Margate ophthalmologist Randy Burks, M.D., participated in a medical relief expedition in Jamaica. In the island’s small fishing village of Port Antonio, Jamaica, Dr. Burks led a volunteer expedition to restore the sight of individuals suffering from blindness due to cataracts. Over the course of five days, the medical team saw a total of 100 patients, performing sight restoring eye surgery on 65 of these patients. Other members of the team included Dr. Mark Pophal of Ohio and Dr. David Medford of New Jersey.

Dr. Randy Burks examines a patient

The expedition to Jamaica was a joint effort between the local Rotary Club of Port Antonio and Surgical Eye Expeditions (SEE) International, a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides free medical, surgical and educational services by volunteer ophthalmic surgeons with the primary objective of restoring sight to disadvantaged blind individuals worldwide. Dr. Burks and his team were invited by Dr. Satya N. Parvataneni, a local physician and Rotary member of Port Antonio, involved with the Rotary Club’s Avoidable Blindness Initiative. Patients came from Port Antonio and the surrounding areas in hopes of being able to see once again.

Dr. Burks performs surgery

In contrast to its image of an island resort, many of Jamaica’s inhabitants live in abject poverty with little or no access to specialty medical services like eye care. Dr. Parvataneni screened individuals who could benefit from SEE International’s eye care services. He also reached out to state-run institutions for the sick and elderly as well. Despite conditions that had left them blind, for many patients it was the first time ever being seen by an eye doctor. Following modern cataract surgery, the lives of these needy Jamaicans were transformed dramatically; their sight as well as their independence restored.

As an affiliate member of the organization, Dr. Burks is part of an international network of 900 ophthalmologists in 99 countries that seek to make a difference with curable blindness in underserved populations of the world. He has led expeditions with SEE International to locations in Mexico, Peru, El Salvador and Ecuador. Dr. Burks has also been on staff at Northwest Medical Center for almost 17 years, serves as Vice Chief of Surgery on Northwest Medical Center’s Medical Executive Committee and is past Chairman of the Board.



Wellington Regional Medical Center has now joined forces with Specialists On Call, Inc., (formerly known as Brain Saving Technologies) to provide advanced teleneurology services to help diagnose stroke or other neurological conditions. Specialists On Call, Inc., connects emergency department staff with board-certified neurologists through an innovative audio and visual communications system.

David M. Soria, M.D., Chief of Emergency Medicine, and Nadine Smith, R.N., Stroke Program Coordinator, evaluate a patient with the guidance of a Specialists On Call, Inc., neurologist.

Responding to a national healthcare crisis — the need for rapid, effective treatment of stroke patients and the shortage of critical care stroke neurologists — Specialists On Call, Inc., is the first teleneurology service accredited by The Joint Commission.

“Time is so critical with brain injury,” says David M. Soria, M.D., Chief of Emergency Medicine at Wellington Regional Medical Center. “Fast access to neurology expertise will offer more patients the option of receiving t-PA, the only medication approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of stroke, reducing the risk for long-term disability.”

When an ER physician suspects that a patient is having a stroke, a CT scan will be ordered. The telecommunications system will be brought to the patient’s bedside, where the ER staff will have access to the expertise of a neurologist via video-conferencing technology 24/7.

The neurologist will facilitate an examination of the patient by the ER staff, view the CT scan and have an opportunity to interact with the patient and family members. The neurologist, along with the ER physician, can then make an assessment to determine whether the patient is a candidate for thrombolytic therapy with t-PA medication, which can help halt and even reverse the damage caused by the stroke if administered within three hours of the onset of symptoms. This drug helps dissolve blood clots that cause ischemic strokes — the most common type of stroke.

“This technology provides a unique solution to the nationwide shortage of neurologists,” Dr. Soria says. “It enables us to bring an experienced neurologist to a patient’s bedside any time of the day or night so that we can intervene quickly, if necessary.”



Michael De Lucca has been named as the President/CEO of the Broward Regional Health Planning Council, Inc. Mike holds a Masters of Health Management degree from St. Thomas University where he is an adjunct professor of Public Health.

Mike began his career in healthcare at Jackson Memorial Hospital where he served as Interim Division Director of Mental Health Services, as well as Director of various Human Service Divisions under the authority of the Broward County Board of County Commissioners. During that time, he was responsible for gaining national accreditation for the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Services Division (BARC) by the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations, (JCAHO), the first such accreditation of a public agency in the State of Florida.

He was the Project Director for the Broward County Children with Special Needs Research Study and Five Year Business Plan funded by the Broward Children’s Services Council. He was named the United Way of Broward County’s 2004 Volunteer of the Year and serves as the Chair of their Outcomes Committee.

