Dr. Mack Mathews III

PAGE 3

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Legal Matters: The Do’s and Don’ts of Advertising Your PracticeAdvertising can be one of the keys to growing a medical practice. However, in Tennessee, healthcare advertising is regulated by the Health Related Boards ... 5

Special Advertising Southeastern Retina Associates – most referred-to retina practice in East Tennessee – offers expertise, cutting-edge technology and clinical trials close to home ... 5

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By CInDy SanDERS

As the ‘offi cial sponsor of birthdays,’ the American Cancer Society (ACS) found a reason to rejoice in their latest report – Cancer Facts & Figures 2015. Since hitting a peak in 1991, cancer deaths have fallen 22 percent over two decades in the United States, which means more than 1.5 million deaths have been avoided … and more birthdays celebrated.

An ACS infographic showed 3.3 million cancer survivors in the United States in 1973. Today, there are more than 14.5 million cancer survivors, and that number is projected to jump to 18.9 million by 2024.

Each year, the ACS compiles the most recent data on cancer in-cidence, mortality and survival using data from a variety of sources including the National Cancer Institute, National Center for Health Statistics and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The most recent fi ve-year data (2007-2011) showed the overall cancer in-cidence rate held steady in women and declined by 1.8 percent per year in men. The decrease in men was attributed to rapid declines in colorectal cancer (3.6 percent per year), lung cancer (3 percent per year) and prostate cancer (2.1 percent per year). (CONTINUED ON PAGE 9)

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By CInDy SanDERS

With better understanding of the human genome, physicians and researchers have opened up exciting new lines of personalized medicine where providers deliver radiation with pinpoint accuracy and tailor treat-ments to fi t a patient’s unique needs. While a highly scientifi c, very targeted approach is often used to promote

improved outcomes, it is rarely employed when it comes time to promote a facility or provider expertise to improve income.

If precision medicine has been shown to work, why not also utilize precision marketing?

A Call to ArmsIn his 2011 manifesto for transforming healthcare marketing, “Joe Public Doesn’t Care About

Your Hospital,” author Chris Bevolo explored why the digital world had made it possible … and desir-able … to change not only the message but also the manner in which it is delivered. His September 2014 follow-up, “Joe Public II: Embracing the New Paradigm,” offered practical strategies for making

Personalized MessagingA marketing manifesto

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 6)

Chris Bevolo

2 > MARCH 2015 e a s t t n m e d i c a l n e w s . c o m

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By JOE MORRIS

Most doctors will tell you that they found their niche early on, and stuck with it. A few will add that they’ve found several different areas in which to practice, and have found success all along the way. Dr. Mack Mathews III is one such lucky practitioner.

These days, Dr. Mathews is a hematologist/oncologist at Indian Path Medical Center. He’s been in this specialty area for upwards of two decades and came to it after many years in the world of emergency care.

“I’d had an interest in emergency medicine, and was dual-boarded in internal and emergency medicines,” Mathews said. “But after a while I was looking for day work. Emergency medicine is a lot of ro-tating shifts, nights, and weekends, and that can get pretty tiring. So when an fellowship opportunity opened up at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, I began to move into medical oncology, with a pretty strong hematology exposure.”

A graduate of the University of Lou-isville School of Medicine, Mathews com-pleted his internal medicine residencies at the University of Tennessee in Memphis and Hahnemann University in Philadel-phia. Additional training and internships included stints at Ohio State University Hospital (general surgery), and fellow-ships in hematology/oncology at St. Louis University and Barnes Hospital at Wash-ington University. He is board certified in internal medicine and medical oncology. He also is a fellow of the American Col-lege of Physicians, as well as a member of the American Medical Association,

American Society of Clinical Oncology, and American Society of Hematology.

At Indian Path, he’s helped to get the oncology service line into place, and crafted an affiliation with Johnson City Medical Center and East Tennessee State University. He’s also kept his hand in on the education side, mentoring medical stu-dents who have rotated through the prac-tice and also serving as a clinical assistant professor at ETSU’s James H. Quillen College of Medicine.

For Mathews, hematology and oncol-ogy are challenging in multiple ways. At his practice, he says he sees “pretty much everything and anything,” which means that there’s no one set of treatment proto-cols, for example.

“A good part of our practice is breast caner and lung cancer, as well as GI ma-lignancies and lymphomas,” he said. “We also treat a lot of anemia and non-malig-nant hematology issues, such as bleeding

disorders. Because of that va-riety, we get to take advantage of a lot of the clinical trial re-search that’s been done, or is being done, and stay current with new developments.”

Along with those complex cases, and the treatments they require, come the complica-tions of practice management. That can be anything from drug-price issues to political footballs such as Medicaid ex-pansion, or lack thereof, and how that affects reimburse-ment rates.

“The climate is becoming more and more challenging for all the community hospitals, and we’re certainly affected,” Mathews said. “The price of our drugs, particularly some of the chemotherapy drugs, is our greatest expense. We par-

ticipate in the 340B chemotherapy pricing schedule, along with Johnson City Medi-cal Center, which helps, but the hospital systems are really becoming stressed.”

That means, he added, “that we se-nior oncologists and hematologists are stressed as well. We’re concerned that the younger generation of doctors coming along is going to be under stress to provide more work with less pay, and that worries us in terms of the quality of care that will be available. We also worry that the need will rise, because there won’t be as much care available.”

To meet the need, he says that every point in the healthcare treatment stream is focused on being more efficient, but also on providing the best patient care avail-able. That means ongoing consultations with every patient regarding all the op-tions on the table.

“It’s a moving target,” Mathews said. “Practices have to be cost conscious, but

also offer compassionate care. One of the nice things about our practice is that we are able to individualize care for each pa-tient. That’s very gratifying. I’m able to inform the patient about what the stan-dard of care is, advise them of what their treatment options are, and then what the natural course of events will be with and without treatment. That lets them make their own decisions, and lets us provide the care that they have decided on.”

In his specialty, Mathews says that most treatment plans are moving toward targeted therapies, which are effective but also expensive.

“The cost can be exorbitant, but we are committed to looking at each new treatment and drug that comes out,” he said. “But that cost means that there are more peer-to-peer review processes with insurance companies than ever before, and a much bigger need for diagnostic testing. That’s a challenge as well.”

To stay on top of all that’s going on, he and his colleagues rely on national guidelines, as well as information provided to them through their hospital partners.

