The City Magazine July 2023

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Yvonne Aubel-Mazza, FNP-C

Born and raised in El Paso, Texas. She began her nursing career in 2008 as a Licensed Vocational Nurse. Immediately upon graduation, she pursued her degree as a Registered Nurse while working in the Emergency Room. Yvonne’s passion for nursing evolved into her pursuing her Master’s Degree in Nursing in 2019 from The University of Texas at El Paso. She has been a Family Nurse Practitioner for four years. She has been part of Dr. Agullo’s elite team since 2017, and assists with a multitude of cosmetic facial and body treatments. Through her 15 years of medical experience, she has developed in-depth knowledge and clinical competence to render a wide scope of patient care. She enjoys spending time with her family, and thrives on making people feel better about themselves and more comfortable in their own skin.

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July 2023

EL PASO/LAS CRUCES magazine

FASHION · HEALTH · lifestyle

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Shelley Mozelle | shelley@thecitymagazineelp.com

EDITORIAL

Senior Editor

Erin Coulehan | erin@thecitymagazineelp.com

GRAPHIC

Editorial Design

Ernie Sanchez Creative | ernie@thecitymagazineelp.com

Graphic Designer

Maggie Blum | maggie@thecitymagazineelp.com

ADVERTISING

Associate Publisher / Director of Sales

Chaz Wilson | chaz@thecitymagazineelp.com

Operations Manager

Mari Van Pelt | mari@thecitymagazineelp.com

Account Executives

Megan Langford | megan@thecitymagazineelp.com

Omar Samaniego | omar@thecitymagazineelp.com

Veronica Nevarez | veronica@thecitymagazineelp.com

ASSISTANT

Editor-In-Chief Assistant

Amber Lanahan | info@thecitymagazineelp.com

HOW TO REACH US

415 East Yandell El Paso, Texas 79902 (915) 225-0265 | info@thecitymagazineelp.com

Cover Design By: Ernie Sanchez Creative

Letters addressed to The City El Paso Magazine become the property of the magazine, and it owns all rights to their use. Letters may be edited for space. All rights to the contents of this magazine are owned in full by the magazine and may not be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the Editor in Chief. Views expressed herein are those of the authors and advertisers and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the ownership or management of the magazine.

All rights reserved.

From the

he Hippocratic Oath is among the oldest and most widely known code of ethics that dates back to the Greek Classical period, sometime around 400 BCE and the Middle Ages. Hippocrates was a Greek physician who transformed the practice of medicine into a rational science that forever transformed health care across cultures and generations that remains adhered to.

The Classical Hippocratic oath was a pledge for physicians to practice to the best of their abilities and defer to surgeon’s when necessary, and is still recited by new physicians at medical school graduations that serves as a rite of passage. Most are familiar with the oath’s stipulation that physicians “do no harm,” which was not included into Hippocrates’ original pledge but later made its way into his writing”

“The physician must [...] have two special objects in view with regard to disease, namely to do good or to do no harm.”

Welcome to our medical issue, which is full of physicians, researchers, nurses, therapists and more. This is the first time that we’ve combined our top doctors with healthcare, which I think speaks to the complexity and nuance that maintaining health now requires – especially as we continue to move out of the pandemic.

Inside this issue, you’ll get to know Dr. Alison Days, a pediatrician who has been caring for El Paso County kids for the last 20 years. During our cover shoot, Chaz, Jordan, and I immediately recognized the qualities that make the wonderful Dr. Days so popular with patients: she’s as kind as she is skilled, and instantly makes you feel at ease.

There is SO much that goes into health care that you’ll be able to learn about as you read the issue. We get to know the President and CEO of El Paso Health and El Paso Health Medicaid Service Lines, who work to ensure that their membership of more than 100,000 El Pasoans are able to access health care.

Additionally, writers Amber and Jade explore the realm of mental health both online and IRL to help readers learn more about the many available options of support that range from in-person or tele-health appointments to science-based apps that can help make your day-to-day more manageable.

As we evolve as a society, technology is being developed to streamline health care and assist physicians. Dr. Alozie examines what new technologies like A.I. can offer communities and explores the many implications for the future.

But we can’t look to the future without reflecting on the past.

The first editorial you’ll read is a reprint in honor of the late Dr. Jimenez. The City Magazine was devastated by his loss and will always remember his grace, expertise, and contributions to the community.

