.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

NEWSLETTER OF LFMC • SANTA FE, NM FALL 2011

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDSANTA FE, NM

PERMIT 173

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

P.O. Box 5395 • Santa Fe, NM 87502

Gardeners at La Familia Medical Center

Take Control -- Grow Something!!!

It is universally acknowledged that stress is bad for our health but stress was hard to avoid this past summer with both a serious drought and raging wildfires.

Undaunted by the drought, a group of LFMC employees and their family members exerted control over their own well being by planting vegetable plots just up the hill from the Alto Street site. Their bounty has been impressive!

Some of the gardeners had participated in a wellness and weight loss group that had been meeting weekly since February. Registered Dietitian, Diana Gonzales-Pacheco led the lunch time group using Michael Pollan’s book Food Rules as a guide. Discussion topics included how to read food labels to see what you are really consuming and how to substitute healthier ingredients into favorite foods without sacrificing flavor. When the garden idea was presented they enthusiastically embraced it.

Virginia Garcia participated in the lunch group and although she was an experienced gardener, she found that she could learn new things from the other gardeners. She discovered, for example, that certain plants can go in the ground in September to be harvested in November and some, like garlic, won’t be ready to harvest until next year.

Virginia’s co-worker, Gina Martinez, is a beginning gardener who had to learn everything from scratch. Both describe what a rewarding experience it has been both in terms of reaping the benefits for their dinner tables and the cooperative spirit generated by the group.

“We designed a calendar so we could take turns watering,” Gina reports. “Some staff had their own plots and others shared a plot but it was great working together. My son loves the garden and is always anxious to go to the garden and get more tomatoes. I made salsa from our own tomatoes. It was very satisfying.”

News I tems

La Familia Medical Center is gratified to receive three separate grants from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico. Since the publication of our last newsletter, we have been awarded three grants to support our Diabetes Education program, our community outreach with the BC BS Care Van and a new health educator position.

Website Redesign

La Familia’s newly redesigned website will be going live shortly. Be sure to visit it.

When you do you will notice that you can now:

• readaboutourvariousservices,

• haveeasyaccessto news and announcements, staff biographies, past newsletters AND

• makeadonationusingPayPal.

The website will look quite different but the web address has not changed.www.lafamiliasf.org.

Kathy Abeles, Mayor David Coss, Rick Abeles, Senator Peter Wirth and Carol Romero Wirth attend the Grand Opening of the new dental clinic.

Dr. Sheila Ortego, President of the Santa Fe Community College and Senator Nancy Rodriguez join La Familia Dental Director, Linda Renner in celebrating the new dental clinic on the campus of the SFCC.

U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman and his aide Andrew Black receive a guided tour of the new dental clinic from Dental Director, Linda Renner.

Federal, State And Local Dignitaries Celebrate New Dental Clinic

An impressive array of city, state and national officials attended the Grand Opening Celebration of La Familia’s new dental clinic this past May. NM Senators Rodriguez and Wirth were among the legislators who helped with the initial funding for the clinic. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this state-of-the-art “green” facility a reality.

Senator Bingaman and his aides were given a guided tour later in the summer.

Virginia Garcia does chart prep for LFMC

Suzanne Burlone, MD, OB/GYN comes to us from her Residency at the Oregon Health and Science University. She received her medical degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and is active in the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr.

Burlone’s starting date was September 1st.

Lisa Phifer, MD is a Family Medicine Physician. She joined the Alto Street staff early in September. She attended medical school at St. Louis University in St. Louis, MO and completed her residency at the United Family Medicine Program in St. Paul, MN. Dr. Phifer joined us on

September 7th

Allison Bacon, MD recently finished her Residency in Family Medicine at Santa Rosa Family Medicine Program in Santa Rosa, CA. She graduated from Loma Linda School of Medicine and is a National Health Service Scholar. Dr. Bacon will began her LFMC practice

on September 30.

Anne McClean DMD comes to us from Portland, OR where she completed her Residency at Oregon Health and Science University and her undergraduate degree at Willamette University in Salem, OR. Dr. McClean joined LFMC dental on October 17.

When the word around town from local businesses is “they do good work” at La Familia Medical Center, we are humbly mindful of our non-profit’s dedication in service to the community’s well-being.

When we hear from established patients like Nicole and her family about their “easy and nice” experience at the new dental clinic and also that it was her first time seeing the Community College, we take pride in La Familia’s place amongst non-profits in Santa Fe County.

On a recent weekend morning, Human Resources Coordinator Maggie Popp and Facility Manager Tomas Romero arranged a staff volunteer effort to clean the parking lots at the Alto Street site. When two Santa Fe residents and one out-of-towner passed by and expressed compliments on the staff’s nearby community garden and the overall appearance of the facility, we thank employees for participation beyond the call of duty.

