ALBUQUERQUE (December 11, 2015) – Employees of Lovelace Health System raised a total of $442,245 for United Way of Central New Mexico and United Way of Chaves County in the annual fundraising campaign this fall.

Every year, employees are invited to use pledge forms to pledge money to United Way through deductions in their paychecks for the following calendar year. Lovelace Health System also pledges to match fifty cents to every dollar donated up to $100,000, and makes an additional $50,000 donation to the United Way Cornerstone Fund to help cover the cost of United Way’s administrative functions. Employees held fundraising events, such as pie-in-the-face events, silent auctions and sponsored events through outside corporations.

Due to the generosity of Lovelace Health System employees, this year’s final donation came to a nearly 13-percent increase over 2014 in dollar value at $292,245.

“We are very proud of our employees’ generosity,” said Ron Stern, CEO of Lovelace Health System. “Our employees consistently maintain a giving spirit, regardless of their own circumstances.”

Employees are allowed to allocate their donations specifically to causes they care about through the United Way network, or they can designate their donations be used in the Community Fund, which allows United Way to send the money where it is most needed.

“United Way is very thankful for the work Lovelace does every year to help us monetarily,” said Randy Woodcock, vice-president and chief strategic officer of United Way of Central New Mexico. “We are grateful for their partnership and thank every employee that pledged to give this year. With their commitment, we are able to do so much more for our community. It really makes a difference here in New Mexico.”

For more information about the services sponsored by United Way, please visit www.uwcnm.org. 

Mark Walker, D.O., is a board-certified family practice physician. He earned his doctorate of osteopathic medicine from the University of Osteopathic Medicine in Des Moines, IA and he completed his residency at the University of Kansas Medical Center.

Dr. Walker joins Lovelace Medical Group from Presbyterian Hospital in Albuquerque, where he served as an Internal Medicine physician.

Dr. Walker brings over 20 years experience to the Lovelace Medical Group team and vast clinical research experience in diabetes, incontinence and joint pain. Dr. Walker practices at our Westside location. 

By Sal Christ

Lovelace Health System's chief financial officer, Stephen Forney, has stepped down from his role with the organization after almost six years.

According to Katherine Cox, communications manager for LHS, Forney's departure was not the result of discord with the organization.

"It was a personal decision for Stephen Forney to leave Lovelace Health System and Albuquerque. He was instrumental to the growth and success of Lovelace and has helped to better position the organization for the future," Cox said. "A national search is underway for his position."

Forney has taken a position as CFO of Verity Health System in Redwood Shores, California. The Verity organization is comprised of six hospitals that were recently sold by Daughters of Charity Health System to BlueMountain Capital Management LLC.

Forney joined the organization in January 2010 after having served as vice president of margin development with Lovelace's parent company, Ardent Health Services from 2007 to 2010. He was not immediately available for comment Thursday.

The news comes at the end of a whirlwind year for the LHS. Over the last several months, the organization has earned several accolades including landing on Modern Healthcare's top 10 best places to work in the U.S., the debut of a number of cutting edge medical technologies at its various hospitals and the recent announcement of the expansion of its operations on Albuquerque's Westside.

Lovelace Medical Center and the Heart Hospital of New Mexico were ranked No. 3 on Business First's top hospitals list in November.

r. Walker brings over 20 years of experience as a physician, as well as vast clinical research experience in diabetes, incontinence and joint pain. He earned a doctorate of osteopathic medicine from the Univ. of Osteopathic Medicine in Des Moines, Iowa. He will work out of the Westside location.

View the original story here.

Wengert will be responsible for the clinical liaison team, case management functions of the organization and selected quality initiatives. She has been integral in marketing, business development and quality at the hospital, and has been a licensed speech language pathologist for over 18 years.

View the original story here. 

Becker's Hospital Review has named the following female leaders to its annual list of 130 women hospital and health system leaders to know.

 These 130 women, who are executives at hospitals and health systems across the nation, have established themselves as successful leaders within the ever-changing healthcare industry.

