Tag Archives: the hospitals of providence

The Hospitals of Providence Sierra Campus has been selected to participate in the Edward Lifesciences PARTNER 3 Low Risk Trial for Transcatheter Aortic Valve replacement (TAVR).

According to hospital officials, “As a participant, the Sierra Campus will be the first in the region to offer this procedure to low risk cardiac patients with severe aortic valve stenosis as a less invasive alternative for aortic valve repair.”

TAVR is a minimally invasive procedure to replace the aortic heart valve without the need for cardiopulmonary bypass. The Sierra Campus’ role is specifically designed to ensure that underrepresented populations are included in this nation-wide study.

“Heart disease is the #1 cause of death in the United States, killing more people every year than all forms of cancer combined,” said Nicholas Tejeda, Market Chief Executive Officer for The Hospitals of Providence. “Our goal is to bring new medical advancements to our community, such as the TAVR procedure, which could offer better outcomes for our most high-risk patients.”

TAVR is designed to replace a patient’s diseased native aortic valve without traditional open-heart surgery and while the heart continues to beat. This avoids the need to stop the patient’s heart and connect him or her to a heart-lung machine, which temporarily takes over the function of the heart and the patient’s breathing during surgery (cardiopulmonary bypass).

“I am very proud to be part of the team to bring this exciting technology to Sierra Campus,” said Dr. Venkatachalam Mulukutla, Cardiologist. “I believe that transcatheter valve replacement is one of the greatest technological breakthroughs in the modern medical era, and I am looking forward to participating in this trial to further advance cardiology treatments for patients in this region.”

Severe aortic stenosis is a very serious heart condition. Many patients are not treated because they are deemed inoperable for surgery, have not received a definitive diagnosis or because they delay or decline the procedure for a variety of reasons.

Patients who do not receive an aortic valve replacement (AVR) have no effective, long-term treatment option to prevent or delay their disease progression. Without it, severe symptomatic aortic stenosis is life-threatening – studies indicate that 50 percent of patients will not survive more than an average of two years after the onset of symptoms.

At its Annual Board Meeting on this week, Workforce Solutions Borderplex (WSB) celebrated the contributions of its board members and business partners.

At the event, Board Chair Leo A. Duran Sr. introduced the second year winners for the Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Board Member and a special recognition for the Past Board Chair.  In addition, three Business Partner Awards were presented for continued success utilizing the workforce system.

These recognitions were implemented during Mr. Duran’s tenure as Board Chair.

“Our board members and business partners are exceptional and we are so pleased to get to recognize them this way,” said Board Chair Leo A. Duran Sr.  “They truly have a positive impact on our organization and community.”

The 2017 awards presented are:

Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Board Member: Lydia Nesbitt-Arronte

Lydia has supported WSB in numerous community projects including the recruitment effort for the Amazon headquarters in El Paso.  She has lead partnership discussions for regional Skills Gap Analysis Roundtables and has supported WSB STEAM Fiesta with monetary donations.  Lydia has provided a voice among community leaders that helps strategically guide programs and initiatives for lasting impact.  Lydia currently chairs the WSB Economic Development Committee.

Recognition of Past Board Chair: Bertha A. Gallardo

Bertha has served as Past Board Chair in both 2016 and 2017. She served as Board Chair in 2014 and 2015 and was Vice-Chair in 2013. Bertha has served as a board member since 2007.

Small Business Partner of the Year Award: YMCA of El Paso

Bill Coon, CEO for the YMCA of El Paso, was instrumental in creating a true partnership with WSB to offer summer jobs with great outcomes. Staff members at the YMCA were proactive in reporting direct hires from the WorkinTexas.com jobseeker database. His organization was always willing to participate in career days and offer internships and subsidized employment.  Mr. Coon joined the WSB board this year.

Medium Business Partner of the Year Award: FedEx Ground El Paso

FedEx Ground El Paso participated in two WSB Manufacturing Industry Council Roundtables and several career fairs. The company was an active participant at the first-ever JobCon event and also participated in the Vocational Rehabilitative hiring event. FedEx Ground is always eager to partner for recruiting and direct hires. They are currently working on future career days and providing internships opportunities to WSB customers.

Large Business Partner of the Year Award: The Hospitals of Providence

The Hospitals of Providence has been a key partner in STEAM Fiesta by sponsoring the Business Challenge for the past two years. They have participated in JobCon, Red White and You Veterans Hiring Fair and several Career Expos. They are always active in WorkinTexas.com with job postings, hiring and reaching out to WSB recruiters for assistance.

The Hospitals of Providence accepted the challenge to participate in career days and will provide internships. They also partnered with WSB and El Paso Community College to provide job training for 331 new and incumbent workers using $481,813 Skills Development Fund grant from the Texas Workforce Commission.

This grant will be used to provide customized training with classes and training focused on industry-related topics such as basic nursing, critical care, neonatal intensive care nursing, emergency and operating room care, chemotherapy infusion and respiratory therapy.

Trainees will include registered nurses, nursing assistants, phlebotomists, radiologic technologists and respiratory therapists. Upon completion of training, the workers will receive an average wage of $26.02.

WSB Board of Directors elected the current slate of officers for a two-year term, beginning January of 2018 and running through December of 2019.

Mica Short, Community Relations Manager at Texas Gas Services, will serve as Board Chairperson. 

Grace Muñoz, Senior Vice President of Talent Management at First Light Federal Union, will serve as Vice Chairperson.

Hector Vidal, Manager at Walgreens, will serve as Secretary.

Leo A. Duran Sr., Owner of L&J Café, will serve as Past Board Chair.

The complete current listing of Workforce Solutions Borderplex Board of Directors can be found online.

According to a newly-posted sign alongside Horizon Boulevard, the rapidly-growing community just east of El Paso about to get their first hospital.

The sign, posted between Richard Smith Street and Thea Smith Drive across from the Horizon Golf Course, shows a Southwestern-inspired design, 3-story facility.

 The hospital, set to be run by The Hospitals of Providence, will have all the services offered by a full-service facility.

The sign boasts 24/7 Emergency Care, a less than 15 minute wait, Laboratory and Imaging services, in-patient care, surgery services and doctor’s offices.

There is no set date for construction to start, nor is there any mention of an opening date.