A Lifelong Fan Gets Her Moment on the Field

In front of more than 39,000 people, Kim Plale stood on the field at Petco Park on May 3 with a big smile (and a few nerves) and threw out the ceremonial first pitch before the San Diego Padres vs. Chicago White Sox game. Not bad for someone whose usual office is on Alvarado Road.

Plale has worked at East Campus Medical Center at UC San Diego Health since 2007, back when it was under previous ownership. She's worked through multiple transitions over the years and watched the campus grow from community hospital to the third hospital in the UC San Diego Health network.

Indispensable at East Campus Medical Center at UC San Diego Health

Today, Plale is physician liaison and executive assistant to Nick Macchione, chief health officer and chief executive at East Campus Medical Center. But her unofficial title might as well be "the one who knows the answer to that." She spends part of each day walking the facility, checking in with staff and solving whatever needs fixing. East Campus Medical Center brings community physician providers to practice alongside UC San Diego Health faculty physicians, and Plale helps make that unique model work seamlessly. She coordinates logistics, helps doctors and staff navigate their new health system resources, and makes sure nothing falls through the cracks.

"Kim Plale is part of the heart and soul of East Campus Medical Center," Maccione said. "She absolutely embodies kindness and attention with every interaction with every patient and team member, and at the same time, has deep knowledge and expertise that keeps our machine running smoothly."

Mary Williams, the coordinator for the Programs for Active Living and Support (PALS) who has worked at East Campus for nearly two decades, said Plale is the ultimate "can-do" teammate. "Working with Plale for all these years has been an absolute privilege," Williams said. "She approaches every challenge with a unique vision and a problem-solving mindset that makes everything look easy. Her dedication to our participants with physical disabilities is especially inspiring."

Plale remembers how she and her colleagues felt when they learned that UC San Diego Health would be acquiring Alvarado Hospital. "To hear that UC San Diego Health was going to be part of our family — now that's top tier," Plale said. "We knew we were going to have support we didn't before. Almost immediately, we had resources we never had, like a seamless connection to the two other hospitals and all of UC San Diego Health's other locations."

Rooting for the Home Team

For Plale, the UC San Diego Health partnership with the Padres was one more reason to be excited when she learned about the acquisition. She's a longtime fan who can remember when the brown and gold was blue and orange. She even got to attend a game during the 1998 World Series. Plale and her husband, Dan, have been taking their two sons to games since they were young boys, and today they're all still card-carrying members of the "Friar Faithful."

"It's super cool to know that we work on something together," she said. "When UC San Diego Health commercials air during Padres games, I see people that were filmed here at East Campus. It's thrilling to tell my friends, I know her!"

For one afternoon, someone who usually works behind the scenes got to step into the spotlight — right on the field at Petco Park, wearing the brown and gold, in front of a sellout crowd cheering for the team she's loved for decades.

Health Care Home Runs

UC San Diego Health partners with the Padres to recognize the employees whose work makes exceptional care possible every day. Each honoree is celebrated with a VIP experience at Petco Park, a way of saying thank you to the people who show up in ways big and small to serve this community.