“That lets us keep up with the most recent treatments not only for what we deal with, but also for various diseases that we don’t see a lot of in our practice,” he explained.

From new treatments and tech-nologies to the ongoing issues around reimbursements, healthcare is more chal-lenging than ever. Still, Mathews said, he appreciates his work now as much as he ever has.

“I enjoy the colleagues I work with; we have an excellent nursing, clerical, and support staff,” he said. “Everyone here understands what’s required, on a day-to-day basis, to take care of the patients. It’s a rewarding practice because a lot of people are helped. There’s always a treatment available, and sometimes we see a cure. That’s always a pleasure to be a part of.”

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By LauREn MILLER

With the flu epidemic, a pervasive stomach virus and heated debate about un-vaccinated children, it’s almost hard to re-member the preoccupation with the Ebola virus that our country and community ex-perienced just a few months ago.

It was October 2014. Thomas Eric Duncan, the first patient diagnosed with Ebola in the United States, died at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, setting off a chain of events – and widespread fabrica-tions about supposed events – related to the possible spread of the Ebola virus through health care workers, commercial flights and even a dog.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued daily updates for hospitals and primary care practices on how to address possible Ebola virus symp-toms, quarantine patients and staff and react to growing public panic.

That’s when Covenant Health officials in East Tennessee picked up the phone and made a few unprecedented calls – to their competitors.

“We knew the community wanted an-swers – and needed real information, not rumors about Ebola that were spreading across the Internet faster than the virus

ever would,” said Debby Saraceni, vice president of marketing and physician ser-vices at Covenant Health. “It would have to be a cooperative, unified approach among regional health care organizations so we could address concerns from media, patients, health care workers and the com-munity at large.”

With the approval of Covenant Health CEO Anthony Spezia and Executive Vice President and COO Jim VanderSteeg, Saraceni assembled a team of Covenant marketing professionals and Moxley Car-

michael leadership to plan and execute the event.

Spezia and his team reached out to peers at Blount Memorial, East Tennessee Children’s Hospital, Tennova Healthcare and University of Tennessee Medical Cen-ter – and they, too, realized the responsibil-ity to work collaboratively.

Covenant Health coordinated with Dr. Martha Buchanan, director of the Knox County Health Department, to take the lead on organizing an expert panel. Other leading health care organizations from the region were enlisted: Knoxville Academy of Medicine, Knoxville Infec-tious Disease Consultants, MEDIC Re-gional Blood Center, Summit Medical Group, TeamHealth, Tennessee Health Department – East Tennessee Region, Tennessee Office of EMS and UT College of Veterinary Medicine.

The goal was simple: to reassure the public and address concerns, demonstrat-ing that the health care community in the Greater Knoxville area was – and is – pre-pared to handle any possible Ebola cases.

The challenge was tremendous: to co-ordinate all logistics and panel participants from 14 partnering organizations within six days to address community concerns in a timely manner – and before the public’s confidence worsened.

To prepare, Covenant Health and Moxley Carmichael conducted online re-search for updated information about the virus and participated in daily calls to re-view the latest CDC protocols and devel-opments at home and abroad.

Talking points, telecast scripts, news releases and media advisories needed to be prepared and disseminated rapidly. Covenant Health and its partners had to gain support of not only the regional health care community but also news media and elected officials.

“A primary message in the planning stages was that the forum was necessary to alleviate concerns, not create additional panic,” Saraceni said. “We were proud to take the leadership on coordinating the forum, but it was essential that all key leaders were on board to ensure the mes-sage was loud and clear: the preparedness throughout our medical community to treat any potential, though unlikely, case of Ebola and protect the public at large.”

The East Tennessee Health Forum on Ebola was scheduled for Oct. 21, 2014, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at the Knoxville Con-vention Center.

A website, www.ethealthforum.com, was established, along with an email ad-dress, questions@ethealthforum.com, for the public to pre-submit questions.

The News Sentinel was recruited as the media sponsor and donated ad space for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday issues of the paper, which allowed notification two days prior and day of event.

WBIR-TV agreed to simulcast the forum. Then, WATE-TV and WVLT-TV came on board. The team recruited popu-lar radio talk show host Hallerin Hilton Hill to moderate, and his station, WOKI-FM, replayed the event at 8 p.m. that eve-ning. Spezia was a guest on Hill’s show the morning of the event, and the event was promoted through other media interviews, as well as social media posts.

About 250 people attended the forum, and the broadcast and online simulcasts, replays and live streaming news coverage reached thousands more. Social media posts featured #EThealthforum, and more than 300 social media posts used the hashtag.

Five placements in the News Sentinel, including an editorial promoting the forum and praising Covenant Health and the participants, generated more than 440,000 impressions. More than 50 TV news stories aired in advance of the forum, live from the event and afterward – and reached more than 1,075,000 people in East Tennessee.

“The forum underscored the collabo-ration among the health care organizations for the good of the community,” Spezia said. “The response from the public was very positive and appreciative.”

The event achieved national recogni-tion, as the East Tennessee Health Forum on Ebola hosted by Covenant Health has been named a finalist in the events category by the national PR News Corporate Social Responsibility Awards. The winner will be announced on March 12 at the PR News CSR Awards Luncheon at The National Press Club in Washington D.C.

“We took an unprecedented, proac-tive approach here in East Tennessee, and it resonated not only locally but also on the national level,” Spezia added. “We’re proud to be named a finalist, and we were proud to take the lead in organizing this important community initiative.”

Corporate Social Responsibility in Action: The East Tennessee Health Care Forum on Ebola

Expert panel and some of the audience at the East Tennessee Health Forum on Ebola held October 21

REPRINTS: If you would like to order a reprint of a Medical News article in a PDF format or request an additional copy of an issue, please email: subscribe@medicalnewsinc.com for information.

e a s t t n m e d i c a l n e w s . c o m MARCH 2015 > 5

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BY STACY FENTRESS

Most of us have heard the adage, “The eyes are the window to the soul.” For the specially trained medical doctors at Southeastern Ret-ina Associates, the adage rings true.

“It’s amazing what you can see when you look into people’s eyes,” said Cris Larzo, MD, with South-eastern Retina Associates’ Tri Cities, Tenn., offi ce. “We can see if people have ex-perienced a rise in blood pressure, if their choles-terol is high or if they have diabetes and their blood sugar has been high.”

Dr. Larzo says that for him and the other doctors at Southeastern Retina Associates, looking into the eyes of patients across Northeast Tennessee – including the Tri Cit-ies, Knoxville and Chattanooga – is an honor they take very seriously.