I hope you enjoy getting to know medical and health care professionals in the community who are going beyond Hippocrates’ pledge to “do no harm.”

May we all do more than good.

Erin COULEHAN Senior Editor

Megan MEHL

Jade Rachelle CARRASCO

Kelechi ALOZIE

Dr. Ogechika ALOZIE

Sergio OLIVAS

Amber LANAHAN

Ladonna APODACA

Veronica NEVAREZ John HORTA

Contributors

Claudia FLORES

Jordan LICON

To honor the legacy of Dr. Jimenez, The City Magazine is sharing his February 2020 cover story. We will always be grateful for his contributions to our community.

DR. DAVID F . JIMENEZ M.D., F.A.C.S.

“The Stars Align” at El Paso Children’s Hospital

| By: VERONICA NEVAREZ photography by: DANIEL FREDERICK |

An academic at heart and pioneering neurosurgeon by trade, Dr. David F. Jimenez, holds a promising vision of building a nationally-recognized pediatric neurosurgery program at El Paso Children’s Hospital—his gift to our city. A native of Philadelphia, PA, Dr. Jimenez came to the Sun City less than a year ago from San Antonio, TX at a rather unexpected time. He says of the move, “In life, it’s all about timing … the stars align. I got to the point that I said, ‘I’m ready for something.’” That “something” was either to retire to an island in the Caribbean, or simply remain in San Antonio and establish a private practice. It was during this time that Dr. Jimenez was approached by El Paso Children’s Hospital to initiate a pediatric neurosurgery program.

He explains that the timing was “just perfect,” pointing out that had it been at any other time, the stars might not have aligned as such. Today, Dr. Jimenez serves as their Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery and is already making monumental strides.

He graduated from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, PA in 1985, followed by training at Temple University Hospital, including an internship in general surgery, a residency in neurosurgery, a post as Neurosurgery Chief Resident and a subsequent fellowship in pediatric neurosurgery at Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Montefiore Medical Center in New York, NY in 1992. Dr. Jimenez has wholeheartedly devoted a large part of

his career to academia—throughout his time writing textbooks on endoscopic neurosurgery and a myriad of published works in various prestigious scholarly journals, Dr. Jimenez has also built an equally solid foundation in clinical practice as a visionary pediatric neurosurgeon.

This brings us to his specialty for treating craniosynostosis, and the innovative minimally-invasive surgeries that he pioneered to treat infants with this congenital condition. As explained, the skull is comprised of several plates of bone that are separated by sutures, or fibrous joints, found between the bony plates in the head. As an infant grows, the sutures close and the bones fuse, forming a solid piece of bone.

Craniosynostosis occurs when one or more of the sutures close too early, leading to problems with normal brain and skull growth. This premature closing also causes pressure to build inside of the head, and the skull to dramatically change in size and appearance.

The vast expertise that Dr. Jimenez brings to El Paso Children’s Hospital now means that infants who once traveled for these corrective surgeries are now able to remain here in El Paso, in their homes and with their families. In fact, there is now an influx of patients who travel here from other parts of the nation, and even the globe, to enlist his care. This has not only put El Paso Children’s Hospital on the map in this area of expertise—it also fastens his vision for building a nationally-acclaimed pediatric neurosurgery program. That vision is bolstered by his proven track record in Columbia, MO, where he established the first Craniofacial Center that became the country’s second busiest program for cranial cases during the early 2000s. Aside from serving nearly 15 years as a professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Texas School of Medicine at San Antonio, in tandem with various hospital appointments, he also established the city’s first Center for Neurosurgical Endoscopy at University Hospital in 2006, following the creation of his minimally-invasive surgeries to treat craniosynostosis. In fact, with over 800 patients treated, Dr. Jimenez is also recognized as having the most experience in treating craniosynostosis in the world.

As both an internationally-recognized academic and a pioneer for his innovative craniosynostosis surgical techniques, Dr. Jimenez has culminated a patient following that has put him as one in the forefront of pediatric neurosurgery. This has become the current driving force behind the agenda for El Paso Children’s Hospital to build a robust pediatric neuroscience program that will incorporate other high-demand pediatric specialties, invest in cutting-edge equipment

Dr. David F. Jimenez, M.D., F.A.C.S.

and develop and retain local talent to address the needs of our growing city.

