Steve Marcus

Dr. Aimee Fleury confers with Dr. Nick Spirtos, medical director of the Womens Cancer Center of Nevada, at the center Thursday, Sept. 6, 2012. Fleury, a gynecologic oncologist, joined the center thisAugust.

By Conor Shine (contact)

Sunday, Sept. 9, 2012 | 2 a.m.

When the Veterans Affairs Medical Center opened last month in North Las Vegas, it was hailed by local and national leaders as a major step forward for delivering healthcare in the valley.

The $600 million, 1-million-square-foot building, which is stocked with state-of-the-art technology and provides a centralized location for a variety of specialized clinics, is expected to improve the quality of care for veterans and will allow the VA to increase the number of Southern Nevada patients it serves by a third to 60,000.

The only problem: There arent enough doctors on staff to handle the influx of new patients.

A doctor shortage has long been plagued Nevada, which consistently ranks near the bottom nationally in doctor-to-patient ratios. In 2011, the most recent figures available, Nevada had 171 physicians for every 100,000 of its residents.

With affordable housing, good weather and a medical industry thats easier to break into than in older, more-established cities, Las Vegas is an attractive option for many doctors.

But a lack of residency and fellowship programs especially in specialty areas like gastroenterology and head and neck surgery makes it difficult to train enough doctors in state to meet the demand, forcing hospitals to look out-of-state when recruiting physicians.

Original post:
Shiny, new VA hospital suffers from longtime Nevada malady: doctor shortages

As the Ateneo de Naga HS Class 62 celebrates its 50th graduation anniversary, it is but fitting that our class pays tribute to one member who turned out to be our brightest star and one of the schools most outstanding and most accomplished alumni.

Uldarico V. Brizuela is better known by his nickname Rico.

Rico is one Atenean who has brought honor, glory and goodwill to his alma mater. He joins a long list of distinguished alumni who had done the same thingthe late Raul S. Roco perhaps the most notable of them all, owing to his 2004 run for the Philippine presidency; as well as Sandiganbayan Chief Justice Francis Garchitorena; former Comelec chair Ramon Felipe Jr.; former PCGG chair Ramon Diaz; Camarines Sur Gov. Lray Villafuerte; constitutionalist Joaquin Bernas, SJ; and the late Interior Secretary Jesse Robredo.

These people had one thing in common. They were all involved in politics and public service.

But Rico is of a different mold. He feels he can contribute more to society by being a productive, caring and law-abiding private citizen, far from the temptations of graft and corruption, which is the bane of most politicians.

Humble beginnings

From humble beginnings in his hometown, Pili, Camarines Sur, he went to high school in Naga City and college at the Mapua Institute of Technology. Through sheer determination and hard work, he found entrepreneurial success in the business of cargo international airfreight forwarding, as chair of Airlift Asia Inc. (AAI). He also became one of the biggest benefactors of Ateneo de Naga.

Even before Rico institutionalized his philanthropy in 2002 by establishing his R.V. Brizuela Foundation Inc., and registering it as a non-stock, nonprofit corporation with the Securities and Exchange Commission, he had already manifested and demonstrated his generosity to his AAI management team and employees by providing them a very competitive salary structure, a fair and objective employee performance appraisal system, and mid-year and Christmas bonuses equivalent to one months salary every time AAI hit its targets and improved the bottom line.

He was also the catalyst behind the formation of an AAI Employee Multi-Purpose Cooperative, because he believed that some of the needs of AAI employees could be met through this type of organization.

And he opened a scholarship program at the Ateneo de Naga for indigent but deserving high school students, as a way of giving back to the school for the valuable education he received from it.

Read the rest here:
Living the Atenean ideal

The Moffat County Future Farmers of America Alumni Tailgate BBQ takes place at 5 p.m. today in the parking lot at Moffat County High School.

Burgers, beans, chips, a drink and dessert can be purchased for $5 before the MCHS varsity football team battles Rife High School at the Bulldog Proving Grounds.

The Colorado Mountain Housing Coalition is sponsoring Mountain Housing Workshop Day from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at the Ramada Inn, 124 W. 6th Street, Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

Families with school-aged children at any grade level can apply for assistance in clothing and supplies from several local programs.

The deadline for applications is today.

For more information contact (970) 826-4400 from 9 a.m. to noon or 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. today.

The Love INC program includes necessities such as backpacks, pencils and paper as well as two full sets of clothing and one pair of shoes.

