INTERVIEW
SCMA President Peter Sybert, MD Interviewed by Wendy Young, SCMA Executive Director
Born in Montreal, health care, and they C a n a d a , in 19 5 3, need it in an affordPeter Sybert grew up able fashion. We need all over North America to preserve the ability and Europe because for people with prehi s f ath e r w o rk e d existing conditions to f o r o i l c o m p a ni e s access health care in and was transferred a reasonable fashion, frequently. The family and there needs to be ended up in Redwood a broad suite of cliniCit y, wh e re Pe te r cal situations that are completed high school. covered. The provider Dr. Sybert in his Santa Rosa office. Photo by Duncan Garrett. He then matriculated networks need to be to UC Berkeley, graduating with an AB in Care Act is in place, and California has broad enough that patients can access biochemistry in 1975. Four years later, he implemented the Covered California the health care they need. received his MD from Columbia University insurance exchanges. This has resulted P&S, followed by an internship in internal in a marked decrease in the number Local hospitals are full, and they are medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in of uninsured patients, and a marked sending patients elsewhere. Would it be Beverly Hills, and a residency and fellowship increase in the number of patients who better to keep hospital care in Sonoma in anesthesiology at UC San Francisco. have health insurance and are accessing County? How could we do that? In 1984, Dr. Sybert moved to Sonoma the health care system. What’s going For the clinical situations that can be County and began his private practice. He to happen next is entirely unclear, as taken care of in the county, yes, it’s co-founded the Anesthesia & Analgesia we are back into another era of disrupbetter to keep care here. It’s better for Medical Group in 1991 and currently serves tive change. We will have to wait and the patients and their families as they as its chief financial officer. He has been see what the laws are that our elected can be together and support each active in SCMA and the California Society officials decide on. other. It’s a more familiar environof Anesthesiologists for many years, serving ment to patients, and their primary as president of CSA from 2013 to 2014. How will the local system be affected care physicians can be more involved Dr. Sybert is married to Delinda Sybert, if the Affordable Care Act is repealed with their care and treatment. and they have two grown daughters: Elysia or replaced? It ’s t r ue t hat t here’s a li m ited and Camille. This interview was conducted at I was just in Washington, DC, a few amount of bed space, but the other Dr. Sybert’s office in Santa Rosa on May 18. days ago talking with our legislady n a m ic i s t h at mor e a nd mor e tors about this. It is impossible at this patient care is being delivered in What are the greatest challenges point to understand what is going to be an ambulatory setting. Bigger profacing the medical system in Sonoma repealed, and if so, what it is going to be cedures are being done safely in County? replaced with. However, there are some ambulatory surgery centers, and difHealth care is going through a period fundamental principles that I believe ferent modalities are being developed of disruptive change. The Affordable need to continue. Patients need access to to take care of these patients. The Sonoma Medicine
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