Arizona healthcare newsmakers

• Sen. Leah Landrum Taylor (D-Phoenix), Landrum Taylor defends Healthy Families Arizona, blames GOP for cuts, Arizona Capitol Times. Sen. Leah Landrum Taylor, a Democrat from Phoenix, was joined by a crowed of nearly 100 parents and children Feb. 20 to challenge a decision by lawmakers to cut funding for state-run services for vulnerable children. The group gathered on the Senate Lawn to protest cuts made to the Department of Economic Security's Healthy Families Arizona program, a child abuse-prevention program created in October 1991.
  
• Jeff Hexamer, Chandler inventor touts new medical bracelet, The Arizona Republic. A Chandler man has a patent pending for a medical bracelet with a memory card that he says could save paperwork and even lives. The inventor, Jeff Hexamer, says the card will contain a person's photo, medical history, insurance information, blood type, medications, past surgeries, X-rays, emergency contacts and whether the patient is an organ donor.
  
• Dr. Melvin Cohen, Living legacy: Doctor guides tomorrow's pediatricians, The Arizona Republic. More than 25 years ago, when Phoenix Children's Hospital was new and hospital co-founder Melvin Cohen was embarking on another phase of his career, he performed Cheryl Whitfill's first kidney transplant. The experience - and most doctors - frightened her. But Cohen didn't. At 5 each morning, the physician stopped by the 10-year-old's hospital room to tell her good morning. And at 10 each night, he bid her sweet dreams before returning to his family in north-central Phoenix.
  
• Fran Roberts, RN PhD, Advanced degrees may be Rx for nursing, Phoenix Business Journal. The University of Phoenix is set to offer a Ph.D. program in nursing this fall, and competitor Grand Canyon University is evaluating whether it should do the same. “We are exploring the Ph.D.,” said Fran Roberts, vice president for strategic business alliances at Grand Canyon University, who has a doctorate in nursing. Roberts says the school faces two challenges: finding instructors and meeting demand to staff a growing number of clinics.
  
• Joshua LaBaer, Harvard director to lead ASU bioscience lab, The Arizona Republic. Arizona State University's Biodesign Institute has landed a Harvard Medical School scientist to launch a cutting-edge research lab that aims to pursue more accurate ways to diagnose and treat diseases such as breast cancer and diabetes. Joshua LaBaer, a Phoenix native who now serves as director of Harvard Medical School's Institute of Proteomics, will relocate his lab to the Biodesign Institute as director of the new Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics.
  
• Dr. Kristine Sellberg, Doctor wants to raise awareness of heart disease risk for women, Glendale Star. Heart disease kills one in every three women in the United States, more than all cancers combined, said Dr. Kristine Sellberg, who specializes in women's heart disease. “And more women than men die from coronary heart disease,” said Sellberg, a physician with Phoenix Heart. She sees patients at five Valley hospitals, including Arrowhead Hospital at 67th Avenue and Union Hills Drive.
  
• Alice Gagnaire, Retiring FMC nurse: Her heart's still in it, Arizona Daily Sun. In her career at FMC, Alice Gagnaire has been a unit supervisor, director of Nursing Support Services, associate administrator of Nursing Services, vice president of Patient Care Services, and, most recently, senior vice president. She has also overseen the recent development of the FMC Cardiovascular and Bariatric Surgery programs.
  
• Larry Aldrich, UPH chief faces challenges on 3 fronts, Arizona Daily Star. The recently named president and chief executive officer of University Physicians Healthcare has worn a couple of different hats in the 17 years he's lived in Tucson. After leaving his digs in Washington, D.C., Larry Aldrich spent his first eight years in the Old Pueblo at the helm of Tucson Newspapers Inc., which handles advertising, circulation and production for both the Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen.
  
• Michelle Martinez, New CEO takes over at Whiteriver Hospital, White Mountain Independent. Michelle Martinez took charge as the new chief executive officer of the Whiteriver Service Unit of the Phoenix Area Indian Health Service Jan. 5. Martinez has been acting CEO of the hospital for the past year, replacing former Director Rick Mize.
  
