Lee Health board member and former board chairman Sanford “Sandy” Cohen, M.D., was named Florida Hospital Association’s (FHA) Trustee of the Year at their annual Celebration of Achievement in Quality and Service Awards. Dr. Cohen has served on the Lee Health Board of Directors since 2013 and served as chairman from 2014 to 2017.

FHA cited Dr. Cohen’s years of service within health care and education and his support of the construction of Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, the only children’s hospital between Tampa and Miami, as key factors in honoring him with this award. Dr. Cohen has increased transparency within Lee Health by pushing for better reporting of quality outcomes and has been instrumental in advancing physician-led teams such as the Physicians Leadership Council and the Clinical Collaboration Council.
 
Dr. Cohen earned his medical degree from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in 1960. He served as Chair of the Pediatrics Department at Wayne State University School of Medicine and Chief of Pediatrics for the Children’s Hospital of Michigan. He also served as dean and the university’s provost before retiring as a professor. Dr. Cohen served as a Captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and has an extensive history of community involvement in pediatric health care issues and research organizations.


Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade (HSCMD), the county’s prenatal and infant care coalition, hosted the 2019 Miami-Dade Prematurity Symposium on November 14 and 15 in observance of Prematurity Awareness Month. To continue the Coalition’s efforts in providing education to families and the community, the symposium aimed to reduce preterm birth rates, increase equity and improve outcomes for premature infants through discussion of known causes, potential and evidence-based interventions, and best practices.
 
The Coalition was joined by more than 150 OB/GYN’s, pediatricians, neonatologists, family practitioners, nurses, clinical staff, case managers, and community participants to discuss topics such as caring for newborns with medical complexities, managing high risk pregnancies in the home, social determinants of health, and much more.
 
In attendance were (l-r) Florida Senator Anitere Flores’ staff, Lissette Vasquez, Senior Legislative Assistant; Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade, CEO, Manuel E. Fermin; Tiffany Lorente, District Executive Secretary for Florida Senator Anitere Flores and Jeannette Torres, Director of Programs for Healthy Start Coalition of Miami-Dade. 


The Michael and Dianne Bienes Cancer Center at Holy Cross Hospital has received a three-year, full reaccreditation designation by the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC).

NAPBC-accredited centers must demonstrate a multidisciplinary, team approach to coordinate the best care and treatment options available; have access to breast cancer-related information, education and support; provide breast cancer data collection on quality indicators for all subspecialties involved in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment; provide ongoing monitoring and improvement of care; and offer information about clinical trials and new treatment options.


General surgeon Wilmer Mata, M.D., has joined Baptist Health Medical Group. Dr. Mata treats a broad range of conditions that commonly require surgery, including appendicitis, hernias, gallbladder, stomach and intestinal issues. He has unique training and expertise in minimally invasive surgical procedures that result in reduced pain and faster recovery times for patients.

Dr. Mata earned his medical degree at Universidad de Carabobo School of Medicine in Valencia, Venezuela. He completed a residency in general surgery at St. Vincent Indianapolis in Indianapolis, IN, where he served as chief resident. He also completed research and clinical fellowships in minimally invasive surgery at Jackson South Community Hospital in Miami. Dr. Mata has conducted clinical research on robotic surgery techniques and published his findings in peer-reviewed medical journals.


Darcy Allen, MBA, BSN, RN,has joined Lee Health as the Vice President of Operations and Chief Nurse Executive at Lee Memorial Hospital.
 
Allen brings nearly 20 years of nursing experience, including leadership roles to her position with Lee Health.
 
Prior to joining Lee Health, Allen served as Chief Nursing Officer at Inova Medical Center in Fairfax, VA. She also spent seven years at Kaiser Permanente in California, where she held multiple positions, including Assistant Nurse Manager, Department Manager, Clinical Adult Service Director and Director of Nursing.
 
Allen earned her associate degree at the University of Hawaii, her Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Phoenix and her Master of Business Administration with a concentration in healthcare administration at Northeastern University. She is a member of the American Organization for Nursing Leadership and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.