“Before we bring a physician into our group, we make sure they have carefully considered why they want to come here,” Dr. Larzo said. “We recruit doctors who want to be in these areas long term and who are interested in the well-being of patients in this region.”

The physicians at Southeastern Retina Associ-

ates are skilled surgeons in the fi eld of retinal and vitreous ophthalmology. They have met the stringent requirements of medical, internship, ophthalmology residency, vitreoretinal fellow-ship and state licensure. All are board certifi ed by the American Board of Ophthalmology.

Because of their specialized expertise and excellence in patient care, they are the most referred-to team in the East Tennessee region for complex retina cases. In addition to their expertise, Southeast Retina Associates’ team of professionals offer patients the latest tech-nology and treatment, access to clinical trials and research and a large network of offi ces across the region.

While most referrals to Southeastern Retina Associates come from optometrists and oph-thalmologists, Dr. Larzo says primary care physicians across the region refer patients to their offi ces as well. “Primary care physi-cians in this region do a great job detecting eye problems,” he said. “We are grateful to all the primary care physicians who ask patients about their blood sugar, track A1C levels and convince patients to stop smoking.”

In addition to their appreciation for the excel-lent primary care physicians in East Tennes-see, the physicians with Southeastern Retina Associates are committed to investing in the highest quality technology and equipment available. “We are continually fi ne-tuning

our practices as diagnostic equipment im-proves,” Dr. Larzo said. “That means patients can be diagnosed quickly and less invasively and can start treatment more promptly.”

Treatments for many eye conditions have im-proved because of technological advances. “Now 95 percent of the time when someone comes in with wet macular degeneration, we can keep them from losing their vision,” Dr. Larzo said. “Sometimes we can even make a substantial improvement in their vision. We have seen patients work longer, drive longer and be happier.”

Some of the latest treatments and technolo-gies are tested at Southeastern Retina As-sociates before they are brought to market, offering patients the opportunity to partici-pate in clinical trials and research. Physicians at Southeast Retina Associates have been leading clinical trials for more than 15 years, investigating new forms of treatment for macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy and a variety of other retinal conditions.

“We are plugged into multiple research net-works, so we are able to provide medicines and treatments to patients before they are available to the general public,” Dr. Larzo said.

For the past two years, Southeastern Retina Associates has been honored with the Top Site award by the Diabetic Retinopathy Clini-

cal Research (DRCR). DRCR is a collabora-tive network funded by the National Eye Insti-tute, part of the National Institutes of Health, dedicated to facilitating multicenter clinical research of diabetic retinopathy, diabetic macular edema and associated conditions.

In addition to expert physicians, cutting-edge technology and participation in clinical trials and research, Southeastern Retina Associates also offers patients convenience. With 19 of-fi ces located throughout the region, patients can select the offi ce that is most convenient for them. Physicians are also accommodating if a patient needs to be seen at another location. “We can pull up a patient’s electronic medical record in any of our locations,” Dr. Larzo said.

For Dr. Larzo and the other physicians with Southeastern Retina Associates, it’s an ex-citing time to be an ophthalmologist. “For many of the eye problems our patients see us with, there is no easy fi x – but there are treatments,” he said. “We get to see our pa-tients often and get to know them and that is very rewarding.”

Southeastern Retina Associates – most referred-to retina practice in East Tennessee – o� ers expertise, cutting-edge

technology and clinical trials close to home

PAID ADVERTISEMENT

Cris Larzo, MD

Advertising can be one of the keys to growing a medical practice. However, in Tennessee, healthcare advertising is regulated by the Health Related Boards. A practitioner’s failure to comply with the rules governing advertising could constitute unethical and unprofessional conduct and result in significant disci-plinary action by the Boards, including licensure suspension or revocation. The Health Related Boards issued a policy statement behind the regulation of healthcare advertising, stating that the lack of sophistication on the part of many of the public concerning medical services, the importance of the interests affected by the choice of a physician and the foreseeable consequences of unre-stricted advertising by physicians which is recognized to pose special possibilities for deception, require that special care be taken by physicians to avoid mislead-ing the public. The physician must be mindful that the benefits of advertising depend upon its reliability and accuracy. Since advertising by physicians is calcu-lated and not spontaneous, reasonable regulation designed to foster compli-ance with appropriate standards serves the public interest without impeding the flow of useful, meaningful, and relevant

information to the public.

What is an advertisement?According to the General Rules

and Regulations governing the practice of medicine, advertising is defined as any “informational communication to the public in any manner designed to attract public attention to the practice of a physician.” This includes traditional advertising such as commercials, billboards and print ads, but also includes electronic advertising located on websites, Facebook pages, Twitter, LinkedIn and other social media.

What types of advertising are prohibited?

There are 20 categories of advertising prohibitions in the Rules governing physicians. Some of the common types of prohibited healthcare advertising are:

• Claims that the services, personnel or equipment used are superior to that which is ordinarily performed, employed, or used, or conveying the message that one physician is better than another when superiority cannot be

substantiated. • The misleading use of an unearned

or non-health degree.• Promotion of professional services

which the physician knows or should know is beyond his or her ability to perform.

• The use of any personal testimonial attesting to a quality of competency of a service or treatment offered that is not reasonably verifiable.

• Utilization of any statistical data or other information based on past performances for prediction of future services, or any other communication, which creates an unjustified expectation about the potential results that can be achieved.

• The communication of personal identifiable facts, data, or information about a patient without first obtaining patient consent.

• Statements concerning the benefits or other attributes of medical procedures or products that involve significant risks without including: a realistic assessment of the safety and efficiency of those procedures or products; the availability of

alternatives; and, where necessary to avoid deception, descriptions or assessment of the benefits or other attributes of those alternatives.

• Failure to include the corporation, partnership or individual physician’s name, address, and telephone number in any advertisement.

• Stating or implying that a certain provider provides all services when any such services are performed by another provider.

• Directly or indirectly offering, giving, receiving, or agreeing to receive any fee or other consideration to or from a third party for the referral of a patient in connection with the performance of professional services.

Am I responsible for my employer’s or my consultant’s advertising?

Yes. Each physician who is a principal partner or officer of an entity identified in any advertisement is jointly and severally responsible for the content of the advertisement. Furthermore, if a physician’s name appears in any advertisement, it is presumed that the physician approved the advertisement.

