How will you pay for long-term care? The sad fact is that most people don’t know the answer to that question. But a solution is available.

As baby boomers leave their careers behind, long-term care (LTC) insurance will become very important in their financial strategies. The reasons to get an LTC policy after age 50 are very compelling.

Your premium payments buy you access to a large pool of money, which can be used to pay for long-term care costs. By paying for LTC out of that pool of money, you can preserve your retirement savings and income. read more »

Cavalon Aesthetics announced that it is now offering The Fraxel re:store® Dual system, providing skin resurfacing results and faster treatments anywhere on the body. The new non-ablative Fraxel re:store Dual system addresses both deep and superficial resurfacing indications with maximum efficacy and safety, consistently for all skin types anywhere on the body. The new system has also made the procedures much more comfortable for the patient. read more »

Harrison Medical Center recently announced that Gordon N. Cromwell, Jr., MD, FACS is the newly elected chief of staff. The term expires April 30, 2012.

“It is an honor and privilege to be chief of the medical staff,” said Dr. Cromwell, who stepped into the position May 1, after serving two years as assistant chief of staff.

“I’m excited,” says Dr. Cromwell. “The role also is a little daunting because it’s a significant time commitment. I believe, though, that I can make a difference.”

A self-described transplant from the South (born in New Orleans) and East Coast, he grew up in Bellevue, attended Washington State University and Baylor College of Medicine, completing an internship and orthopedic residency at the University of Southern California Medical Center. read more »

When Dr. Donna Moore opened her private practice in Bremerton, her specialty — physical medicine and rehabilitation, or physiatry — was so new to the Kitsap area, her first challenge was to educate fellow physicians about what she did and why they should refer patients to her. More than 12 years later, Moore’s practice is thriving, and she has helped numerous patients of all ages to regain their quality of life after being injured or struck by a chronic disease. read more »

Dr. Christina Hardaway followed a family tradition when she pursued a medical career in the U.S. Air Force (and then the Navy). Her mother majored in microbiology in college (as did Hardaway), and her father had served in the Air Force for nearly three decades, including in World War II.

Now a dermatologist at The Doctors Clinic, Hardaway has taken a new step in her career — as a civilian — but continues to be a military spouse.

Hardaway chose dermatology because she saw a difference in her patients’ lives during a dermatology rotation in medical school. read more »

Catholic Health Initiatives, a Denver-based nonprofit health care system that includes Franciscan Health System (which owns and operates St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor), will hire more than 200 specialists across the country as part of a $1.5 billion program to enhance clinical information technology across its network of 72 hospitals in 18 states. The project, which will be implemented over the next five to seven years, is among the largest information-technology initiatives of its kind in health care, according to CHI, and will likely involve additional high-tech positions. read more »

Dan Hollingsworth, PT, OCS, ATC Recently joined the staff of Kitsap Physical Therapy (KPT). Hollingsworth graduated from the US Army — Baylor University in 2001 with a Masters degree in physical therapy. He is new to Kitsap County and works at the Poulsbo Village clinic.

Hollingsworth’s experience ranges from working as a physical therapist for 10 years on active duty in the U.S. Navy, being hand selected as the physical therapists for Marine Corps Special Operations Battalion, to working as a certified Athletic Trainer for Division 1 athletes. In 2005 he attained national certification as a specialist in orthopedic physical therapy. He is skilled in a new soft tissue treatment approach called Augmented Soft Tissue Mobilization (ASTYM). read more »

Franciscan Health System, which includes St. Anthony Hospital in Gig Harbor, has received the Catholic Health Association’s premier national award for excellence, effectiveness and innovation in hospice and palliative care.

Franciscan was presented with the prestigious 2010 Achievement Citation during the Catholic Health Association of the United States annual assembly in Denver on June 14. read more »

Sandon “Sandy” Saffier, MD, MBA, is Harrison Medical Center’s new chief quality and medical officer. He joined the organization in February to lead the medical staff and overall quality efforts. Dr. Saffier is an experienced physician executive with strong abilities in managing hospital operations and medical staff development. His expertise includes clinical quality, patient safety, and hospital accreditation processes.

A plastic and reconstructive surgeon by training, Dr. Saffier served for the past nine years as a vice president and medical director, and director of Medical Education at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Stockton, Calif. While there, he introduced, trained for, and implemented patient safety initiatives that promoted a culture of significantly improved safety read more »