1. Coastal Carolina Hospital - Hardeeville, S.C.
   
   
2. Delray Medical Center - Delray Beach, Fla.
   
   
3. Doctors Hospital of Manteca - Manteca, Calif.
   
   
4. East Cooper Medical Center  - Mount Pleasant, S.C.
   
   
5. Good Samaritan Medical Center - West Palm Beach, Fla.
   
   
6. Lakewood Regional Medical Center  - Lakewood, Calif.
   
   
7. Los Alamitos Medical Center  - Los Alamitos, Calif.
   
   
8. Saint Francis Hospital  - Memphis, Tenn.
   
   

Meanwhile, Sierra Providence East Medical Center and Sierra Medical Center were both recognized with an “A” Hospital Safety Score by The Leapfrog Group, an independent national nonprofit run by employers and other large purchasers of health benefits. A, B, C, D or F scores are assigned to U.S. hospitals based on preventable medical errors, injuries accidents, and infections.

The Hospital Safety Score is calculated under the guidance of The Leapfrog Group’s nine-member Blue Ribbon Expert Panel. The panel includes: John Birkmeyer (University of Michigan), Ashish Jha (Harvard University), Arnold Millstein (Stanford University), Peter Pronovost (Johns Hopkins University), Patrick Romano (University of California, Davis), Sara Singer (Harvard University), Tim Vogus (Vanderbilt University), and Robert Wachter (University of California, San Francisco).  According to The Leapfrog Group, it is the first and only hospital safety rating to be peer-reviewed in the Journal of Patient Safety (April 2013).

“Earning an ‘A’ on the Hospital Safety Score demonstrates that these hospitals have exhibited excellence in our national database of patient safety measures,” said Leah Binder, President and CEO of The Leapfrog Group. “I’d like to congratulate Sierra Providence East Medical Center and Sierra Medical Center for their achievements and encourage them to continue to put a priority on the safety of your patients.”

See SPHN scores      

The Leapfrog Group         

Sierra Providence Health Network      

     Farnam is one of the nation's most experienced robotic surgeons, having performed more than 750 robot-assisted procedures since 2007, according to the Texas Institute for Robotic Surgery at Las Palmas Medical Center. He recently performed the procedure on five patients this year. Using a single incision that is approximately two centimeters in length, the system enables surgeons to remove the uterus through the belly button in less than 60 minutes. Previously, hysterectomies required one large incision for open surgery or multiple small incisions for traditional laparoscopic surgery.

     “This single-site robotic platform provides surgeons with the increased dexterity, control and high-definition 3-D vision found with traditional robotic surgery, as well as the added benefit of performing the operation through a single, nearly invisible scar hidden in the navel,” Farnam said in a news release.

     Of the seven physicians selected to perform the single-site robotic hysterectomy, three are members of the Texas Institute for Robotic Surgery. The Texas Institute for Robotic Surgery at Las Palmas Medical Center was launched in March 2012, as an affiliate of the Austin-based Texas Institute for Robotic Surgery in the delivery of da Vinci surgical services.

Release   

Las Palmas wants to become robotic surgery epicenter  [originally posted July 20, 2011]

Las Palmas Medical Center recently purchased the new Si robot system in September and the simulator in March, costing a combined $2.2 million. The simulator hooks up to the robotic surgical system, the da Vinci Si, which has been used at Las Palmas for gynecological or urological robotic surgeries since 2008. The simulator is part of a larger plan to help the hospital’s Southwest Institute for Robotic Surgery become an epicenter for robotic surgery, attracting doctors from all over to train. Richard Farnam, MD, is chairman of robotic surgery at Las Palmas Medical Center. This story has received attention from numerous trade publications around the country.

Article      

TV news

Intuitive Surgical website 

Pictured:  Physicians can practice their surgical skills with the da Vinci Skills Simulator. The simulator hooks up to the robotic surgical system da Vinci Si. 

Pictured below:  Dr. Salvador Saldivar, director of residents in robotics at the Texas Tech Paul L. Foster School of Medicince, says the simulator will help residents perfect their surgical skills.

Images courtesy of the El Paso Times.

Full story 

• Access to care

• Research, data collection, and academic alliances

• Strategic planning

• Tuberculosis

• Obesity/diabetes

• Infectious disease and public health emergencies

Its strategic actions for 2013 include various activities and product-oriented, measurable outputs. The complete list of actions may be viewed by clicking below.

Strategic Actions (PDF)  

Border Health Commission releases its 2011 goals and plans 

The United States-México Border Health Commission (BHC) has released a document outlining its goals, actions, and plans for program year 2010-2011. The document also identifies achievements of the BHC over the past decade. 

English                     Spanish

Swimmer     

Men’s Health article centers on study led by TTUHSC scientist  [originally posted Nov. 8, 2012]

Men’s Health magazine published a story Nov. 6 about how pulmonary edema can strike athletes who are taking fish oil supplements.  The story is substantiated by a 2010 study conducted by El Paso professor and athlete Charles C. Miller III, PhD. Here is an excerpt from the story:

       “In a 2010 study published in The American Journal of Emergency Medicine, researchers found that ‘pulmonary edema is an unusual but not rare event, which occurs in approximately 1.4 percent of community triathletes.’ 

       “While cross-training in the pool during a high-mileage phase of marathon training, I had an episode of SIPE, or swimming-induced pulmonary edema, myself,” says the study’s lead author, Charles C. Miller III, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Like Jeremy, he ended up hospitalized temporarily before being released with no good explanation for what had caused it.  After combing the research literature himself, Miller discovered case reports of pulmonary edema in military swimmers and free divers.  He also found threads discussing the condition on Internet triathlon forums.”

 Read the entire Men’s Health story -- “The Hidden Danger of Fish Oil Supplements”

      “This is yet another milestone in bringing higher standards of health care to El Paso,” said Dr. Manuel de la Rosa, founding dean of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, in front of an audience who attended the UBCC’s accreditation celebration on Jan. 20.

      A free, hour-long lecture on the strides UBCC is making to improve breast cancer outcomes will take place at 5:30 p.m. next Thursday, March 7^th at the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine (room 1140). Dr. Nahleh will give the lecture. There will be time for Q&A.  For more information or to RSVP, please call 915-545-6707.

Six years ago, El Paso had one pediatric emergency specialist. Today, the pediatric subspecialties currently offered at El Paso Children’s Hospital include emergency medicine, rehabilitation, imaging, radiology, general surgery, neonatology and perinatology, respiratory therapy, neurodiagnostics, cardiac services, anesthesiology and pain, neurosurgery, orthopedic surgery, intensive care, gastroenterology, endoscopy, ophthalmology, maxillofacial surgery, pathology, hematology, and oncology.

El Paso Children’s Hospital continues to be the first and only separately licensed, independent, 501(c) (3) not-for-profit children’s hospital in the El Paso region and is the only dedicated pediatric hospital within a 200-mile radius of El Paso.

El Paso Times images   

El Paso Inc. story  

KFOX report     

See El Paso Children's Hopsital gallery of pictures like these:

See El Paso Inc. and El Paso Times images like this one: 

      “With the official start of winter just days away, it is definitely surprising to see new cases of the disease so late in the year,” said Fernando Gonzalez, lead epidemiologist, in a Dec. 19, 2012 press release.  The city continues to monitor the presence of West Nile in the region and encourages residents to continue to take precautions and remain vigilant.