The agenda’s success will continue the upward mobility of El Paso, while serving our region at an unprecedented level of care. This February, El Paso Children’s Hospital will celebrate its eight-year anniversary and more importantly, its ability to withstand its prior operational challenges through newfound leadership and growth. In just the

short time that Dr. Jimenez has been in El Paso, he asserts, “There is no question this is where I need to be,” pointing to not only his far-reaching vision for the hospital, but to his immediate affection for our city and its people. Just as he eloquently attributes his move to the alignment of the stars, the Sun City shines brighter with Dr. Jimenez as El Paso Children’s Hospital’s very own star physician.

Dr. David F. Jimenez, M.D., F.A.C.S.

Veteran Two-Steps Forward, Doesn’t Look Back

| By: ERIN COULEHAN |

The road to recovery after an injury is often detoured by many factors that can be both discouraging and debilitating but one El Pasoan is demonstrating that it’s possible to take two-steps forward despite serious setbacks.

Jose Gonzalez is a local veteran who lost his leg post-service and has overcome many challenges on his road to recovery. Gonzalez has been receiving physical therapy at Fyzical Northwest El Paso, and was recently able to twostep after a prolonged wait for a prosthetic leg.

“We love to see people get back to their lives,” says Dr. Denise Campbell, CEO and owner of Fyzical Northwest El Paso. “People need to get back to what they love, and we help them love their lives again after a major trauma. We’re here to partner with people and let them get back their health. We bring in a lot of regional expertise with our doctors of physical therapy who also have a lot of postgraduate training.”

One of the main challenges when recovering from a major injury or trauma is overcoming

the fear that it will happen again and trusting that joy will return, says Campbell.

“It’s very scary to walk on your leg -- your prosthetic leg -- for the first time. But even to think about dancing: the amount of serotonin, feel good vibes, and things you get by moving to a song you love.”

Campbell explains that she and her providers take a cognitive behavioral approach to physical therapy to help patients understand the ways pain is manifested.

For Gonzalez, recovery was delayed for a number of reasons. He suffered two falls while waiting for his prosthetic leg.

“I fell in my yard on the landscaping and it caused a three-inch cut and put me back about eight months,” he says.

The wound from the fall was at his amputation location, which caused additional mental and physical angst.

“At first I wanted to give up,” he says, “but I didn’t because they’re teaching me a lot.”

Campbell and Dr. Isabela Acosta, who is Gonzalez’s therapist, says they’ve been helping him take one step at a time.

“I have the best job in the world,” says Acosta. “I’ve been working with Mr. Gonzalez before he got his prosthetic leg, and it’s been so rewarding to see his progress.”

A lover of line-dancing, two-stepping, and honky tonks, Gonzalez recently regained his twostepping skills with Acosta as his dance partner.

“We did the two-step and that’s the first time I’ve been able to do that,” he says. “I was holding onto her, but not too tight.”

With his confidence regained, Gonzalez says he’s looking forward to hiking Mount Cristo Rey and going dancing at Little Bit of Texas.

“Tell the girls I’ll be back to dance soon,” he says.

It is no secret that the healthcare system is a mess! Access to healthcare is crucial in determining the quality of healthcare you receive: Do you have health insurance? Regardless of whether or not you have health insurance, can you schedule an appointment (average three-month wait) and figure out how to navigate the Tower of Babel that is the co-pays and referrals even if you do have health insurance?

What impact will AI-powered chatbots have on patient engagement beyond providing information to the patient?

Are there any potential impacts that artificial intelligence may have on the healthcare workforce, both in terms of job losses and new job opportunities? Being someone who played with technology once upon a time (as a Chief Medical Informatics Officer), I have always had a Pollyanna-ish view of how technology might be able to fix healthcare as we know it. As a speaker at TEDx 2015, I predicted that telehealth would change healthcare in the future, and COVID has been instrumental in making that prediction a reality. But I also hoped and believed that technology would improve how patients access healthcare information and how physicians adjust their workflows and schedules.

Since 2015, things have moved rather slowly, but to the rescue (or demise, depending on how you look at it) is ChatGPT(4) and the rise of AI (Artificial Intelligence). If you haven’t been buried under a rock or don’t have Long COVID (bad joke), you have probably heard that ChatGPT4 has exploded in the last few months. Everywhere you turn, pundits predict either a Renaissance or the end of humanity as we know it today. It’s not just ChatGPT(4) that’s doing it. The recent arrival of Bing from Microsoft, BARD from Google, and many other startups, including Glass Health, in the healthcare sector has created possibilities and possibly fears in the status quo. Better known as Large Language Models (LLM), ChatGPT and its cohorts are the current rage in the tech space. And they are improving, growing, and becoming ubiquitous at an alarming speed.