Mike has acted as the Project Director for numerous federal, state and local projects including the HRSA Healthy Community Access Program (HCAP); the AHCA Pediatric Diversion Project; and the Health Foundation of South Florida Healthy Directions Evaluation. He has presented at national and local conferences on Disease State Management in the areas of Outcomes Evaluations, Eligibility Software, and Return on Community Investment. He has been named as Faculty for the national healthcare access organization Communities Joined in Action. He currently consults for the US Department of Health and Human Service’s Health Resources and Service Administration as a Federal Grant Reviewer and provider of Technical Assistance.



Images of soldiers dying on foreign battlefields remind us of the many sacrifices our armed forces have made as they fought for our Nation’s freedom. The VA mission, “To care for him who has borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan” mandates the provision of compassionate end of life care for veterans and their families. In keeping with this mission, the VA has mandated that care at the end of life holds an equal priority with all other types of health care provided to veterans. Hospice and Palliative Care, as defined by the VA, is all care in which the primary goal of treatment is comfort rather than cure in a person with advanced disease that is life-limiting. Hospice and Palliative Care (HPC) collectively represent a continuum of comfort-oriented and supportive services provided in the home, community, or inpatient settings for veterans with advanced stages of incurable disease.

The VA Hospice Benefit was developed as a result of the Veterans Healthcare Eligibility Reform Act of 1996. This law mandates the provision of HPC care to eligible veterans regardless of their service connection.

The West Palm Beach Hospice and Palliative Care Program’s mission is to honor each veteran’s preference for end of life care while providing compassionate care at the right place and at the right time. This mission is part of a network wide initiative, which follows national VA initiatives and policy. Here, at West Palm Beach Medical Center, the HPC program is under the Geriatrics and Extended Care Service. The program is based on compassionate team work by the members of a palliative care consult team and other caring staff members who provide direct hands on patient care. The Palliative care team members help the veterans and families make difficult decisions about treatment options for terminal diagnosis, death, and dying.

Some veterans decide to die at home surrounded by family, and they are referred to the hospice agency of their choice. Other veterans, especially war wounded veterans, or veterans who have no family, choose to die surrounded by the safety and familiarity of their VA family, in whose care they have entrusted their health over the years.

Raising the awareness of Hospice and Palliative Care Services and approaches to veteran’s health care is a priority for the Medical Center. Initiatives for Hospice and Palliative Care staff education and training and integration of palliative care across the continuum of VA care are in progress. The West Palm Beach VA is taking the lead on development of the South Florida Hospice Veterans Partnership to improve the coordination of care and services for veterans at the end of life. This national initiative is a model of collaboration between Hospice and VA professionals, veteran stakeholders, volunteers, and other interested organizations working together to provide quality services for veterans and their families.



Hospice of Palm Beach County recently introduced a new fundraising entity called Spectrum Healthcare Foundation that will fund the planned continuing expansion of Hospice’s infrastructure and services in South Florida. Two years ago, Hospice of Palm Beach County initiated a corporate restructuring that resulted in the formation of Spectrum Health, Inc. as the parent company of the hospice on 45th Street that has served Palm Beach County for 30 years. The strategic step was designed to prepare the organization financially to meet the demands of the fast-growing, aging population in South Florida. The organization’s newly created philanthropic arm will primarily support Hospice of Palm Beach County’s programs and services, but its long-term objective is to become the area’s leading healthcare foundation with a mission to provide the entire community with access to a broad spectrum of quality care associated with the end of life.

Kathleen Emmett, Vice President of Resource Development for Hospice of Palm Beach County’s Spectrum Healthcare Foundation, and David Fielding, President and CEO of Hospice of Palm Beach County

Hospice of Palm Beach County has long been recognized throughout the community, but now also across the country, as one of the leading providers of top quality hospice and palliative care. It serves more than 1,100 patients and their families each day, further substantiating its status as one of the leading hospices in the nation.

Spectrum Healthcare Foundation’s intent is to reach a base of at least $150 million over the next 10 years, making it one of the largest not-for-profit philanthropic foundations in the State of Florida. Some of its short-term goals are to fund unique programs for the underserved, such as loss-specific grief support and counseling for the community; crisis response assistance for businesses; and support for pregnancy and infant loss. It will also support comprehensive education and training programs for Hospice of Palm Beach County staff and volunteers.

“Our goal for Spectrum Healthcare Foundation is to ensure exceptional healthcare for patients and families within our service area over the next several decades, even as the community grows and large numbers of Baby Boomers approach old age,” said Kathleen B. Emmett, Vice President of Resource Development. “We need to shift our thinking and prepare for the increased demands now, just as the organization prepared itself years ago to answer today’s needs.”