Newsmakers in Health Care

Bertek Pharmaceuticals

Lari Redfearn-Jump was inducted into the Chairman's Club of Bertek Pharmaceuticals Inc. Chairman's Club is Bertek's highest award level for a field representative. Membership is awarded to the top 10 percent of the field force, who are chosen for their exemplary service to the medical community. Honorees have demonstrated their dedication and commitment to go above and beyond the norm to fine-tune their skills and their knowledge of Bertek products and customer needs.

Citizens Memorial

Andrea Stanek joined Citizens Me-morial Healthcare as a full-time massage therapist. Stanek completed a 600-hour course in professional massage therapy at the Professional Massage Training Center in Springfield and is now a licensed therapist. Stanek has been with CMH organization since 1997.

CoxHealth

CoxHealth received a three-year accreditation from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organiza-tions. The hospitals Cox South, Cox North and Cox Walnut Lawn received a score of 97. According to the joint commission, only 15 percent of hospitals nationwide receive scores of 97 or better.

The score for CoxHealth's long-term care facility was 97, and home health services, including Home Support Services, Home Parental Services and Oxford HealthCare, received a score of 91. The JCAHO accreditation indicates that a health care organization meets high performance standards.

CoxHealth has been reaccredited for four years by the Missouri State Medical Association Council to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

CoxHealth's Hulston Cancer Center was awarded a three-year term of accreditation in radiation oncology as a result of a recent survey by the American College of Radiology. Only 10 percent of radiation oncology programs in the nation are awarded accreditation.

St. John's

Dr. David Barbe was elected to a four-year term on the American Medical Association's Council on Medical Service at the annual House of Delegates meeting in Chicago. Barbe, president of St. John's Clinic, Regional Medicine of the Ozarks, in Mountain Grove, joins 10 other physicians from around the country who serve on the council. He has been one of Missouri's seven physician delegates to the AMA since 1996 and has served as chairman of that delegation for the past two years. The AMA Council of Medical Service develops reports and policy recommendations for the AMA on issues of health care delivery, financing and regulations.

St. John's Regional Health Center was named a quality respiratory care provider by the American Association for Respiratory Care. The health center was one of 500 hospitals in the nation that met the requirements to be named a quality respiratory care provider. Hospitals recognized under the program ensure patient safety by agreeing to adhere to a strict set of criteria governing their respiratory care services.

Skaggs Community Health Center

Five area residents were elected to the Skaggs Community Health Center Board of Trustees during the board's annual meeting. Elected to the board were: Sandy Bruns of Kirbyville, executive vice president of First Community Bank of Taney County; Mike Davis of Branson, retired certified public accountant and investor; Dr. Doug Jordan of Forsyth, optometrist and partner for 10 years with Ozark Family Vision Center; Frances Rittenhouse of Hollister, director of Ozark Highlands Parents as Teachers Co-op for Branson, Hollister and Blue Eye schools for the past 20 years; and Joe Sullivan of Branson, president of The Sullivan Co. Inc.

Skaggs also has installed officers for the 2003-04 fiscal year. Officers are: Jackie Gibson, president; Bob Dysart, president-elect; Mary and Cap Capstick, co-vice presidents; Vivian Rowden, placement; and Terry Weisz, membership.

Skaggs Community Health Center volunteers were honored for their volunteer hours contributed during the center's 2002-03 fiscal year. During that period, 95 individuals volunteered, and the group as a whole contributed 8,264 hours. Of those volunteers, 31 contributed 100 hours or more.