"We
have been very fortunate over many years to have an exceptional
medical staff."
We
have been very fortunate over many years to have an exceptional
medical staff. Several years ago the Board of Trustees developed
a requirement that all physicians must be Board Certified within
six years of having become eligible. Very few hospitals in the
country have a requirement that is this strict. Quite simply,
the Board wanted to assure the community that physicians at
our hospital meet the very highest qualifications. Board certified
physicians must fulfill specified educational, evaluation and
examination requirements.
Following
graduation from medical school and after completing graduate
residency education a physician may begin his/her practice.
Depending upon the specialty, some physicians must work for
several years before they are eligible to complete their Board
Certification process. Others begin the process upon satisfactory
completion of their residencies.
The
Board Certification process consists of applicants taking a
day long written qualifying examination. After successfully
passing the written exam, they must engage in extensive oral
examinations. Some physicians may take this oral exam immediately
following the written, while some must practice for a certain
amount of time before they can take the oral exam. After successfully
passing both the written and oral examination they become Board
Certified.
While some hospitals tout the high percentage of physicians
on their staffs that are board eligible, there is a major difference.
Board Eligible means they have not completed and/or passed the
Board Certified requirements.
We
share with pride our community based, Board Certified Medical
Staff. This is their community. They and their families live
here and are actively involved in the Community. They have earned
the respect and confidence of the Community by being Board Certified.
We are now entering Phase II of a Sentinel Node Mapping Research
Trial. Dr. Vincent Carifi, a Bond Clinic General Surgeon, is
the principle investigator for this study and is assisted by
two co-investigators, Dr. Mary Gardner (Radiologist) and Dr.
Larry Botz (Pathologist).
Sentinel Node Mapping is being studied to evaluate if a complete
axillary node dissection is necessary to accurately diagnose
and treat women with breast cancer. Phase I of the trial was
completed in May 2000 and met all the expected criteria set
by Moffitt Cancer Center.
Several patients have been entered in the on-going Phase II
part of the study in which women who have negative sentinel
nodes will be spared a complete axillary dissection and the
subsequent complications that often accompany that procedure.
We are very pleased to share that Dr. Robert Bala has joined
our Family Health Center in Bartow (533-1448). Dr. Bala is a
graduate of Brown University and the University of Virginia
Medical School.
On August 15th we enjoyed a wonderful dedication of the Joy-Fuller
Re-habilitation Center on the 7th floor of the Swann Building.
We are extremely grateful to Mrs. Eunice Fuller whose generous
donation resulted in our naming this important long-term rehabilitation
center in her honor.
We look forward to beginning construction of a new, state of
the art Emergency Department at Lake Wales Medical Center in
early 2001.
We welcome the thoughts and recommendations of the people we
serve. Your comments and suggestions help us to effectively
achieve our mission, which is, "To improve the health of the
communities we serve by providing high quality, cost effective
care and services."
