Staff Updates

Sam Andrews retires

Sam Andrews retired in September 2008 after 34 years of tireless and unselfish service to Craig and the field of therapeutic recreation and disability.

Sam was director of therapeutic recreation at Craig from 1974 to 2006 and then served as director of volunteer services from 2006 to 2008.

With his leadership, Craig’s therapeutic recreation program created opportunities for patients and graduates previously unheard of — river rafting, hot air ballooning, SCUBA diving, hunting, Hobie Cat sailing, handcycling, and more. Sam was also an early pioneer and key developer of organized disability sports in Colorado, the U.S., and throughout the world. His contribution to the field is unmatched.

Sam is a member of the Colorado Parks and Recreation Association, the National Therapeutic Recreation Society, the Colorado Therapeutic Recreation Society, and the Colorado Society of Directors of Volunteer Services, and was a cofounder of the Outdoor Buddies program. He was named Colorado Therapeutic Recreation Professional in 1978 and again in 1983.

Rumor has it that Sam and his wife, Donna, Craig’s school tutor, will still help buy merchandise for our gift shop.

See you around, Sam, and thanks for all you have done!

OTs go out on the town to benefit regional health organization

Who says OTs don’t know how to have fun? A number of Craig’s occupational therapists attended a benefit for the Rocky Mountain Multiple Sclerosis Center on January 9. The evening was a big success for the center and a terrific bonding experience for the OTs. They represented Craig’s support of other important health organizations in our community (and, in the process, showed them how much fun we have at Craig).

Craig staff central in creating “Academy of SCI Professionals”

After decades as separate organizations, the American Association of SCI Nurses (AASCIN), American Association of SCI Psychologists and Social Workers (AASCIPSW), and American Paraplegia Society (APS) will be merging this year into a single “Academy of Spinal Cord Injury Professionals.” A strategic planning council has been working for two years on this significant and historic merger. Members of this group include Craig’s Lester Butt, PhD, ABPP; Indira Lanig, MD; and Diane Reinhard, RN, all past presidents of the three organizations. The Academy will be primarily and significantly supported by Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA). A unique aspect of the Academy is that its overall governance board will have equal representation from four “sections,” more accurately representing a true interdisciplinary SCI team. The newest section will be the therapy leadership council (TLC), with which Ellen Severe, Craig’s OT director, and Darrell Musick, Craig’s PT director, are involved. The TLC is comprised primarily of occupational and physical therapists.

According to Dr. Butt, this is an exciting development in the evolution of the national SCI professional community. The Academy’s goals are to consolidate resources and expertise, increase the power of advocacy, promote interdisciplinary education and research, and hold an annual conference. The merger should be completed by the end of the year.

Remembering Dr. Cilo

We are deeply saddened to report the death of our colleague and friend, Mark Cilo, MD, 65, who died suddenly on July 30, 2009. Dr. Cilo was a local, state, and national pioneer in brain injury rehabilitation. He worked at Craig Hospital from 1978 to the present, and consulted with numerous other hospitals and organizations in Denver. Dr. Cilo helped develop the Brain Injury Association of Colorado, and nationally he chaired the Standards of Care Committee for Acute Brain Injury Rehabilitation Programs for the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Dr. Cilo was a visionary, team leader, program developer, teacher, public speaker, and friend. He was well loved by thousands of patients, families, and colleagues.

Dr. Cilo is survived by his wife, Janie, of 22 years, brother Stuart Cilo of Lewiston, Penn.; children Kelsey Haddock and her husband, Jason, of Centennial, Colo., and Hiram Lewis IV and his wife, Jessica, of Nashville, Tenn.; brother Stuart Cilo and his wife, Judy, of Lewiston, Penn.; and his beloved dogs, Jasper, a Jack Russell terrier, and Baby, a retired and rescued greyhound racer.

Donations can be made to: Craig Hospital Foundation, 3425 S. Clarkson Street, Englewood, CO 80113, 303-789-8650; or the Colorado Humane Society/SPCA, 2760 S. Platte River Dr., Englewood, CO 80110, 303-781-9344.

Our thoughts and prayers are with Janie and the entire Cilo family.