     List of West Nile Virus cases in our area as of Dec. 19, 2012:

Patient              Age    Zip Code

1.     Male              54         79935

2.     Male              34         79912

3.     Male              75         79915 (deceased)

4.     Male              25         79936 (deceased)

5.     Female          81         79907

6.     Male              80         79905

7.     Male              77         79915 (deceased)

8.     Male              53         79912

9.     Male              68         79936 (deceased)

10.  Male              71         79849

11.  Male              57         79938

12.  Female          47         79927

13.  Male              49         79915

14.  Male              60         79925

15.  Female           85         79915

16.  Female           59         79927

17.  Female           62         79927

18.  Male               47         79936

19.  Female           72         79925

20.  Female           67         79935 (deceased)

21.  Female           48         79936

22.  Female           56         79905

23.  Male               5          79927

24.  Male               50         79922

25.  Male               66         79907

26.  Male               26         79902

27.  Male               22         79932

28.  Female           66         79935

29.  Female           47         79912

30.  Female           53         79907

31.       Male    78        79903 (deceased)

32.       Male    74        79925 (new)

Editorial, Deadly Mosquitoes in El Paso, written & published by Synapse, October 2012  

Botulism, Listeriosis and West Nile Virus in El Paso [originally posted Oct. 3, 2011]  

Since September, the El Paso Department of Public Health has announced the discovery of botulism, Listerisis and West Nile in the area.

A strain of Listeriosis that is part of the recent national outbreak related to contaminated cantaloupes was identified in two people, a 77-year-old woman and an 80-year-old woman. Both are now recovering at their homes. Given the incubation period of the disease, more local cases could pop up in the coming weeks.  People are urged to properly dispose of cantaloupes labeled from Jensen (Colorado) farms. Proper disposal entails enclosing the melon in a plastic bag and dropping it inside a sealed trash can. This will prevent other people or animals from eating it.

A seventh case of West Nile virus has been identified so far this year, with one death of an 89-year-old woman resulting. This time last year, 24 West Nile virus cases had been identified in our area. Residents are reminded to be vigilant in protecting themselves from West Nile by guarding against mosquito bites. 

Earlier in the month, public health officials announced the investigation of four cases of wound botulism.  Officials urge heroin users and physicians to be vigilant as the bacteria is believed to come from a batch of black tar heroin from Mexico.

See Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare’s scores  

The Commission on Cancer, established in 1922 by the American College of Surgeons, is a consortium of professional organizations dedicated to improving survival rates and quality of life for cancer patients through standard setting, prevention, research, education, and the monitoring of comprehensive, quality care. Surveyed facilities are evaluated for their compliance with 26 standards.  The data from accredited facilities is used to develop effective educational interventions to improve cancer care outcomes at the national, state, and local level.

The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 1.6 million cases of cancer will be diagnoses in 2012. There are currently more than 1,500 cancer programs in the U.S. and Puerto Rico accredited by the Commission on Cancer, representing close to 30 percent of all hospitals.  This 30 percent of hospitals diagnose and/or treat approximately 80 percent of all newly diagnosed cancer patients each year. 

       The National Research Corp. is a company headquartered in Nebraska that does annual, national surveys in which consumers rate hospitals on quality and image. It surveyed 250,000 households for this year's awards, the company reported. It analyzes the data to pick the top consumer-rated hospitals in select markets.

National Research Corp          

El Paso Times story 

(If the link to the El Paso Times story is broken or missing, please contact Synapse at (915) 613-2478.)

       Additionally, the hospital has been certified by the Joint Commission and its laboratory has been accredited by the College of Pathology. Of its employees, 245 medical staff physicians and 31 allied health professionals have been credentialed, and the first slate of medical staff officers have been appointed:  Drs. Nicolas Rich, Jagdish Patel and Rodolfo Fierro-Stevens.

       As of the 1st of October, the hospital has also accomplished 24/7 attending hospitalist coverage in its Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and General Pediatric floor. Hospitalists are physicians or medical practitioners whose primary focus is the care of patients in the hospital setting. El Paso Children’s Hospital now has six full-time hospitalists to care for patients 24/7. Another accomplishment achieved in partnership with Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center at El Paso has been the recruitment of 14 pediatric subspecialists, including, most recently: Dr. Eduardo Rosas-Blum (pediatric gastroenterologist), Dr. Aldo Maspons (pediatric gastroenterologist), and Dr. Staci Bryson (pediatric pathologist).

Meet Drs. Eduardo Rosas-Blum, Aldo Maspons, and Staci Bryson      

El Paso Children’s Hospital website            

UMC receives NAPH President's Award for extraordinary transformation [originally posted May 9, 2011]

University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC) will receive the President’s Award during the 2011 conference of the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems (NAPH) in Chicago June 22-24.  The President’s Award is the highest honor NAPH bestows on one of its member hospitals. In a notification letter to UMC, NAPH President Larry Gage wrote that the award is being granted in honor of the extraordinary transformation UMC has made in recent years, especially in the areas of innovation, community partnerships and medical excellence.

NAPH        

Time  

View the article                      Visit Texas Hospitals magazine            

The cover story in the September/October 2012 issue of Medical Construction & Design features UMC’s recently completed $315 million campus makeover.  Titled “Extreme Makeover – Hospital Edition,” the story offers vivid exterior and interior images of the UMC’s East Tower, UMC’s new emergency department, UMC’s new women’s hospital, the new El Paso Children’s Hospital and the new main entrance and lobby area. The prose details UMC’s evolution over its 97-year lifespan, including “its newest series of nine simultaneous complex upgrades” in six years. Medical Construction & Design is the leading source of news for the many disciplines involved in the design and construction of healthcare facilities.   

View the article                         Visit MCD magazine           

The September 2012 issue of Orthopedics Today features El Paso orthopedic surgeon Amr Abdelgawad and his warning to his peers about overlooking necrotizing fasciitis, a rare and often deadly flesh eating disease. Dr. Abdelgawad believes surgeons should always have the diagnosis in mind despite its rarity. Even in relatively minor injuries, the infection can result. “We now see necrotizing fasciitis in healthy kids playing football," he said. He and several other orthopedists are quoted in the article urging all of their colleagues to be vigilant.  He cites studies that show a missed diagnosis can raise the mortality rate to more than 80 percent. Abdelgawad works at El Paso Children’s Hospital and he is an assistant professor in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery & Rehabilitation at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Paul at El Paso. Orthopedics Today is a peer reviewed journal for orthopedic professionals on clinical advances.

See the article            

National association features UMC in article about preventing patient pressure ulcers  [Originally posted June 29, 2012]

National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems on June 29 published an online article featuring University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC) and its success in reducing pressure ulcer incidence. The article is titled “From Indicators to Interventions: How UMC Cut Pressure Ulcer Incidence.”

UMC achieved the reduction after forming a Failure Mode and Effect Analysis Group.  The group identified a series of indicators that help guide emergency department nurses in determining when and how to intervene before a pressure ulcer develops.  In other words, they identified a series of pressure ulcer indicators and implemented a new patient handoff process.  As a result, the number of “not present on admission” pressure ulcers at UMC decreased from 3 per 1,000 patients in August 2011 to about 1.5 per 1,000 patients in January 2012.

According to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ Partnership for Patients initiative, each year more than 2.5 million people in the U.S. develop pressure ulcers in health care settings or at home.

Read the entire article

El Paso Times  

Over the course of the study, Collin Payne, an assistant marketing professor in NMSU's College of Business and the study's principal investigator, will partner with NMSU professors Mihai Niculescu of the College of Business and Rebecca Palacios of the College of Health and Social Services, as well as Cornell University professor David Just, to assess the layout of grocery stores in the region. The group will then analyze the purchasing and consumption patterns of Mexican American families and use sustainable marketing-oriented environmental changes to increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables. These environmental changes would include the use of in-store, "socially driven" messages, such as "Eighty-two percent of shoppers in this store buy tomatoes for a healthy heart." Among the study's objectives are to increase fruit and vegetable purchases by 10 percent over a six month period.

Once the study is complete, Payne's group plans to work with the Paso del Norte Health Foundation to disseminate their findings, including public policy recommendations to encourage greater governmental and commercial cooperation in finding ways to improve healthier eating.