LegalMattersBY JENNIFER PEARSON TAYLOR, LONDON & AMBURN, P.C.

The Do’s and Don’ts of Advertising Your Practice

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 10)

6 > MARCH 2015 e a s t t n m e d i c a l n e w s . c o m

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the move from mass marketing campaigns to much more precise digital and content marketing options.

The norm, Bevolo pointed out, has been to take a shotgun approach via mass marketing. “It really was a call out to the industry to say, ‘This isn’t working … we need to stop this,’” he said of his fi rst book.

Change doesn’t come easily, pointed out Bevolo, executive vice president for healthcare marketing communications fi rm ReviveHealth. And just as the indus-try was beginning to get the hang of Face-book and Twitter, the digital landscape shifted again.

“Social media is still important, al-though we’re beginning to see the lim-its of what it can do from a marketing standpoint,” said Bevolo. “Instead of a few big players, you’re seeing more and more players emerge,” he continued of the segmentation of social media. “It’s an im-portant supportive tool, but I think there was a time when people thought it would totally revolutionize marketing.”

Instead, it is one device in the big-ger picture of digital marketing, which is revolutionizing the way providers and ad-ministrators reach their target audiences. Bevolo said ‘search’ should be a primary driver of how customers … also known as patients … fi nd you and your message. Whether by purchasing prime real estate in popular search engines or effectively using tags, it’s certainly a competitive ad-vantage to be among the fi rst few sites that pop up when someone looks for “urolo-gist, Saint Louis,” or “safest hospitals, Tampa area.”

Additionally, emerging technologies

allow practices and health systems to re-ally drill down and target specifi c mes-sages to specifi c populations in a way that is timely and useful. “It has to be relevant, and it has to be relevant to what they need in the moment,” Bevolo stressed.

Content is KingBevolo said there is no question that

people are facing information overload, and he noted research has shown indi-viduals are hit by thousands of marketing messages daily but can only process about 100 of them.

“How do you become one of the 100 out of 3,000 or 6,000?” he asked. “The key is relevancy.”

Bevolo continued, “That’s the chal-lenge for any marketer, but it’s particu-larly challenging for hospitals. What they have to offer is not relevant to the vast ma-jority of people at any given time.”

Expecting consumers to hone in on messages that don’t apply to them isn’t realistic, he said. “If you’re not in need of a doctor at this moment, you don’t care about awards, service lines or how great a hospital’s doctors are,” he pointed out. “Yet, we try to do broad marketing. Not only is it silly, it’s a waste of money and time … and you don’t have time to waste, and you don’t have money to waste.”

When patient volume is down, Bevolo said the gut reaction is to believe it’s be-cause not enough people know about you and your wonderful services. The prevail-ing sentiment is that if you just get a mes-sage out there about how good you are, then people will a) hear it, b) care about it, and c) will take action on it. “All three are false, by and large,” he said.

Bevolo continued, “That’s the funda-mental breakdown in logic … that telling people how great you are will get people through your doors. I don’t care how good the billboard is, it’s not going to make me run in and have my gall bladder taken out if I don’t need it removed.”

With limited resources, why pay to

broadcast to a million people when only 30,000 need your message, he questioned. However, Bevolo was quick to add, tar-geting the 30,000 doesn’t mean you are giving up on the other 970,000. Instead, he continued, you just have to rethink the messages.

“You’re missing a lot if you don’t focus on people who do not need services today,” he said. “There’s an opportu-nity to connect with those people around something that is relevant to them.”

Bevolo suggested using digital op-tions such as blogs, channels, websites and apps to share messages about prevention, healthier living and other topical content. A young mother might not care that you are the top joint replacement hospital in the area, but she might really want to learn how to make quick, healthy lunches for her children. A retiree who isn’t inter-ested in how many babies you delivered last year could be eager to learn about fall prevention measures.

“That’s how you resonate with Joe Public … because you are the arbiter of health,” Bevolo shared.

He said to think of consumers en-tering the system through a large funnel. Whereas hospitals and practices have typically tried to get to potential patients, who reside near the bottom of the funnel (right before they become your patient), the idea is to target them farther up the funnel. “Those people will need care one day; and if you are the resource they turn to when they are healthy, you’ll be the one they turn to when they do need services.”

Of course, Bevolo noted that is often easier said than done. Delivering edu-cational information in a non-sales way requires fl ipping a mental switch. “The reason it’s so hard is because it is a 180 de-gree shift from how it’s always been done and how physicians and operational lead-ers think it should be done,” he said. “It’s not just about marketers changing their approach … it’s about changing a whole industry.”

Personalized Messaging, continued from page 1

But When Can We Tell People About Our Awards?

Okay … you are understandably proud of achieving or exceeding important quality, safety and outcomes benchmarks. Those awards do say something about your skill set and are important to specifi c segments of the population. While a seven-year-old with a broken arm might not care about your top-ranked cardiology program, you can bet it makes a difference to a 55-year-old in need of bypass surgery.

Healthcare marketing expert Chris Bevolo said sharing information about awards as a secondary sales tool is appropriate in several promotional marketing outlets.

Continuing with the cardiology award theme, the fi rst good option would be to include that information in direct marketing pieces where you have pre-identifi ed individuals with heart disease.

Sharing accolades through your website is also appropriate. “If I’ve gotten to your cardiology section, I’m probably interested,” Bevolo pointed out.

A third option is to take advantage of digital searches. Bevolo said it is a smart use of technology to target people through keywords like “top cardiologist.” Locally, you might buy the phrase so your ad would pop up when people in your geographic region initiated a search for a cardiologist. Writing meaningful content about cardiology topics and using tags at the end of your content could also help you pop up on national searches.

And for those wondering about Bevolo’s accolades, there are plenty. The nationally recognized futurist is a frequent speaker on healthcare marketing and strategy. In addition to his “Joe Public” books, he has authored two other books and numerous articles. In 1995, Bevolo founded Minneapolis-based Interval to serve clients across the healthcare spectrum. Last year, Nashville-based ReviveHealth, which O’Dwyer’s ranks as one of the nation’s top 15 healthcare marketing fi rms, acquired his company. Bevolo serves as executive vice president of consumer marketing for ReviveHealth and continues in his mission to transform healthcare marketing.

e a s t t n m e d i c a l n e w s . c o m MARCH 2015 > 7

By: LEIGH annE W. HOOVER

Spring arrives this month on March 20th, and parents across the state will be anticipating possible getaway plans for the upcoming spring break. Whether it’s a daytrip or a long weekend, Chattanooga offers many opportunities for hours of family fun within walking distance of each other, and I plan to feature two attractions in the next two months.