In terms of speed, how fast is fast? Well…OpenAI’s immensely popular chatbot ChatGPT broke the record for the fastestgrowing app in history, reaching an estimated 123 million monthly active users (MAUs) less than three months after launch. By comparison, TikTok took nine months to hit 100 million MAUs, and Instagram 2.5 years, according to a research note from UBS shared with AI Business).

But the real question for healthcare is: is this hype or hope? Can these AI tools change how you, the reader, engage with healthcare over the next few years?

It’s difficult to tease out now in these early days, but in April, an article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) compared responses of physicians on Reddit to ChatGPT4 responses...and drum roll, please! ChatGPT4 did better! (Comparing Physician and Artificial Intelligence Chatbot Responses to Patient Questions Posted to a Public Social Media Forum)

Hate it or Love it, ChatGPT and its compadres will change technology interactions and affect Healthcare in the months and years to come. Here are some ways:

AI is expected to have a significant impact on the efficiency of healthcare in the coming

years. With AI systems, routine tasks can be automated, freeing physicians and other healthcare professionals to focus on more complex cases. The use of artificial intelligence can result in a shorter wait time for patients and a more streamlined healthcare system as a result.

In addition to its potential benefits in healthcare, artificial intelligence can improve the field’s accuracy. AI systems can analyze large amounts of data quickly and accurately, which could lead to earlier diagnoses and more effective treatments. For example, AI-powered imaging software is as accurate as human radiologists in detecting certain types of cancer.

AI-powered chatbots can significantly impact patient access to healthcare information and resources. With the rise of telehealth during the COVID-19

pandemic, many patients are now seeking care remotely, making accessing relevant information about their health and treatment options harder.

AI-driven chatbots can help bridge this gap by providing patients instant access to the necessary information. For example, a chatbot could be programmed to answer common questions about a particular condition. It could also provide information about medication side effects or assist with scheduling appointments.

In addition to providing information, chatbots also improve patient engagement. By providing personalized recommendations and reminders for things like medication management or follow-up appointments, chatbots could help patients stay on track with their care plans and improve outcomes.

What are the impact of new technologies on the healthcare workforce, and how will they affect it? There is no easy answer to this question. The fear among many healthcare professionals is that AI-powered systems could eventually replace human workers, leaving many healthcare professionals without a job.

There is no doubt that artificial intelligence will replace some jobs, such as middle management and white-collar hospital administrators (in my mind, thankfully). However, there will also be many new job opportunities created. Students in high school will be asked to design and maintain these systems.

As a practicing physician, I face an enormous amount of paperwork. AI has the potential to alleviate administrative burdens by automating routine tasks and freeing up time for more meaningful interactions with patients. Using artificial intelligence and ChatGPT to handle everyday administrative tasks can reduce the burden on physicians and healthcare providers. ChatGPT can handle patient intake forms, appointment reminders, and prescription refills, thus freeing up valuable time for the healthcare professional to concentrate on direct patient care and other higher-level responsibilities.

Recently, a bill to expand the Independent Practice Authority for Nurse Practitioners was introduced in the Texas Legislature. Even though I do not support the bill as written or the flawed logic that underlies it, there is one clear thing. With the advent of artificial intelligence, medical plans are no longer the sole domain of physicians.

With ChatGPT, you can complement your healthcare team by getting to know your symptoms, providing educational resources, and assisting with scheduling appointments by preliminary symptom assessment. As a result of this collaborative care approach, healthcare team members can focus on

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providing hands-on care to patients.

With only a glance at Glass Health, one will be able to see that it provides a tool for the development of clinical plans that are based on basic prompts. It won’t be about knowledge but rather about who can manage teams of providers to provide the highest quality care. AI will determine winners and losers in this care. Consider WellMed and VillageMD on steroids -- powered by Artificial Intelligence and focused on quality!

Overall, although there are certain concerns about the impact of artificial intelligence on the healthcare workforce, it is clear that this technology can both create new opportunities for the healthcare workforce and improve patient health outcomes. Our elected officials must focus on how these technologies integrate into existing systems to benefit all stakeholders involved. They must not be limited to historical or parochial interests.