Memory and new learning focus of Grand Rounds

This spring, the rehabilitation team was privileged to have Lyn Turkstra, PhD, CCC-SLP, visit Craig Hospital as part of an interdisciplinary project funded by the Art and Julie Seiden Award for Excellence. The presentation was coordinated by Wendy Gordan, MA, CCC, director of Craig’s speech and language pathology department. Dr. Turkstra is an associate professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She presented “Memory and New Learning,” emphasizing differences between declarative memory (learning through language) and implicit memory (learning through doing).

The next day, Dr. Turkstra conducted a workshop focusing on evidence-based research, applications of procedural learning in the therapy environment, attention issues, and other cognitive considerations. The workshop included time for small groups to discuss how the concepts could be incorporated into Craig’s existing programs. Since then, the TBI team has been developing changes that will incorporate the key principles.

Dr. Turkstra is board certified in neurologic communication disorders by the Academy of Neurological Communication Disorders and Sciences (ANCDS) and is a member of the ANCDS writing committee on Practice Guidelines for Cognitive-Communication Disorders after TBI.

Staff kudos!

Congratulations to Darrell Musick who received the 2009 Outstanding Clinical Instructor Award from the University of Colorado Denver Physical Therapy School. The Cerasoli Award for Outstanding Contributions to Physical Therapy Education is awarded to an individual who demonstrates “significant contributions toward the academic or clinical education of the student physical therapists, role model-worthy professional behavior in the educational process, creativity or innovation in educational activities, and membership in the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).” Way to go, Darrell!

Congratulations, too, to Lonnie Martinez, BS, RRT, named Leadership Practitioner of the Year by the Colorado Society for Respiratory Care. Lonnie has been at Craig for 13 years and serves on the advisory boards for PIMA Medical Institute, Concord Career College and T. H. Pickens College where he earned his respiratory care practitioner diploma. Lonnie is the director at large for the Colorado Society for Respiratory Care and has been a member of the National Board for Respiratory Care since 1996. He has made numerous presentations throughout the country regarding various leadership topics, as well as respiratory care and mechanical ventilation for people with spinal cord injury.

Colorado TBI Trust Fund increases revenue for services, education, and research

Kenny Hosack, Craig’s director of provider relations, and volunteer chair of the board of the Colorado TBI Trust Fund Program in 2008-2009, helped the Colorado TBI Trust Fund to increase its revenue by $700,000 annually. Kenny was part of a Brain Injury Association Legislative Collaborative that lobbied for increased revenue for services, education, and research. Governor Bill Ritter signed SB 133 on June 2 that added $5 to fines assessed for speeding, drunk driving, and juveniles under age 18 riding on motorcycles or scooters without a helmet.

Fat Tire Classic

Craig’s team of cyclists at this year’s Fat Tire Classic at Winter Park included Tom Balazy, MD; David Ripley, MD; Sabrina Norton; Sienna Jensen; and Brigette Trace. Other Craig staff members manned the tent.

[Photo caption] From left: Dr. Ripley, Sabrina Norton, Mary Bonner, Dana Polonsky, Jeff Szalter, Diane Reinhard, Bill Reinhard, Sienna Jensen, Susie Szalter, Dr. Balazy, Mike Fordyce, Chris Chappell, Maggie Rose, and Brigette Trace. Not pictured: Terri Fordyce.

Synapse wins hockey tournament

Congratulations to the Craig Hospital Synapse hockey team for winning its division of the second annual Quest for the Crown charity hockey tournament.

Welcome Mike Fordyce

Michael L. “Mike” Fordyce is no stranger to Craig — and Denny, the Board of Directors, the Foundation Board, and staff are all excited that Mike has agreed to become our new president. Our strong interest in Mike began a number of years ago when he served on the Craig Hospital Board of Directors, including one year as chair. During that time Mike came to love Craig, and his leadership skills were very apparent.

Fordyce has served as chief administrative officer and vice president of human resources during a 21-year career with Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI), a national health care company that owns and operates 72 hospitals and 42 long-term care facilities across the country. In Colorado, CHI operates the Centura Health system, the largest family of hospitals and health facilities in the state. Mike understands hospitals, healthcare in Colorado and the U.S., knows the Craig culture through his board experience, and is excited to rejoin the Craig family. We are confident Mike will lead us well into the future.

Mike already has been participating in patient outings (river rafting and Hobie Day), staff meetings, and public events this summer, as he transitions into his new role.

We also welcome Mike’s wife, Terri, and their two children, Betsy and Chris, to the Craig family.

