Joseph Hopkins papers MS114
Riain Ross-Hager
Medical History Center
03/12/2024
Stanford Medical History Center
300 Pasteur Drive
Room L109
Stanford, CA 94305-5123
dbourn@stanford.edu
Contributing Institution:
Medical History Center
Title: Hopkins (Joseph) papers
source:
Hopkins, Joseph
Creator:
Hopkins, Joseph
Creator:
Midpeninsula Health Service
Creator:
Stanford Medical Community for Peace
Identifier/Call Number: MS114
Physical Description:
5.2 Linear Feet
– 2 full-size cartons, 2 archives boxes, 1 half-sized archives box, and 2 flat boxes;
12 3/4W x 15 3/4L x 10 1/2"H (full-size carton), 5W x 12 1/2L x 10 1/2H" (archives box), 2 1/2W x 12 1/2L x 10 1/2H" (half-size
archives box), 10 1/2W x 12 3/4L x 3 1/2H" (flat box), 11 3/4W x 15 1/4L x 3H" (flat box).
Date (inclusive): 1970-1990
Abstract: This collection contains the papers of Stanford-affiliated geriatrician and family medicine specialist Dr. Joseph Hopkins,
showcasing his contributions in various roles: (a) Serving as the medical director of the Midpeninsula Health Service from
1974 to 1989, (b) Acting as a physician and board member at the free-standing birth center 'The Birth Place' during the 1970s
and 1980s, (c) Involvement with the Stanford Medical Community for Peace from 1970 to 1971, including his editorial role at
the daily news publication 'The Axon,' (d) Materials pertaining to Dr. Hopkins' work in geriatric care, notably the Hospitalized
Elderly Project and the Teaching Nursing Home Project.
Physical Description: The papers of Joseph Hopkins measure 5.2 linear feet and date from 1977 to 1990, with the bulk of the material dating from
1980 to 1990.
Language of Material:
English
.
Conditions Governing Access
The 'Slides' and 'Patient Records' series, as well as materials in box 2 folder 1, are temporarily restricted in compliance
with The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA).
Scope and Contents
This collection contains the papers of Stanford-affiliated geriatrician and family medicine specialist Dr. Joseph Hopkins
and his work as medical director of the Midpeninsula Health Service between 1974 and 1989, his role in the 1970s and 1980s
as physician and board member of the free-standing birth center "The Birth Place," and his involvement with the Stanford Medical
Community for Peace between 1970 and 1971 as editor of the daily news publication the AXON while a medical student at Stanford
University. The collection also contains materials related to Dr. Hopkins' work in geriatric care with the Hospitalized Elderly
Project and the Teaching Nursing Home Project.
The bulk of the material reflects the organizational operations of the Midpeninsula Health Service and The Birth Place through
memos, correspondence, letters, financial reports, and public relations documents. The papers of Dr. Joseph Hopkins will be
of particular interest to researchers interested in the history of medical self-care movements, cooperative (member-owned)
community-based health clinics, freestanding birth centers, and medical activism during the Vietnam War. The collection consists
mainly of memos, correspondence, letters, and reports. The collection also contains audiovisual and born-digital materials
in the form of 35mm slides, floppy disks, cassette tapes, and photographic negatives.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Donated to the Medical History Center by Dr. Joseph Hopkins.
Biographical / Historical
Dr. Joseph R. Hopkins, MD, MMM, is Clinical Professor Emeritus at Stanford University's Department of Medicine, Division of
Primary Care and Population Health. He obtained his medical degree from Stanford University School of Medicine and a Master
of Medical Management degree from the University of Southern California's Marshall School of Business. Dr. Hopkins completed
his internship at Los Angeles County Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in 1974 and his Family Medicine residency at the University
of Rochester in 1976.
Dr. Hopkins established and directed the Stanford Leadership Development Program and supervised the Unit Based Medical Directors
program, designed to foster collaboration between physicians and nurse managers. Additionally, he chaired committees overseeing
professionalism and quality improvement at Stanford Health Care (SHC) and led initiatives such as the Stanford Breakthrough
Collaborative on Access and Operational Excellence in Clinics. Dr. Hopkins held various leadership roles at Stanford Health
Care (SHC), including Associate Chief Medical Officer and Senior Medical Director for Quality.
