September 4, 2024

Memorial Minute is Back to Keep You In-The-Know
With this issue of the Memorial Minute, we are bringing back a quick-read news brief to keep you informed of highlights and good news happening with Memorial Medical Center (MMC) as we serve our community. Our goal is introduce you to new leadership, providers and services, and highlight what's exciting in healthcare that could be of interest to you.

Dennis Knox Joins MMC as Interim Chief Executive Officer

As Memorial bids farewell to John Harris on August 31 after more than a decade of service as our CEO, we thank him for his visionary leadership and wish him the very best in his retirement. We extend a warm welcome to Interim Chief Executive Officer, Dennis Knox.
Dennis has more than four decades of experience as a healthcare executive. He most recently served as CEO of Adventist Health in Columbia Gorge, Oregon. Prior to that, he served as the CEO and co-founder of Urgent Point, a national urgent care company, and previously was the CEO of Antelope Valley Hospital in Lancaster, California. Dennis is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and holds both a Master of Healthcare Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in management science from Duke University, which he attended on a football scholarship and was a three-sport letterman. Dennis will be serving in the Interim CEO position while a nationwide search is conducted for Memorial's next Chief Executive Officer.

AFib Seminar Attracts More Than 55 Attendees

Cardiologist, Roi Altit, MD, FSCAI, FACC, and Cardivascular Surgeon, Vitaly Piluiko, MD, FACS, FACCP, presented facts about atrial fibrilation and information about various treatments for this common heart conditition at a free seminar hosted at MMC on Thursday evening, August 22nd. More than 55 guests were in attendance as the doctors helped educate and answer many questions from the audience. It's an honor to have these two highly experienced providers as part of our extensive and growing cardiovascular services program at Memorial. We are proud to be a leader in advanced and compassionate heart care in Southern New Mexico.

MMC Cardiovascular Services

Dr. Fontan Completes 500th Robotic Surgery

We’re celebrating Fermin Fontan, MD, FACS, FASMBS, for successfully completing his 500th robotic surgery case. Congratulations to the whole team on this milestone! Dr. Fontan is the only surgeon performing robotic weight loss surgery in the state of New Mexico.
Dr. Fontan performs robotically-assisted sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and duodenal switch bariatric procedures. In addition to his weight loss practice, he also specializes in procedures for heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Our robotic program continues to grow, and that’s great news for patients. That’s because minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgery can reduce bleeding, postoperative pain and improve overall outcomes, which allows our patients to recover faster and to return to their normal activities sooner.

Bariatric Surgery

Welcome Board Members Ignacio Ruiz and Dr. Pinheiro
We extend a warm welcome to Ignacio Ruiz, Superintendent of Las Cruces Public Schools, and Dr. A. Daniel Pinheiro of Memorial Ear, Nose & Throat Institute, who are the newest members of Memorial Medical Center’s Board of Trustees. They join Trustees Dr. Rob Shoots, Chair; Frances Scappatici, Immediate Past Chair; Dennis Knox, Secretary; Alvin Dominguez; Debbi Moore; Ikani Taumoepeau; and Jamie Michael, Alternate. Our sincere thank you to Brandon Young for his service as he completes his term on our Board.

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2450 S. Telshor Blvd.
Las Cruces, NM | 88011 US

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