• Dr. William M. Crist, UPH Hospital taxpayer costs a challenge for UA official, Arizona Daily Star. The UA's vice president for health affairs says he's going to do what he can to reduce taxpayer costs at UPH Hospital, but that it may not be possible. "If you look at the actual patient-care cost versus payment received from third-party payers, on average we lose money in each case," Dr. William M. Crist said in an interview last week.
  
• Will Humble, State's scrapped anti-tobacco ads aimed at teens will air, The Arizona Republic. A new administration at the state Health Department has breathed new life into a series of tobacco-prevention TV ads that will air this month. Late last year, the former acting director of the department pulled the three 30-second ads, saying she questioned their cost-effectiveness, even after spending $900,000 on developing the commercials. But in his first major decision, Will Humble, the new interim director of the Arizona Department of Health Services, reversed that decision with the blessing of Gov. Jan Brewer's office.
  
• Dr. Deborah Lindquist, Oncologist becoming the doctor she has always admired, Verde Valley Independent. Dr. Deborah Lindquist celebrates her 20th year of practice in the Verde Valley Monday. She has invited all her patients and former patients to a reception for cake and coffee from 3:30 to 5 p.m. They all appreciate her presence here as well. Because, in addition to her warm smile, Deborah Lindquist has brought them a lot of hope.
  
• Dr. Fernando Martinez, UA picks pediatrician-researcher as interim chief of Bio5 Institute, Arizona Daily Star. A pediatrician whose interdisciplinary research has helped shed new light on chronic childhood illnesses has been named interim director of the UA's premier bioscience institute. University of Arizona officials have selected Dr. Fernando Martinez as interim director of the Bio5 Institute.
  
• Dr. John Elliot, The Baby Keeper, Newsweek. A Phoenix obstetrician uses controversial methods to help infertility patients and their babies survive high-risk multiple-birth pregnancies. But is he promising more than he can deliver?
  
• Dr. Ken Pettit, Physician moving forward with foothills hospital plan, The Arizona Republic. An Ahwatukee Foothills physician is moving forward with plans for a 110-bed physician-owned hospital for the southeastern corner of Chandler Boulevard and 50th Street. "When you move into a community you expect the infrastructure to be in place," said Dr. Ken Pettit, who has proposed the Paradigm Foothills Hospital, which also would include an emergency room, helipad and medical offices on 35 acres between 50th Street and Interstate 10. "Part of that infrastructure should be a hospital," he said. 
• Dr. Deborah Lindquist, Oncologist becoming the doctor she always has admired, Verde Independent. Dr. Deborah Lindquist celebrates her 20th year of practice in the Verde Valley Monday. She has invited all her patients and former patients to a reception for cake and coffee from 3:30 to 5 p.m. They all appreciate her presence here as well. Because, in addition to her warm smile, Deborah Lindquist has brought them a lot of hope. The tall, blonde woman treats their scary cancers. For two decades, while the science of treating cancer has grown, Lindquist has been the anchor for the practice in the Verde Valley. When she tells it, you think, "what a lucky set of circumstances." Deborah did not come from a family of medical doctors.
  

• Larry Aldrich, Larry Aldrichnamed CEO at UPH, Arizona Daily Star. Larry Aldrich has been named president and chief executive officer of University Physicians Healthcare, according to a Friday announcement. Aldrich had served as interim CEO since the resignation of former CEO Norm Botsford in June. Aldrich now heads all three divisions of UPH: a 350-member physicians group practice affiliated with the University of Arizona College of Medicine, a health plan division and University Physicians Hospital.
  
• Dr. John Shufeldt, NextCare to open more than 20 centers in 2009, Phoenix Business Journal. NextCare Urgent Care, a Mesa-based operator of 44 urgent care centers in six states, plans to expand to 65 facilities in seven states by the end of 2009. NextCare founder Dr. John Shufeldt, who continues to work eight shifts a month at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center’s emergency department, said he is beginning his own restructuring to improve patient flow.
  
