Mark Morris, President of Commerce Bank of Southwest Florida has been named Campaign Chair for the 2008-2009 United Way Campaign. As volunteer Campaign Chair, Morris will oversee the efforts of more than 1,500 volunteers working to meet this year’s $8,018,000 fundraising goal.

Morris said, “I am extremely honored to be asked to lead the 2008-2009 United Way Campaign. This community is facing economic challenges, but I know we can meet the $8 million goal or exceed it. Morris, a Fort Myers native went on to say, “This is a very giving and involved community, and the strong volunteer spirit will carry us through.”



Manuel P. Anton III, M.D., has been appointed chief operating officer (COO) of Mercy Hospital, Miami, FL. Dr. Anton has served as the senior vice president and medical director of Mercy Hospital for the past seven years.

Dr. Anton is a graduate of Emory University School of Medicine and completed an Internal Medicine Residency at Boston University Hospital. He also completed an Internal Medicine Fellowship at Boston University and Boston Veterans Hospital while attending the Harvard School of Public Health.



Naushira Pandya, M.D., CMD, associate professor and chair of the Department of Geriatrics at NSU’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, was appointed by Governor Charlie Crist to serve on the Florida Cancer Control and Research Advisory Council. Dr. Pandya also was invited to join the editorial board of the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association (JAMDA). Dr. Pandya also runs the NSU-COM Geriatric Clinic at the City of Pembroke Pines Southwest Focal Point Senior Center.



Coral Gables Hospital has unveiled its newly renovated Intensive Care Unit (ICU). The renovations, which took six months to complete, included the compete renovation of all ICU rooms. The ICU now features 16 private rooms with two of the rooms being isolation rooms. The existing facility was completely updated including new beds, equipment and aesthetics as well as the addition of a brand-new nurse’s station and physician work station. The renovations have helped streamline services and give patients more privacy and comfort.

The Stryker InTouch Critical Care Hospital Bed

The new ICU also features the Stryker InTouch Critical Care Hospital bed, one of the first high acuity care bed to offer advanced technology, intuitive operation and BackSmart ergonomics to benefit both patients and care givers. The Stryker InTouch bed offers a variety of new features and benefits to ensure maximum comfort for the patient as well making protocol compliance easier for caregivers. The Stryker InTouch bed also features a translation option which translates a variety of clinical phrases to 12 different languages to help physicians and nursing staff communicate with patients that speak limited English. Coral Gables Hospital also added Category 5 hurricane impact windows and new exterior paint and finish.

(l-r) Alicia deLeon-Sanchez, CNO Coral Gables Hospital; Mario Villoch, Physician; Cristina Jimenez, COO, Coral Gables Hospital; and Paz Pradhan, R.N., Director ICU



Bob Michael, Indian River Medical Center Facilities manager, has something to be very proud of – he recently got word that he passed the national certification exam as a “Certified Healthcare Facilities Manager” (CHFM).

The exam – one of the most difficult in the field of facilities management – is a closed book test assessing one’s knowledge of all aspects of facilities management, construction management, OSHA and EPA regulations, Joint Commission standards and engineering principles.