For all the good words, inevitably we hear about the disgruntled walk-in unable to see a doctor that same-day because providers were already fully scheduled or the patient calling for an appointment, disappointed that the next opening for a routine check-up isn’t tomorrow.

Being Santa Fe’s only Community Health Center, La Familia Medical Center provides care for more than 250 patients a day. Some patients have chosen LFMC based on word-of-mouth reputation of a specific provider; others have been receiving primary care from their La Familia provider for many years; and even patients with private medical insurance -- when certain types of care are excluded from coverage, they count on us for excellent affordable comprehensive services.

Improving patient access to services is our ongoing concern. In addition to operating at four sites, La Familia Medical Center provides numerous outreach services to the children and their families at two public schools, Salazar and Agua Fria, and ever-expanding programs to treat the homeless and otherwise disadvantaged in our community.

This fall we are implementing a strategic plan for more access to providers with the addition of three more physicians and one dentist. Already the staff are noticing relief to the nurse triage system in anticipation of more available appointment slots.

Mindful, also, that the tight economy affects Santa Fe’s small for-profits, when the neighborhood restaurant manager, the independent bookseller, Adrian and Diego the auto mechanics, the plumber, the roofer, the framing company spread la buena palabra about La Familia Medical Center, we truly appreciate their support. Their good words are part and parcel of donor confidence which, in turn, helps balance the costs of improved services and expanded programs with other budgetary and operational concerns strategic to sustaining our non-profit.

John CassidyChief Executive Officer

O U R M I S S I O N

L A FA M I L I A M E D I C A L C E N T E R 2 T H E P U L S E • F A L L 2 0 1 1 L A FA M I L I A M E D I C A L C E N T E R 3 T H E P U L S E • F A L L 2 0 1 1

CEO’s MESSAGELa Familia Medical Center

is dedicated to providing excellent, affordable,

comprehensive medical, dental and health promotion services to

everyone in our community.

Officers

Chief Executive OfficerJohn Cassidy

Medical DirectorJames Lutz, MD

Dental DirectorLinda Renner, DDS

Board of DirectorsJim Fisher President

Ramona Flores-Lopes Vice President

Andrew Montgomery, Esq. Secretary

Charles Smith, MD Treasurer

Criceida Mendez, Member-at-Large

Larry CohenBill Lazar

Nancy LehrhauptLourdes LopezRandy Murray

Beverly RussellMark Simpson

Jody SoperSharon Tison

NewsletterNancy Phillips

Director of Development/ Communications

Alto Street Clinic 1035 Alto Street

Santa Fe, NM 87501(505) 982-4425

Southside Clinic2145 Caja del Oro Grant Road

Santa Fe, NM 87507(505) 438-3195

La Familia Medical CenterDental Clinic

6401 Richards Ave.Santa Fe, NM 87508

(505) 984-5048

Health Care for the Homless818 Camino Sierra Vista

Santa Fe, NM 87505(505) 988-1742

Established in 1972, La Familia Medical Center is a not-for-

profit, 501 C (3) organization devoted to providing high quality, culturally sensitive

medical and dental services to the whole community.

And a new team Residents

This year’s 2nd year Residents come from as close as Northern New Mexico and as far away as Caracas, Venezuela. Rafael Ibarra, MD received his medical training at the Universidad Central de Venezuela. He comes to Santa Fe following a year working with Native South American Tribes in the Orinoco River Delta. Dr. Christine Chen and Dr. Hannah Benelli both completed their medical education at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Chen has a special interest in rural medicine and in improving the health care infrastructure. Dr. Benelli was raised in Northern New Mexico and before getting her MD she worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory doing genetic research.

LFMC WELCOMES NEW PROVIDERS

Three physicians and a dentist have joined the LFMC staff this fall. We are very pleased to welcome the following:

Jeff Vigil, IT Director of Electronic Medical RecordsJeff joined the La Familia staff in August. Most of his professional life has been spent at Los Alamos National Laboratory working in computer systems. His primary role in Information Technology will

be to manage LFMC’s transition to Electronic Medical Records.

Kathleen (Leni) Pinyan, Director of FinanceLeni took over the position of Finance Director at the end of September. She is a CPA and has spent the last eight years working for the State of New Mexico, primarily in the Departments of

Transportation and Finance and Administration. She also has experience at two CPA firms and worked for five years at St. Vincent’s Hospital prior to the CHRISTUS merger.

Suzanne Burlone, MD, OB/GYN comes to us from her Residency at the Oregon Health and Science University. She received her medical degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and is active in the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Dr.