It is important to note that ChatGPT cannot replace the clinical expertise and comprehensive knowledge of healthcare professionals. It is a tool that assists and enhances their abilities rather than serving as a replacement for them.

Although so much is changing in the healthcare field, ironically, many things remain the same as well, such as fax machines! Yet, as technology continues to evolve into fascinating and often scary places at a dizzying pace, we may finally be on the cusp of experiencing a remarkable change in healthcare in the future as it evolves into fascinating and often scary places.

There is a question that I am often asked: “What will you do when artificial intelligence replaces your job?”

I firmly believe AI will not replace physicians, but physicians who use AI in the future will supplant those that don’t.

EL PASO CENTER FOR DIABETES

The El Paso Center for Diabetes and the Paso del Norte Health Foundation recently launched an English and Spanish Type 2 Diabetes Signs and Symptoms Awareness Campaign. Rooted in the Health Belief Model, campaign concepts and creative materials are designed to address health-related behaviors and provide individuals within the community a free, brief, online test to assess their risk for diabetes. All media were created with oversight and input from a multidisciplinary medical advisory committee, to ensure accuracy and promote efficacy.

THANK YOU TO OUR MEDICAL ADVISORY GROUP!

Sudip Bajpeyi, PhD

Natalie Bornstein, MD

Tamis M. Bright, MD

Theodore Cooper, PhD

Efren Buff De La Rosa, DPM, FACFAS

Mario Di Pascuale, MD

Hector Granados, MD

Tanya V. Marin, DNP, APRN, CPNP-PC/AC

Alfred Marquez, DDS

Araceli Trevino, RDN, LD

If you would like more information on joining our Diabetes Medical Advisory Committee, please contact the El Paso Center for Diabetes at (915) 532-6280 or agrijalva@epdiabetes.org

UTEP College of Health Sciences

WellMed

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso

University of Texas at El Paso

The Foot Institute

LASIK, Cornea & Cataract Specialty Center

Pediatric Endocrinology Associates

Santa Teresa Children’s Day and Night Clinic

Marquez Integrative Dental Care

El Paso Center For Diabetes

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Hailee Cancer Survivor &‘23 Children’s Miracle Network Ambassador

| By: ERIN COULEHAN |

El Paso Health is a Texas-licensed health maintenance organization established by the El Paso County Hospital District that works to improve the local health care landscape. El Paso Health’s mission statement is, “To build relationships with our Members, Providers, and Partners that strengthen the delivery of healthcare in our community and promotes access to quality healthcare for children, families, and individuals.

“We are the only health plan in El Paso that does everything in El Paso,” says Carol Smallwood, El Paso Health President and CEO. “We employ more than 170 El Pasoans,

who work from our office centrally located in El Paso. When you have a group of people that are all under the same roof, there’s a comfort that comes from working together and knowing we can get the job done. We’re able to do our work because of the team and how well we all work together.”

Smallwood adds that El Paso Health has been embedded in the community for more than 20 years and continues to evolve while working to optimize health care access and opportunity for El Pasoans.

The 2021 U.S. Census reports that Texas is the state with both the largest number and percentage of uninsured residents in

the country. Texans make up 9 percent of the U.S. population and 19 percent of the country’s uninsured population. Additional statistics reported by the Census reveal that a large percentage of uninsured Texas are Hispanic, highlighting that 34 percent of Hispanic working-aged adults and 16 percent of Hispanic children are uninsured, compared to 11 percent in adults and 8 percent in children for their non-Hispanic white counterparts.

El Paso Health is working to close the gaps in health insurance coverage for these populations by offering both Medicare and Medicaid programs.

“We are a Medicare Dual Special Needs plan (D-SNP),” says Smallwood. “A lot of people don’t know that we offer Medicare as well.”

Medicaid coverage in Texas has become more complicated following legislation passed by the Texas Legislature during the most recent session. El Paso Health is working to implement the necessary changes.

Janel Lujan, CEO of El Paso Health Medicaid Service Lines, has been with the organization for 16 years and works alongside Smallwood and their team to ensure access to health insurance coverage.

“A lot of the work we do is tailored for El Paso, and probably won’t work in Dallas, Houston, or San Antonio but we know they work here,” says Lujan. “That’s how we design everything: it’s about our members and our providers. We’ve been part of the El Paso community for those 22 years and design amazing programs for our members and the diverse network of providers that we have covered under our plan.”