Denny O'Malley steps aside

Dennis “Denny” O’Malley, MHHC, has been Craig Hospital’s president for 34 years, and on October 1 he stepped aside to work part-time in the Craig Hospital Foundation to help raise money for the hospital.

Under Denny's leadership Craig has become internationally recognized as a premier center for the rehabilitation and research of adults with spinal cord injury and brain injury, and arguably is the finest rehabilitation hospital in the world. The individual accomplishments that have occurred under Denny’s leadership are too numerous to list here, but collectively they have created the clinical and research facilities and programs that have set the standard in the field, and to which others look as the gold standard. Denny received a B.S. in business from Creighton University in 1972 and a master’s in hospital and health care from the University of Minnesota in 1973. In 1999 he served as chair of the American Medical Rehabilitation Providers Association and is a current Board member. In 1997 Denny was recognized by his peers for his leadership and vision when he was awarded the American Hospital Association’s highest award, the Brent England Award. He received the Insurance Rehab Study Group’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.

Throughout his career at Craig, Denny has consistently demonstrated remarkable vision, intelligence, wisdom, compassion, humor, and an unwavering commitment to patients, families, and staff. Yet he humbly credits others for creating and nurturing the amazing institution and family culture that Craig has become. It is an ageless truism that organizations take on the personalities and characteristics of their chief executive. Considering Craig’s extraordinary record of excellence and achievement over the past three decades, this truism is a profound tribute to Denny himself.

“I will continue my Craig association by helping to raise funds for an endowment that will help ensure Craig’s continued excellence,” Denny wrote in a letter to the Craig staff. “No one could have possibly enjoyed a more fulfilling career than I have been blessed with in the nearly 35 years it has been my honor to serve you and this magical place.” He also wrote about Mike Fordyce, who waits in the wings to become president, “Thanks for all you do to make Craig the special kind of place that can attract such an outstanding person to lead us well into the future!”

On behalf of all of us at Craig — and around the U.S. — thank you, Denny. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. For all that you are, and all you have done for us, for the field, and most importantly for our patients and families. Fortunately this is not goodbye — we will see you around and wish you the best in your “semi-retirement.”

Well-wishers may send a note to Denny at the Craig address or e-mail to administration@craighospital.org.

Staff Awards for Dan,Cindy, and Terry

Dan Lammertse, MD

Congratulations to Dan Lammertse, MD, the 2008 recipient of the American Paraplegia Society Excellence Award. This prestigious award, established in 1994, is presented annually to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in spinal cord injury health care including service, research, education, prevention, and administration. Indira Lanig, MD, APS president, presented the award to Dr. Lammertse on August 12 in Orlando, Fla. Dr. Lammertse transitions to full-time research at Craig on September 1.

Cindy Harrison-Felix, PhD

Cindy Harrison-Felix received the 2008 Deborah L. Wilkerson Early Career Award in Rehabilitation Research by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine (ACRM) in conjunction with the ACRM Early Career Task Force.

The Deborah L. Wilkerson Memorial Fund was established by friends, family, and colleagues of Deborah who was a beloved ACRM member, former president (2003), and ACRM Fellow (2005). Deborah had many interests, but was particularly devoted to improving the quality of rehabilitation and independent living services for people with disabilities. Dr. Harrison-Felix is the assistant director of research at Craig, has graduate training in clinical sciences and community medicine, and is an assistant clinical professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Colorado–Denver. She has more than 30 years’ experience working in disability and rehabilitation research with an emphasis in TBI and SCI. She serves as project director for the TBI Model Systems National Data and Statistical Center located at Craig Hospital, and is co-project director for the Rocky Mountain Regional Brain Injury System (RMRBIS), the TBI Model System at Craig Hospital.

Theresa M. Chase, ND, MA

Terry Chase, Craig’s coordinator of patient and family education, received Denver University’s 2008 Founders Day Community Service Award for her community voluntarism and advocacy work. Terry has a master’s degree in exercise science from DU, a doctorate in nursing from the University of Colorado, and a master’s in spiritual psychology from the University of Santa Monica. She has worked at Craig since 1996, earning a national reputation as a pioneer in spinal cord injury rehabilitation education and care.

