Our Staff
At BayArea Hyperbarics, we recognize that each patient is an individual and has unique health care needs. We value every patient and are guided by our commitment to provide effective treatment and compassionate care to our patients. Our goal is to help you heal. Read "Our Story" and meet our Clinic Director, Technicians, and Business Staff below.
The safety and comfort of each patient is our primary concern. Patients who undergo Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) at BayArea Hyperbarics will always do so under the direction of a health care professional. A health care professional will be in attendance at all times during a patient’s treatment. Our health care professionals are Certified Hyperbaric Technologists (CHT) and/or Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT). Our staff is skilled and experienced; over 22,000 hyperbaric treatments have been safely administered since 1998. Their range of expertise and training assures patient safety and comfort during treatment. The BayArea Hyperbarics staff offers personalized patient care.
Our Clinical Director
Lisa St. John is BayArea Hyperbarics’ Clinic Director. She was trained at both Harvard and Stanford Universities and has spent the last 30 years working in the health care field. Taking care of patients is her first love. Hyperbarics became her focus when she required hyperbarics herself for a bone infection. Realizing the lack of available HBOT facilities and the need for this essential treatment, Lisa started BayArea Hyperbarics in 1998. She personally knows what it is like to be sick and directs the clinic with a focus on making the patient’s treatment experience healing and valuable. Lisa has been active in health care both at an international level for the World Health Organization and at a local level at Stanford Medical Center, Mayfield Health Center, Kaiser, and St. Francis Hospital in San Francisco. She has her Masters of Science from Harvard University and completed a fellowship at Stanford University. She has a B.S. in Health Education and a B.A. in History. She is raising a teenage son and comes from a large close family in Palo Alto, CA. In her free time, Lisa enjoys playing guitar, traveling, hiking, and reading.
Our Primary Technicians
David Roberts is our Senior Certified Hyperbaric Technologist (CHT) and Safety Director. He received his Certified Hyperbaric Technologist instruction at the College of Engineering and Oceaneering in San Diego and his Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) training at WestMed College in San Jose. He has been with the company since shortly after its inception in 1998. David is caring and compassionate with patients and works magic with those few patients who may experience confinement anxiety. David enjoys reading, hiking, and spending time with family.
Randy Foster is our Certified Hyperbaric Technologist (CHT) who received his hyperbaric training at Palmetto Health Richland in South Carolina. He is an Emergency Medical Technician who received his EMT instruction at WestMed College in San Jose. Randy is trained as a First Aid and CPR Instructor. Randy is genuine in his care of patients and goes the extra step to accommodate patients’ special needs. In his free time, Randy enjoys traveling, writing, and critiquing movies.
Renée Guzmán is one of our technicians. She is currently pursuing her nursing degree at San Jose State University. Renée’s dedication and empathetic care makes her a patient favorite. Renée enjoys traveling, singing, and being with family and friends.
Our Business Administration Staff
Joy Hoshi is our Financial Manager/Human Resource Manager and has been with BayArea Hyperbarics since 1999. She has over 25 years of business experience, including 17 years in banking. She has a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of New Hampshire. Joy has a sincere desire to help people and this is demonstrated in her caring interaction with our patients. Joy enjoys hiking, visiting new places, geocaching, and reading.
Laura May is our Business and Project Manager. She joined the company in 2005 and works on special projects for BayArea Hyperbarics.
Katie Rider is our Billing Specialist. She has many years of billing experience working with insurance companies, medical groups, and Medicare. She is here to help you negotiate the insurance and payment maze!
Our Story
By Lisa St. John, Founder and Clinic Director
If you want hyperbaric treatments in a safe, caring, and professional environment, you have come to the right place! We know you, your family member, or friend are coming to us to heal your body after it has experienced some sort of trauma or illness. That is why BayArea Hyperbarics was founded; to provide you or your loved one with a place to go that would welcome you and take good care of you while you heal.
Lisa St. John, BayArea Hyperbarics’ founder and Clinic Director, was very sick for seven years. She saw countless doctors and depleted her savings seeking a diagnosis or cause for her debilitating condition. After she lost her job, her savings, and the hope of ever having a healthy or normal life again, it was discovered Lisa had an infection in her bone. Her physician said she would need surgery and antibiotics, and, if she could find a hyperbaric medicine facility, her chances of successful healing would be increased. At that time, in 1998, the closest hyperbaric facility was at least an hour’s drive away. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy at this hospital was $800 per treatment, and this amount was the discounted rate! Lisa’s doctor told her she needed a minimum of 20 treatments. Lisa’s insurance said that since the infection was in her face, the insurance would not pay for the hyperbarics. The insurance company said that since the infection was near her teeth, it must be dental related and thus not paid by regular health insurance! Lisa was too sick to fight the insurance company. So she would have to pay for the treatment herself. So after surgery, antibiotics, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, Lisa was well for the first time in almost a decade.
Our Commitment to You
After seeing 30 different doctors and being sick for seven years, Lisa St. John knows how emotionally and physically exhausting it is to receive good care at a place where people care about you; a place where the purpose is not only to heal your body but also to support you during the process. Once Lisa got better and out of bed, she was able to work again. She sold her house, got some investors, and opened BayArea Hyperbarics. Now people like you, your family member, or friend could get professional and affordable hyperbarics in a warm, caring environment. Every staff person at BayArea Hyperbarics has made a commitment to provide the best care with an open heart and listening ear. So that is what the staff at BayArea Hyperbarics does every day. Every day is a new day we can help you. We want to know who you are and how you are feeling today. We want to know if we can help you in any way. Since that is our commitment, we ask that you help us by letting us know how we are doing and how we could do it better.