ANNOUNCEMENTS
Komen grants
BLOOMINGTON - The McLean County Affiliate of Susan G. Komen forthe Cure, among 100 Komen affiliates nationwide dedicated to puttingan end to breast cancer, has announced the availability of grantsfor the coming year. Applications are due by Dec. 1 and areavailable at www.komenmcleanco.org.
Komen McLean County events, such as the recent Dance for theCure, allows the organization to fund activities such as cancersurvivor nutrition programs, screening for women who areunderinsured, a professional to help guide women newly diagnosedwith breast cancer, and community education workshops. More than$62,000 in community grants were awarded in 2008.
Medicare Part D
LACON - Central Illinois Agency on Aging has scheduled sessionswhere individuals may get the latest information on Medicare Part Dplans for 2009.
Among the sessions will be 1 to 3:30 p.m. Thursday at Nan's inLacon, 10 a.m. to noon Nov. 13 at Minonk Library, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.Nov. 20 at Metamora Library, 1 to 3:30 p.m. Nov. 20 at Nan's inLacon, and 1 to 3:30 p.m. Dec. 18 at Nan's in Lacon. For moreinformation, call (309) 674-2071.
Foundation grant
BLOOMINGTON - Children's Home + Aid Children's Foundation hasreceived a $10,000 grant from Ronald McDonald House Charities ofCentral Illinois to equip a new classroom for preschool children.
The grant will allow Children's Foundation's Scott Early LearningCenter to respond to the increasing need for quality early childhoodcare and education services in McLean County by opening anadditional preschool classroom for about 20 children. Lisa Pieper,Children's Foundation regional vice president, credited the McDonaldHouse Charities and Bob and Julie Dobski, local McDonald Restaurantowners, for their support of the project.
State Farm Classic
BLOOMINGTON - The LPGA State Farm Classic set an event record forcharitable contributions. Because of money raised at the recent 2008tournament, $377,600 will be distributed to 11 schools andorganizations, many of which are health-related.
The amount was $32,000 more than was raised last year and bringsto nearly $3 million the amount of money raised at the classic since1980.
APPOINTMENTS
St. Mary's CEO
STREATOR - Joanne Fenton, a registered nurse and health careexecutive with experience in hospital management, has been namedpresident and chief executive officer of St. Mary's Hospital inStreator. Fenton, 55, replaces Richard Carlson, who had been interimCEO.
Fenton joins the Hospital Sisters of St. Francis after 10 yearswith Banner Health, most recently as interim CEO at Banner LassenMedical Center in Susanville, Calif. Before that, she served atNorth Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, Colo.; Tucson HeartHospital in Tucson, Ariz.; and Centura-St. Anthony Hospitals inDenver. She has a bachelor's degree in nursing from the Universityof Florida in Gainesville and a master's degree in businessadministration from the University of Phoenix in Denver.
Health Alliance
URBANA - Health Alliance Medical Plans - which has more than310,000 members in Iowa and Illinois, including in McLean County -has named Dr. Robert C. Parker as chief medical officer. In January,the existing chief medical officer, Dr. Robert Scully, will stepdown but will remain with Health Alliance part-time.
Parker is returning to Champaign-Urbana, where he was chiefexecutive officer of Carle Clinic Association and president ofHealth Alliance from 1995 to 1999. Parker has been CEO of MountSinai Medical Group and chief medical officer of Sinai HealthSystem, Chicago.
'We're very happy to have Dr. Parker returning to HealthAlliance,' said Health Alliance CEO Jeff Ingrum.
AWARDS
Poulter recertified
BLOOMINGTON - The plastic surgery operative suite of Dr. JeffreyPoulter has been recertified by the American Association forAccreditation of Ambulatory Surgical Facilities following a recentinspection. Poulter has achieved accreditation during each three-year cycle since opening The Center for Cosmetic and Laser Surgeryin 1998.
Poulter, a board-certified plastic surgeon, has cared for morethan 15,000 patients in his 16 years of practice in Bloomington.
Accredited facilities must comply with all local, state andfederal regulations; adhere to OSHA standards and the Americans withDisabilities Act; use advanced instruments and monitoring devices;have surgeries performed only by qualified surgeons with hospitalprivileges; and provide for safe anesthesia by certifiedanesthesiologists.
Fundraisers
EAST PEORIA - The Central Illinois Chapter of the Association ofFund Raising Professionals has announced its 2008 Philanthropy DayAward Winners.
Among them are Dave and Karen Magers of Bloomington, co-winnersof the Lewis J. Burger Outstanding Volunteer Fund Raisers; and theIllinois State and Illinois Wesleyan universities Habitat forHumanity Campus Chapter, winners of the Outstanding Youth inPhilanthropy for Ages 18 to 23.
Winners will be honored with an awards program and luncheon onNov. 12 at the Embassy Suites, East Peoria. More information is atwww.afpcentralillinois.org.
Nurses honored
PEORIA - The Saint Francis Medical Center College of Nursinghonored four alumni during a recent homecoming celebration. Thealumni were nominated by their peers for outstanding contributionsto the profession of nursing and for being outstanding nurses.
The winners were Deborah Scudder Richardson of Metamora, class of1972, the Ruby Cealey Distinguished Alumni Award; Norma SpanglerKelly of Morton, class of 1959, Outstanding Alumni Excellence inLeadership; Wendy Mann Woith of Normal, class of 1976, OutstandingAlumni Excellence in Education; and Arlene Sparling Onken of Morton,class of 1954, the Alumni Heart of the Class.
Submit Health Digest items to Paul Swiech atpswiech@pantagraph.com.
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