Release 

Mental health report     

Guest Column by David Buchmueller 

New:

Study: New Medicaid expansion could be a lifesaver  -- in brief:  States that expand their Medicaid programs under President Barack Obama's health care law may end up saving thousands of lives, a medical journal report released July 25 indicates.  Until now, the Medicaid debate has been about budgets and states' rights; but, a statistical study by Harvard researchers in the New England Journal of Medicine found a 6 percent drop in the adult death rate in Arizona, Maine and New York, three states that have recently expanded coverage for low-income residents along the general lines of the federal health care law.  The study found that for every 176 adults covered under expanded Medicaid, one death per year would be prevented.  In addition to the drop in death rates among adults ages 20 to 64, the study found a 21 percent drop in delays getting care blamed on cost barriers.  The study compared key health statistics in the three states that expanded Medicaid coverage with outcomes in neighboring states that did not, examining five years before the expansion and the five years after.

New:

Friday's New York Times reported on the potential impact on safety net hospitals that treat large numbers of undocumented immigrants of scheduled cuts in Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) adjustment payments. The cuts were included in the Affordable Care Act.  http://tinyurl.com/c9arjpb

Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act, Texas and local leaders react

By a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court on June 28 upheld the Affordable Care Act (the "Act"), the centerpiece of President Obama's domestic agenda in his first term, and the largest single piece of legislation in more than 70 years.  Read the court's opinion 

Here is a compilation of what Texas elected officials and other local leaders have said in reaction

COMPILED FROM NEWS REPORTS

Texas Sen. José Rodríguez, D-El Paso
"Today's decision is an incredible victory for the nearly 30 percent of El Pasoans, the 5 million statewide, and the 1.2 million Texas children who lack health insurance. I applaud Chief Justice Roberts for making the right decision to uphold the individual mandate and putting the Constitution above partisan politics."

U.S. Rep. Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas
"This historic legislation came at a crucial time for our city with over 230,000 people uninsured in 2009. When the new law is fully implemented in just a few years, El Pasoans who now lack health insurance will receive coverage -- many for the first time."

U.S. Rep. Francisco "Quico" Canseco, R-Texas, (district covers the far east edge of El Paso County)
"If we do not repeal it, Obamacare will leave Americans with more expensive and lower quality health care," he said. He added that Washington, D.C., not patients or doctors, would be in charge of health care.
Canseco said the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act could threaten access to health care by seniors because of the more than half a trillion dollars in cuts to Medicare to pay for it.

U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas

"The Supreme Court has declared the health care law constitutional, but that doesn't make it good policy. In fact, the majority said it was not ruling on fairness or wisdom of health care policy, but instead on the power of Congress to levy taxes."

U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas
"The Supreme Court made clear today that the American people will be the ultimate judge of Obamacare. As Republicans, we will redouble our efforts to repeal this job-killing law."

Lawrence G. Duncan, CEO, El Paso Children’s Hospital
"While it is good for patients and specifically children to get additional insurance coverage, it does not expand the overall pool of Medicaid dollars. The money will need to come from somewhere, and my suspicion is it will be from the rates paid to physicians and hospitals."

James N. Valenti, CEO and President, University Medical Center of El Paso
“However you feel about yesterday’s Court ruling, few can argue that our nation’s healthcare system is not in need of reform. Nearly 60 million Americans are without healthcare coverage today. Those who have it are often dropped by their insurance companies when they get sick or face steep increases in their premiums. Reimbursement rates for the care that is being provided don’t even come close to covering expenses. And the rate of healthcare spending in the United States is simply unsustainable. The Affordable Care Act does not solve all of those issues, but the legislation still features many positives.”

Dr. Jose Manuel de la Rosa, Vice President for Health Affairs at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and the founding dean of the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine
"This is an important step for improving health care for all of us. The research we perform within our own school specifically addresses problems of our population and attracts physicians and researchers alike from across the country." Additionally, he said he would like to urge Congress to move quickly to "provide federal support for additional doctor training by funding more residency and fellowship programs in order to ensure that the border has access to care -- not just an insurance card."

State Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin
"If the Legislature expands Medicaid in Texas to comply with the law and this decision, then thousands of Central Texans will have new access to health coverage, and the region will need doctors to treat those people before minor health ailments become catastrophic ones. That's why a medical school is so critical for Austin's future: To attract and train more physicians, we need a reliable stream of medical students, residents and doctors that a medical school would provide."

U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin
"The Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act is a win for Texas families, a win for Texas seniors, and a win for Texas small businesses who have and will continue to benefit from this important law."

U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, 
R-Austin
"The Supreme Court has validated what we have called this all along and what the president flatly denied: that this is the biggest tax increase on the American people."

U.S. Rep. John Carter, R-Round Rock
"We have two grave issues now at stake – our health care system and our individual freedoms. This decision means that in the court's opinion, there are no longer any limits on what individual actions the government can force us to undertake."

U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, R-San Antonio
"While millions of Americans are disappointed by today's decision, Congress will not be deterred in our commitment to repeal Obamacare."

Gov. Rick Perry
"This ruling will be a stomach punch to the American economy. It is a shocking disappointment to freedom-loving Americans desperate to get our country back on track."

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, Republican candidate for U.S. Senate
"Obamacare has been a disaster since it was passed — increasing America's tax burden to cover the out-of-control costs. Obamacare has further weakened our economy."

Bill Hammond, president, Texas Association of Business
"Unless Congress takes action to replace this plan with something that is more workable, we will see many jobs lost, and many businesses that offer insurance to their employees now will drop that coverage."

Becky Moeller, president, Texas AFL-CIO
"Working families in Texas have cause for historic celebration today."

Doug Ulman, CEO, Lance Armstrong Foundation
"Today, cancer survivors throughout the U.S. are celebrating. ... The Affordable Care Act's life-saving measures, so critical to cancer survivors and their families, will be preserved, and we are enormously relieved that justice has prevailed."

Supreme Court hears health care reform arguments beginning today [orginally posted Mar. 26, 2012]

The Supreme Court begins a six hours of oral arguments starting today about the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“Affordable Care Act”).  The Court’s decision is not expected before June 2012. Until then, a basic understanding of the questions the Court will consider, coupled with information about how those questions were briefed and decided by lower courts, may be viewed at http://www.jdsupra.com/post/documentViewer.aspx?fid=3da8cee9-7b61-4159-a6c5-fefea5bca326.

Supreme Court sets date to hear health care reform arguments  [orignally posted Dec. 20, 2011]

The Supreme Court announced Monday (Dec. 19) it will hear 5½ hours of arguments spread over three days March 26-28 about the sweeping healthcare reform law championed by President Obama.

   The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA or ACA) was signed into law March 23, 2010, passed by a Democratic congressional majority with the support of the president. It has about 2700 pages and contains 450 some provisions.

   A ruling from the court is expected by late June and regardless of the outcome, will become a major issue in a presidential election year.

   The largest and broadest legal challenge to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act comes from a joint filing by 26 states, led by Florida. It was that series of appeals the high court had accepted for review.

   At issue is whether the "individual mandate" section -- requiring nearly all Americans to buy health insurance by 2014 or face financial penalties -- is an improper exercise of federal authority. The states also say that if that linchpin provision is unconstitutional, the entire law must be also go.

   Joining Florida in the challenge are Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Mississippi, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

Four issues will be addressed by the Supreme Court:

-          Anti-Injunction Act

-          Individual mandate

-          Severability

-          Medicaid 'coercion'   

CNN report   

Supreme Court to Rule This Spring on Health Care Law   [originally posted Nov. 14, 2011]

The Supreme Court announced today (Nov. 14) that it would hear arguments on the Obama administration’s signature legislative achievement: the health care law.  Arguments are expected sometime this spring with a decision coming in early summer, months before the next presidential election.  The court will review a key provision of the law, known as the Affordable Care Act, the individual mandate that requires individuals to buy health insurance by 2014 or pay a tax penalty. It will also hear arguments regarding whether the mandate can be severed from the rest of the law, whether the challenge is barred by a federal tax law whether the law’s Medicaid expansion presents an undue burden on the states. Justices have budgeted five-and-a half hours for the arguments – much more than is generally allotted for a single case.

ABC News                Washington Post

Doctors Wilbur Strader and Robert Young, who owned the practice, will continue to work there as Texas Tech employees. They have also joined the faculty of the med school where they will conduct research and teach students about endocrine diseases such as diabetes.