• Stewart Flynn, UA Health Affairs leader OK with interim deans, Tucson Citizen. Stuart Flynn, the interim dean at the University of Arizona College of Medicine-Phoenix, doesn't have to worry about being replaced anytime soon, and not just because the search for a permanent dean was suspended last October for budget reasons. "He's called interim, but he's very strong. I couldn't be happier with his leadership. I like what he's doing, therefore I'm not changing it," said William Crist, UA's vice president for health affairs, during a break Friday at the Arizona Board of Regents meeting.
  
• Dr. Scott Klewer, People in action, Inside Tucson Business. Pediatric cardiologist Scott Klewer, MD has been elected to a two-year term as chief of staff at University Medical Center. Elected by the hospital’s medical staff, Dr. Klewer will be the chief administrative officer for the more than 700 university and community physicians who practice at UMC.
  
• Edna Ferris, At 87, still a thrif-shop dynamo, Arizona Daily Star. After more than 25 years volunteering at the St. Mary's Auxiliary Thrift Shop, Edna Ferris is a familiar face to many. The store raises money for Carondelet St. Mary's Hospital, 1601 W. St. Mary's Road, which is part of the Carondelet Health Network. Last year it raised around $63,000, Ferris said.
  
• Dr. Matthew J. Hummel, Chamber Gala Awards, Fountain Hills Times. Growing up next door to a surgeon in his hometown of Cadillac, Mich., Matthew J. Hummel decided at an early age he too wanted to become a doctor. The Chamber of Commerce rewarded the 38-year-old physician Saturday night by selecting him 2008 Business Person of the Year. About 145 attended the annual dinner at Rio Verde Country Club.
• Dr. Michael Shea, Yuma home to high-tech cancer treatment, Yuma Daily Sun. Behind a half-ton steel door 6-1/2 inches thick is a new machine used to treat prostate cancer. It's only the second in Arizona, and it's right here in Yuma. Dr. Michael Shea, of Sonoran Desert Oncology, said the machine helps guide radiation therapy during prostate cancer treatment. 
• Dr. Stuart Lacey, Surgery gives twins separate lives, The Arizona Republic. Dr. Stuart Lacey stood over the table and looked down at the boys. Around him, Operating Room 5 at Phoenix Children's Hospital was a blur. Nurses finished draping the patients, anesthesiologists monitored their vital signs, scrub techs checked, and checked again, that all the equipment was ready. 
• Dr. Ronald Korn, Radiologist sees image as key to better patient care, Phoenix Business Journal. Dr. Ronald Korn is excited about what the future holds for his field. “I can imagine a day where images will not only tell us what’s going on, on a general level, but also will give us direction on the best form of therapy for patients,” he said. The chief researcher at Scottsdale Medical Imaging also is a practicing nuclear medicine radiologist. Under his direction, SMI was the first local private radiology practice to develop a fully staffed research department in-house. 
• Nathan Giles, Tempe group in vanguard of health-data management, Arizona Business Gazette. When Nathan Giles first began working with Intel Corp. in 1994, he was a consultant brought in to help the company assess and resolve the ways it reported, tracked and solved health and safety issues. By 1997, Intel asked Giles to form an independent company that would allow them to continue a long-term relationship - and incidentally, allow Giles to launch Ex3, a Tempe-based company that's become an international leader in global, integrated data management for environment, health, safety, security and productivity.
• Dr. Randy Christensen, Valley's 10 most fascinating people, The Arizona Republic. For eight years, the doctor at Phoenix Children's Hospital has put in 60 or more hours a week taking care of homeless youth and runaways, mostly out of a mobile clinic painted a bright, can't-miss-it blue that he drives to the places where the kids hide out: parks, bridge underpasses, dark streets. 
• Dr. James Carter, Locals focus on portable, affordable insurance, Arizona Daily Sun. Flagstaff cardiologist James Carter's patients are often fighting battles on two fronts: with their illnesses and with their insurance companies. So Flagstaff Medical Center and City Hall held a meeting at the end of December, asking citizens, doctors, insurance brokers, and others what the city's memo to the White House should contain. Many suggestions focused on a broader-based and more affordable health insurance system. 