American Legion bingo will take place Saturday at the Elks Lodge, 43 W. Victory Way.

Doors open at 4:30 p.m. and bingo begins at 5:45 p.m.

The Augusta Wallihan Chapter of Daughters if the American Revolution will host it's monthly meeting at 10 a.m. Saturday in the basement of the Museum of Northwest Colorado.

See the article here:
Moffat County news round-up for Sept. 7, 2012: FFA Alumni Tailgate BBQ tonight

Thursday, September 6, 2012

CEBU-BASED AWG Group of Companies, the company operating University of Cebu (UC), is going to spend P2 billion to build the University of Cebu Medical Center (UCMC), a Level 4 General Hospital in North Reclamation Area (NRA) in Mandaue.

UC president Augusto Go said in a press conference on Tuesday that up to P1 billion is allotted for the construction of the building and P1 billion for the acquisition of high-end medical equipment.

Check our new look and tell us what you think.

The UCMC will be an 8,000 square meter building that sits on a 1.3 hectare property in NRA. It will be the first Level 4 hospital in Mandaue City.

According to the National Center for Health Facilities Development of the Department of Health (DOH), a Level 4 hospital is a teaching and training hospital that provides clinical care and management on the prevalent diseases in the locality, as well as specialized and sub-specialized forms of treatment, surgical procedure and intensive care.

UCMC is a 12-storey medical facility that will have a total of 300 beds. Aside from being a medical center, Dr. Lito Almendras said the medical facility will also have four specialized treatment centers like Center for Cancer, Center for Women, Center for Minimal Evasive Surgery and Center for Aesthetic and Reconstruction.

Go said the firms foray into medical school and medical service business is meant to provide affordable education and medical services for the UC System and Mandaue.

Go said the medical facility will link all the UC schools and campuses and will cater to the medical requirements of its over 44,000 students, benefiting merchant marine students who will need medical accreditation for foreign ship deployment and nurses for their medical training and employment.

Go said UC students and alumni will be entitled to special discounts. The UC System has four campuses located in Sanciangko, Banilad, Mandaue and Mambaling.

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UC to spend P2B to build hospital

MALACCA: The father of Winson Seow has publicly apologised for his son's mistake and acknowledged that he is not a medical doctor.

Seow Teck Chong read a statement in Mandarin at Pay Fong Middle School here and expressed regret over the matter.

Also present were the school's alumni committee members and board of directors. Winson completed his secondary school education at Pay Fong in 2005.

Teck Chong, 58, a traditional medicine practitioner, apologised to the school and the publisher of his son's autobiography To Serve With Love.

He clarified that Winson was actually a medical volunteer who served in war-torn and Third World countries.

Teck Chong revealed that his son managed to collect a total of RM147,605.70 from various sources.

They include donation drives initiated by the book publisher, entrance fees imposed on those who attended a talk by his son on his journey held at Pay Fong on March 25 and a fund handled by Winson's relatives and close friends.

Of the total figure, RM37,669.19 was from anonymous contributors deposited into Winson's and his joint HSBC account, RM46,792.00 collected through the talk and RM63,144.51 collected from relatives and friends.

Teck Chong also called on the anonymous contributors to provide banking slips for refund purposes to an appointed accounting firm, Corporate Tax Advisory Sdn Bhd, while money obtained from the talk will be converted into bursaries for needy students of Pay Fong Middle School.

He said the donations made by Winson's relatives and friends would be handled according to their wishes.

Excerpt from:
4. Dad makes public apology at Winson's former school

MALACCA: The father of Winson Seow has publicly apologised for his son's mistake and acknowledged that he is not a medical doctor.

Seow Teck Chong read a statement in Mandarin at Pay Fong Middle School here and expressed regret over the matter.

Also present were the school's alumni committee members and board of directors. Winson completed his secondary school education at Pay Fong in 2005.

Teck Chong, 58, a traditional medicine practitioner, apologised to the school and the publisher of his son's autobiography To Serve With Love.

He clarified that Winson was actually a medical volunteer who served in war-torn and Third World countries.

Teck Chong revealed that his son managed to collect a total of RM147,605.70 from various sources.

They include donation drives initiated by the book publisher, entrance fees imposed on those who attended a talk by his son on his journey held at Pay Fong on March 25 and a fund handled by Winson's relatives and close friends.