The leaders on the list were selected based on editorial judgment and discretion of members of the Becker's editorial team, who evaluated leaders for their management and leadership skills and career accomplishments and also read through and considered a record number of nominations.

Note: Individuals cannot pay for inclusion on the list. Names are presented in alphabetical order.

Sheri Milone. CEO of Lovelace Women's Hospital (Albuquerque). Ms. Milone is at the helm of Lovelace Women's Hospital, a 120-bed hospital with roughly 670 employees. She was elected to a two-year term as a member of the executive board for the American Heart Association's New Mexico Chapter this year. Under her leadership, Lovelace Women's Hospital has been named one of New Mexico Business Weekly's Best Places to Work.

View the original story here. 

Erica Zucco, KOB Eyewitness News 4

With the start of 2016, many people are setting New Year’s resolutions.

Erica Zucco’s is to pick up the art and sport of dance at Enchantment Dancing and to get fit in the process.

"It's good for the mind, body and soul," Kaleb Stratton said.

When you set a resolution, you may have a goal in mind. But Chip Hindi says he sees a lot of new dancers with each New Year, and says to be open to more than that.

"The fitness part - I just want to feel better about myself and my body. That's kind of a byproduct of what dancing does. Dancing really goes into the core of the individual and improves their self-confidence and core fitness skills and expression. Fitness just happens because you're dancing, but the other things far outweigh the starting benefits," Hindi said.

The experts say to achieve resolutions, you should start small, achieve a little goal, then move on to the next one. Give yourself a little time to grow- you might fail at first, but it will get better. Finally, don’t attempt too many resolutions at once.

Enchantment Dancing is offering half off introductory lesson packages for everyone with New Year plans to dance.

Erica Zucco is participating in Lovelace Women's Hospital's 2015 Day of Dance.

View the video here. 

• Red clothing and accessories featured in the fashion show
• Health education
• Raffle with proceeds from ticket sales going to the American Heart Association (AHA). AHA's mission is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular disease and

The first baby of 2016 in Albuquerque was born at Lovelace Women's Hospital at 12:29am.

KOAT covered the story here:

KOB also covered the story:

KRQE also covered the story:

Join us on Saturday, February 6 for a fun & educational health fair and summit! There will be health health presentations from New Mexico Heart Institute doctors, free screenings, a hands-only CPR demonstration, free giveaways, raffle drawings and snacks!

• Date: Saturday, February 6, 2016
• Time: 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
• Location: Albuquerque Embassy Suites

RSVP to 505.898.3030 today!

Do you drink sugary drinks often? Things like coke, energy or sports drinks, fruit drinks, sweetened coffee or sweetened tea have a lot of sugar are popular choices, but recently researchers found that drinking sugar-sweetened beverages every day is associated with an increase in a type of fat called visceral fat.

Visceral fat or “deep” fat is located around the waist and the stomach and wraps around a number of important internal organs such as the liver, pancreas and intestines. Visceral fat affects how our hormones function and is thought to play a larger role in insulin resistance – which may boost Type 2 diabetes and heart disease risk, according to the American Heart Association.

A study sponsored by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute looked at 1,000 people from ages of 19 to 72 who volunteered to have CT scans to see how much body fat they had in their abdomen. They also filled out food diaries and after six years, they had another CT scan. The researchers found that almost everyone had gained weight, but those who drank sugary drinks every day gained the most and had 207 percent more visceral fat.

These findings are not necessarily surprising; visceral fat negatively impacts your overall health. Instead of drinking sugary drinks, health care providers recommend drinking regular or seltzer water, skim or 1 percent plain milk, and unsweetened coffee and teas. Make sure to drink water the most regularly. 

Morning Brew host and Duke City Dance Off dancer, Dan Mayfield, interivewed Chip Hindi and Kaleb Stratton from Enchantment Dancing on the morning show. Day of Dance will be held Saturday, February 13 at Albuquerque Embassy Suites beginning at 11:00 a.m.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. —With more people insured under the Affordable Care Act, citizens might find it harder to get in to see their doctor -- and that has more people making a visit to the emergency room.