Before joining Stanford, Dr. Hopkins served as Executive Director of Midpeninsula Health Service (MHS). Hopkins was director
of the MHS from 1976 to 1989. The MHS was a member-owned cooperative Health Maintenance Organization (HMO) affiliated with
Stanford Medical Center in downtown Palo Alto that consisted of a multidisciplinary team of medical doctors (MDs), nurse practitioners
(NPs), mental health professionals, pharmacists, dietitians, and health insurance counselors. The MHS was notable for its
approach to chronic disease self-care management and patient governance. In 1989, the MHS integrated into Stanford University
School of Medicine, concluding its independent operations.
In addition to his work with the MHS, Dr. Hopkins was a board member and physician at the free-standing birth center, The
Birth Place, established in the 1970s and active into the 1980s by a group of seven women activists known as "The Birth Action
Group." In collaboration with physicians and certified nurse midwives, the Birth Place was an alternative out-of-hospital
birthing center. The facility provided a home-like setting for birth and also operated a resource center offering literature,
references, and rental services for breastfeeding equipment. Protocols were developed in consultation with Stanford perinatologists,
and staff regularly convened to discuss births and refine practices. Throughout its operations, The Birth Place facilitated
over 700 deliveries.
During his time at Stanford as a medical student, Dr. Hopkins was involved in the campus anti-war organization Stanford Medical
Community for Peace and was editor of a daily newsletter called the Axon that provided up-to-date information on the Vietnam
War to the medical center at Stanford.
Arrangement
The papers are arranged in seven series:
Midpeninsula Health Service
The Birth Place
Stanford Medical Community for Peace
Geriatric Care
Audiovisual Materials and Floppy Disks
Slides (RESTRICTED)
Patient Records (RESTRICTED)
The 'Midpeninsula Health Service' series offers a view of the organization's activities, programs, and initiatives to promote
community health and wellness in the Midpeninsula region. This series includes administrative documents such as meeting minutes,
memos, correspondence, financial reports, case studies, and evaluations that offer insights into the organization's internal
functioning and decision-making processes. Additionally, programmatic materials highlight the various health services and
self-care programs undertaken by Midpeninsula Health Service. There are floor plans and memos concerning the remodeling of
the MHS, lease agreements, documentation on the Blue Sheild of California Health Plan for the MHS, a medical group agreement
between Maxicare and the Midpeninsula Health Service, typescript and handwritten drafts of reports, and typescript and handwritten
lyrics to songs sung by the MHS staff. In compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA),
materials in Folder 1, box 2 are restricted.
The series 'The Birth Place' contains financial records, administrative records, correspondence, meeting minutes, memos, newspaper
clippings, public relations materials, and other materials that provide insight into the organizational structure, operational
procedures, and collaborative efforts undertaken by The Birth Place.
The 'Stanford Medical Community for Peace' series contains a complete set of the Stanford daily newsletter, the AXON. There
are also four 1971 issues of the Stanford Medical School newspaper, "The Goose," and an array of newspaper clippings, bulletins,
pamphlets, and publications pertaining to the activities of the Stanford Medical Community for Peace.
The 'Geriatric Care' series reflects Dr. Hopkins' work in geriatric medicine and his role as an advisory board member between
1986 and 1988 of the Hospitalized Elderly Project at Stanford University Medical Center, a Kellogg Foundation-funded project
that studied ways to provide cost-effective care to elderly patients admitted to Stanford Univeristy Hospital. This file contains
assessment forms, memos, meeting minutes, data collection reports, meeting agendas, and project reports. This series also
includes a file pertaining to the Teaching Nursing Home Project, a research study conducted through the Division of Gerontology
at Stanford that coordinated with the Midpeninsula Health Service to obtain research subjects. This file contains memos, a
newsletter, letters, and research plan abstracts.
The series 'Audiovisual and Floppy Disk Materials' includes photographic negatives of lectures, classes, people, events, and
celebrations of the MHS. Stored on floppy disks is a copy of the "Health Workbook" authored by MHS staff and members covering
topics such as fitness, medication, nutrition, mental health, and insurance. This series also includes five cassette tape
recordings of MHS staff speaking on the Midpeninsula Health Service model. These materials have not been digitized.
The 'Slides' series contains roughly 750 Kodachrome 35mm slides of patients, lectures, staff, events, and celebrations pertaining
to the Midpeninsula Health Service. This series has been restricted in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act (HIPAA).