Southwest Endocrine Consultants sees diabetes patients and people with metabolic, thyroid, hormone and growth problems. Information: southwestendocrine.com.

El Paso Inc. coverage      

   Study abstract

An electronic dashboard can enhance compliance with a specific checklist of indicators with daily management of injured patients in a trauma intensive care unit effectively. A performance management electronic dashboard monitored 24 indicators in the trauma intensive care unit over a 3-year period. Over a 3-year period, utilization of the electronic dashboard improved from 64% to 100% and mean compliance rose from 94.8% to 97.4%. Implementation of an electronic dashboard enhances compliance in managing trauma patients in a sustainable manner, allows immediate correction of deficiencies, monitors trends, and facilitates performance improvement/patient safety initiatives of a trauma program.

Journal of Trauma Nurses  

The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) will award Centro de Salud Familiar La Fe two grants totaling $4,789,395. These grants were made possible by the new health care law that will help build, expand and improve community health centers.  

“The impact of this grant funding is immeasurable. True quality of life begins and ends with our community’s right to health,” said Centro de Salud Familiar La Fe CEO Salvador Balcorta. “This funding paves the way for Centro de Salud Familiar La Fe to put our latest community-health programs into action.

La Fe will soon break ground in San Elizario to build a new, brick and mortar community-health center that will be four times larger than our current, 16-year-old modular facility. Patients at the La Fe Central Clinic in South El Paso will also soon have access to state-of-the-art, digital x-ray equipment and an expanded, modern laboratory-services area. La Fe is grateful for Congressman Silvestre Reyes’ continued support on behalf of the community’s health and wellbeing.”

La Fe provides low-income families with access to quality preventive and primary health care services.  With nine primary clinics and over 300 qualified medical, dental, nursing, support, and community health professionals serving in the El Paso-area, La Fe has provided medical and dental services to over 23,000 clients in the community. La Fe is located in a medically underserved area and health professional shortage area, as designated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

Centro San Vicente

In addition, HHS will also award Centro San Vicente a continuing grant of $2,685,479 through the Health Centers Cluster program.  The grant will help improve San Vicente’s procedures and operations such as X-ray examinations, lab tests, behavioral services and oral health services.

The Health Center Cluster Program provides financial assistance to the populations that would generally not have access to health care services by funding health centers to support comprehensive primary and preventive health care services to underserved or rural areas.  The funds may be used for oral health care, mental health care and substance abuse services.

Centro San Vicente provides community-based primary healthcare with particular concern for the poor and needy.  With a coordinated and holistic approach in caring for body, mind, and spirit, San Vicente offers affordable health care, social service, and health education programs in collaboration with other health, social service, and educational agencies.

Reuters article 

To receive designation, a hospital must meet or exceed a wide set of stringent criteria and demonstrate their commitment to reducing the time it takes for patients experiencing symptoms of a possible heart attack to receive treatment.  They must also create an effective system to get patients into the catheterization lab so a blocked coronary artery can be opened in the shortest amount of time.  The American Heart Association recommends that angioplasty be done within 90 minutes of a patient’s arrival in the Emergency Department.  UMC’s “door to balloon time” averages less than 60 minutes.

Other El Paso hospitals with the designation of Chest Pain Center include: Sierra Medical Center, Providence Memorial Hospital, Las Palmas Medical Center and Del Sol Medical Center.

More than 600,000 Americans die each year from a heart attack, making it the leading cause of death for both men and women.  The goal of the Society of Chest Pain Centers and of UMC is to significantly reduce the mortality rate of these patients by teaching the public to recognize and act on early symptoms of a possible heart attack by seeking medical help.  Heart attack symptoms include:

• Chest pain or discomfort, such as pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain in the center of left side of the chest.
• Upper body discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or upper part of the stomach.
• Shortness of breath, which may occur with or before chest discomfort.
• Nausea, vomiting, light-headedness or sudden dizziness, or breaking out in a cold sweat.  Patients may also experience heartburn, sleep problems, fatigue and lack of energy.

The Society of Chest Pain Centers 

UMC recognized for initiatives aimed at improving patient care outcomes [origially posted Apr 18, 2012]

University Medical Center of El Paso has received the Texas Healthcare Quality Improvement Silver Award from TMF^® Health Quality Institute, the Medicare Quality Improvement Organization for Texas. UMC was the only hospital district in Texas to earn the Texas healthcare Quality Improvement Silver Award. TMF established the awards program in partnership with The Texas Hospital Association, Texas Medical Association, Texas Organization of Rural & Community Hospitals and Texas Osteopathic Medical Association. Texas Health Care Quality Improvement Awards honor Texas hospitals that are performing quality initiatives aimed at improving outcomes in patient care related to acute myocardial infarction or AMI (heart attack), heart failure, pneumonia and surgical care.  The award will be presented to UMC during a ceremony in Austin on May 3, 2012.

UMC earns accreditation in diabetes education  [originally posted June 29, 2011]

The American Association of Diabetes Educators has awarded accreditation to University Medical Center’s Diabetes Management Program.  It will allow the hospital’s certified diabetes educators to expand their work. UMC’s program provides people with self-management training in areas such as accurately monitoring their blood glucose levels, and adopting healthy eating habits and exercise. Studies prove that ongoing diabetes education dramatically improves the health and quality of people’s lives and it reduces healthcare costs

UMC is the only local hospital to win a Medal of Honor [originally posted Nov. 8, 2010]

University Medical Center of El Paso received the Department of Health and Human Services’ Medal of Honor for Organ Donation. This award is one of 20 in Texas and 307 in U.S. for success in increasing the number of organs available for transplantation. The HHS Medal of Honor also went to 28 organ procurement organizations, 157 transplant programs, and 11 individuals. Awardees were honored at the Sixth National Learning Congress for the Donation and Transplantation Community of Practice held in Grapevine, Texas.

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“This confirms to cancer patients in Las Cruces, Southern New Mexico, and El Paso, that they can receive state of the art, high-quality radiation therapy treatment, right here, in their own community,” said Ikard’s chief radiation oncologist, Dr. Cherie Hayostek.

Memorial Ikard Cancer Treatment Center is located south of the MMC Medical Center Parking lot, 2450 S. Telshor Blvd., Suite E.  Phone number is (575) 556-5800.

American College of Radiology  

American Society for Radiation Oncology  

Read the chapter 

Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecological cancer in women in the United States.  Its most prevalent form is associated with a high estrogenic state as seen in obesity and associated disorders such as diabetes and polycysctic ovarian syndrome.  Less common, endometrial cancer can be inherited along with colon cancer in some high risk families, according to Saldivar.

In his clinical practice in El Paso, Dr. Saldivar offers genetic risk testing for endometrial cancer and other hereditary cancers. His clinic is called Genetic Cancer Risk Assessment Clinic, which opened in 2010. The risk test measures a patient’s risk for developing a hereditary cancer, like breast, ovarian, uterine and colon cancers seen in Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer and Lynch Syndrome families, among others, based on personal/family history and subsequent genetic testing.  

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"We are ecstatic about this very generous donation…and are thrilled to see if we can keep the momentum going and build an indoor arena…," said Sarah Veeder, an equine science instructor and advisor of the NMSU Therapeutic Riding Program. The current space being used by clients is an open arena that is vulnerable to weather and the distractions of traffic and other passersby. Sometimes, classes have to be canceled to accommodate weather conditions, leading to disappointment from clients who look forward to their sessions. 

Faculty and staff with the riding program are looking to build an arena about 65-feet by 131-feet in size within the next five years. Veeder estimated the total cost for a basic structure at $150,000. She said the program will continue to seek contributions until they reach that goal. For more information, call 575-646-2929.

Therapeutic Riding Program website  

KRWG TV/FM    

The Hunt Family Foundation donated $1 million as a challenge grant to the El Paso Children's Hospital Intensive Care Unit. The grant will match every $2 donated with $1 up to the $1 million donation, said hospital Chief Executive Officer Lawrence Duncan.