If you are a regular reader of my column, you already know I really enjoy aquariums. In Chattanooga, the Tennes-see Aquarium, which is housed in two buildings— River Journey and Ocean Journey—overlooking the Tennessee River, is a family “must see.”

Always changing, the Tennessee Aquarium is filled with educational oppor-tunities for children and adults of all ages. Last year, my husband and I participated in the backstage Ocean Journey event and enjoyed a behind the scenes glance at the penguin habitat. We both found the ani-mals amazing and really enjoyed learning about their colony rituals.

This year, the newly opened River Otter Falls was also exciting to experi-ence. Housed on the top floor of the River Journey, the exhibit offers an up-close and personal view of these frisky, frolicking mammals.

Just as one otter swims by the glass, another floats above on its back, while a third otter climbs to the top of the falls. Hearing children squeal as they observe the playful antics of the animals is a treat in itself!

Because river otters were once highly sought after in the fur trading business, sources with the Tennessee Wildlife Re-sources Agency (TWRA) note they be-came scarce in the state and were once even on the endangered species list.

A successful repopulation effort, which began in 1984, has restored the na-tive animal to the state. However, they are often quite difficult to observe in the wild. For this reason, the new glassed habitat exhibit that includes five waterfalls, pools, and sandpits in a rocky landscape among the cove forest is the perfect playground for visitor observation.

An additional new exhibit will open this month on March 14th with observa-tion opportunities for yet another intrigu-ing habitat. The brand-new Alligator Bayou, which is also housed in the River Journey, gives Tennessee Aquarium visi-tors the up-close and personal glimpse at the rather menacing reptile.

“The new Alligator Bayou in the Delta Country exhibit is an immersive space,” explained

Senior Marketing and Communica-tions Manager - Tennessee Aquarium and IMAX Theater, Thom Benson. “It will engage visitors with more alligators, more animal programs, and more stories about the importance of wetland habitats

and our connections to these culturally rich locations.”

According to Benson, Alligator Bayou will feature about a dozen alligators si-lently patrolling the waters in front of a Cajun shack, a new animal presentation station,

additional fish species, a new go-pher tortoise habitat with underground viewing, a treetop observation deck for backstage pass tours, and educational pro-grams with enhanced graphics to tell the story of America’s wetlands.

When we visited, the habitat was

really coming together, and provided peepholes allowed a “sneak peek” at the amazing new habitat.

According to the Tennessee Aquari-um’s Curator of Forests, Dave Collins, the alligators that will be housed in the Alliga-tor Bayou will be taught to feed in groups in different areas the same way the sharks in Ocean Journey have been. Having ex-perts work with the alligators and raising them as multiples together enables the reptiles to co-exist, be less territorial and eliminates constant foraging for food. Visi-tors will also learn about the species and

various communication tactics exhibited between each other.

“And, kids will also be able to become ‘High-Tech Animal Trackers’ at the Ten-nessee Aquarium when they download the FREE TN Aquarium app,” explained Benson.

In this scenario, a team of wildlife bi-ologists have identified and tagged animals throughout both the River and Ocean Journey buildings, and tiny receiver/transmitters will allow the child “citizen scientists” to track and learn more about each identified species.

According to Benson, the High-Tech Animal Tracker was developed by Cloud Beacon, which is a new technology com-pany in Chattanooga that specializes in mobile app development and beacon Strat-egies. This free app can be downloaded from Google Play or the iTunes Store to a Smartphone before a visit, and the beacons will be powered up on March 12th.

“We are really excited about offer-ing the High-Tech Animal Tracker pro-gram, and the Tennessee Aquarium will be among the first zoos or aquariums in the country to use this new technology to enhance the guest experience,” said Ben-son. “New technology is being added to the Aquarium to add another layer of fun and adventure to spring break!”

For additional information about the Tennessee Aquarium, please visit www.tennesseeaquarium.org

Leigh Anne W. Hoover is a native of South Carolina and a graduate of Clemson University. She has worked for over 25 years in the media with published articles encompassing personality and home profiles, arts and entertainment reviews, medical topics, and weekend escape pieces. Hoover currently serves as immediate president of the Literacy Council of Kingsport. Contact her at hoover@chartertn.net.

Enjoying East TennesseeTennessee Aquarium – River Otter Falls & Alligator Bayou

8 > MARCH 2015 e a s t t n m e d i c a l n e w s . c o m

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By MaRIa CORnELIuS

Michelle Henry knew she made the right decision to write a candid and inspi-rational book about her battle with Stage IV colon cancer when she sold a book to a mother whose daughter had re-cently received the same diagnosis.

“That mother held onto the book like it was a lifeline. My book gave the family hope, and that made it all worthwhile,” Henry said.

The daughter later posted a photo of herself reading the book while getting chemo.

Henry, a 50-year-old Knoxville resi-dent, wrote “My Anchor Holds” last year to chronicle a more than four-year journey against a disease that can leave patients in despair. The seeds of the book, published by WestBow Press, began with Henry’s online journal postings on CaringBridge, a website that offers a place for those facing major health issues to update family members and friends and receive support.

Henry posted frank and candid ac-counts of her treatment – and on a few oc-casions when Henry was hospitalized and unable to post, her husband, David, did

so – in journal entries that also were uplift-ing and reflected her unwavering faith. She wrote the book for two reasons.

“So many people kept asking me to do it,” said Henry, whose CaringBridge site re-corded more than 31,000 visits.

She also felt compelled to get the book in print.

“It was there,” said Henry, a writer with Moxley Carmichael public relations firm, and executive director of the Execu-tive Women’s Association. “I needed to get it out.”

The book has been well received by cancer patients, the medical community, and others. Its messages of survival and re-solve resonate across all types of struggles.

“The response has been remarkable,” Henry said. “People describe my book as powerful and uplifting; they say once they start reading it they can’t put it down.”

Henry doesn’t spare details when out-lining her treatments, side effects, and the aftermath. She balances that weighty subject matter by injecting humor at every oppor-tunity, whether talking about wigs, chemo pumps, or extended hospital stays. Medical professionals will get an informative peek into a patient’s perspective by reading the book.

