Spectrum Community Services announces new Meals on Wheels partnership with Open Heart Kitchen. After nearly 30 years of partnership with Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley, Spectrum will continue uninterrupted meal delivery for homebound seniors through a new mission-aligned collaboration with Open Heart Kitchen. Livermore, CA - July 8, 2026 - Spectrum Community Services is happy to announce a new partnership with Open Heart Kitchen to support its Meals on Wheels program serving homebound older adults in the Tri-Valley. Beginning July 1, Meals on Wheels meals are now prepared by Open Heart Kitchen, a trusted local nonprofit with deep roots in the Tri-Valley and a mission closely aligned with Spectrum Community Services' commitment to food access, dignity, and community care. The transition follows the conclusion of Spectrum Community Services' long-standing meal production partnership with Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley. The transition coincides with the planned retirement of Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley's aging Livermore facility at 1111 E. Stanley Blvd., which no longer meets current seismic safety standards. With meal production at the Livermore site ending and Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley's Pleasanton kitchen at capacity, Spectrum sought a mission-aligned local partner to ensure that service to seniors would continue without interruption. The partnership began in 1997 with ValleyCare Health System and has helped provide nutritious meals, medically tailored meals, wellness checks, and connection to thousands of homebound older adults throughout the Tri-Valley. Today, Spectrum Community Services delivers more than 75,000 meals each year to 340 homebound older adults across the Tri-Valley - along with regular wellness checks and a daily point of human connection. "For nearly three decades, Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley has been an extraordinary partner in helping Spectrum Meals on Wheels deliver nutritious meals and daily connection to homebound older adults," said Lara Calvert, Executive Director of Spectrum Community Services. "We are deeply grateful for their commitment and proud of what we accomplished together. As we begin this next chapter with Open Heart Kitchen, our priority remains unchanged: ensuring that seniors in the Tri-Valley continue to receive hot meals produced locally in the Tri-Valley by dedicated local neighbors five days a week. The knock on the door is more than just a meal, it's a smile, a wellness check, and care for our seniors who want to remain healthy and independent at home." Open Heart Kitchen provides meals, groceries, and support to individuals and families experiencing food insecurity throughout Dublin, Livermore, Pleasanton, and Sunol. The organization's mission is to provide equitable access to nutritious food today while building a food-secure tomorrow. "We are honored to partner with Spectrum Community Services to help ensure homebound older adults in theTri-Valley continue receiving nutritious meals and compassionate support," said John Bost, Executive Director of Open Heart Kitchen. "Our organizations share a deep commitment to food access, dignity, and community care, and we look forward to working together to support seniors who rely on Meals on Wheels for nourishment, safety, and connection." Meals on Wheels service will continue without interruption. Clients will continue receiving nutritious meals, wellness checks, and friendly visits from Spectrum's volunteers and staff as the program begins this new chapter with Open Heart Kitchen. For clients like Pleasanton resident Lian Zhang, Meals on Wheels provides much more than a meal. "I would give Meals on Wheels 10 out of 10," said Zhang, a Pleasanton Meals on Wheels client. "Before Meals on Wheels, the day would go by and sometimes it would be 2:30 p.m. and I did not have anything to eat. But when Spectrum started bringing Meals on Wheels to me, I felt so much happier. Health-wise, it made me more healthy because I am actually eating a balanced meal." Zhang also shared that the volunteer visits are an important part of the program. "The delivery volunteers are very courteous, nice, and friendly," Zhang said. "There are people who check on me, checking if I am healthy and if I am having a good day or a good week. Those people are angels." Spectrum's Meals on Wheels program supports homebound older adults who may be unable to shop for or prepare meals on their own. In addition to nutritious meals, the program provides regular wellness checks and an important point of human connection for seniors who may be isolated or living alone. Spectrum Community Services is also relocating its Livermore office to the Tri-Valley Nonprofit Alliance's (TVNPA) Common Point Nonprofit Center. Just half a mile from Open Heart Kitchen's Vineyard Resource Center, the new location will deepen Spectrum's ties to Open Heart Kitchen and to the 24 other nonprofits based at Common Point - partners united by TVNPA's belief that "together, we're better." At Common Point, Spectrum will be co- located with TVNPA, a membership organization representing over 100 nonprofit organizations. Spectrum Community Services will work closely with clients, volunteers, staff, and community partners throughout the transition. The organization is committed to listening to feedback and making adjustments as needed to support a smooth and successful change. How to Help Spectrum Community Services' Meals on Wheels program has room to serve more homebound neighbors - and needs community support to do it: * Volunteer. Spectrum Community Services is seeking volunteers who can make a weekly commitment to deliver a