assist members in contracting with PPOs.

2004 First President of the ACCMA of Indian Origin Vin Sawhney, M.D. was the first physician of Indian Origin to be elceted president of the ACCMA.

2006 First President of the CMA of Indian Origin ACCMA member Anmol Mahal, M.D. was the first physician of Indian Origin to be elected president of the CMA.

The Alameda Theatre & Cineplex successfully opened on May 24, 2008.

2009 Organized Community to Promote Advance Care Planning Formed the Alameda-Contra Costa POLST Coalition, a coalition of community advocates for advance care planning and adoption of Physician Orders for Life Sustaining Treatment (POLST) to ensure that patients' end-of-life care wishes are honored.

2012 Emergency Medicine Clinical Pathology Case Competition Winner American College of Emergency Physicians Doctor Charlotte Wills (Department of Emergency Medicine)

In 2013 the ACCMA sponsored the formation of the East Bay Conversation Project, a broad coalition of community organizations promoting discussions and understanding of advance care planning.

While at AHS, his colleagues and trainees have honored him with the 2014 AHS Physician of the Year Award and 5 Teacher of the Year Awards.

2015 Launched the East Bay Safe Prescribing Coalition The East Bay Safe Prescribing Coalition is a collaborative effort of the local medical community to promote the provision of appropriate pain management and reduce opioid misuse in the East Bay.

Since 2016 Blue served as a Service Employees International Union (SEIU) International Executive Vice President.

View all 2017 Alameda Health Partners Meeting Agendas.

Doctor Felicia Tornabene has served as the Associate Chief Medical Officer for AHS since August 2018.

2019 Created the East Bay Clinician Wellness Consortium Collaborated with East Bay Health Workforce Partnership to bring together health systems, medical groups, hospitals, clinics and others to address clinician wellness, professional satisfaction, and burnout prevention.

9/16/2020 East Bay Medical Group Meeting

Lorna Jones joined Alameda Health System as the Chief Human Resources Officer on March 11, 2021.