“I think physicians can glean a glimpse into the average person’s mind-set,” Henry said. “It can help them know what to say

and what not to say to a patient.”Henry appreciated getting the unvar-

nished truth from physicians and nurses, and says the way medical news and test re-sults are presented makes a big difference in the overall well-being of a patient.

“Bedside manner really does matter,” Henry said.

The book also provides practical advice about how diet, rest, and attitude helped Henry during her battle. She encourages patients to ask questions and seek informa-tion, especially when symptoms first present themselves. Her cancer was detected late, and she outlines what should have been done differently. She credits subsequent healthcare providers with saving her life.

The easy-to-read format of the book presents the journal entries as written by Henry as she underwent her journey, fol-lowed by updated information and pres-ent-day reflections. She offers personal anecdotes, humor and the stark reality of being a cancer patient with a Stage IV di-agnosis. The common thread is her faith, no matter how difficult the journey.

“My faith gave me reassurance that I can do this,” Henry said. “I can survive.”

Henry’s journey is not complete. Shortly after the book’s publication, she learned in January that she needed addi-tional treatment.

“If my story were a made-for-TV

movie, publishing the book is when you cue the happy music and watch a cancer-free miracle walk happily into the sunset,” Henry said on her website, http://michel-leironsidehenry.com.

“This, however, is not a movie. I still think I’m a miracle, and I am still happy. Unfortu-nately, the final chapter of my book did not mark the close of my journey with cancer.”

A PET scan showed that a tumor in Henry’s right lung had grown and detected cancer in three lymph nodes in her chest wall. Henry currently is undergoing chemo. Her indomitable spirit remains intact, and she is once again chronicling her journey online at CaringBridge.

“While I can’t recommend cancer as a fun and easy way to force yourself out of the rut of routine, I can say that it is a very effective tool,” Henry wrote recently. “Now that cancer has again reared its ugly head and I’m faced with more treatment, I find myself with an even deeper sense of purpose and stronger desire to give others the gift of hope.”

That message of eternal hope is what Henry hopes is the long-lasting impact of her book.

“Never lose hope,” Henry said. “Life isn’t pretty, but it can still be OK. People think it’s so bad that I’m doing this again, and it is bad. But I’ve done it before. And I can do it again.”

Stage IV cancer survivor’s book offers hope, inspiration

Michelle Henry

e a s t t n m e d i c a l n e w s . c o m MARCH 2015 > 9

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ClinicallySpeakingBY PAUL S. DUDRICK, MD, FACS, SURGICAL ONCOLOGIST, PREMIER SURGICAL ASSOCIATES

Screenings Can Increase Odds of Surviving Melanoma

Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in the United States. In fact, there are more new cases of skin cancer each year than the number of breast, prostate, lung, and colon cancer cases combined

Melanoma, the most serious and life-threatening form of skin cancer, has increased in frequency at epidemic rates in the past 20 years. We now know that limiting sun exposure is an important step in preventing the dis-ease, but for many baby boomers the damage was done long ago.

Melanoma can be very treatable when it’s detected early, but it can also be very deadly if it spreads. If discov-ered at Stage I, its earliest stage, the five-year survival rate for melanoma is 97 percent. If the disease progresses to its most advanced stage, Stage IV, the five-year survival rate drops to 15-20 percent. What’s the best way to find melanoma at its earliest stage, when the prognosis is most favorable?

A study conducted at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where I completed my fellowship in surgical oncology, found that physician-based screening leads to higher rates of phy-sician-detected melanoma and detec-tion of thinner melanoma. A combined strategy of physician detection and patient participation must be used to ensure early melanoma diagnosis.

This mirrors what I see with many of my skin cancer patents at Premier Surgical Associates. In many cases, peo-ple don’t regularly examine their skin or ignore suspicious moles or sores that turn out to be cancerous. I tell patients: Check your skin monthly for moles or skin legions that are new, changing, or enlarging. If you have a dark mole that looks different, don’t wait until it itches or bleeds. Go see your family physician or dermatologist right way.

To physicians, I say: Know the risk factors and include a skin cancer screening as part of an annual visit. Pay particular attention to patients with fair skin, red hair, and freckles since they are most likely to have melanomas, but all patients should be screened. For any skin type, a lesion should be evaluated if it has been present for any period of time and then changes.

Ultimately, patients and physicians must work together so that melanomas can be detected and treated as early as possible. We can’t prevent skin cancer, but with proper screenings and early diagnoses we can greatly increase the odds of survival.

Dr. Paul Dudrick is a surgical oncologist with Premier Surgical Associates at Fort Sanders Regional in Knoxville, Tennessee. Premier Surgical Associates of Knoxville, is the region’s largest surgical group, performing general, vascular, bariatric, breast and laparoscopic procedures. Premier has offices in Knoxville, Dandridge, Lenoir City and Sevierville.

During the same time period, the av-erage annual decline in cancer death rates was 1.8 percent in men and 1.4 percent in women. Lung cancer, while still the dead-liest form of the disease, has declined 36 percent between 1990 and 2011 among men. Women have also seen double digit declines attributable to reduced tobacco use. On another happy note, breast can-cer death rates for women are down more 35 percent from peak rates, and prostate and colorectal cancer deaths are down by nearly half (47 percent).

Despite the good news, though, ACS officials also noted there is much more work to be done. “The continuing drops we’re seeing in cancer mortality are rea-son to celebrate, but not stop,” stated John R. Seffrin, PhD, chief ex-ecutive officer for ACS, when the report was released in January. He added cancer was still responsible for nearly one in four deaths in the United States in 2011. Furthermore, Seffrin noted the country’s second leading cause of death overall is actually the top cause of death among adults ages 40 to 79.

Looking to this year, the ACS has projected 1.658 million new cancer cases will be diagnosed in 2015, and 589,430 Americans will lose their battle with the disease. Of the new cases, the estimate is that men will account for about 848,000 diagnoses across all sites and women 810,000. Prostate, lung and colorectal cancers will account for about half of all cases in men with prostate cancer ac-counting for around 25 percent of all new diagnoses. Among women, it is antici-pated the three most common diagnoses in 2015 will be breast, lung and colorec-tal cancers. Of those, breast cancer is expected to account for 29 percent of all new cancers for women this year.

Of the 589,430 estimated deaths in 2015, the gender breakdown is 312,150 men and 277,280 women. The most common causes of cancer death are lung, prostate, colorectal and breast cancer with these four accounting for almost half of all cancer deaths. More than a quarter of all cancer deaths (27 percent) will be attributable to lung cancer.

