The publication is reproduced in full below:
HONORING MARK LARET
______
HON. JACKIE SPEIER
of california
in the house of representatives
Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Ms. SPEIER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to pay tribute to Mark Laret, retiring President and Chief Executive Officer of the University of California San Francisco Health and a treasured friend. The San Francisco Giants recently announced that Buster Posey is retiring. For those who understand Mark Laret and his role at UCSF Health, the departure of Mark is equally earthshaking.
Mark Laret is a 1980 Regents Scholar graduate of UCLA. He earned his Master's in Political Science from the University of Southern California. He joined UCLA Medical Center in 1980 and worked his way up the ranks, and then transferred to UC Irvine. After Irvine, he came to UCSF and never left.
Mark arrived at UCSF Health after a disappointing attempt to merge with Stanford Health. At a time when the two organizations decided to end their merger, and many saw UCSF Health as the weaker partner, Mark took an $86 million deficit at the merged entity and produced a turnaround for UCSF Health. It wasn't easy, and he later remarked, ``I think when you are faced with a very difficult turnaround situation, the first thing you do is listen, and let people vent, hear them out--
hear their take on what went wrong, and what caused the issue . . . .
[hear] what they're proud of about the place they work, what they think those strong core assets are. What do they want to see change, what's their hope for the future?'' What faculty and labor wanted was new management.
A new executive team was recruited, and it operates under what Mark calls PRIDE (Professionalism, Respect, Integrity, Diversity and Excellence). UCSF's commitment to quality patient care, operational efficiency, deep employee engagement, and health equity were formalized. Although it would take another 14 years, equity remained a core value and was made concrete when UCSF acquired Oakland Children's Hospital, now known as UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital, Oakland. A new capital campaign to update that campus has begun.
UCSF Health also focused on regional care and an expansion of research. To expand its research capacity, Mark and his board created an entirely new and state of the art campus at Mission Bay. From the remains of railroad tracks and industrial decay, UCSF Mission Bay rose to offer globally competitive research space and hospitals that serve the entire San Francisco Bay Area. $1.6 billion was needed by an institution that only a few years earlier was teetering on the edge of financial ruin. Mark is a visionary, and philanthropists from throughout the Bay Area supported that vision with $600 million in donations, matched by $700 million in borrowing and other funds. Today, the Mission Bay campus includes Benioff Children's Hospital San Francisco, Bakar Cancer Hospital, Betty Irene Moore Women's Hospital, and the Ron Conway Family Gateway Medical Building. From birth to passing, relying heavily upon one of the globe's premier research and training programs, UCSF Health provides first rate health care for the people of our region.
I have known Mark Laret for decades dating back to my years in the state legislature where we worked together after the unwinding of the Stanford merger. The first district that I represented in Congress had the UCSF Parnassus campus at its outer boundary. I was thrilled and spoke regularly to Mark and his leadership team about the vision for UCSF and its role in the Bay Area. He was an especially important advisor during our consideration of the Affordable Care Act. He was always laser focused on providing the best possible care for as many Americans as possible while maneuvering the complex financing of our health care system.
UCSF is a health machine built to fight a global pandemic. From early research into the technology that led to the vaccines to testing capacity and early healthcare directives, having UCSF Health in San Francisco fighting SARS-CoV-2 and its deadly progeny, COVID-19, likely saved thousands of lives in our region. Mark Laret has been the voice of authority, compassion, and leadership during this crisis and in every discussion about quality health care reform. In the many years that he has advised me, he was always trustworthy, informative, and persuasive. I have the deepest respect and admiration for his intellect and integrity.
From a small research and treatment campus on a hill and a few isolated campuses elsewhere, to a bustling regional powerhouse and global standard setter, UCSF Health prospered tremendously under the tenure of Mark Laret. After 21 years at the helm of this prestigious healthcare institution, it's now time to say goodbye to an historic leader. Let it be known that a humanitarian is retiring who can now spend more of his time with his beloved wife Jan Laret and their son Parker and daughter Casey. His duty having been accomplished with grace, his rest is justly earned.
____________________
SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 207
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