Burlone’s starting date was September 1st.

Lisa Phifer, MD is a Family Medicine Physician. She joined the Alto Street staff early in September. She attended medical school at St. Louis University in St. Louis, MO and completed her residency at the United Family Medicine Program in St. Paul, MN. Dr. Phifer joined us on

September 7th

Allison Bacon, MD recently finished her Residency in Family Medicine at Santa Rosa Family Medicine Program in Santa Rosa, CA. She graduated from Loma Linda School of Medicine and is a National Health Service Scholar. Dr. Bacon will began her LFMC practice

on September 30.

Anne McClean DMD comes to us from Portland, OR where she completed her Residency at Oregon Health and Science University and her undergraduate degree at Willamette University in Salem, OR. Dr. McClean joined LFMC dental on October 17.

When the word around town from local businesses is “they do good work” at La Familia Medical Center, we are humbly mindful of our non-profit’s dedication in service to the community’s well-being.

When we hear from established patients like Nicole and her family about their “easy and nice” experience at the new dental clinic and also that it was her first time seeing the Community College, we take pride in La Familia’s place amongst non-profits in Santa Fe County.

On a recent weekend morning, Human Resources Coordinator Maggie Popp and Facility Manager Tomas Romero arranged a staff volunteer effort to clean the parking lots at the Alto Street site. When two Santa Fe residents and one out-of-towner passed by and expressed compliments on the staff’s nearby community garden and the overall appearance of the facility, we thank employees for participation beyond the call of duty.

For all the good words, inevitably we hear about the disgruntled walk-in unable to see a doctor that same-day because providers were already fully scheduled or the patient calling for an appointment, disappointed that the next opening for a routine check-up isn’t tomorrow.

Being Santa Fe’s only Community Health Center, La Familia Medical Center provides care for more than 250 patients a day. Some patients have chosen LFMC based on word-of-mouth reputation of a specific provider; others have been receiving primary care from their La Familia provider for many years; and even patients with private medical insurance -- when certain types of care are excluded from coverage, they count on us for excellent affordable comprehensive services.

Improving patient access to services is our ongoing concern. In addition to operating at four sites, La Familia Medical Center provides numerous outreach services to the children and their families at two public schools, Salazar and Agua Fria, and ever-expanding programs to treat the homeless and otherwise disadvantaged in our community.

This fall we are implementing a strategic plan for more access to providers with the addition of three more physicians and one dentist. Already the staff are noticing relief to the nurse triage system in anticipation of more available appointment slots.

Mindful, also, that the tight economy affects Santa Fe’s small for-profits, when the neighborhood restaurant manager, the independent bookseller, Adrian and Diego the auto mechanics, the plumber, the roofer, the framing company spread la buena palabra about La Familia Medical Center, we truly appreciate their support. Their good words are part and parcel of donor confidence which, in turn, helps balance the costs of improved services and expanded programs with other budgetary and operational concerns strategic to sustaining our non-profit.

John CassidyChief Executive Officer

O U R M I S S I O N

L A FA M I L I A M E D I C A L C E N T E R 2 T H E P U L S E • F A L L 2 0 1 1 L A FA M I L I A M E D I C A L C E N T E R 3 T H E P U L S E • F A L L 2 0 1 1

CEO’s MESSAGELa Familia Medical Center

is dedicated to providing excellent, affordable,

comprehensive medical, dental and health promotion services to

everyone in our community.

Officers

Chief Executive OfficerJohn Cassidy

Medical DirectorJames Lutz, MD

Dental DirectorLinda Renner, DDS

Board of DirectorsJim Fisher President

Ramona Flores-Lopes Vice President

Andrew Montgomery, Esq. Secretary

Charles Smith, MD Treasurer

Criceida Mendez, Member-at-Large

Larry CohenBill Lazar

Nancy LehrhauptLourdes LopezRandy Murray

Beverly RussellMark Simpson

Jody SoperSharon Tison

NewsletterNancy Phillips

Director of Development/ Communications

Alto Street Clinic 1035 Alto Street

Santa Fe, NM 87501(505) 982-4425

Southside Clinic2145 Caja del Oro Grant Road

Santa Fe, NM 87507(505) 438-3195

La Familia Medical CenterDental Clinic

6401 Richards Ave.Santa Fe, NM 87508

(505) 984-5048

Health Care for the Homless818 Camino Sierra Vista

Santa Fe, NM 87505(505) 988-1742

Established in 1972, La Familia Medical Center is a not-for-

profit, 501 C (3) organization devoted to providing high quality, culturally sensitive

medical and dental services to the whole community.