route, as well as drivers for its meal van. Each delivery is a meal, a wellness check, and a friendly visit. https://www.spectrumcs.org/volunteers or call 510-881-0301 * Refer a neighbor. Spectrum Meals on Wheels has capacity to take on additional clients. Anyone who knows a homebound older adult who could benefit is encouraged to reach out. https://www.spectrumcs.org/senior-services/meals-on-wheels * Give. Government funding covers only part of the cost of each meal, leaving a $5 gap that Spectrum Community Services relies on donations to close. A gift of $25 helps close that gap for a full week of hot meals and daily check-ins for a homebound senior. https://spectrumcs.app.neoncrm.com/forms/donate About Spectrum Community Services Spectrum Community Services enhances the quality of life for older adults and families experiencing low income in Alameda County through programs that support nutrition, health, safety, and independence. Spectrum's services include Meals on Wheels, Senior Meals, Fall Prevention, LIHEAP energy assistance, and Weatherization. Spectrum Community Services is celebrating its 55th birthday this autumn. Learn more and get involved at: SpectrumCS.org About Open Heart Kitchen Founded in 1995 as a small, grassroots effort to address hunger, Open Heart Kitchen distributes free meals and groceries throughout the Tri-Valley, coordinates services and resources at Vineyard Resource Center, and provides overnight shelter for those who are unhoused and/or in crisis. Its dedicated staff, volunteers, and donors are working towards a food-secure and shelter-secure future through four primary programs: Community Meals, Senior Meals, Overnight Shelter, and Grocery Distribution. Visit openheartkitchen.org for more information on the mission, what's next for the organization, and how you can help. Media Resources: Photos available from Spectrum Community Services, or come ride along on a delivery. Media Contact: Lara Calvert Executive Director, Spectrum Community Services 510-876-8811 [email protected] * Details - Last Updated: 08 July 2026

Stanford offering new minimally invasive PITAC procedure for mesothelioma. In what is a first in North America, Northern California's Stanford Medicine has announced that thoracic surgeon Dr. Leah Backhus performed the first PITAC procedure for mesothelioma. The groundbreaking minimally invasive operation offers real hope for patients who are not candidates for more aggressive surgery. PITAC offers new treatment approach for mesothelioma. Among the many reasons that mesothelioma is so challenging to treat is that it presents a procedural dilemma: it grows as a thin layer that envelops the lung rather than as a discrete tumor, making surgical removal extremely difficult, especially because many patients' disease is either too advanced or other medical conditions place them at higher risk for complications. This has left many patients with only palliative treatment to alleviate their symptoms as an option That's why PITAC, or pressurized intrathoracic aerosol chemotherapy, offers so much hope for patients diagnosed with the rare asbestos-related disease. It delivers chemotherapy drugs in the form of a pressurized fine mist sprayed directly into the patient's chest. It coats the lining of the lungs and is absorbed directly by cancer cells. Dr. Backhus performed her first PITAC procedure last March, and a second in May, and she describes it as "spray paint chemo" because of how it lays chemotherapy across mesothelioma tumor surfaces throughout the chest cavity. In describing PITAC's advantages, Dr. Backhus says, "It treats the tumor, but not radically so, and it also provides palliation for symptoms. It's less risky for patients, and we can offer it to more people." Notably, PITAC enables high concentrations of chemotherapy to be delivered to an isolated area. This substantially reduces exposure to the rest of the body and limits the systemic side effects that mesothelioma patients often face. PITAC for mesothelioma provides faster recovery. To treat mesothelioma, Dr. Backhus creates two small ports to deliver the chemotherapy mist and inserts a small camera between the ribs to monitor progress. This minimally invasive approach creates less trauma than traditional open surgeries involving tumor removal. Dr. Backhus's first patient had previously undergone treatment for peritoneal mesothelioma and subsequently developed pleural mesothelioma. She was able to return home within two days after the procedure. "I saw her recently, and her scans were good. She had little disease burden to start with, and we don't see any evidence of disease now," Dr. Backhus said. PITAC treats the mesothelioma tumor itself rather than just managing fluid buildup, and that's what distinguishes it from purely palliative interventions. The procedure is similar to PIPAC, or pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy, a procedure that has been used successfully in the abdomen. Dr. Backhus noted that more studies are needed to determine PITAC's long-term effectiveness for pleural mesothelioma specifically. In the meantime, Stanford Medicine is offering PITAC to mesothelioma patients through a registry study that also tracks improvement in quality of life. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net are here to help. Contact Mesothelioma today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more. Terri Oppenheimer. Terri Heimann Oppenheimer is the head writer of its Mesothelioma.net news blog. She graduated from the College of William and Mary with a degree in English. Terri believes that knowledge is power and she is committed to sharing news about the impact of mesothelioma, the latest research and medical breakthroughs, and victims' stories.