"Having the bricks and mortar are great, but it's these kinds of donations that are going to move the children's hospital forward," Duncan said during a April 4th ceremony honoring the donors and naming the hospital's 10th floor wing as the Woody and Gayle Hunt Family Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU). The nonprofit hospital, which opened Feb. 14, is the only dedicated pediatric hospital within a 200-mile radius of the city. The 22-bed PICU has seen up to 10 patients at a time and will be able to handle more patients in the coming months as more health care staff are recruited.

Opinion Editorial 

News from June 2011:

The El Paso Children's Hospital received a million-dollar gift this week (June 24) from the James A. "Buddy" Davidson Charitable Foundation of Midland. It is the single largest gift the hospital has received so far. As a result, the ninth floor will be named the James A. "Buddy" Davidson General Pediatrics Floor. Half of the money will be used for an endowment for pediatrics, while the other half will be used to buy pediatric medical equipment. The Children's Hospital will open February at 4825 Alameda, under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Larry Duncan.

News story                  UMC Foundation Release        

News from August 2010:

During the week of Aug. 8, the associates of several local Golden Corral restaurants proudly presented a check on behalf of their customers totaling $23,720 to University Medical Center Foundation, the fundraising organization for Children’s Miracle Network.  The money will benefit El Paso Children’s Hospital. 

   

    According to a study appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), researchers found that the intravenous medication of patients with GIK within the first hour did not prevent the heart attack from happening; however, other promising outcomes did result. The size of the heart attack was smaller and there were fewer cardiac arrests or deaths when the patients received the GIK solution versus the placebo.

THE STUDY

    Compared to 10 percent of the heart muscle being lost to heart attack in the placebo group, in those receiving GIK, only 2 percent was lost.  Also, compared to 9 percent of patients with placebo having cardiac arrest or dying, in the GIK group 4 percent had cardiac arrest or died, a reduction of more than 50 percent.  For the group of patients who presented with “ST-elevation heart attacks,” those who need immediate intervention, the placebo group had heart attacks that consume 12 percent of the heart muscle, versus 3 percent in those who got GIK.  And in this group, cardiac arrest or mortality occurred in 14 percent among those receiving placebo, versus 4 percent in those getting GIK.  The GIK treatment was administered in the ambulance and continued during the hospitalization for 12 hours. The cost of the treatment is only about $50.

   The findings of the study were presented at the American College of Cardiology’s annual meeting in Chicago Mar. 27 and were simultaneously published online in JAMA. This national study was led by Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, under the direction of Harry P. Selker, MD, principal investigator and executive director of the Institute for Clinical Research and Health Policy Studies at Tufts Medical Center, and Joni Beshansky, RN, MPH, co-principal investigator and project director. 

LOCAL PARTICIPATION

    Under the local direction of Robert Woolard, MD, (pictured) of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC), Department of Emergency Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, with involvement of local hospitals, the El Paso Fire Department and local paramedics, people who called 911 with symptoms of a heart attack from 2008 through July 2011 were evaluated for enrollment in the study. This study is the first National Institutes of Health-sponsored, large-scale clinical trial conducted in El Paso.

    The research was brought to the community as part of the mission of the TTUHSC Paul L. Foster School of Medicine working in collaboration with community hospitals, the city, fire department and the paramedics to improve the health of the people of El Paso. 

    “During the study most El Paso patients with heart attacks who called 911 agreed to be studied and could be enrolled because six El Paso hospitals (University Medical Center, Providence, Sierra, Las Palmas, Del Sol and Providence-Sierra East) agreed to participate in the trial,” said Dr. Woolard. “The study treatment was started in the ambulance and continued for 12 hours in the hospital.”

    The study included El Paso Fire Department and 35 other EMS agencies around the country that together enrolled 911 patients. Prior to the study, 200 residents were polled in El Paso and each of the 13 participating communities across the nation and agreed that participation in the study was positive for their community.   

A ribbon cutting for the $103 million Women’s Pavilion took place Oct. 29, 2011. In November 2011, the outpatient portion of the pavilion, which occupies the first five floors of the 10-story tower, opened. The outpatient center includes a physical rehabilitation center, a chemotherapy and infusion center for cancer treatments, a laboratory and an imaging center.

The El Paso Children’s Hospital, which occupies the remaining five floors above the Women’s Pavilion, opened Feb. 14, 2011.

News brief   

Del Sol opens orthopedic and spine unit  [posted Feb. 21, 2012]

Del Sol Medical Center has announced the opening of its new Orthopedic and Spine Institute.  The new program will focus on care of specialized spinal surgery, including spinal fusions, and all types of orthopedic surgeries, including joint replacement. The grand opening takes place today on Del Sol’s fifth floor. Meanwhile, Las Palmas Del Sol Healthcare system has relocated Del Sol’s pediatric unit to Las Palmas Medical Center.

William Beaumont Army Medical Center unveiled an enhanced mammography suite during a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Brigadier General Dennis Doyle Feb. 14. The suite holds a number of improvements including an enlarged biopsy suite and mammography examination rooms. Equipment for mammography exams have been converted from analog to digital, improving diagnostic ability. A dedicated ultrasound system was also added for additional imaging to diagnose breast abnormalities. Patients may also expect improved privacy and comfort as a result of renovated patient dressing rooms.  

News story 

Beaumont Army Medical Center Opens Neonatal ICU

Brig. Gen. Dennis D. Doyle hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand opening of a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit on Feb. 14. The upgrade of the Level I nursery to a Level II nursery means that babies born after 36 weeks of gestation with minor complications will be able to be cared for at William Beaumont Army Medical Center. Prior to that renovation, babies born with minor complications were transferred to local hospitals for their care.  The William Beaumont Army Medical Center is located at 5005 N. Piedras Street. For more information, call 915-742-2121.

News story  

     Ferrera, the guest speaker at the event, said El Paso had a dear place in her heart because her husband, Ryan Piers Williams, was raised here. Ferrera, a Los Angeles native, has starred in films such as "Real Women Have Curves" and "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," and in the ABC show "Ugly Betty."

     "I cannot even begin to fathom the kind of work that has taken El Paso to go from a dramatically underserved community to now as one that has one of the most advanced children's hospital in Texas," Ferrera said. "Now children and families that previously had to leave town to receive care have access to this incredible facility and to the pediatric specialists that work here."

     The $120 million children's hospital opened last month.

     CEO Larry Duncan was quoted in an El Paso Times article saying, "The hospital is thriving. We didn't expect it immediately, but it happened immediately. Since it has opened, we've had an overflow of patients into our ICU because that is how needed this hospital was."

News story           Q&A with America Ferrera    

El Paso Children's Hospital now open to patients  [originally posted Feb. 16, 2012]

The El Paso Children's Hospital, at 4845 Alameda Ave. on the University Medical Center of El Paso campus, opened to patients on Tuesday (Feb. 14). The ribbon cutting took place Saturday (Feb. 11) with El Paso Children's Hospital CEO Larry Duncan making the ceremonious snip. A large group of children stood by his side as media cameras flashed. About 2,000 people attended the event and took the tour.

By Thursday (Feb. 16), the children’s hospital reported being busy in the ER with about 35-40 kids a day since opening. Hospital officials also said that a major staff announcement is expected to made within the next couple of months.

The 122-bed, nonprofit facility is the region’s first separately licensed children's hospital. The next closest dedicated pediatric hospital is more than 200 miles away, according to Duncan. The hospital takes up six floors (about 225,000 square feet) in the recently completed 10-story, $223 million tower next to the county-operated University Medical Center of El Paso. The hospital will have almost 400 employees.

