TODAY news - February 21, 2002

Thursday, February 21, 2002 TODAY

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LLUAHSC president/CEO named Loma Linda citizen of the year

B. Lyn Behrens, MBBS, president and CEO, LLUAHSC, receives the citizen of the year award, from the Loma Linda Chamber of Commerce.

During a night to remember and recognize the contributions of individuals to the city of Loma

Linda, B. Lyn Behrens, MBBS, president and CEO of Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center was honored with the citizen of the year award. The Loma Linda Chamber of Commerce presented the award January 31 at the Hilton of San Bernardino, site of the chamber's Annual Community Awards and Installation of Officers Dinner.

Filled with presidential addresses from outgoing and incoming public servants, the honoring of city employees, and the challenge to share and care, the program coordinators saved Dr. Behrens' award for last.

Dr. Behren's has given 31 years of outstanding service to the Loma Linda community. “She is a very capable person,” says Elsie Chan, owner of Spectrotape Corp., and the member of the chamber board of director's who nominated Dr. Behrens for the award. “She is very, very qualified.”

Her six-page curriculum vitae can attest to that. A list of her publications, awards, academic, and professional appointments is impressive.

Nominated individuals were judged on significant contribution to the growth and development of Loma Linda and enhancement of the community's reputation. This included considering length of service, contribution in more than a few isolated activities, and provision of activities and services that add to the quality of life in the community.

A neighbor of Dr. Behrens for two years from 1970 to 1972, Ms. Chan knows how Dr. Behrens has contributed to the Loma Linda community.

“I watched how she blossomed from instructor of pediatrics to president and CEO of LLUAHSC,” Ms. Chan says. And even though they live farther apart now (but still on the same street), Ms. Chan remembers Dr. Behrens' good citizenry from those early years.

Dr. Behrens is still active in the community. She serves as an elder of the Loma Linda University Church of Seventh-day Adventists.

Early in 2000, Dr. Behrens called together a representative group of stakeholders to work on a strategic plan for community outreach.

These stakeholders came not only from the Medical Center and Behavioral Medicine Center, but also from the University and the Faculty Practice Offices.

The plan set in motion efforts to integrate the hospital's local community benefit activities with community outreach efforts of the University's student association, as well as the service learning activities of LLU professors and students.

Dr. Behren's service goes far beyond the local community. As a member of the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (1994 to 2000), she has brought national recognition to Loma Linda. And by birth, she brings an international connection to Australia.

Dr. Behrens, appointed president and chief executive officer of Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center in 1999, is professor of pediatrics at the Loma Linda University School of Medicine and has served in administrative roles at the hospital since 1984.

Under her leadership, the Medical Center has grown to include the Children's Hospital, the SAC Health System clinics, and various outreach projects across the globe.

In response to being named Loma Linda's citizen of the year, Dr. Behrens said, “I accept your challenge to share and care.”

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Hair Salon makes room for emergency department

Sinks and electrical outlets have been installed at the new hair salon's location at room A126.

After 35 years of service in room A202, the Loma Linda University Medical Center hair salon made the move down the hall to room A126 to allow the LLUMC emergency department to expand into the salon's area. A main access hallway will run through the location for the emergency department.

A part of the original hospital construction in 1967, the salon has seen four different decades of hairstyles since it first opened.

Judy Rogers, current owner and operator of Judy's Hair Salon, joined the salon in 1976. With 25 years of hair-cutting experience, Ms. Rogers took the move with grace.

“Your life shrinks and expands according to your courage,” Ms. Rogers says. “I try to keep telling myself that.”

Most of the moving took place in early February. As much as possible was done after hours to avoid conflicting with customers' schedules. To make an appointment, call (909) 558-4656, extension 44656.

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Faculty notes

• Carmen Knudson-Martin, PhD, professor of marital and family therapy, Graduate School, presented a paper with co-author Anne Mahoney from the University of Denver titled “Crossing the Gender Divide: Strategies for Managing Work and Family Life.” The presentation took place in San Francisco on February 8 at the “Persons, Processes, and Communities Conference on Work and Family,” sponsored by the Sloan Foundation, the Business and Professional Women's Association, and The Purdue Center for Family Studies.

• Donald J. Kurth, MD, chief of addiction medicine, Loma Linda University Behavioral Medicine Center, was recently elected president of the Cucamonga County Water District Board of Directors. Dr. Kurth has served as vice president, and has been on the board for six years. He was also featured in the November/December 2001 edition of ASAM News, the news magazine for the American Society of Addiction Medicine. The article showcased how Dr. Kurth has worked with policymakers and patients to further the field of addiction medicine.

