4 Heroes in HealthCare nominees from Community

Registered nurse Stephanie Cole works with a patient at Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital.

For the second straight year, the “Heroes in HealthCare” Lifetime Achievement Award will go to a physician affiliated with Community Medical Centers.

Dr. Steven Parks is this year’s recipient, and will be honored at the 3rd Annual “Heroes in HealthCare” Awards Gala presented by Business Street at 7 p.m. on April 24 at the Bankers Ballroom in downtown Fresno. Business Street, a monthly business news publication, honors top health care professionals and organizations in central California.

Dr. Steven Parks

“We are honored to have Dr. Steven Parks as our Lifetime Achievement Award recipient…” said Lance Cardoza, president and publisher of Business Street. “Dr. Parks is very well-liked and respected in the medical community, and certainly deserves this award.”

Dr. Parks currently serves as the chief of surgery at Community Regional Medical Center and clinical professor of surgery for UCSF Fresno Medical Education Program.

Last year, Dr. A.P.S. Sidhu, medical director for Community’s skilled nursing unit and president of Fresno Long Term Care Medical Group Inc., was given the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Richard Gregory

This year’s honorees will be chosen in seven different categories. The physician category includes Dr. Richard Gregory (director of cardiothoracic surgery for Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital and Community Regional) and Dr. Michael Peterson (UCSF Fresno’s chair of internal medicine). Dr. Gregory was nominated by Community’s MedWatch television show and Dr. Peterson by colleagues at UCSF Fresno.

Registered nurse Stephanie Cole of Fresno Heart & Surgical’s cardiovascular intensive care unit was nominated in the nurse category. She has 21 years of nursing experience, and is an excellent mentor and trainer for new nurses according to the collaboration of Fresno Heart & Surgical colleagues who nominated her for the award.

Dr. Michael Peterson

“She is an expert in caring for the post-operative open heart patient, and her patients love her” said Cynthia Cervantes, chief nursing officer for Fresno Heart & Surgical. “They find her warm, caring personality a plus, as do her coworkers.”

Nominees were chosen based on 250-word essays submitted by others describing their professional accomplishments and caring. Winners will be selected by Business Street editorial board members

This story was reported by Eddie Hughes. He can be reached at eddieh@communitymedical.org.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008