“My goal is to infuse the concept of health promotion into everything we do,” she says. “The typical model is to treat sickness. I feel very strongly that we need to teach patients to listen to their bodies, stay fit, and speak up for themselves.” Terry is also an avid outdoors woman. This photo of her was taken on a Craig reservoir outing, where she taught patients how to climb back into a capsized kayak. Congratulations, Terry, and thank you who you are and what you do.

Staff continue National SCI Leadership roles

The 2008 Congress of Spinal Cord Medicine and Rehabilitation conference was held in Florida, August 11-13. This is a combined annual conference of the American Paraplegia Society (APS), the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Nurses (AASCIN), the American Association of Spinal Cord Injury Psychologists and Social Workers (AASCIPSW), and the Therapy Leadership Council (TLC). Several Craig Hospital physicians and staff members contributed to the conference:

• The Joint Program Committee for the conference was chaired by Indira Lanig, MD. Dr. Lanig will continue to be chair of the committee for the 2009 conference, which for the first time will be a combined program with the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA).<\li>
• Daniel P. Lammertse, MD, was this year’s recipient of the APS Excellence Award, presented annually to an individual who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in SCI health care. <\li>
• Diane Reinhard, RN, presided over the American Association of SCI Nurses meeting as president. <\li>
• Lester Butt, PhD, presided over the AASCIPSW meeting as president. He also presented “When Life is Not Enough: Assessment and Treatment of Suicide in Individuals with SCI.” Additionally, Dr. Butt moderated a workshop including presentations by Susan Charlifue, PhD, and Patricia Tracy, MSW, and himself, titled, “Encircling the World: Developing an Internationally Relevant SCI Dataset, Parts 1, 2, and 3.” <\li>
• Darrell Musick, PT, served on the Planning Committee for the Therapy Leadership Council. He also presented “A Problem Solving Approach to Understanding Incomplete vs. Complete Spinal Cord Injuries using the International Standards for the Neurological Classification of SCI.”<\li>
• Kelly Johnson, RN, MSN, CNFP, CRRN, presented “Supplemental Nursing Intervention Documentation in a Multi-site Study Describes SCI Rehabilitation Details.”<\li>
• Terry Chase, ND, RN, presented “Shifting the Power: Using Dialogue in Patient Education.”<\li>
• Toby Huston, PhD, presented “Family Support Programs across Diverse Rehabilitation Settings, Part II.”<\li>
• Stephanie Laub, PT, presented “PT Treating the Incomplete SCI: Do ASIA Motor Scores Really Matter?”<\li>
• Diedre Bricker, RN, gave a poster presentation titled, “New Graduate Simulation Education of Spinal Cord Untethering and Laminectomy.”<\li>
• Amanda Carr, OT, gave a poster presentation titled, “Skills for Real Life: Incorporating It into Rehab.”<\li>

Tom Stock Receives Prestigious Pharmacy Award

Craig pharmacist, Tom Stock, RPh, was recently selected by the Colorado Pharmacists Society to receive the Bowl of Hygeia Award. The award is given annually to a pharmacist in each state who has contributed to his or her community and profession.

Tom has been employed part-time at Craig Hospital for three years; however, he has been associated with Craig for many years. He was the pharmacy director at Swedish Medical Center when Craig moved to the Swedish campus. At that time, the Swedish pharmacy provided pharmacy services to Craig Hospital. He also served as pharmacy director at Fort Logan Mental Health Center and at Phebe Hospital in Liberia, West Africa. He has been involved with many pharmacy organizations during his career. He was a co-founder of the Colorado Pharmacists Recovery Network, a program to assist pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and their families with problems related to alcohol and drug abuse and other mental illness problems. During the Vietnam War several physicians and staff members at Swedish established the Friends of Children of Vietnam organization. Tom and other pharmacists collected drug samples. The medications were sorted, packed, and shipped to servicemen for distribution to orphanages in Vietnam.

Tom has known several Craig patients over the years, but one became very special. Ed Reinhardt, ’85, suffered a brain injury while playing football for the University of Colorado. Ed’s mother and Tom were classmates in high school, and Tom became involved in Ed’s therapy after he left Craig. The therapies were successful in helping Ed to progress to a much improved quality of life. Tom continued to work with Ed and his family during a visit at least weekly for more than 20 years.