The 'Patient Records' series includes 3 x 5 note cards with patient health information. This series has been restricted in
compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Also contained in the collection is the file 'Donor's Contextual Documents,' which includes writings provided by Dr. Hopkins
that provide additional historical context for the Midpeninsula Health Service, The Birth Place, and the contents of the audiovisual
and floppy disk materials.
Processing Information
The arrangement and order of the materials were retained to expedite the processing of the collection. Items in folders are
not necessarily in chronological order. Materials were rehoused in archival boxes and folders, described at the series level,
and reflect the main documentary themes of the collection. Most of Hopkins' original folder titles were transcribed onto the
new folders. In compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), documents containing patient
health information are restricted.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights are held by the Stanford Medical History Center. Publication or use of collection materials outside the scope
of the public domain and fair use is the sole responsibility of the researcher.
Separated Materials
Issues 1 through 15 of the quarterly publication "Medical Self-Care," dating from 1976 to 1981, were accessioned with the
Joseph Hopkins papers and separated from the collection to be cataloged.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Community health services
Birthing centers
Social medicine
Self-care, Health
Chronic diseases -- Treatment
Obstetrics
Doulas
Preventive health services for older people
Peace movements -- United States
Evidence-based medicine
Group medical appointments
Cooperative insurance
Hopkins, Joseph
Midpeninsula Health Service
Box 1, folder 1
Midpeninsula Health Service Self Care Program Materials
1978-1982
Box 1, folder 2
Self-Care Program Course
1978
Box 1, folder 3
Self-Care Course Materials
1978
Box 1, folder 4
Self-Care Course Binder
Circa 1978
Box 1, folder 5
Self-Care Course Evaluation
Circa 1978
Box 1, folder 6
Self-Care for the Middle-Aged
Circa 1978
Box 1, folder 7
Hypertension Self-Management Program
1982
Box 1, folder 8
Hypertension Self-Management Manual
1982
Box 1, folder 9
Copy of Manuscript by Joyce D. Nash -- "Taking Charge of Your Stress"
circa 1978
Box 1, folder 10
Midpeninsula Health Service History 1 of 2
1974-1988
Scope and Contents
Staff Development Meeting materials pertaining to the history and principles of the Midpeninsula Health Service. Primarily
comprised of internal communications records, this file also contains pamphlets, newspaper clippings, publications, and promotional
literature.
Box 1, folder 11
Midpeninsula Health Service History 2 of 2
1974-1988
Scope and Contents
Staff Development Meeting materials pertaining to the history and principles of the Midpeninsula Health Service. Primarily
comprised of internal communications records, this file also contains pamphlets, newspaper clippings, publications, and promotional
literature.
Box 1, folder 12
Study of Palo Alto Residents 60 Years of Older, 1973
1974
Box 1, folder 13
"A Better Way" -- Final Report of the Senior Health Services Project
1981
Box 1, folder 14
Study of Palo Alto Residents 60 Years of Older, 1986
1986
Box 1, folder 15
Midpeninsula Health Service Case Study
1987
Box 1, folder 16
Midpeninsula Health Service Performance Reports and Hospital Contracts
circa 1980s
Box 1, folder 17
Writings, Memos, and Notes on Principles of Care
1976-1982
Box 1, folder 18
Evaluation Reports
1981-1984
Box 1, folder 19
Lease Agreements -- 704 Weber Street (MHS)
1981-1988
Box 1, folder 20
Midpeninsula Mental Health Group Internal Communications
circa 1993
Scope and Contents
Includes materials on the Health Group remodel at 704 Webster St.
Box 1, folder 21
Stanford Midpeninsula Health Center Remodel
circa 1992
Scope and Contents
Contains floorplans, facilities department summary sheets, and internal communications documents.
Box 2, folder 1
Midpeninsula Health Service Obstetrical Patients -- RESTRICTED
1980-1991
Conditions Governing Access
Materials in this folder are temporarily restriced in compliance with The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability
Act (HIPPA).
Box 2, folder 2
Blue Shield Health Plan for Midpeninsula Health Service Members
1981
Box 2, folder 3
Federal Bankruptcy Court Stipulation Order -- Maxicare
1989
Box 2, folder 4
Medical Group Agreement -- Maxicare and Midpeninsula Health Service
circa 1987
Box 2, folder 5
Midpeninsula Health Service Promotional Materials
circa 1981
Box 2, folder 6
Midpeninsula Health Service Documentation Drafts
circa 1980
Box 2, folder 7
Child Abuse Reporting Laws Compliance Forms
1985
Box 2, folder 8
Midpeninsula Health Service Songs
circa 1980s
Box 5
Midpeninsula Health Service Embosser
Scope and Contents
Embosser with MHS seal.