While death rates have declined, the report noted mortality improve-ments aren’t equal from coast-to-coast. In fact, cancer death rates vary by state and region with the Southeast being on the lower end of improvement scale (15 percent decline in overall cancer mortal-ity) and the Northeast on the higher end (between 25-30 percent decline). The variation has been attributed to a number of reasons including risk factor patterns (such as the number of smokers), distribu-tion of poverty, and access to healthcare.

Risk AwarenessA recent survey by the American In-

stitute for Cancer Research found there is an ‘alarmingly low’ awareness of key cancer risk factors, and many Americans

put fear before facts. The Cancer Risk Awareness Survey, released on Feb. 4 in conjunction with World Can-cer Day, found Americans worry about factors over which they have little or no control … such as genetic risks or food additives … with less than half recogniz-ing the correlation between an increased risk of cancer and alcohol, obesity, lack of physical activity and poor diet.

The findings of the biennial survey give providers and other health experts an idea of whether or not cancer messaging is being heard by the American public. This year’s results were decidedly mixed.

Only 42 percent surveyed were aware a diet low in vegetables and fruit increases cancer risk. This number has trended downward since 2009, when it stood at 52 percent.

Only 43 percent knew alcohol in-creases cancer risk, an increase of five percentage points since the 2013 survey.

And only about 1 in 3 Americans (35 percent) realized diets high in red meat have been convincingly linked to colon cancer. This figure has not changed since the survey was last conducted in 2013.

Awareness that carrying excess body fat is a cancer risk factor is rising. In this latest survey, 52 percent realized obesity and overweight impact cancer risk, a rise of 4 percentage points.

Awareness that being inactive in-creases cancer risk jumped 6 percentage points, from 36 percent in 2013 to 42 per-cent in 2015.

There was a high recognition of sev-eral known risk factors for cancer includ-ing 94 percent of those surveyed correctly identifying tobacco use and 84 percent citing excessive sun exposure as risks.

However, a significant number of those surveyed also worried about risks for which research has yet to provide a defini-tive answer. Pesticide residue on produce (74 percent), food additives (62 percent), genetically modified foods (56 percent), stress (55 percent), and hormones in beef (55 percent) were all cited as concerns.

By the Numbers, continued from page 1

Dr. John Seffrin

10 > MARCH 2015 e a s t t n m e d i c a l n e w s . c o m

GrandRounds

Is there anything that a physician must advertise?

Yes. Any physician (with some exceptions) who supervises or is responsible for medical services being provided at any location other than the primary location or office at which he or she practices medicine a majority of the time must have the following included in any advertisement for that location and on the most conspicuous sign at that location: (1) the physician’s name; (2) an indication of what, if any, specialty or board certification is held by the physician; and (3) an indication of whether the physician is available on-site or remotely.

In sum, advertising can be costly to a medical practice in many ways. The time and expense spent hiring marketing professionals and creating an advertisement can be great in and of itself; but, the cost of failing to comply with the Board rules regarding content and form of advertisements can be much greater.

Attorney Jennifer Pearson Taylor focuses her practice on health law general business, compliance, and employment matters. She is the chair of the firm’s Healthcare Board Investigations practice group. For more information on any health law matters, you may contact Ms. Taylor at (865) 637-0203 or visit www.londonamburn.com. Disclaimer: The information contained herein is strictly informational; it is not to be construed as legal advice.

The Do’s and Don’ts,continued from page 5

David Brash Named President, CEO of Wellmont Medical Associates

KINGSPORT – David Brash, a 27-year health care veteran and member of the Wellmont Health System leadership team for more than seven years, has been named president and CEO of Wellmont Medical Asso-ciates.

Brash has served as interim president and CEO since October, and the change in his status is effective im-mediately.

A physician-led and professionally managed organization, Wellmont Med-ical Associates includes 142 integrated primary care physicians and specialists in multiple fields, including oncology, pulmonology and obstetrics and gyne-cology. The medical group also has 82 mid-level providers in addition to the nursing staff and other support person-nel.

Wellmont Medical Associates has 66 medical offices and five urgent care facilities in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.

During Brash’s Wellmont career, he has served as president of Moun-tain View Regional Medical Center and Lonesome Pine Hospital and as region-al vice president of Wellmont’s Virginia hospitals. He has also been senior vice president of business development and

rural strategy.In these roles, he has helped in-

crease the number of urgent care loca-tions, been heavily involved in develop-ing Wellmont’s osteopathic family medi-cine residency program in Virginia and expanded the emergency departments at Mountain View Regional and Lone-some Pine. He has also been involved in recruiting physicians and integrating oth-ers into Wellmont Medical Associates.

Brash will collaborate with Stephen Combs, M.D., Wellmont Medical Asso-ciates’ chief executive medical officer and a pediatrician with the organization, to continue its growth as he becomes president and CEO of this medical group. He will also work with the board of directors, which consists entirely of physicians as voting members, and the administrative staff to build on Well-mont Medical Associates’ award-win-ning care.

Wellmont Medical Associates was created in 2012 as part of a fundamen-tal restructuring of Wellmont’s physician practice operations. Knowing physicians were positioned to make the best de-cisions about patient care, Wellmont established a new structure that placed great emphasis on their input. The new arrangement also provided for strong administrative support from experts in health care management, such as Brash.

Earlier in his career, Brash served as CEO of Harlan Appalachian Regional Hospital in Kentucky and Russell Coun-ty Medical Center in Virginia. He also spent 10 years with a hospital in West Virginia, where he served in a variety of roles, including administrator and CEO.

Brash has a bachelor’s degree in health care administration from West Vir-ginia Institute of Technology School of Business & Economics and a master’s in management and health care administra-tion from West Virginia Graduate College. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and a member of the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Asso-ciation’s board of directors.

Dale Clark Named President of Mountain View Regional and Lonesome Pine

NORTON, Va. – Dale Clark, a 30-year healthcare leader with vast expe-rience in Virginia, has been named president of Mountain View Region-al Medical Center and Lonesome Pine Hospital.

Clark comes to Well-mont Health System after serving as Wythe County Community Hospital’s chief operating officer since 2014. Prior to accepting that position, he was the hospital’s as-sistant administrator for four years.

He will assume the helm of Moun-tain View Regional and Lonesome Pine March 23 and succeed Fred Pelle, who has been named Holston Valley Medical Center’s chief operating officer.