El Paso Times           KFOX  

El Paso Children’s Hospital increases its online presence   [originally posted July 6, 2011]

The El Paso Children’s Hospital has announced its social networking presence in an effort to keep the public better informed of developments.  Find them at facebook.com/elpasochildrens, youtube.com/elpasochildrens, twitter.com/#!/elpasochildrens, linkedin.com/company/2245932.  On its YouTube channel, the Children's Hospital has uploaded a new video offering a "sneak peek" at patient rooms, nurses stations, etc.  The hospital's social networking launch is in addition to its new monthly newsletter aimed at medical professionals called "Physician Notes." Click here to see the June 2011 edition of "Physician Notes," which contains a feature article on Amr Abdelgawad, pediatric orthopedic surgeon who trained in children's hospitals in Egypt, Switzerland, Japan and in the U.S.

(Picture:   A child with broken blood vessels in eyes and bruising on face due to pertussis coughing.)

The City of El Paso Department of Public Health’s Immunization Program offers the DTaP (for infants and children)and Tdap (for pre-teens, teens and adult) vaccines, which protect from pertussis as well as tetanus, and diphtheria at its five clinic locations across the city. Clients must be uninsured and meet eligibility requirements. The cost is either $10 for one vaccine or $20 for more than one vaccine during a single visit.  For more:  http://www.elpasotexas.gov/health/immunization.asp or (915) 771-5740. .

In related news across the nation:

The Wall Street Journal on Wednesday (Feb. 15) reported, "Pediatricians fed up with parents who refuse to vaccinate their children out of concern it can cause autism or other problems increasingly are "firing" such families from their practices, raising questions about a doctor's responsibility to these patients. Medical associations don't recommend such patient bans, but the practice appears to be growing, according to vaccine researchers."
http://tinyurl.com/7zqae2f

USA Today recently reported, "Lawmakers in seven states are considering legislation that would make it easier for parents to opt out of mandatory immunization requirements for their children, sparking debate among public health experts and some parents." According to the article, all but two states —West Virginia and Mississippi — as well the District of Columbia, allow parents to opt out of school-required vaccines based on religious beliefs.  The legislation that is being considered would allow an opt-out for "philosophical beliefs."
http://tinyurl.com/6son9cm

The program also reports that agreements have been fostered with the region’s two federally qualified healthcare centers, which include Centro San Vicente and Project Vida; as well as with one of the El Paso County’s only private primary care providers, Adventist Family Clinic. These agreements will enable Healthcare Heroes to provide patient navigation and serve as a central referral site for uninsured patients who are in need of specialty care services.

Referrals from social workers and nurse case managers representing area hospitals are sent to Healthcare Heroes staff. The staff then contacts the patients to establish a medical home at either at Centro San Vicente, Project Vida or Adventist Family Clinic. Once the patient is established at the medical home, medical providers identify which patients are in most need of specialty care through the program’s volunteer Provider Care Network. The volunteer-based specialty services are made possible through a strong partnership with the El Paso County Medical Society. These specialists are the unsung heroes of the El Paso medical community who continue giving many uninsured El Pasoans a second chance at life.

Collaboration between UMC, Las Palmas and Del Sol is recognized   [orginally posted Dec. 2, 2010]

The Texas Hospital Association has awarded its 2010 “Excellence in Community Service Award” to University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC) and Las Palmas/Del Sol for their collaborative initiative to help establish and fund the El Paso Healthcare Heroes program.  The program matches uninsured El Pasoans with primary care physicians at the city’s Federally Qualified Health Centers. When the centers’ doctors determine that specialty care is needed, the patients are referred to local sub-specialists who donate their services. 

The goal of the program is to keep patients out of emergency rooms and get them into “medical homes.”  UMC and Las Palmas/Del Sol fund the program by using Upper Payment Limit dollars, which comes from the federal government to support programs for the uninsured.

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    The program will provide free bilingual education about colorectal cancer and screening, as well as free colorectal cancer testing for qualifying participants. Tests will include the fecal immuno chemical test (also known as stool test cards or occult blood test cards) and colonoscopy, depending on the medical history.

     To qualify to participate in the program, men and women must be ages 50 to 75 with no health insurance cover age and with a Texas address. Some medical history will be needed as well.

Where the project stands:

     The ACCION program began recruiting participants in early February.

     The past months have been spent finalizing the educational program, hiring and training staff and liaising with community partners.

     Five ACCION promotoras (community health-care workers) and a patient navigator who will deliver the program throughout El Paso County have been hired.

     The program will be available in both Spanish and English, and all materials are bilingual. A bilingual educational DVD that explains colorectal cancer and the process of colorectal cancer screening has been filmed. Educational materials such as pamphlets and fliers have also been created.

     In early February, promotoras will be out in the community delivering the program.

     Information: http://www.ttuhsc.edu/fostersom/accion/default.aspx, 915-745-4496

Area researchers and clinicians now have $2.7M to reduce colorectal cancer deaths

[originally posted July 29, 2011]

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas will award $2.7 million over the next three years to reduce colorectal cancer deaths in El Paso.  The project is called Against Colorectal Cancer In Our Neighborhoods (ACCION).  It is a collaborative undertaking between the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine’s Department of Family and Community Medicine, its Cancer Center of Excellence and more than 20 organizations throughout El Paso County.  Some of those organizations include University Medical Center of El Paso, the Cancer and Chronic Disease Consortium, Centro San Vicente, La Fe, Project Vida and the Rio Grande Cancer Foundation.

 ACCION will increase community awareness and knowledge about colorectal cancer and the importance of screening. It will also provide access to no-cost screening and diagnostic colonoscopy, and will increase the use of all needed follow-up tests and treatment services for eligible underinsured and uninsured residents of El Paso County.

The project will be led by Texas Tech faculty members Navkiran Shokar, M.D., M.P.H., (pictured) and Theresa Byrd, R.N., DrPH.

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas authorizes the state to issue $3 billion in bonds to fund groundbreaking cancer research and prevention programs and services in Texas.  The goal is to expedite innovation in cancer research and to enhance access to evidence-based prevention programs and services throughout the state. 

See award details                     

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Column by Dr. Shokar 

Cancer Prevention & Research Insitute of Texas    

The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation will award grants to healthcare providers and coalitions to improve prenatal care to women covered by Medicaid. The grants will support the testing of enhanced prenatal care through several approaches under evaluation, including through group visits with other pregnant women, at birth centers providing case management, and at maternity care homes where pregnant women have expanded access to better coordinated, enhanced prenatal care. 

In addition to preventable preterm births, the Strong Start initiative will also focus on reducing early elective deliveries, which can lead to a variety of health problems for mothers and infants.  CMS will work with hospitals across the country that have joined the Partnership for Patients – a national, voluntary effort to improve safety and reduce avoidable harm.

The Strong Start initiative cuts across many agencies within HHS and will involve efforts by the CMS, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and the Administration on Children and Families.  HHS will also work with a variety of professional organizations including, the March of Dimes, ACOG, and other organizations.

Strong Start Initiative                          News release   

El Paso's first children's hospital set to open its doors  [posted online by KFOX Feb. 8, 2012]

Those who have been working for over 20 years to bring a children's hospital to El Paso are calling it a dream come true. One week from now, on Valentine's Day, the new hospital will open its doors.  It's something mom Cynthia Casas wishes had been around the last time her son, 1-year-old Brandon, almost came down with pneumonia. "Right away I took him to the ER, and I had to lie say he was having a hard time breathing so they would see him, but I still had to wait for five  hours," said Casas.  Brandon didn't have pneumonia, but Casas feels a little sense of relief now knowing that if something like that happens again, she'll now have a dedicated children's ER to go to. It's part of the new El Paso Children's Hospital that sits right next door to University Medical Center.  Story         KMD Architects press release    

El Paso's growing pediatric services  [posted online by El Paso Inc. Feb. 7, 2012]

Excerpt: 

The biggest success story, one that probably saves the most lives, has been in pediatric emergency care.  Five years ago, El Paso had one pediatric emergency specialist. The Regional Children's Hospital at Providence opened El Paso's first pediatric emergency room last fall, announcing it was staffed with seven hard-to-find pediatric emergency medicine specialists.

