Dubbed the "Phoenix Project", the new group expects to start a nonprofit within the coming days to begin fundraising and investigating how to create a feasible plan for a new medical center.
"It took 40 years to build up the Coastside Family Medical Center, and it's taken 42 days since its closure to come to where we are now," said Dr. Grant Weiss, the organizer for the event. "I would like to believe that the clinic's closing will open up other doors for a new structure and a better organization."
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Mike Laffen, financial officer for the board of the closed medical center, spoke briefly at the beginning of the meeting and listed off numerous organizations and individuals that have voiced support for a new medical clinic.
"There's a whole lot of organizations that are willing to back whatever we can come up with," Laffen said. "They will put resources forward so long as we can get on the same page."
Five former doctors from the shuttered medical center also attended the meeting and fielded questions from the public. Drs. Dan McMillan, Jill Pavliscak and Vanessa Oppenlander said they plan to open a private clinic in Half Moon Bay by June. Drs. Lorraine Page and Erica Peterson said they hoped to continue practicing medicine on the Coastside, but had no immediate plans.
Weiss and other organizers said they are just beginning plans for a new clinic and say they would need dozens of volunteers to help with accounting, research, fundraising, language translation and other services.
The new group expects to launch a Web page soon to organize outreach efforts. Updates and Web links will be posted at the Review's website when they are available.
Planning to hold meetings every two weeks, the Phoenix Project will next meet on May 6 at the Coastside Lutheran Church.
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