An example is the El Paso Health Car Seat Safety program that started in 2017 in collaboration with the UMC Foundation.

Participants are taught how to evaluate whether a child’s car seat is secure and

properly fits by Child Passenger Safety Technicians with their kids present. If the technicians determine a participant’s car seat fails to meet safety guidelines, or doesn’t correspond to the child’s weight and height, then the car seat is replaced with a new one – free of charge.

“They have their children with them, so they get fitted for the right car seat. Parents or caregivers are then taught how to install those car seats in their vehicles,” says Lujan. “What’s great about that is that there are certified car seat technicians that go stepby-step with parents and caregivers to show them the right fit for their vehicle.”

During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, El Paso Health provided coverage for more than 107,000 members, providing answers and protecting lives of vulnerable community members amid a time of crisis and uncertainty for many.

“We get a lot of comments from members, a lot of ‘Thank you for what you’ve done for me. I appreciate you so much,’” says Smallwood. “That’s what keeps me going. Because at the end of the day, helping people who need that help, that’s what drives me. I’ve had positions before where you don’t have that, this is so much more than a job. We are actually helping people, and people reach out to say, ‘thank you.’ That is extremely fulfilling.”

Self-Help Support In Your Hands

| By: AMBER LANAHAN |

We live in an ever-growing society where everyone is rushing back and forth from one schedule to the next. This is why it comes as no surprise that we have started seeing more discussions focusing on these never-ending pressures and the tolls they’ve been taking on our mental health.

For these minds, modern problems require modern solutions -- and there are apps for that!

These apps employ licensed mental health professionals who are able to connect with patients all over the country that reduce wait times for people to be seen.

Mental health apps are increasingly being integrated into existing local healthcare systems and electronic health records (EHRs). This integration ensures seamless data sharing, enables better coordination of care, and promotes interoperability between mental health apps and other healthcare services.

The stigma associated with mental health has been gradually decreasing, encouraging more individuals to seek help.

Below you will find top-rated apps that are helping users cut through the noise that fill much of our everyday lives.

BetterHelp

Founded in 2013, BetterHelp found itself being extensively utilized throughout in 2020 after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. The app provides the opportunity to speak to a licensed counselor or therapist about personal concerns through their devices. The app allows its users to talk with their licensed professional in a method they feel most comfortable with. Whether through messaging, phone calls, or video chat, users can set up a meeting with their mental health professional at a time that best works with their schedule. In addition, the BetterHelp verification method guarantees a therapist or counselor who users can feel comfortable sharing their innermost thoughts with. In the case the pairing fails, however, users can change their professional to another who might be better qualified to fulfill their needs. BetterHelp has proven itself one of the top contenders for maintaining human connection while providing its users with treatment.

Headspace

Founded in 2010, Headspace is a userfriendly application hosting a platform with priority to meditation and self-care. With a plethora of sessions available to its users, the app offers a diverse method of relaxation techniques that will keep one on track with their meditation journey without the drag of constant repetition. Two of the most popular features amongst Headspace users are the meditation and sleep sessions. The app’s customizable meditation courses allow one to create personalized meditation playlists dedicated to every occasion at an ideal time. Sleep sits at the second most popular feature on the app, and with one in three adults reported to have difficulty sleeping, it comes as no surprise users find themselves gravitating to this feature. Headspace sleep offers users audio explorations of imaginary spaces with hints of white noise as an accompaniment. These long-standing sessions, ranging from thirty minutes to several hours, are intended to assist the user in getting to sleep while ambient sounds ensure they stay asleep for eight hours. Headspace’s massive collection of meditations ensures users have a session suitable for any scenario.

Released in 2017, Woebot is an A.I. chat box that fulfills the role of a conversational companion through a messenger. Designed with young adults in mind, Woebot uses the demographic’s methods of expression through text and messenger to strengthen its user engagement. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy serves as the application’s base, which influences the types of content and exercises provided for app users that allow for a more personalized experience. When addressing mental health discussions, responses are arranged to provide the relevant subject matter through scientific studies, stories, or videos. This array of accessible information allows for a diversified treatment method, avoiding the monotonous drone reminiscent of that one professor whose lecture was scheduled far too early in the day. In addition to its therapeutic explanations, the app utilizes various methods to assess user moods. These surveys compile a user-focused mood report in a chart that attributes moods to a specific value. Woebot treatment methods have proven rather effective for many of its users.

