Annual Golf Tournament Signup Form for 2010

Renovation and Services Expansion at Palominas-Hereford Site

PALOMINAS, AZ (June 15, 2010) – To make way for expanded healthcare services, including new physician offices, pediatrics services, laboratory and radiology imaging services, Copper Queen Medical Associates’ Palominas-Hereford Rural Health Clinic will break ground Wednesday, June 23 for a 5,600-square-foot building addition.

The public is invited to the groundbreaking [...]]]>

Renovation and Services Expansion at Palominas-Hereford Site

PALOMINAS, AZ (June 15, 2010) – To make way for expanded healthcare services, including new physician offices, pediatrics services, laboratory and radiology imaging services, Copper Queen Medical Associates’ Palominas-Hereford Rural Health Clinic will break ground Wednesday, June 23 for a 5,600-square-foot building addition.

The public is invited to the groundbreaking celebration, set for 4 to 6 p.m., Wednesday, June 23, at the Palominas-Hereford site, 10524 E. Highway 92. A short program will take place at 4:30 and refreshments will be provided.

The construction will occur in two phases. The addition, housing additional provider offices, exam and treatment rooms, a radiology suite, a laboratory, and outpatient rehabilitation services, will be built first. Then the current building will be renovated and a new façade created to blend the existing and new structures. The construction and renovations are expected to take six months and are designed to streamline patient admitting and the provision of care at the clinic.

The new building is designed using a southwestern motif and incorporating color themes and styles complimenting the San Pedro River Valley Development Plan. Environmentally friendly materials and construction processes will be used as much as possible so the Clinic will be a good neighbor to the community, said Jim Dickson, CEO of the Copper Queen Community Hospital. Building designers Architectural Nexus, based in Tempe, will be working with UEB Builders, Inc. of Scottsdale to complete the project. The $1,679,577 rural health clinic is financed through the USDA and National Bank of Arizona. The US Department of Agriculture is supporting the project, which will expand access to care in a rural and medically underserved area. According to Kathleen Jones, M.D., one of the clinic’s primary physicians, “The addition will double the size of the current clinic, allowing us to assist more patients in rural Cochise County.”

Dr. Jones, along with Dr. Patrick Coghlan and the Palominas medical team, currently offer internal medicine, family practice, pediatrics and physical therapy. The clinic also houses lab facilities and teledermatology technology, and provides mammography and bone density screenings once a month. But like the sister Copper Queen Medical Associates clinics in Bisbee and Douglas, the Palominas clinic has been making special efforts to meet the needs of patients across this rural community and educate them about preventative healthcare and wellness. “Studies show that residents of rural areas are more likely to suffer, or even die from, preventable diseases and ailments because they did not have regular checkups with a doctor,” Dr. Jones said. “It is our goal to promote heath and wellness among local families, and encourage them to participate actively in their own healthcare by obtaining appropriate screenings, managing health-risk factors, and seeing a doctor regularly.”

For more information, or to make an appointment at the clinic, call (520) 366-0300 or visit the office at 10524 E. Highway 92 in Palominas.

Copper Queen Medical Associates, with Rural Health Clinics in Bisbee, Douglas and Palominas-Hereford, is a division of Copper Queen Community Hospital. CQCH has a rich heritage dating back to the 1880s when it operated as a part of the mining community. This 14-bed acute care critical access hospital is only one of four hospitals in Arizona recognized as a 100 Top Regional Hospitals. The award reviews hospitals for clinical excellence and efficient delivery of care. In 2008, the Rural Health Association presented the Inspiring Rural Health Program Award to the hospital’s teledermatology program. CQCH is also considered among the top 5 percent of hospitals nationally for its innovative use of technology and access to specialty services through its comprehensive telemedicine program. For more information on the Copper Queen Community Hospital, visit it at 101 Cole Avenue in Bisbee, call 520-432-5383 or visit the website at www.cqch.org.

The new health reform law requires most residents to carry [...]]]> CBO says millions of uninsured to be fined
The Congressional Budget Office predicts that about 4 million people will be required to pay a fine for not buying health insurance, accounting for roughly $4 billion per year in fees that will funnel through the Internal Revenue Service.

The new health reform law requires most residents to carry some level of insurance by 2016 or else pay a fine of up to $695 or a percentage of household income. The CBO and the Joint Committee on Taxation estimate that about 21 million residents under 65 years of age will be uninsured in 2016, but that a large majority of them would not be subject to the fine.

According to the CBO, the lion’s share of payers will come from households making more than 400% of the federal poverty level.

