Recipients named for annual health care honors

Springfield Business Journal and the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce will in October recognize local health professionals at the jointly presented 2012 Salute to Health Care event.

The chamber will honor two physicians with its Salute to Health Care Award, and SBJ will recognize Health Care Champions in four categories: dentists, hospice workers, physical therapists and school nurses.

The chamber’s honorees were chosen by a chamber committee, and SBJ’s Health Care Champions were chosen by a panel of judges: Dr. John Bentley of Jordan Valley Community Health Center; Dr. Jim Blaine of Ozarks Technical Community College; Anne Liners Brett, Ph.D., of Cox College; Beverly Gann of Ozarks Community Hospital; and Dr. Keith LaFerriere of Mercy LaFerrier & Kienstra Facial Plastic Surgery.

Salute to Health Care honorees are: Dr. Alastair Haddow, Mercy Clinic Infectious Disease, and Dr. Tom Prater, Mattax-Neu-Prater Eye Center Inc.

Separated by category and listed alphabetically, the Health Care Champion honorees are:

• Dentists: Dr. Kelly Barnett, Barnett-Davis Dental Group, DDS PC; Dr. Sarah Mahaffey, Mahaffey Family Dentistry LLC; and Dr. Tom Stone, Thomas E. Stone, DDS PC.
• Hospice workers: Valerie Alfano, independent hospice worker; Gayla Manary, Integrity Home Care Inc.; and Laird Thompson, Omega Health Care of Southwest Missouri Inc.
• Physical therapists: Bethany Adler, DPT, Ability Network and Access Potential Therapy Services; Gerry Catapang, DPT, Physical Therapy Care, Manual Physical Therapy and Industrial Rehab Center PC; and Chuck Renner, OPT, Advantage Therapy.
• School nurses: Debbie Barnes, Ozark High School; Shari Miller, Marshfield R-I Schools; and Gail Smith, Aurora R-VIII School District.

All 14 honorees will be celebrated at the Oct. 25 Salute to Health Care banquet, scheduled 6:15 p.m. at the Ramada Oasis Convention Center, 2546 N. Glenstone Ave. Tickets are $40 apiece and are available by calling the chamber at (417) 862-5567.