• Mark Leuer and Becky Tanner, Right At Home provides senior care option, Daily News-Sun. Becky Tanner and Mark Leuer, owners and operators of Right at Home In-home Care and Assistance in Glendale, came to the elder and disabled care business for personal reasons. Over the summer, Tanner and Leuer opened Right at Home, a franchise that has been around since 1995. The business offers in-home care for the elderly and disabled who do not desire or do not need full-time care.
• Sen. Sylvia Allen, Allen Knows Arizonans Face a Tough Year, Holbrook Tribune News. Another area that Allen feels should be addressed is health care. “Rural hospitals also face a struggle with funds. One out of five individuals in our district is on AHCCCS (Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System) and that puts a real strain on the system. There has been a 62 to 64 percent growth in AHCCCS enrollment over the past five years,” she explained. According to Allen, AHCCCS eligibility was raised, and she feels those rates need to be cut. 
• Jo Adkins, Adkins new CEO of West Valley Hospital, The Arizona Republic. Jo Adkins, the new chief executive officer of West Valley Hospital, will lead the 164-bed Goodyear facility as it strives to improve programs such as cardiovascular care and orthopedics. She replaces Phil Gustafson, who left to head St. Mary's Good Samaritan Inc. in Illinois. 
• Dr. Edward Diethrich, Edward Diethrich unveils $1M mobile studio, Phoenix Business Journal. Dr. Edward Diethrich, founder and medical director of the Arizona Heart Institute and Arizona Heart Hospital, is taking his education program high tech — and on the road. Diethrich, who performed the first live open-heart surgery for the Public Broadcasting Network in 1983, has custom built a $1 million high-definition satellite uplink production vehicle to share his life-saving techniques with other surgeons. 
• Sen. Carolyn Allen, Allen tries again with medical malpractice reform, Arizona Capitol Times. There is no mistaking the emphasis that can be drawn from the name of a new Arizona Senate committee announced early in December: Healthcare and Medical Liability Reform. Last year, that panel was simply called the Senate Health Committee. For the last several years, the chairwoman of the Health Committee, Sen. Carolyn Allen of Scottsdale, has tried to pass tort reform legislation aimed at raising the bar of proof in medical malpractice cases, a move that critics say would make it virtually impossible to sue physicians for mistakes made in emergency rooms. 
• Dr. Carl Myers, Local doctor leads health reform work for Obama team, Yuma Daily Sun. Dr. Carl Myers, a medical oncologist at YRMC, had previously been in contact with the president-elect's health care transition team regarding several medical issues, including its high cost. "I see that we can't be competitive in the world market unless we have a healthy workforce and a more effective medical system," Myers said. Myers was contacted by Obama's health care transition team and asked to host a meeting of local health care experts here in Yuma. Myers agreed and the meeting was held on Wednesday at the Yuma Regional Medical Center Corporate Center from noon to 3 p.m., drawing about 60 people. 
• Dr. Robert Sears, A pediatrician's cautious plan for vaccinating kids, The Arizona Republic. Although he knows well the controversies that swirl around them, pediatrician Robert Sears is not opposed to flu shots and other immunizations to protect kids from disease. But he hopes his approach to the traditional immunization schedule will alleviate the fears of parents who are. 
• Gay Evans, Women's health pioneer retires, Tucson Citizen. When Gay Evans started a health class for at-risk women 18 years ago, she wanted to teach them about sexually transmitted diseases and pelvic exams. She had no idea the program she started at El Rio Community Health Center, The Health Education Project, would eventually include rehabilitation centers, prisons, domestic violence shelters and more than 40 types of classes and about 60 volunteer teachers. Evans retired last week after 35 years as a nurse with El Rio.