Box 2, folder 9
Memos, Letters, and Internal Communications 1 of 6
1977-1990
Box 2, folder 10
Memos, Letters, and Internal Communications 2 of 6
1977-1990
Box 2, folder 11
Memos, Letters, and Internal Communications 3 of 6
1977-1990
Box 2, folder 12
Memos, Letters, and Internal Communications 4 of 6
1977-1990
Box 2, folder 13
Memos, Letters, and Internal Communications 5 of 6
1977-1990
Box 2, folder 14
Memos, Letters, and Internal Communications 6 of 6
1977-1990
Box 2, folder 16
Testimony for the Alternative Birthing Methods Study Committee
1985
Box 2, folder 18
Goals and Objectives
1981- 1984
Box 2, folder 19
Executive Director -- Joan Barbour
1982
Box 2, folder 21
Staff Protocol and Hiring Materials 1 of 2
circa 1980s
Box 2, folder 22
Staff Protocol and Hiring Materials 2 of 2
circa 1980s
Box 2, folder 23
Organizational Structure
circa 1980s
Box 2, folder 25
Birth Assistants and Doulas
1980
Box 2, folder 26
Information and Facts Sheets
circa 1982
Box 2, folder 27
Licensing and Certification
1979-1981
Box 2, folder 28
Professional Staff Questionnaire
1977-1982
Box 2, folder 29
Public Relations and Marketing Materials
circa 1980s
Box 3, folder 1
The Birth Place Financial Crisis
1987
Scope and Contents
Contains documents pertaining to the relocation of the Birth Place. This file includes internal communications documents;
budget, revenue, and expenditure reports; resignation letters; job descriptions; and meeting agendas.
Box 3, folder 2
Budget and Finances
1979-1988
Box 3, folder 4
Arbitration Agreements
1984-1985
Box 3, folder 5
Stanford Contract for Birthplace Services -- Health America
1986
Box 3, folder 6
Malpractice Insurance
1982-1986
Box 3, folder 7
Malpractice Insurance Crisis
1979-1985
Box 3, folder 9
The Birth Place -- Midpeninsula Health Service Correspondence
1978, 1985
Box 3, folder 10
Evaluation Form Data
circa 1980s
Box 3, folder 11
The Rise of the Free Standing Birth Center Manuscript
circa 1980
Box 3, folder 12
Organizational Development Resources
circa 1980
Stanford Medical Community for Peace
Box 4, folder 1
Stanford Medical Community for Peace
circa 1970
Box 4, folder 3
The Goose -- Stanford Medical Student Association Publication
1971
Box 4, folder 4
Hospitalized Elderly Project
1986-1988
Box 4, folder 5
Teaching Nursing Home Project
1985-1986
Box 5
Audiovisual Materials and Floppy Disks
circa 1977-1990
Scope and Contents
This series contains 10 rolls of photographic negatives. There are also eight 5.25-inch floppy disks containing the MHS "Health
Workbook" covering topics such as fitness, medication, nutrition, mental health, and health insurance. Also included in this
series are 5 audio cassette tape recordings of MHS leaders speaking on the MHS model, most notably Halsted Holman.
Processing Information
The audiovisual and floppy disk materials have not been digitized.
Box 6
Slides (RESTRICTED)
1979-1990, bulk 1979,1983
Scope and Contents
This series contains roughly 750 Kodachrome 35mm slides of patients, lectures, staff, events, and celebrations pertaining
to the Midpeninsula Health Service.
Conditions Governing Access
This series has been restricted in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.
Processing Information
This series was minimally processed. Slides were removed from their original containers and transfered to plastic slide folders.
Original strips of paper describing the content of slides were retained and inserted into the slide folders.
Box 7
Patient Records (RESTRICTED)
circa 1979-1991
Scope and Contents
Patient ID card and health information embossed on 3 x 5 note cards with handwritten notes used by Joseph Hopkins to take
notes on patients.
Conditions Governing Access
These items are restricted in compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Box 4, Folder 6
Donor's Contextual Documents
2020-2022
Scope and Contents
Provided by the donor, these documents provide added historical context for the Midpenninsula Health Service, The Birth Place,
and the audiovisual and floppy disk materials.