The new El Paso Children's Hospital will open the city's second emergency room for children this month. It will be staffed by one pediatric emergency specialist and other emergency medicine physicians without the pediatric specialty. … The new children's hospital has also recruited seven critical care pediatric specialists, several of whom will be available part-time, to staff the pediatric intensive care unit for children with severe injuries and illnesses.  Story 

El Paso Children's Hospital set to open  [published online by El Paso Times Feb. 5, 2012]

Larry Duncan can hardly wait for Valentine's Day. That's when he and several hundred others will have their hearts, minds and bodies focused on some special loved ones -- children. More specifically, they'll be focusing on the children who will become the first patients at what Duncan and others bill as El Paso's first full-fledged children's hospital. Duncan, 47, moved from Milwaukee in the summer of 2010 to become the first chief executive officer of the recently completed 122-bed, not-for-profit El Paso Children's Hospital, which will open Feb. 14, on the University Medical Center campus.  A ribbon-cutting ceremony and public tours are set for Saturday. The hospital will see patients generally from birth to 18 years old, with some exceptions.  Duncan, who has years of senior management experience at children's hospitals in Milwaukee and Philadelphia, expects that the new hospital will start making money within its first two years of operation. John Harris said he welcomes the new hospital even though it will bring competition to his company, which operates a children's hospital within Providence Memorial Hospital.  Story 

El Paso Inc. examines Children’s Hospital vital signs   [published online by El Paso Inc. Jan. 31, 2012] 

The El Paso Inc. on Jan. 30 published a story that takes an in-depth look at the El Paso Children’s Hospital, its financial viability and the challenges to come. Here is an excerpt from that article: The price tag for the new building, which includes other services on the first floor, is close to $235 million. Many see the not-for-profit children's hospital as a huge community achievement, on par with the four-year Paul L. Foster School of Medicine…. But the children's hospital's financing is complex, and some wonder where the money will come from to run it and pay the high salaries of pediatricians and pediatric specialists recruited to work there. Ultimately, the question is whether the El Paso Children's Hospital, a private, non-profit corporation that will not have direct access to local tax revenues or a wealthy corporate parent to cover losses, will be financially viable in the long run. Few are willing to raise those questions publicly, given the level of popular and political support for it in the biggest U.S. city without a separately licensed children's hospital.   Story                    

New hospital crunch time:  Dream for decades, now a mad rush   [published online by El Paso Inc. Jan. 30, 2012]

   The El Paso Inc. published a follow-up story on the “mad rush” to open the new El Paso Children’s Hospital. Here is an excerpt: 

   "It's going to be a tremendous resource to the community, not only for services it will bring but also educationally," said Dr. Jose Manuel de la Rosa, dean of Texas Tech's Paul Foster School of Medicine and a pediatrician by training.

   But people wonder what difference will it really mean to children who have severe diseases, traffic or athletic injuries and mental illness?

   De la Rosa said having a children's hospital linked to a public, full-fledged, four-year medical school will mean having many more children's medical specialists available and a training ground where many newly minted pediatricians may choose to stay.

   "That means we will be able to offer specialty care so children don't have to go to Dallas or Tucson," De la Rosa said.

   However, some pediatric patients will need specialists outside of El Paso, including severe burn patients, as well as those with some cancer and open-heart surgery needs.

   The list of more than 23 specialists recruited so far to work at the new children's hospital includes a pediatric and critical care specialist, two child and adolescent psychiatry specialists, three critical care specialists and two pediatric cancer specialists.

   Larry Duncan, the hospital's CEO, said he is working to attract at least 10 more pediatricians and specialists.

   The hospital also attracted one of the most sought-after specialties in the country, a pediatric emergency medicine physician whom others hope represents a trend.   Story 

   When Army Sgt. Victor Medina returned home from Iraq in the summer of 2009, his life was a shambles. His tour had been cut short after he suffered a concussion during a roadside blast. Though his injury wasn't visible, he struggled with balance and noticed that his ability to read, think and even talk had changed for the worse.

   But in the spring of 2011, Medina became one of the first patients at the National Intrepid Center of Excellence, the military's $65 million, state-of-the-art treatment center for brain-injured soldiers.

(pictured: Sgt. Victor Medina crosses his arms to test his balance at Mentis Neuro Rehabilitation Center in El Paso, Texas)

   During his three weeks at the Bethesda, Md., center, the staff developed a rehabilitation program designed specifically for Medina. His recovery has progressed rapidly ever since, he and his wife, Roxana Delgado, told ProPublica and NPR.

   Medina has continued to work from El Paso, Texas, by videoconference with a speech therapist based at the center, and he said his stutter is improving. After his injury, he had struggled to read more than a paragraph; now he says he can read and absorb two pages in one sitting. Medina also was ordered to stop driving after his injury, but he told ProPublica and NPR that he has regained his ability to do that, too.

   "It's like night and day," Delgado said of his improvement.

   The couple believes that Medina benefited dramatically from media attention. In June 2010, ProPublica and NPR published stories about the couple's struggle to get medical treatment for Medina at Fort Bliss, Texas, where he was stationed at the time. The Army's vice chief of staff, Gen. Peter Chiarelli, denounced the reports at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee as a "disservice ... to everyone." But a year later, Chiarelli flew the couple to Washington so they could talk privately to top commanders about their battles at Fort Bliss, and how to improve treatment for troops with TBI.

http://www.propublica.org/article/one-soldiers-progress-against-traumatic-brain-injury

NPR story reported June 7, 2010

Brain Injuries Remain Undiagnosed in Thousands of Soldiers

Excerpt:

WASHINGTON, D.C.--The military medical system is failing to diagnose brain injuries in troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, many of whom receive little or no treatment for lingering health problems, an investigation by ProPublica and NPR has found.

So-called mild traumatic brain injury has been called one of the wars' signature wounds. Shock waves from roadside bombs can ripple through soldiers' brains, causing damage that sometimes leaves no visible scars but may cause lasting mental and physical harm.

Officially, military figures say about 115,000 troops have suffered mild traumatic brain injuries since the wars began. But top Army officials acknowledged in interviews that those statistics likely understate the true toll. Tens of thousands of troops with such wounds have gone uncounted, according to unpublished military research obtained by ProPublica and NPR.

http://www.propublica.org/article/brain-injuries-remain-undiagnosed-in-thousands-of-soldiers

NPR story reported in June 8, 2010

At Fort Bliss, Brain Injury Treatments Can Be as Elusive as Diagnosis

Excerpt:

FORT BLISS, Texas -- At this rapidly expanding base along the U.S.-Mexico border, the military is racing to build new homes for 10,000 additional soldiers. Cranes stack prefabricated containers like children's blocks to erect barracks overnight. Bulldozers grind sagebrush desert into roads and runways.

Just down the street from the construction boom squats a tan, featureless building about the size of a convenience store. Completed nearly a year ago, it remains unopened, the doors locked.

Building 805 was supposed to house a clinic for traumatic brain injury, often called the signature wound of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Instead, it has become a symbol for soldiers here of what they call commanders' indifference to their problems.

"The system here has no mercy," said Sgt. Victor Medina, a decorated combat veteran who fought to receive treatment at Fort Bliss after suffering a brain injury during a roadside blast in Iraq last June. Since the explosion, Medina has had trouble reading, comprehending and doing simple tasks. "It's struggle after struggle."

Previously, ProPublica and NPR reported that the military has failed to diagnose brain injuries in troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan. Mild traumatic brain injuries, which doctors also call concussions, do not leave visible scars but can cause lasting mental and physical problems.

At Fort Bliss, we found that even soldiers who are diagnosed with such injuries often do not receive the treatment they need.

Most specialists say it is critical for patients who show lingering effects from head trauma to get intensive therapy as soon as possible. In the civilian world, such therapy is increasingly seen as the best way to minimize permanent damage, helping to retrain the mind to compensate for deficits.

