1997 Annual Report

Board of Trustees Report to the Constituencies 1997

Noteable events, 1997

Kids Care Fair

Diversion therapy was used while more than 1,500 immunizations were given at the Kids Care Fair held at Drayson Center.

PrimeCare International, Inc., and LLUMC announced the purchase by LLUMC of a minority equity interest in PrimeCare International, Inc. The investment totaled $30 million.

The Third Loma Linda International Conference on Pediatric Heart and Lung Transplantation met January 22 to 24 in Rancho Mirage, California. More than 250 health-care professionals shared their perspectives on caring for infants and children following heart, heart-lung, and lung transplantation.

LLUMC was listed twice in the July 28 issue of U.S. News and World Report. This issue of the news magazine lists the best hospitals in the United States. LLUMC was listed as one of the best hospitals for the treatment of cancer, and as one of the top centers for managing gynecological problems.

A medical team from LLUMC visited the Harry W. Miller Memorial Sanitarium and Hospital in Cebu, Philippines, where they performed 26 procedures on 21 patients in three days.

The Loma Linda University and Medical Center web site was given a five-star rating by Health A to Z, a search engine for health medicine catalogued by medical professionals who have a strong background in the field.

Norman L. McBride, MBA, was named LLUMC vice president with responsibilities for Children’s Hospital, Cancer Institute, Heart Institute, Transplantation Institute, radiation medicine, Proton Treatment Center, and ambulatory clinics.

In another first at LLUMC, a new surgical device was used to graft skin onto an infant born without skin on 30 percent of his body, a very rare condition. During the six-hour operation, about 20 tissue-thin squares of skin were taken from the baby’s shaved head. These sections, along with skin from the back, then had to be pieced into a sheet large enough to cover the entire open area.

The Public Broadcasting System (PBS) produced a series on the history of transplant surgery, which aired beginning January 27. The final segment featured Leonard L. Bailey, MD, chair of the department of surgery. Dr. Bailey, the pioneer of infant heart transplantation, talked about Baby Fae, a baby girl who received the heart of a baboon during surgery he performed in 1984. Additionally, he shared his views about cross-species transplantation and his moral and ethical beliefs regarding loyalty to the human species.

LLUMC is a member of the Breast Cancer Prevention Trial (BCPT), the only breast cancer prevention study being conducted in America today. BCPT is sponsored by the National Cancer Institute. LLUMC is one of more than 100 major institutions in Canada and the United States conducting the trial.

LLUCH and the San Bernardino Stampede minor league team collaborated in a free baseball clinic held at the San Bernardino Stadium. Nearly 600 boys and girls practiced their baseball skills, while parents learned about injury prevention and treatment, diet and exercise, sports psychology and pediatric safety.

LLUMC chaplains services hosted the 13th-annual Faith Festival in March. The Festival recognizes and celebrates the history, purpose, and values of the Medical Center.

LLUMC’s community relations office and marketing department each received Polaris Awards and numerous honorable mentions at the annual meeting of the California Inland Empire Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America.

LLUMC and LLUCH organized 20 teams that raised $71,802 at the Relay for Kids, benefiting the Loma Linda Ronald McDonald House. Two thousand walkers, runners, and joggers filled a stadium, raising more than $200,000 on April 20.

The Loma Linda chapter of Mended Hearts, an international support group for heart surgery patients and their families, celebrated its 20th anniversary on April 20. In 1996, Mended Hearts, chapter #34, with more than 100 members, volunteered a total of 1,802 hours to the Medical Center and 478 hours to Children’s Hospital.

Recently, LLUCH joined fire departments from Loma Linda and Redlands to expand the “Learn Not to Burn” educational program teaching fire safety awareness skills to children in the area.

On April 24, media from throughout the world attended a press conference about a world-record setting patient—a 63-year-old woman who gave birth to a baby girl at LLUMC.

More than 1,800 kids made their way to Children’s Day on May 14, 1997, an annual event organized by the child life department at LLUCH. The goal of the health fair was to show children that a hospital is a friendly place where people want to help them get well if they are sick or injured.

LLUMC sponsors two unique radio programs for the community. The weekly programs, “Ask Your Doctor” and “Cita Con Su Medico,” air live, featuring physicians from LLUMC answering questions from callers on a variety of medically related topics.

“ABC World News Tonight” interviewed Steven R. Gundry, MD, professor and head of the division of cardiothoracic surgery, on June 13 about “keyhole” surgery, a new surgical technique for heart disease. According to Dr. Gundry, “the new procedure holds the promise of lower hospital costs, less pain, faster recovery, and a quicker return to work than more common procedures.”

The eighth annual Celebration of Life party was held June 8, at the University Church. Approximately 600 patients, families, and friends attended. Celebration of Life is an annual party sponsored by Loma Linda University Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society, bringing together cancer survivors, old and young, their families, and caregivers in a spirit of celebration.

LLUCH premiered its video on heart surgery on July 28. The 15-minute video, titled “Your Child’s Heart Surgery,” informs parents about what to expect before, during, and after a child undergoes heart surgery. It features patients, parents, and staff members.

LLUMC medical personnel participated in Camp Laurel Foundation, a camp founded in 1993 for children living with HIV and AIDS held near Big Bear Lake. Campers were offered a variety
of activities; interspersed throughout the day was the routine of taking necessary medications used to treat this illness. The camp was open to children ages 6 to 16 and was free of charge.

On August 15, Loma Linda University International Heart Institute was presented a check for $10,000 from Merck and Company, Inc., to be used for a conference on heart failure.

The Thyroid Study Group at Loma Linda University Medical Center ranked third with the presentation of a paper at the annual meeting of the American Association for Clinical Chemistry, held in July in Atlanta. The work represented five years of research by the thyroid study group concerning TSH testing and described a more efficient way of using thyroid testing which can reduce the cost of testing while increasing the accuracy. Though the status of the presentations were not publically announced, the three best papers were highlighted in the AACC Journal, Clinical Laboratory News.

On August 27, Spencer Gordon, of Keene, Texas, became Loma Linda’s first patient to receive a new implantable device for treating essential tremor and tremor associated with Parkinson’s disease—a condition affecting more than 1.5 million Americans. Mr. Gordon received the Activa™ Tremor Control Therapy by Medtronic, which uses an implanted device to suppress tremor. Robert P. Iacono, MD, FACS, neurosurgeon, performed the procedure.

At a press conference held September 16, representatives from the Desert Sierra Cancer Surveillance Program released the second annual scientific report of cancer incidence in the region. The report, covering 1988 through 1994, states there are approximately 10,000 new cancer cases per year diagnosed among the approximately 3.1 million residents.

The third annual handcart fundraiser, “For the Children,” was held September 21. Twenty teams of four people each took turns pumping an old-fashioned railroad handcart down 800 feet of railroad track to raise money for LLUCH.

On October 21, representatives from the San Bernardino County sheriff’s department presented LLUCH officials with a check for $5,000, proceeds from a fundraising event by the International Footprint Association. This year’s fundraiser was a motorcycle excursion from San Bernardino to the Nevada state line. The Footprint Association is made up of law-enforcement officers and business owners to further law enforcement goals.