NorthBay Healthcare has many employees and physicians with military roots, but coming up with an exact number is difficult. Of NorthBay’s 2,600 employees, nearly 200 have indicated an affiliation. More than 20 from NorthBay’s team of 150-plus primary and specialty care physicians and providers hail from one (and sometimes more than one) branch of service. And of the nearly 450 physicians with working arrangements at NorthBay Healthcare’s two hospitals, it’s anyone’s guess how many have military affiliations because there is no repository for that information.

That said, the military connection to NorthBay and its surrounding communities is obvious, said Wayne Gietz, vice president of Ambulatory Services. “You don’t have to live in Solano County very long to pick up on it.”

That’s why you’ll see buses wrapped with congratulatory messages to Travis Air Force Base for its 75th anniversary. The Fairfield newspaper has added a commemorative graphic to its masthead. Merchants around the county offer military discounts. And the Travis Regional Armed Forces Committee, which was formed to combat military base closures in the 1980s,
is still active today.

Wayne, who joined NorthBay Healthcare in 2016, is also a veteran, having served nine years in the U.S. Army as a medic. He recognized a number of physicians and providers on his team with military roots, and suggested a story. That blossomed into this magazine, which is purposely timed to coincide with Veterans Day.

“It’s the perfect time for NorthBay Healthcare to offer congratulations to Travis Air Force Base on its 75th anniversary, and to salute our partner in saving lives—David Grant Medical Center—which moved into its current home 30 years ago,” said Wayne.

“It’s no secret we have many doctors, nurses and ancillary staff here at NorthBay who got their start in the military,” said Wayne. “We are proud of their service, and honored to salute the leaders they’ve become today, thanks to that service.”