Calm

A stress and relaxation application that launched in 2012, Calm offers a variety of meditations, music, soundscapes, and stories to its users in a tone that intends to help the mind decompress and relax. Calm’s creators were aware of the time constraints placed upon users, and have fine-tuned their massive library to work best with these unique schedules. With meditation sessions that range from 90-seconds to

30-minutes, there are many opportunities for one to take a step back for a moment of peace to help refresh the mind and body. Through consistent use and relaxation, app users have been shown to have reduced stress levels and much more restful sleep. Calm offers a moment of peace within the chaos while providing a much-needed boost to our overall mental health.

Fusing the Future for the Next Generation of Physicians

| By: ERIN COULEHAN |

Two local universities are joining forces to train the region’s next generation of physicians through a pathway program that admits outstanding local -- often first-generation college students -- to UTEP’s pre-med undergraduate program and the medical degree program at the TTUHSC El Paso Foster School of Medicine.

MedFuture is a joint initiative that is the first of its kind in West Texas with the goal to create a path to medical education designed to bolster a deeper interest in the medical field while also transforming the career (and life) trajectories of local students and their families.

“UTEP has a very strong pre-med program,” says Heather Wilson, UTEP President. “It makes sense for UTEP and TTUHSC El Paso to work together to help retain the best and brightest future physicians in the region.”

The MedFuture partnership recognizes exceptional high school seniors who have expressed an interest in science and medicine, as well as a strong commitment to serve their community after graduation.

“We’re pleased to partner with UTEP to provide an educational pathway for talented local students who dream of attending medical school and serving patients in their hometown,” says Richard Lange, TTUHSC El Paso President and Dean of the Foster School of Medicine. “MedFuture will address the physician shortage in the region while meeting health care challenges faced by our residents.”

According to the Texas Medical Association, Texas has a ratio of 204.6 patient care physicians per 100,000 people, which is below the national average of 247.5. Additionally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects the nationwide job growth of physicians and surgeons from 2020 to 2030 is slower than average but that the demand has increased due to the aging and growing population, as well as from health issues caused by the pandemic.

“Our goal is to address our region’s severe physician shortage by educating the next generation of medical professionals, and promoting a medical

workforce that reflects our community,” says Gail

Arnold, UTEP’s Assistant Dean of the College of Science and Director of the Medical Professions Institute at UTEP.

As part of MedFuture, students completing undergraduate degrees at UTEP will receive foundational pre-med support and enroll in the university’s summer PREP program to establish a solid foundation for their college careers. For example, students in the program will have access to opportunities that include pre-health advising and mentorship, paid Medical College Admissions Test (MCAT) preparation, paid summer research experiences, and healthcare internships at the Foster School of Medicine.

“We’re excited to provide mentorship and professional development opportunities, while exposing them to the field of medicine through scribing and shadowing internships,” says Cynthia Perry, Associate Academic Dean for Admissions at the Foster School of Medicine. “MedFuture will help us grow our own physicians and provide the resources to potentially change their life trajectories.”

MedFuture’s inaugural cohort of students was hand-selected by a joint committee of faculty and staff from UTEP and TTUHSC El Paso, and the students understand the need for an efficient educational pathway for prospective future physicians.

The inaugural cohort consists of five students, four of whom are first-generation college students:

Fernanda Acosta, Clint Early College Academy

Luke Briggs, Cathedral High School

Janelle Navarrette, Northwest Early College High School

Makena Piñon, Texas Online Preparatory School

Max Serrano, Franklin High School

Makena Piñon, from the Texas Online Preparatory School, was born with a heart defect and has undergone multiple operations that include open-heart surgery, which provided a greater understanding of how the cardiac muscle functions. Her interest in practicing medicine became a reality after learning about local efforts to retain students after graduation.

“Not only is El Paso underserved, but it’s underrepresented,” says Piñon. “Being part of this program means I can continue my education here and stay involved in our community.”

www.thecitymagazineelp.com

Awaren

| By: CLAUDIA FLORES |

ess A rt Through

Serving the community since 1968, the El Paso Center for Diabetes recently unveiled ‘Synthesis’ a new mural located at The Outlet Shoppes at El Paso that seeks to bring awareness to diabetes.

According to the Center’s website, it is estimated that 9.4 percent of the United States’ population suffers from diabetes, and El Paso is the sixth largest city in Texas where diabetes prevails at 16 percent among adults.

