Health in brief Sept. 20

| The New Mexican

9/19/2008 - 9/17/08

Two new doctors join Christus St. Vincent

Two new doctors have joined the staff at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center.

Corey Lieber joined the Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine department as an orthopedic surgeon specializing in complex fracture care and knee surgery.

He completed his internship and residency at University of New Mexico Hospital in Albuquerque, received fellowship training at North Sydney Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Centre in Australia and completed a fellowship in orthopedic trauma at the University of California at San Francisco.

Philip Smucker has joined the Santa Fe Brain & Spine Associates at Christus St. Vincent as a neurosurgeon.

Smucker completed his surgery internship and residency at Indiana University.

Three S.F. students win Sunflower Prize

Three Santa Fe students have won the Sunflower Prize Competition, a Public Education Department program aimed at developing New Mexico researchers.

The program teaches students how to record data for scientific research, said New Mexico Education Secretary Veronica Garcia.

Sixth-graders Chris Duran and Storm Nelson of Atalaya Elementary and fifth-grader Joel Castillo of Larragoite Elementary each received a prize of $100. Their teachers will also get a cash prize and memberships in the state's science and math teachers professional associations.

The students were given sunflower seeds in a Petri dish and told to record their observations of how the seeds sprouted over a two-week period. They decided how to best present their observations using drawings, writing and graphs.

Feds release funds for Santa Fe Mental Health Court

The Department of Justice has released $178,870 worth of grant funding for the Santa Fe Mental Health Court.

The funds, secured by U.S. Sen. Pete Domenici, an Albuquerque Republican, will be used to expand current treatment methods and improve options at the court.

The Santa Fe Mental Health Court focuses on mentally ill nonviolent repeat offenders who have been sentenced to probation. It tries to find patients proper treatment as a means of reducing recidivism.

Albertsons offers flu shot clinics

Albertsons stores, in partnership with Mollen Clinics & RPH, will offer flu shots to customers and their families in New Mexico.

Cost is $30 for walk-ups. Pneumonia vaccines might also be available at some clinics for $40. Medicare Part B and other insurance are accepted.

Customers must be over age 14 to get a shot.

Santa Fe clinics run from Oct. 8 to Nov. 8.

The schedule is:

Oct. 8: Sav-On Pharmacy, 3001 S. St. Francis Dr., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Oct. 8: Sav-On Pharmacy, 3542 Zafarano Dr., 3-7 p.m.

Oct. 9: Albertsons, 600 N. Guadalupe St., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Oct. 10: Albertsons, 3542 Zafarano Dr., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Oct. 15: Sav-On Pharmacy, 3001 S. St. Francis Dr., 3-7 p.m.

Oct. 15: Sav-On Pharmacy, 600 N. Guadalupe St., 3-7 p.m.

Oct. 16: Albertsons, 3542 Zafarano Dr., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Oct. 22: Albertsons, 600 N. Guadalupe St., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Oct. 23: Albertsons, 3001 S. St. Francis Dr., 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Nov. 8: Sav-On Pharmacy, 3001 S. St. Francis Dr., 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Nov. 8: Sav-On Pharmacy, 600 N. Guadalupe St., 10 a.m.-2 p.m.

Nursing site turns focus to Western states

Advance for Nurses has set up a Western States section on its Web site and e-newsletter.

The site features articles on the latest medical and nursing-related news and headlines. The Western States area covers New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona.

The link is nursing.advanceweb.com/Editorial/Content/RegionalContent.aspx?PRG=26. The company's national Web site is nursing.advanceweb.com.