“Over the last two years, we've seen significant increase in volume,” said Michael Disney, physician medical director at Lovelace Women’s Hospital.

According to a spokesperson, Lovelace hospitals saw about 16,000 more patients in their emergency rooms last year compared with 2014. Presbyterian’s numbers spiked by 13,000 patients, according to its spokesperson.

“Our wait times initially have gone up, but we are increasing our staffing and working on handling that additional patient load,” said Disney.

Wait times at Lovelace Women’s are back down to about 30 minutes, about the same as the year before. Presbyterian said its wait times increased from an average of 57 minutes to 75 minutes.

University of New Mexico Hospital did not respond to a request for its emergency room visits or wait times.

Disney said there are certain things that always warrant a trip to the ER, including chest pain, shortness of breath, heavy bleeding, and stroke symptoms such as numbness, tingling and slurred speech. But in other cases, people may be better off going to a regular doctor or urgent care.

When it comes to children, people should do everything they can to go to their pediatrician first, but if that’s not possible, the ER may have to be a last resort.

“When they're conditions that are worrisome to the parents, they should not hesitate to bring their child to the emergency room to be evaluated,” said Disney.

View the original story and the video here. 

ALBUQUERQUE – February 9, 2016 – Lovelace Westside Hospital is pleased to announce that they have been designated a Pinwheel Champion by the Institute for Patient- and Family-Centered Care (IPFCC). The hospital is the only one in New Mexico to have received this designation.

“This designation is very important to us, as it recognizes our determination to include patients and families in decisions surrounding their care,” said Lovelace Westside Hospital CEO Farron Sneed. “By truly partnering with patients and families – not only involving them in decisions about their care, but also gaining their help and insights to better plan and deliver care – patients can achieve better outcomes, and hospitals can improve the care for all patients and increase staff satisfaction.”

The IPFCC is a non-profit organization that provides essential leadership to advance the understanding and practice of patient- and family-centered care. By promoting collaborative, empowering relationships among patients, families and health care providers, the Institute facilitates patient- and family-centered change in all settings where individuals and families receive care and support.

Lovelace Westside Hospital is the only hospital in New Mexico to be recognized by IPFCC for providing health care that is grounded in mutually beneficial partnerships among patients, families and health care practitioners. 

Live and Love. That is how I sign all my emails. I want to remember those two important practices every time I communicate with someone. February is a perfect time to reflect on living (American Heart Month) and loving (Valentine’s Day). Taking care of your heart allows you to live healthier, improve your quality of life and enjoy all those special moments as your baby grows up. 

One special moment for our Lovelace family each year is Day of Dance and we would like you to join us. Bring your family and friends to Day of Dance to be a part of the biggest dance party for better health in the United States. Dance, listen to music, participate in health screenings and learn about simple and fun ways to stay healthy. Also enjoy the Duke City Dance Off - our local version of Dancing with the Stars featuring local celebrities trained by our partner dance studios! Day of Dance is free to attend and will be held at the Albuquerque Embassy Suites. Event festivities begin at 11:00 a.m., with the Duke City Dance Off getting underway at 1:00 p.m.

Go Red for Women  is a wonderful website for heart-healthy living during pregnancy. Dr. Susan Steinbaum, author of Every Women’s Guide to a Heart Healthy Life suggests pregnancy is a time to get back to basics. What are the basics?

• Diet
• Exercise
• Know Your Numbers
• Raise a  Healthy next generation

The Mediterranean diet is a great way to manage your weight during and after pregnancy. Exercise also helps manage weight and adds fun and enjoyment to your life! Under the care of your health care provider, you can begin or continue an exercise plan. A few ideas to keep moving are: housework, gardening, jogging, bicycling, tennis, dancing, or walking the dog. Added benefits of exercise include lowering the risk of pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes and pre-term delivery. Knowing your numbers refers to your cholesterol (fat), glucose (sugar) and blood pressure. Ask your doctor for more details. Even the smallest changes make a difference. First Lady Michelle Obama’s website, Let's Move, offers more great ways to make health a priority for you and your next generation.

