Alliance Meditation Garden nears completion.....

Alliance's planned Meditation Garden is set for completion by early August, bringing the last project of The Hope & Healing Campaign to an end.  Made possible with a grant from The Fenwick Foundation, Stuart and Tricia Phoenix and with generous support of Liggett Design Group, Bland Landscaping and Lawrence Construction, the garden will be a quiet place of meditation and prayer for staff, patients and community.  A ceremony to dedicate the garden is tentatively set for mid-September.  View photos of work underway and stay tuned for updates!

Alliance leader takes part in Ethridge Healthcare Forum at NC State

The Computer Science Department at NC State University welcomed US Rep. Bob Etheridge (D-Lillington, pictured with Dr. Annie Antón), the only North Carolina member on the House Ways and Means Committee, to campus for a Healthcare Information Technology (IT) Business Forum on June 1, 2009.  The Forum included presentations from members of the medical community and others involved in research and development of solutions to healthcare IT issues.

For full article, click here

Mike Mizeur of BCBS SC joins Alliance board

Mike Mizeur, VP Finance with Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, joined the Alliance Medical Ministry Board of Directors in May of 2009.   Mr. Mizeur has been withBCBS SC for 11 years.  In addition to his VP responsibilities, Mike is also President of the company's Companion Capital Management, where he leads M&A and strategic investment activity.   Prior to BCBS, Mike worked with Earnst & Young for seven years, most recently as a Consulting Senior Manager.

Mike holds a Master's degree in taxation from DePaul University in Chicago and earned his MBA from Duke University Fuqua School of Business.  He holds the professional distictions of Fellow in the Academy of Healthcare Management (FAHM) and Fellow in the Life Management Institute (FLMI).

Alliance is thrilled to have Mike as part of the organization's board of directors.

'Medical musts' remain during a recession

WRAL: June 4th, 2009

Americans looking to save money during the recession often put off some medical needs, according to doctors. However, skipping certain exams or procedures could cost more in the long run.

Watch video with mention of Alliance Medical Ministry "We've got a number of areas where people used to get treated right away, and we're not seeing that anymore," said Dr. Raymond Washington, First Health general surgeon.

He said the first things people cut out are elective procedures, such as colonoscopies recommended from age 50, or younger if you have a family history of cancer. But long term, missing out on the early detection of cancer that a colonoscopy can provide costs more, Washington said.

"The whole point of prevention is to try and make sure you don't develop a problem," said Dr. Jennifer Szurgot, who works in internal medicine at First Health.

Szurgot recommended several screenings as "medical musts" to save lives and cost.

"As a female, you should be getting pap and pelvic exams through your gynecologist about once a year and mammograms beginning at age 40 annually," she said.

By age 50, women should have bone-density screenings about every two years.

By age 40, men should start prostate exams. By age 50, men should add a PSA blood test.

"At least see your doctor annually because you will not always have symptoms related to some of these medical conditions," Szurgot said.

• Reporter: Allen Mask, M.D.
• Photographer: Rick Armstrong
• Web Editor: Anne Johnson

Dr. Susan Weaver speaks at Forum hosted by Congressman Ethridge

Etheridge hosts forum on expanding healthcare access Second District Congressman Bob Etheridge held a forum Thursday, May 28, 2009, on expanding affordable quality access to healthcare in North Carolina.

Click on the link below to watch the video created by WRAL:

WRAL Video

Hello world!

Welcome to the first blog communication for Alliance Medical Ministry!  It's hard to believe that today is the first of June already. Where do the days go?  I've been working here at Alliance for a month now and have been given a real wake up call regarding the growing demand for affordable healthcare here in Wake County.  The last month has brought about some exciting changes for Alliance.   AMM has been awarded a grant from Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC to fund the new same-day clinic, due to start operations on a limited basis my mid-June.  Other developments include a newly designed website, including the ability to register for Alliance e-mail communications and e-newsletters.  Finally, we will be launching a comprehensive social media presence to include an Alliance blog (check), Alliance Facebook page, Twitter account and uTube channel so supporters of Alliance's work will hear the stories and see firsthand how their support makes a difference in the lives of our working-class neighbors.  Stay tuned for many exciting ways to become engaged with the work we do at Alliance.   I look forward to helping tell the story of such an amazing place that makes our Wake County community a better place to live!