Yet brain-injured soldiers at Fort Bliss have had to wait weeks and sometimes months just to get appointments with doctors, medical records show. Many have received far less therapy than is typical at well-regarded civilian clinics. In some instances, Fort Bliss medical officers have suggested that the soldiers are malingerers or that the main root of their cognitive problems is psychological.

http://www.propublica.org/article/at-fort-bliss-brain-injury-treatments-can-be-as-elusive-as-diagnosis

Thomas Reuters release     

White House press release                   AAMC Joining Forces initiative  

News story 

Choosing Wisely  

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Paso del Norte Health Foundation awards $517K for a smoke-free community [originally posted Apr. 22, 2011]

The Paso del Norte Health Foundation recently awarded six grants totaling more than $517,000. The awards help advance the foundation's goal for a Smoke Free Paso del Norte.

Centro San Vicente - $72,910.51 - Tobacco Control, Awareness and Education Program will integrate smoking cessation interventions into the clinic’s clinical visits. CSV will work with the Texas Youth Tobacco Prevention Task Force to increase the legal system’s implementation of existing tobacco control laws and to increase court referrals to authorized tobacco prevention programs.

Children in Need of Services - $93,816.80 - Tobacco Education and Cessation Help (TEACH) Program will provide best practice programming such as the Botvin Lifeskills program for youth prevention, adult cessation programming and support, and smoke free advocacy efforts in Otero County.

City of El Paso - $136,378.00 - The “Get Real About Tobacco” Program is a CDC best practice model for prevention of initiation among children and youth. The City of El Paso Department of Public Health will offer the program to area school districts and some private schools.

Families and Youth, Inc. - $60,000.00 - Smoke Free Doña Ana County will implement Botvin’s Lifeskills program, develop a youth action group in Las Cruces and a cessation program specifically for LGBTQ individuals interested in quitting smoking.

Texas A&M Foundation - $81,550.00 - Colonias Smoke Free Project intends to reduce exposure to secondhand smoke using the “Mi Familia No Fuma” program. The organization will also work on public policy and facilitate a youth coalition that promotes a smoke free lifestyle.

Ysleta Del Sur Pueblo - $72,776.00 - Tigua Smoke Out Program will provide tobacco cessation and youth tobacco prevention education to tribe members in El Paso County. They will also work to institutionalize tobacco control interventions within its health center.

Release    

The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) has released its 2012 Fiscal Year Strategic Plan. This report identifies NMDOH’s strategic goals, objectives, and performance measures entering into the new fiscal year 2012. This report may be of interest to border health partners and others in the United States-México border region. >>Report 

 Release

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News 

Compilation of media outlets reporting on this news     

U.S. News rankings 

KFOX            Southern New Mexico Cancer Center 

-  City of El Paso: $111,725, to develop a prototype community garden plan and pilot test a garden at one park location.

-  County of El Paso: $111,090 for a pilot test of a community garden and to build a program model for employee/family wellness.

-  City of El Paso: $50,595 for training on and to pilot test Health Impact Assessments. The city also plans to develop an employee wellness program.

-  The FEMAP Foundation: $46,035 to plan and evaluate a pilot nutrition program, based in community kitchens, for children in Juárez.

-  La Semilla Food Center: $86,404 to plan a youth farm and pilot a farm-to-school program. Also to engage the community with a Regional Food Summit.

-  Youth Life Skills For Greater El Paso Inc.: $23,040 for a pilot test of a national school program in elementary schools and market the Out of School Golf Opportunities at 10 elementary schools.

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El objetivo principal es dar reconocimiento a los Promotores de Salud que trabajan con las comunidades hispanas/latinas.

El Departamento de Salud y Servicios Humanos de los Estados Unidos (HHS, por sus siglas en inglés) anunció hoy una iniciativa para promover la colaboración con los promotores de salud como un medio para apoyar y educar a las comunidades hispanas/latinas sobre la disponibilidad de los servicios de salud y la cobertura de seguros médicos. Esta iniciativa busca desarrollar un programa nacional para dar reconocimiento al trabajo de los promotores, crear una base de datos de las redes de promotores, que incluya información sobre sus credenciales y lugar de trabajo, y promover la cooperación entre las redes.

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• Lorenzo Aragon, M.D., Department of Family and Community Medicine
• Daniel Terreros, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Biomedical Sciences
• Hoi Ho, M.D., Advanced Teaching and Assessment in Clinical Simulation Center
• Harvey Greenberg, M.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Sanja Kupesic Plavsic, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Department of Medical Education

JCU is an international journal dedicated to the worldwide dissemination of scientific information on diagnostic and therapeutic applications of medical sonography. JCU publishes original research articles, case reports, pictorial essays, technical notes, and letters to the editor. It is available by subscription only.

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The Wall Street Journal recently reported that "Nearly 1,600 Cuban doctors have defected to the U.S. since 2006 under the little-known immigration program that targets Cuba's overseas medical 'brigades.'" Under the Cuban Medical Professional Parole immigration program, Cuban doctors and some other health workers who are serving their government overseas are allowed to enter the U.S. immediately as refugees. The defections have averaged one a day since the U.S. program began in 2006.

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Only 225 hospitals nationwide have these programs. At UMC, an attorney, paralegal and legal secretary funded by Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, Inc. will provide assistance to families whose babies are admitted to UMC’s Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.  In essence, if a baby’s physician determines that a family’s circumstance could adversely affect the child’s health, the physician will “write a prescription” for an on-site attorney. The attorney may then serve as the family’s legal representative, providing services like sending a letter to a landlord when families live in substandard housing or advising a utility company that at-risk children live in the home so the shut off of heat or electricity should be prevented.

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The strike comes a week after gunmen abducted and killed Dr. José Alberto Betancourt, a 57-year-old orthopedic surgeon in Juárez.  He was also a professor at the Autonomous University of Ciudad Juárez's medical school, a father of four, and an El Paso resident.

Juárez , the murder capital of North America, has had about 2,800 homicides this year. New York City, with a population six times as large as Juárez's, has had fewer than 600 murders. El Paso has had four homicides in 2010. With regard to doctors in Juárez, records say at least 20 physicians have been kidnapped since June 2008, and at least five have been murdered.

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Maj. (Dr.) Andrew Schoenfeld, director of research for the Orthopedic Residency Program, received the AMSUS History of Military Medicine Essay Award.  His work entitled "The History of Combat Orthopedic Surgery," will be a chapter in the forthcoming textbook "Combat Orthopedic Surgery in Iraq and Afghanistan."  

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Leadership for Healthy Communities, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation national program, has updated its bilingual fact sheet, Overweight and Obesity among Latino Youths, available in English and Spanish, which highlights the prevalence, consequences, and causes of overweight and obesity among Latino children.

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After having received national ranking for maternity services by HealthGrades®, Del Sol Medical Center today marked the expansion of its maternity services with a ribbon cutting. The expansion includes four new labor, delivery and postpartum rooms for a total of 13 rooms; and increased the number of its postpartum recovery rooms from four to six.  It also added a new Transitional Nursery.  Del Sol has been averaging a minimum of 200 births per month

Forbes Magazine's first-ever survey of America's most profitable hospitals ranks Del Sol Medical Center as the second-most profitable hospital with a 45 percent net profit for the year that started Oct. 1, 2008, according to the American Hospital Directory. Memorial Medical Center in Las Cruces was 20th with a profit margin of 25.9 percent. Las Palmas Medical Center in El Paso ranked 23rd with a profit of 25.1 percent.

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A mental health clinic serving 1,500 El Pasoans will close Oct. 1 due to budget shortfalls. The clinic was created last year to improve waiting times, but the clinic’s funding was temporary. Once the clinic closes, patients will again be without services and their medications will run out by January. Official said emergency rooms and jails will end up filling the gap left by the closing.

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El Paso Mental Health and Mental Retardation (MHMR) recently created Veteran’s Rally Point, an outreach program designed to help veterans learn about mental health issues and treatments.  The program, which began in July, uses peer-to-peer and family-to-family models to address issues. The program is tied into MHMR’s other military services such as screening, liaison services, and mental health first aid.

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HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced $159.1 million in grants to health care workforce training programs. The grants target three types of programs: nursing workforce development programs, interdisciplinary geriatric education and training programs, and centers of excellence programs for underrepresented minority students.

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