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Calimesa Church features the Matthews Brothers in concert

The Matthews Brothers will be featured at the Calimesa Community Concert series on Saturday, February 23, at 7:30 p.m. in the sanctuary of the Calimesa Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The brothers, who are coming to Calimesa for a third appearance in four years, perform a combination of vocal and instrumental favorites.

“In sacred and classical music, Ron and Gary Matthews are one of the most gifted and dynamic duet teams in North America,” says Dr. Robert Soderblom, director of the concert series.

“The team brings to every concert a rare and uplifting musical experience—but most importantly, a rich spirit of worship,” he adds.

The concert is the fifth in the current series of concerts offered by the organizers—the only such organization of its kind in Calimesa.

Ron Matthews is a professor of music and director of music at Eastern College, St. David's, Pennsylvania, as well as organist and music director at Calvary Presbyterian Church in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania. He served on the faculty of Nyack College, Nyack, New York, and then for 14 years chaired the music department at Philadelphia Bible College in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.

He earned his bachelor's degree in church music and organ from Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, and his master's degree in choral conducting from Combs College of Music, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Gary Matthews is minister of music and worship at Highland Park Baptist Church in Southfield, Michigan. He earned his bachelor's degree in music education and organ from Temple University in Philadelphia, and his master's degree from Combs College of Music in Philadelphia.

He was on the staff of Nyack College while serving as minister of music at Calvary Memorial Church in Philadelphia. The duo has released five recordings.

Their repertoire includes major composers of all periods, plus arrangements and composition based upon hymn tunes, gospel, and contemporary Christian songs.

They have given concerts in churches of most major denominations, in addition to appearances at Bible conferences, revivals, crusades, conventions, and banquets.

Reserved seat tickets are $8 and are available by writing to Concerts, P.O. Box 647, Calimesa, California 92320, or by calling (909) 795-4960.

Requests by mail should include a stamped self-addressed envelope. Tickets for $5 are available in the open seating wing section of the church.

Calimesa Seventh-day Adventist Church is located at 391 Myrtlewood Drive in Calimesa.

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Low blood supply drives need for donors

“We've got requests for a blood drive at LLU Community Medical Center,” informs Laura Nelson, general supervisor of the LLUMC's blood bank. “But we need more volunteers to run it.”

Not only are more volunteers needed to run the drive, but more are needed for blood donation. The blood bank only has four units (each a pint) of O negative blood on the shelf. “We need four just for [one] trauma patient,” she explains. “We've run into a real problem in the blood community.”

Currently the Blood Bank of San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, where LLUMC gets all of its blood, has only three percent of the necessary inventory of O negative blood.

“Even though this past January the blood bank collected 1,000 units more than last year, we still can't meet the need,” Ms. Nelson clarifies.

That's because blood usage is up, despite the 35 percent increase in collections over the past three years, Ms. Nelson continues. Trauma patients can take up to 20 units of blood each. Surgical and medical patients need increasingly more blood as the health sciences advance, allowing for more technical treatments—which translates into more opportunities to use blood.

Premature babies, cancer patients, sickle-cell patients, patients with bleeding ulcers, and transplant patients all add to the demand for blood.

“Our usage is not going to go down,” Ms. Nelson comments on the situation. Increasing the number of donors is the only solution.

“The needs have grown so much,” agrees Tammy Rotellini, public relations director of the blood bank. “We have a one-day supply of O negative; we should have a three-day supply.”

The blood bank holds two monthly blood drives at LLUMC—the first and third Monday of each month (unless it falls on a holiday; the drive then takes place on the following Tuesday). On a good drive, 40 to 50 donors will come through.

“We had 54 donors at the February 4 drive, and we were excited,” Ms. Rotellini recalls. Upcoming drives are March 4 and 18. To find out more, call the LLUMC Blood Club at extension 47555, or (909) 558-4400
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The blood bank makes three different products from each donor's gift—all lifesaving. One pint can be processed into platelets, red cells, and frozen plasma.

Platelets are the clotting cells used to help stop bleeding. Red cells have the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin. Plasma is the water portion used to transport nutrients.

One donor can save up to three lives, with his or her platelets helping a cancer patient, red cells helping a surgery or trauma patient, and plasma helping a transplant patient.

“It's safe, it's simple, and it saves lives,” Ms. Rotellini says of being a donor. It takes two to three days to test the blood and process it. The final products last 42 days.

“When we get down this far, it's gone in 36 hours after testing,” she insists. And since donors can only give every 56 days, increasing the base of donors is essential.

More than half of the U.S. population is eligible to give blood, but Ms. Rotellini reports that only five percent actually do. Forty-five percent of the population has O type blood.

“It's terrible when we have to postpone surgery because we don't have enough blood,” Ms. Nelson points out. “Everyone is really needed.” And the emphasis is on everyone.

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