Of the total figure, RM37,669.19 was from anonymous contributors deposited into Winson's and his joint HSBC account, RM46,792.00 collected through the talk and RM63,144.51 collected from relatives and friends.

Teck Chong also called on the anonymous contributors to provide banking slips for refund purposes to an appointed accounting firm, Corporate Tax Advisory Sdn Bhd, while money obtained from the talk will be converted into bursaries for needy students of Pay Fong Middle School.

He said the donations made by Winson's relatives and friends would be handled according to their wishes.

Read more:
5. Dad makes public apology at Winson's former school

MALACCA: The father of Winson Seow has publicly apologised for his son's mistake and acknowledged that he is not a medical doctor.

Seow Teck Chong read a statement in Mandarin at Pay Fong Middle School here and expressed regret over the matter.

Also present were the school's alumni committee members and board of directors. Winson completed his secondary school education at Pay Fong in 2005.

Teck Chong, 58, a traditional medicine practitioner, apologised to the school and the publisher of his son's autobiography To Serve With Love.

He clarified that Winson was actually a medical volunteer who served in war-torn and Third World countries.

Teck Chong revealed that his son managed to collect a total of RM147,605.70 from various sources.

They include donation drives initiated by the book publisher, entrance fees imposed on those who attended a talk by his son on his journey held at Pay Fong on March 25 and a fund handled by Winson's relatives and close friends.

Of the total figure, RM37,669.19 was from anonymous contributors deposited into Winson's and his joint HSBC account, RM46,792.00 collected through the talk and RM63,144.51 collected from relatives and friends.

Teck Chong also called on the anonymous contributors to provide banking slips for refund purposes to an appointed accounting firm, Corporate Tax Advisory Sdn Bhd, while money obtained from the talk will be converted into bursaries for needy students of Pay Fong Middle School.

He said the donations made by Winson's relatives and friends would be handled according to their wishes.

Excerpt from:
Dad makes public apology at Winson’s former school

The top item on the list is something he inherited - implementing a vast higher-education overhaul, enacted last month, that, like the clock, has many moving parts, including a new partnership between Rutgers-Camden and Rowan University.

While Rutgers University needs to better understand the financial ramifications of the restructuring, Barchi said, it will not cause a tuition increase - though that doesn't mean there won't be tuition hikes. His objective, he said, will be to keep tuition "absolutely under control."

Tuition varies by school and program, but a typical full-time in-state student in the arts and sciences at New Brunswick will pay $13,073 this year in tuition and mandatory fees.

He also pledged to address spending on sports, which has drawn controversy on campus in recent years.

Barchi, 65, formerly president of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, said he would focus on creating a strategic plan for Rutgers' future - hiring key leadership personnel, fund-raising, looking for efficiencies in the budget, and better marketing the university's image, especially outside the state.

Perhaps most important, his first year will be spent preparing to implement the state's higher-education restructuring plan, under which Rutgers is slated to absorb parts of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, including the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

The university's two governing boards have yet to formally sign off on the plan that the legislature passed and that Gov. Christie signed after months of controversy, though prominent members of the two bodies have expressed approval.

"It is a massive undertaking," Barchi said, speaking largely in support of the plan, in particular of its potential to allow Rutgers to grow in the health sciences.

View post:
New Rutgers chief glad Camden campus staying part of school

NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. - The 1800s-era grandfather clock outside the president's office on Rutgers University's main campus is working again after a much-needed tune-up from the office's new occupant - Robert L. Barchi.

He's not only the new president of the 58,000-student university, but he also makes and repairs clocks, a hobby since 1970. "That's how I unwind," he said, wincing at his own pun.

But Barchi, who a week ago officially became the 20th president of New Jersey's flagship state university, won't have time to wind down soon. In a news conference and interview Tuesday, he outlined an ambitious agenda.

The top item on the list is something he inherited - implementing a vast higher-education overhaul, enacted last month, that, like the clock, has many moving parts, including a new partnership between Rutgers-Camden and Rowan University.

While Rutgers University needs to better understand the financial ramifications of the restructuring, Barchi said, it will not cause a tuition increase - though that doesn't mean there won't be tuition hikes. His objective, he said, will be to keep tuition "absolutely under control."

Tuition varies by school and program, but a typical full-time in-state student in the arts and sciences at New Brunswick will pay $13,073 this year in tuition and mandatory fees.