During his tenure as a leader of Wythe County Community, he has con-sistently helped achieve positive finan-cial performance. And he developed a leadership education program that resulted in significant improvement in staff safety scores.

In addition, Clark implemented computerized provider order entry and exceeded targets for the meaningful use of electronic medical records. As part of his duties, he also recruited 10 physicians – from family medicine to specialists.

Clark has been steeped in commu-nity activities. He served as president of United Way of Wythe County and ex-ceeded the pledge target. He was also president of the Wytheville Morning Rotary Club and the Wytheville-Wythe-Bland Chamber of Commerce.

Beginning his career as director of pharmacy at Wythe County Community in 1984, Clark stayed there for 10 years. In 1990, he also became co-owner of Blue Ridge Rehabilitation Services, a start-up business with more than 50 employees and gross revenue of $2.5 million.

He negotiated the sale of that busi-ness to Heartland Rehabilitation Ser-vices, a subsidiary of HCR Manor Care, in 1996. Then from 1997 until 2004, he served as regional administrator of Heartland in Chilhowie and increased the number of outpatient clinics from 10 to 17 and the number of employees from 100 to 175.

For the next three years, Clark was a pharmacist for Horizon Healthcare Man-agement in Wytheville and then spent a year as director of pharmacy opera-tions at Carilion New River Valley Medi-cal Center in Radford. Clark excelled in these positions, growing the volume of home infusion services and establish-ing remote order-entry review services for two smaller hospitals within Carilion Clinic. During this time, the Wytheville-Wythe-Bland Chamber of Commerce recognized him as an outstanding busi-ness leader.

Now, he will lead Mountain View Regional and Lonesome Pine, both of which have greatly improved patients’ lives and made significant investments in their facilities in recent years.

In recent years, Lonesome Pine has expanded and renovated its birthing unit, added a sleep lab and wound care, introduced hyperbarics and doubled the size of the emergency department. Mountain View Regional has also remod-eled and expanded its emergency de-partment, created a post-acute care unit and renovated its intensive care unit. The hospitals have also benefited from the creation of Wellmont’s osteopathic fam-ily medicine residency program.

Clark has a bachelor’s degree in phar-macy from Medical College of Virginia and a master’s degree in health admin-istration from Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives.

David Brash

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 15)

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Walden hired as associate dean at Quillen College of Medicine

JOHNSON CITY – East Tennessee State University’s Quillen College of Medicine has hired Rachel Walden to serve as the associate dean of learning resources for the medical school.

Walden, who spent 12 years work-ing in the biomedical library at Vander-bilt University prior to taking the position at ETSU, is originally from Morristown. In her new role, Walden is responsible for the operations of Quillen’s medical library and the biomedical communica-tions and information technology divi-sions of the Department of Learning Resources.

Walden earned her bachelors of arts degree in geology from Oberlin College in Ohio and her master of li-brary and information studies from the University of Pittsburgh.

Things on track as planning continues for new Unicoi County Memorial Hospital

ERWIN – Progress continues be-hind the scenes on strategic planning for the new Unicoi County Memorial Hospital, which is scheduled to open in early spring of 2018.

The UCMH visioning committee, made up of both community members and Mountain States Health Alliance representatives, is identifying services the new 20-bed facility will offer. Clos-ing on the land purchase for the site is expected in July of this year. The loca-tion is near Exit 40 just off I-26.

Construction is expected to start in fall of 2016.

“Everything is still right on sched-ule,” said Tracy Byers, Unicoi County Memorial Hospital administrator. “We’ll have a beautiful, full-service commu-nity hospital that will not only meet the needs of the people in the area but also enhance their care.”

Services will include those being offered at the current facility, with addi-tional services that the committee is de-termining. The facility will have 20 beds but be constructed so that more can be added if needed. A study showed that the current hospital’s daily census – how many beds were usually filled – has av-eraged about 12, so the new hospital will cover that plus have room for some expected growth. It will also be con-structed so that, if even more beds are needed in the future, expansion will be easy to accommodate.

The time line for the rest of the year includes filing paperwork with the state of Tennessee to obtain permission to build the replacement hospital, as well as selection of the architect, construc-tion and design firms.

There will also be meetings with

hospital team members, physicians, and others regarding specific details for the construction project.

Dwayne Taylor, CEO for the South-east Market for Mountain States, is a member of the visioning committee. The Southeast region includes Unicoi County Memorial Hospital as well as Sycamore Shoals Hospital and Johnson County Community Hospital.

The visioning committee members include:

•Matt Rice of Erwin Utilities, chair-

man• Randy Trivette, UCMH board

member•Dr. Jason Colinger, Unicoi Medi-

cal Associates•Danielle Rogers, Nuclear Fuel

Systems• Rick Storey, Citizen’s Bank, Moun-

tain States board member•Bill Alton, Mountain States VP for

facilities and construction man-agement

•Allison Rogers, Mountain States

VP for strategic planning•Byers, AVP/Administrator of

Unicoi County Memorial• Taylor, VP/CEO for Mountain

States Southeast Market•Dwight Bennett was on the com-

mittee before his passing in De-cember.

The committee will continue to meet regularly throughout the year.

Medical News is pleased to provide space for press releases by providers in our Grand Rounds section. Content and accuracy of the releases is the sole responsibility of the issuer.

DERBY DAY 2015

DERBY DAYDERBY DAY

DERBY DAY

THE OLDE FARM - PARTY BARN16639 OLD JONESBORO RD

BRISTOL, VA

SATURDAYMAY 2, 2015

For more information, please contactThe Spine Health Foundation at

423.467.2087 or visit derbydayevent.org

The Spine Health Foundation is off to the races and running for high stakes to bene� t our mission of helping disadvantaged individuals who suffer with spinal disorders or injuries. On Saturday, May 2, 2015 we invite you to join us for an evening of traditional Derby � air.

We’re tipping our party hats to a cherished and long-standing American tradition, the Kentucky Derby, Mint Juleps and � ne southern cuisine. Guests will have their picture made on the red carpet as they make their memorable entrance to The Party Barn.

We couldn’t raise the funds needed to ful� ll our mission without the compassion and generosity of our providers and donors. We’re grateful for your support. Since 2011, SHF has provided access to over 450 medically-related resources including 21 spine surgeries for individuals in our region.

Please Join Us at our 5th Annual Fundraising Event! For More Information and Reservations:423-467-2087spinehealthfoundation@gmail.comwww.derbydayevent.org