Chronicle Parker
Parker 11-15-2013
November 15, 2013
A Colorado Community Media Publication
ourparkernews.com
Douglas County, Colorado • Volume 12, Issue 3
Parker man carries Olympic torch Visa employee wins company lottery By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ourcoloradonews.com Few people get the chance to participate in an enduring custom that symbolizes the cooperative international spirit of the Olympic Games. Parker resident Mark Hall considers himself incredibly lucky to be randomly selected to take part in the Olympic torch relay. Hall and his wife, Denise, traveled to Russia last month as the flame made its way through western portions of the country. For a few fleeting moments, he was the center of attention, jogging along a historic street in St. Petersburg with flashbulbs erupting, people cheering and escorts alternately shouting instructions to either slow down or speed up. Despite running for only 200 yards, Hall said he was able to take it in and remember every step. “When I got to the middle of the road with (runner No.) 142 approaching, I knew that in a few seconds, I would be the only person on the face of the Earth holding the Olympic flame that was lit,” he said. “To me, that was an awesome moment.” Every photo of Hall running shows him grinning from ear to ear. The locals in St. Petersburg clamored to get a photo with him, and the 50-year-old says he felt like a celebrity. He described the entire, allexpenses-paid trip as the “experience of a lifetime.” Hall works for Visa, a major sponsor of the Olympics, and put his name into a
Parker resident Mark Hall waves to spectators before running in the Olympic torch relay in St. Petersburg, Russia, last month. Photo courtesy of Denise Hall company lottery. Each Olympic Games, three employees are randomly picked to join the torch relay. Hall, who grew up in the Littleton area and moved to Parker in 1996, was the only American in the bunch. There is more to being a torchbearer than might appear to the eye. Every runner must attend an orientation that addresses
the proper ways to receive, handle and pass off the torch. With the help of hired interpreters, organizers also “tell you how to stand, how to look — there’s a lot of logistics,” he said. Hall remembers clearly the first Olympic Games to which he devoted his attention. It was 1976 and he was 13 years
old. Hall was spending the summer at his grandparents’ house in New Mexico and they watched every night of the Olympics, starting with the relay. “I remember them running into the stadium with it, and I thought, ‘Boy, that would be fun to do,’ but I never really thought I would have the chance,” he said.
Parker Adventist expands for future Master plan outlines 10-year expansion By Chris Michlewicz
cmichlewicz@ ourcoloradonews.com
Michael Lieu, right, of Parker, talks with radiation oncologist Dr. Seth Reiner, left, radiation therapist Deidre Hudson and nurse Jackie Cooper on Nov. 11 at Parker Adventist Hospital’s new oncology/radiation center. Courtesy photos
Registered nurse Jackie Cooper takes Parker resident Michael Lieu’s blood pressure at Parker Adventist Hospital’s new oncology/radiation center Nov. 11. Lieu won’t have to drive to Porter Adventist Hospital for radiation treatments.
A 10-year expansion plan will make sure Parker Adventist Hospital is prepared for future population growth. Hospital officials spent the last two years analyzing the facility and listing potential needs as part of a long-range master plan process. The result is a four-phase, $57 million strategy that will enhance the capabilities of doctors and bring more treatment options to Parker-area residents. The number of housing starts, for example, gave those overseeing the expansion a better idea of projected growth. Demographics also illustrated how necessary it is to be ready for a burgeoning 65-and-over population within Parker Adventist’s 455,000-resident service area. The first phase begins next year and follows an aggressive construction schedule. Four operating rooms will be added and opened in mid-2015, with space shelled out for two more ORs. Twenty-four medical and surgical beds also will be placed in the last available shelled-out space, on the first floor, and a parking deck will be added on the hospital’s east side. A 98,000 squarefoot medical office building will be built across Crown Crest Boulevard, between Lifetime Fitness and the Crown Point assisted
‘The convenience of having it here — it’s literally four minutes away from where I live and it’s perfect.’ Michael Lieu living center, and likely open in early 2015. “We planned for growth from the day we started,” said Morre Dean, chief executive officer of Parker Adventist. “We’re adding two floors to the current tower without changing the original intent of how the building is supposed to flow.” Motorists driving past the hospital are likely to see large cranes on the property late next year, Dean said. Last year, the hospital got approval to add a 10,000 square-foot radiation oncology center that opened Nov. 11. With chemotherapy, surgical procedures and infusion already available, oncology director Connie Wood said radiation is the final piece in the cancer treatment puzzle. The first patient, Parker resident Michael Lieu, 32, began radiation treatments that day to eliminate a tumor in his salivary gland. If not for the latest addition to Parker Adventist, Lieu would be driving to Porter Adventist Hospital in Littleton five days
a week for six weeks. “The convenience of having it here— it’s literally four minutes away from where I live and it’s perfect,” Lieu said. Having the radiation clinic nearby will be a huge help, especially in the latter stages of his treatment, when nausea becomes more pronounced. The radiation oncology center is the direct result of doctors requesting an inhouse facility so patients don’t have to drive far. “We diagnose over 300 cancer cases per year, and over half have radiation as part of their treatment plan,” Dean said. “Those 150-plus people were going elsewhere.” A 3,000 square-foot wound care center, also approved last year, will open next month. The $1 million facility, complete with two hyperbaric chambers to help with the healing process, will address an issue many people are not aware of. “There’s a lot of demand (from) people who have wounds and to treat those appropriately,” Dean said. “The wound care center is a better way to get there if your body doesn’t have the ability to overcome that.” Future expansion phases include re-configuring the emergency department, constructing another medical office building and adding beds to the intensive care unit.
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