And a new team Residents

This year’s 2nd year Residents come from as close as Northern New Mexico and as far away as Caracas, Venezuela. Rafael Ibarra, MD received his medical training at the Universidad Central de Venezuela. He comes to Santa Fe following a year working with Native South American Tribes in the Orinoco River Delta. Dr. Christine Chen and Dr. Hannah Benelli both completed their medical education at the University of New Mexico. Dr. Chen has a special interest in rural medicine and in improving the health care infrastructure. Dr. Benelli was raised in Northern New Mexico and before getting her MD she worked at the Los Alamos National Laboratory doing genetic research.

LFMC WELCOMES NEW PROVIDERS

Three physicians and a dentist have joined the LFMC staff this fall. We are very pleased to welcome the following:

Jeff Vigil, IT Director of Electronic Medical RecordsJeff joined the La Familia staff in August. Most of his professional life has been spent at Los Alamos National Laboratory working in computer systems. His primary role in Information Technology will

be to manage LFMC’s transition to Electronic Medical Records.

Kathleen (Leni) Pinyan, Director of FinanceLeni took over the position of Finance Director at the end of September. She is a CPA and has spent the last eight years working for the State of New Mexico, primarily in the Departments of

Transportation and Finance and Administration. She also has experience at two CPA firms and worked for five years at St. Vincent’s Hospital prior to the CHRISTUS merger.

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

NEWSLETTER OF LFMC • SANTA FE, NM FALL 2011

NON-PROFIT ORG.U.S. POSTAGE

PAIDSANTA FE, NM

PERMIT 173

.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

P.O. Box 5395 • Santa Fe, NM 87502

Gardeners at La Familia Medical Center

Take Control -- Grow Something!!!

It is universally acknowledged that stress is bad for our health but stress was hard to avoid this past summer with both a serious drought and raging wildfires.

Undaunted by the drought, a group of LFMC employees and their family members exerted control over their own well being by planting vegetable plots just up the hill from the Alto Street site. Their bounty has been impressive!

Some of the gardeners had participated in a wellness and weight loss group that had been meeting weekly since February. Registered Dietitian, Diana Gonzales-Pacheco led the lunch time group using Michael Pollan’s book Food Rules as a guide. Discussion topics included how to read food labels to see what you are really consuming and how to substitute healthier ingredients into favorite foods without sacrificing flavor. When the garden idea was presented they enthusiastically embraced it.

Virginia Garcia participated in the lunch group and although she was an experienced gardener, she found that she could learn new things from the other gardeners. She discovered, for example, that certain plants can go in the ground in September to be harvested in November and some, like garlic, won’t be ready to harvest until next year.

Virginia’s co-worker, Gina Martinez, is a beginning gardener who had to learn everything from scratch. Both describe what a rewarding experience it has been both in terms of reaping the benefits for their dinner tables and the cooperative spirit generated by the group.

“We designed a calendar so we could take turns watering,” Gina reports. “Some staff had their own plots and others shared a plot but it was great working together. My son loves the garden and is always anxious to go to the garden and get more tomatoes. I made salsa from our own tomatoes. It was very satisfying.”

News I tems

La Familia Medical Center is gratified to receive three separate grants from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Mexico. Since the publication of our last newsletter, we have been awarded three grants to support our Diabetes Education program, our community outreach with the BC BS Care Van and a new health educator position.

Website Redesign

La Familia’s newly redesigned website will be going live shortly. Be sure to visit it.

When you do you will notice that you can now:

• readaboutourvariousservices,

• haveeasyaccessto news and announcements, staff biographies, past newsletters AND

• makeadonationusingPayPal.

The website will look quite different but the web address has not changed.www.lafamiliasf.org.

Kathy Abeles, Mayor David Coss, Rick Abeles, Senator Peter Wirth and Carol Romero Wirth attend the Grand Opening of the new dental clinic.

Dr. Sheila Ortego, President of the Santa Fe Community College and Senator Nancy Rodriguez join La Familia Dental Director, Linda Renner in celebrating the new dental clinic on the campus of the SFCC.

U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman and his aide Andrew Black receive a guided tour of the new dental clinic from Dental Director, Linda Renner.

Federal, State And Local Dignitaries Celebrate New Dental Clinic

An impressive array of city, state and national officials attended the Grand Opening Celebration of La Familia’s new dental clinic this past May. NM Senators Rodriguez and Wirth were among the legislators who helped with the initial funding for the clinic. Thank you to everyone who helped to make this state-of-the-art “green” facility a reality.

Senator Bingaman and his aides were given a guided tour later in the summer.

Virginia Garcia does chart prep for LFMC