Breastfeeding protects mom by reducing her risk of heart disease. Women who breastfeed for seven to twelve months reduce other risks too, including high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. This holds true no matter your ethnicity, income or education.

Let’s keep moving, dancing, munching on veggies and living a full life!

This blog was written by Catherine Roth, Community Health Education B.S., Community Health Worker, Labor of Love, and Darlene Lundquist, RN, Community Health Worker, Labor of Love.

Old habits. Eating the wrong food. Not exercising. What do you think are the most common mistakes patients make after weight loss surgery? Lovelace Bariatrics Director Dr. Duc Vuong says the answers might be surprising, but he says they can hold patients back from successful weight loss.

“The first mistake people make after weight loss surgery is they start eating (the wrong) breakfast,” explains Dr. Vuong. “This is surprising to some people.” How could your first food decision of the day derail your weight loss goals? Dr. Vuong says to consider typical breakfast foods – cereal, donuts, bagels, bacon and eggs. “These are not healthy meals. Yet we have this mentality that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is not by far. Lunch is the most important meal of the day.”

Dr. Vuong says you shouldn’t have to think about what’s for breakfast. Not only does it help save time on busy mornings, but it helps you make the right food choice every day. While it’s easy to reach thoughtlessly for a bagel and cream cheese, this is not the sort of “not thinking” Dr. Vuong recommends. “Every morning I have a green smoothie,” he says. “That’s what I teach my patients to have the rest of their life. A green smoothie is a handful of spinach, kale or greens, a banana, frozen blueberries, water and honey.” He says to use an emulsifier, like the Nutri Ninja Pro, to get the best texture in your smoothie, instead of a basic blender.

Secondly, Dr. Vuong says patients who aren’t losing weight have made another food choice mistake. “They start eating chicken again,” he says. Why is this a problem? “First, chicken breast is bland, so people usually add sauces or cheese to add flavor.” Chicken essentially becomes the vehicle for adding more calories and saturated fat to your diet. Before we know it, Dr. Vuong says, we are eating unhealthy once again. “Patients need to eat fresh, leafy greens every day. I advise my patients to eat a big salad every day. The goal is to eat a 50 percent raw vegetable diet.” With a green smoothie for breakfast and big green salad for lunch, Dr. Vuong says dinner can be something simple like fish.

Finally, we let life get in the way of our life, he adds. “We let our old life get in the way of our new life,” Dr. Vuong explains. “The newness of the surgery wears off. We fall back into old habits.” Change is not easy. In fact, changing the way we have done things for years takes work every day. “The pull from our past is so powerful. To combat this, you have to make your life the main thing.” He says to ask yourself: what is your main thing? If it is to be healthy this year, that needs to be the center of your focus and the center of each decision you make. Take time to meditate each day. Take a break from your daily routine for a walk by yourself. Schedule time to go to the grocery store and buy fresh produce to have ready for breakfast and lunch. Don’t forget to drink plenty of water and rest. Start each day with gratitude for what your body can do for you and the fact that it is changing each day.

To learn more about Lovelace Bariatrics, attend a free seminar at Lovelace Westside Hospital. Seminars are held twice each month. Click here for more information and to register. 

Join us for an informative webinar about how to prepare your family on expecting new siblings. Presented by Catherine Roth, Community Health Education, B.S. She is a Community Health Worker with Lovelace's Labor of Love program.

Webinar is free to attend!

• Date: Tuesday, February 23, 2016
• Time: 6:30 p.m.

Fill out the form below to register today!

Casey is talking with Sheri Milone, Miles Freeland and Malana Hooker about the Day of Dance for your health with Lovelace Hospital.

You can view the segment here. 

Join us on Tuesday, February 23 for a FREE webinar as we discuss how to prepare your family for new siblings. Webinar will be lead by Catherine Roth, a Community Health Worker with the Lovelace Labor of Love program.

Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2016

Time: 6:30 p.m.

Cost: FREE

Click here to register and receive log-in information!