He also pledged to address spending on sports, which has drawn controversy on campus in recent years.

Barchi, 65, formerly president of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, said he would focus on creating a strategic plan for Rutgers' future - hiring key leadership personnel, fund-raising, looking for efficiencies in the budget, and better marketing the university's image, especially outside the state.

Perhaps most important, his first year will be spent preparing to implement the state's higher-education restructuring plan, under which Rutgers is slated to absorb parts of the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, including the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

The university's two governing boards have yet to formally sign off on the plan that the legislature passed and that Gov. Christie signed after months of controversy, though prominent members of the two bodies have expressed approval.

Read the rest here:
New Rutgers president Barchi glad Camden campus staying part of school

P.E.P. (People, Events, Places) Outstanding Sillimanians 2012 by: CECILE M. GENOVE Four distinguished alumni are this years recipients of the Outstanding Sillimanian Awards as one of the highlights of the 111th Founders Day celebration of Silliman University. In a special convocation on August 28 at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium, the awardees were honored in fitting ceremonies attended by their relatives, former classmates, colleagues, administrators, faculty, staff, and students.

The Outstanding Sillimanians are: Dr. Maria Christina Roble Esperat in the field of nursing, research, and administration; Atty. Kathleen G. Heceta in the field of government service in telecommunications; Dr. Enrico C. Sobong in the field of medicine; and Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor in the field of diplomacy.

Dr. Esperat, who was nominated by the Silliman University Alumni and Friends @ San Diego, graduated in 1968 with a degree in bachelor of science in nursing and finished a master of arts in nursing, major in parent-child nursing, in 1969 at Silliman University. She earned a Ph.D. in maternal-child nursing in 1990 at the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas. At present, she is associate dean for clinical services/community engagement and professor in nursing at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Anita Thigpen Perry School of Nursing, Lubbock, Texas since 2000. She is married to a fellow Sillimanian, OswaldoEsperat, 1965 AB Political Science/History and 1969 bachelor of laws. She has requested deferment for the conferral of her award until she would be able to come to Dumaguete by next year.

Atty. Heceta, a homegrown Dumaguetena, was nominated by the Dumaguete alumni chapter. A graduate of associate of arts in 1958 and bachelor of laws in 1962 at Silliman University, she grew up steeped in the ideals of her parents who were both staunch supporters of the university where their children and grandchildren went for their education. She retired in 2005 as deputy commissioner of the National Telecommunications Commission, the governments regulatory agency attached to the Commission on Information and Communications Technology having supervision, regulation, and control over all telecommunications and broadcast services and facilities in the Philippines. She likewise served as director of the NTC Legal Department, becoming a Career Executive Service Officer (CESO) III.

Dr. Sobong, who graduated in 1967 at Silliman University with a degree of bachelor of science (preparatory medicine), cum laude, was nominated by the Silliman Alumni of South Florida, Inc. He earned his doctor of medicine degree from the University of the Philippines, Manila in 1972. After passing the medical licensure examination, he became clinical instructor in community medicine and worked at the Los Banos Primary Care Clinic, where he precepted and mentored medical students. He went to the US for his internship and residency in internal medicine with specialty training in medical oncology. Although he has retired from full-time medical practice last year, he is back in clinical practice in Palm Springs, California on a limited part-time basis.

Lawyer Ambassador Villamor, most recently, served as a member of the Silliman University Board of Trustees representing the alumni. Nominated by the Sillimanians in Metro Manila, Inc., he graduated with the degree of associate of arts (preparatory law) in 1953 at Silliman University and bachelor of laws in 1957 at the University of the Philippines. After having passed the bar examinations as well as the foreign service examination, he served the Philippine government for 44 years as a diplomat to many countries. After his retirement from the Department of Foreign Affairs in 1999, he was re-appointed in December 2006 as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia with concurrent jurisdiction over the Republic of Yemen, which he served until September 2010.

The annual search for Outstanding Sillimanians has yielded numerous well-placed alumni who have created a niche in their respective fields, establishing a distinctive brand of work ethics forSillimanianswhose competence, character, and faith have been recognized all over the world.

A rigorous selection process is then done with nominations coming from alumni chapters worldwide, which are then validated, recommended, and endorsed to the Board of Trustees for approval. The search starts immediately after the awards ceremony.

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P.E.P. (People, Events, Places) Outstanding Sillimanians 2012