“The individual mandate tax will fall hardest on Americans who can least afford to pay it, many of whom were promised subsidies by the Democrats and who the president has promised would not pay higher taxes,” Rep. Dave Camp (R-Mich.), the senior Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee, said in a written statement. — Matthew DoBias

Dr. Avina is board certified in family Practice, and has practiced in Bisbee for the last ten years.

We are pleased to have a physician of this caliber join our health care team [...]]]> Dr. Peggy Avina will be joining the staff of the Copper Queen Medical Associates Medical Group at Copper Queen Community Hospital.

Dr. Avina is board certified in family Practice, and has practiced in Bisbee for the last ten years.

We are pleased to have a physician of this caliber join our health care team

Copper Queen Community Hospital is upgrading its diagnostic services with the addition of a new digital mammography unit, replacing the analogue system, to enhance our Women’s Wellness services and offer an important resource to local residents, said Jim Dickson, Hospital CEO. “Breast cancer and Osteoporosis are two [...]]]> Digital Mammography at Copper Queen Community Hospital

Copper Queen Community Hospital is upgrading its diagnostic services with the addition of a new digital mammography unit, replacing the analogue system, to enhance our Women’s Wellness services and offer an important resource to local residents, said Jim Dickson, Hospital CEO. “Breast cancer and Osteoporosis are two major diseases that affect women as they mature,” Dickson explained. “Through the new digital mammography equipment and the DEXA scan for bone density, CQCH will assist women to a healthier future.” Dickson added that rural women have a higher mortality rate of breast cancer because they don’t have access to affordable mammogram screenings. CQCH’s mission is very clear: “We want to offer every woman in our area access to this life-saving screening.”

The Copper Queen Community Hospital’s Selenia V Digital System offers improved screening process and diagnostic services. The new digital equipment allows CQCH to perform “soft “mammography giving patients a more comfortable screening by using specialized pads to cover the plates. This will also reduce the amount of radiation each patient receives from screening. The mammograms will be read by on site radiologists, Dr. Steven Walsh and Dr. David Klein, who will provide the highest quality readings and attentive follow-up on test results, Dickson said. These services are part of our Women’s Wellness program, which includes coordination with Tucson referral sources for specialized care if cancer is detected.

In addition to the permanent digital mammography unit at CQCH, a mobile mammography and bone density screening unit are serving the Douglas and Palominas communities monthly. The DEXA test (Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry) is the industry standard providing a safe and non-invasive use of x-ray technology to measure bone mineral loss. Dickson said that their goal is to bring these services closer to where patients live, making it more convenient for women to arrange and keep these important appointments. According to the National Cancer Institute, early detection saves lives and 96 percent of women who find and treat breast cancer early will be cancer-free after five years. While radiologists do not endorse one form of mammography over another, digital mammography is an important option for younger women and for women with dense breast tissue. Lower radiation exposure, both time and dosage, through the new technology, has been shown to be beneficial for all consumers. Copper Queen Community Hospital is dedicated to enhancing the health of women in Cochise County. These new services will enhance our Woman’s Wellness Program. See your doctor, get a prescription for mammography and bone density testing. Call us today to make an appointment for these life saving services. Please call (520)-432-6541.

Copper Queen Community Hospital has a rich heritage dating back to the 1880s when it operated as a part of the mining community, so important to the history of Bisbee. This 14-bed acute care critical access hospital is only one of four hospitals in Arizona recognized as a 100 Top Regional Hospitals. The award reviews hospitals for clinical excellence and efficient delivery of care. In 2008, the Rural Health Association presented the Inspiring Rural Health Program Award to the hospital’s teledermatology program. The Copper Queen Community Hospital is considered among the top 5 percent of hospitals nationally for its innovative use of technology and access to specialty services through its comprehensive telemedicine program. Expanding the hospital’s outreach to the region is the Copper Queen Medical Associates group which manages Rural Health Clinics in Bisbee, Douglas and Palominas/Hereford. For more information on the Copper Queen Community Hospital, visit it at 101 Cole Avenue in Bisbee, call 520-432-5383 or visit the website at www.cqch.org.

The first of our many foursomes

Celebrities love golf too!

These fellas look prepared for anything!

Looks like we may really have some competition here!

Watch out fellas!

Another fine foursome

Hey, Bill... we are shooting the photo of our foursome...

Such determination!

Not in that photo Bill...

Getting ready to tee off...

The first of our many foursomes

Celebrities love golf too!

These fellas look prepared for anything!

Looks like we may really have some competition here!

Watch out fellas!

Another fine foursome

Hey, Bill... we are shooting the photo of our foursome...

Such determination!

Not in that photo Bill...

Different ways to fight the sun

So many took part this year!

OK, lets do this!!