Five Craig Employees Receive Assistive Technology Certification

Five members of Craig’s staff achieved Assistive Technology Practitioner (ATP) certification in 2007. This certification was driven by a new Medicare regulation requiring all power wheelchair specialty evaluations be performed by a “RESNA-certified Assistive Technology Practitioner specializing in wheelchairs.” This new regulation significantly impacts our ability to provide the proper equipment for our patients with Medicare. Jill Baldessari, OTR; Amanda Carr, OTR; Gail Gilinsky-Yount, OTR; Laura Shaubach, DPT; and Cindy Smith, RPT, sat for the exam on August 10. In order to prepare they attended preparatory courses and held many study sessions. This certification took hours of preparation on their part and will require ongoing continuing education to maintain. In addition they are able to network with other ATPs nationwide and can expect the same knowledge base on seating, positioning, and technology based services that we have at Craig. “We are very proud of our therapists. I have always known our staff is exceptional, but having all five pass this exam the first time is truly a demonstration of our commitment to quality care for our clients,” says Ellen Severe, OTR, occupational therapy director. This regulation has since been repealed with the hard work of APTA and AOTA lobbyists, but Craig Hospital was prepared for this significant change in procedure to begin December 2007.

Doctor Lammertse Changes Role: Dr. Balazy Becomes Medical Director

This summer, after 24 years as Craig Hospital’s medical director, Dan Lammertse, MD, will begin handing over the medical administration reins to Tom Balazy, MD, and begin to focus exclusively on Craig’s research projects and his consultant role for St. Anthony Central Hospital in Denver. Dr. Balazy will assume the medical director position on September 1.

Dr. Balazy, who directs one of the SCI teams, has been at Craig since 1987, serving as medical director of the Multitrauma Unit at Swedish Medical Center for 17 years. He received his medical degree and completed his residency at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, and completed a fellowship in spinal cord and brain injury at Craig. He is board certified in physical medicine and rehabilitation and holds a sub-specialty certificate in spinal cord injury medicine. In 2006 Dr. Balazy received the Jerome Gersten Clinical Teaching Award from the Department of PM&R at the UCHSC School of Medicine. Dr. Balazy is the author of a widely read publication on chronic pain in spinal cord injury.

Dr. Lammertse is one of the world’s foremost experts
on spinal cord injury and SCI research, and is excited
to dedicate the remaining years of his career to research.
In addition to his duties at Craig, Dr. Lammertse serves as neurotrauma rehabilitation consultant at St. Anthony Central Hospital and is the project director of the Rocky Mountain Regional Spinal Cord Injury System. He has served as chair of the NIDRR SCI Model Systems Project Directors Committee, and as president and member of the board of the American Spinal Injury Association. He serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine and is a member of the Spinal Cord Injury Medicine Examination Committee of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Lammertse currently serves on several national and international research advisory boards including the International Collaboration for Repair Discoveries (ICORD) in Vancouver, British Columbia. “We are in an exciting era for clinical research in spinal cord injury, with advances in pre-clinical restorative research setting the stage for innovative human trials. I am pleased to turn over my administrative duties to the capable hands of Dr. Balazy and devote more attention to this critical area of research.”

Dr. Schraa Active in National Civilian and Military Public Policy.

Concerned by the current inadequacy of funding rehabilitation, equipment, and long-term care for civilians and military who sustain catastrophic central nervous system injuries, Craig Hospital’s Jim Schraa, PhD, convened a public policy meeting in Washington, D.C., on January 25 with financial support from the Arthur Seiden Scholarship Program at Craig. Dr. Schraa assembled representatives from a dozen major national associations and rehabilitation provider companies to identify major problems, gaps in funding and services, and to develop public policy strategies and recommendations in both the military and civilian sectors.

In the civilian sector, Dr. Schraa and the group made the analogy of today’s insurance world to the current sub-prime mortgage crisis — that employers and individuals are purchasing “subprime health insurance.” Employers, individuals, and their families don’t know how inadequate their insurance is until there is a catastrophic injury, when individuals experience financial devastation, and provider expenses are cost-shifted to Medicaid and Medicare. In the military sector, the work group discussed a large number of complex of related to the Defense Department and VA’s treatment and funding of military personnel with traumatic brain injury. Of major concern is the lack of TRICARE policy benefits in the areas of cognitive therapy and long-term family supports. The work group is currently working on follow-up action items to the meeting, including providing data for a GAO report documenting the cost-benefit analysis and return on investment of quality rehabilitation.