While symptoms for type 1 diabetes can be very sudden, type 2 diabetes symptoms can develop gradually. For this reason, Sandra Gonzalez, Executive Director of the Center, encourages members of the community to get tested -- even when not showing any symptoms.

“One thing I will say is that the people that we see are getting younger and younger,” Gonzalez said. “People believe it is just our seniors but no, they’re starting from the age of 30. You must think about getting tested, take that risk test to find out and prevent anything else.”

The American Diabetes Association estimates that a person diagnosed with diabetes could spend more than $16,000 per year. According to Gonzalez, El Pasoans can get A1C tests for free and sometimes through grants, patients may receive free and low-cost treatment provided by the local Center.

“All the money that is raised -anything that comes here -- stays here in El Paso. So, it doesn’t go to research, it doesn’t go anywhere else. That’s how we are able to do our kid’s camp for free, that’s how we’re able to do our glucose and A1C tests for free,” Gonzalez said. “We’re here to serve you. We’re not here to judge you if your numbers are high. We’re here to walk this journey with you.”

With diabetes on the rise in the community, the organization seeks to bring awareness through art. The organization recently unveiled ‘Synthesis,’ a mural in collaboration with local artist Cesar Inostroza, that seeks to inform the community through images rather than words.

In bright colors, the mural details the iconic views of the desert, a young girl, a man during a soccer match, and a Native American at the center of the piece.

“We selected this art because if you look at it, it’s everybody in our community. You saw type 1 and type 2 diabetes, our Hispanic and white people, and our Ysleta del Sur Pueblo people,” Gonzalez said. “Cesar took it to that point that it was everybody. He did his homework and noted that diabetes is everybody. That’s why we selected him.”

Inostroza, who started his career as an artist at 16, currently has different murals throughout the city including some of the paintings under the I-10 near the Spaghetti Bowl.

For this mural, Inostroza said it was a process of reconsidering the way food is processed nowadays and the impact on the body.

“I started doing research. If you look at all that processed food, it wasn’t always that way. If you look at our ancestors all around the world and where we come from, they hunted, gathered, and preserved their food in a healthy way,” Inostroza said. “Maybe, instead we need to look back at our roots, and take a little bit more of those traditions. Not necessarily hunting, but maybe by educating yourself and others to not eat all the junk that is so bad for us.”

According to Inostroza, the purpose of the mural is to speak for itself, and with only a few seconds, people can interpret the meaning of the piece without having to stand in front of the artwork for hours.

“The first sketches of what I did looked like a brochure, but I wanted to deviate from that.

At the same time, I said, ‘Okay, there’s going to be a lot of people walking in and out. They’re not going to have a lot of time to sit here and just stare at it, right?’ So, I wanted to do something that, at a glance, you should get it,” Inostroza said.

Regular visits to your primary care physician is important. In a published study by the National Institute of Health, research suggests that most people avoid regular checkups for a few reasons including, embarrassment at having their body being examined, fear of having a serious illness, or because it makes them think of dying.

“Medical stuff can sometimes scare people to the point where we don’t even go in for checkups. I wanted to do something friendlier, and I think that that’s why it was important for me to approach it as I did,” Inostroza said. “I was a little bit concerned when I submitted the proposal, because it

INAAM H. ZIYADEH President & CEO

wasn’t too medical and they could’ve not gone for it, but I think that’s why they did (choose it), because it wasn’t.”

Coming from a Latino background, Inostroza said that the food culture plays a huge role in his inspiration for the mural. He hopes that just in the way people upgrade phones, a shift in food culture could be upgraded to be healthier.

“With Mexican culture, the tacos and tamales are great delicious food, but during the holiday season, and then every year, we later encounter health problems. Think of this digital era, we are transferring from gas powered cars to solar or energy cars, to smart homes and so on,” Inostroza said. “Our diets however are still the same and getting worse and I feel we need to transition to something more sustainable.”

Patients & Policy

Get to Know the Texas Nurse Practitioner of the Year

A

nother warm day in El Paso, and it’s barely midmorning at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso campus. Graduation is a few weeks in the rearview, but faculty and students alike continue to look ahead toward the next course, the next clinical, the next life to be saved. Most don’t notice me, even though I’m the only person not dressed in scrubs or a white coat. Medical terms flow from their mouths like poetry in a foreign tongue that I can’t understand but know is beautiful.

I take in a few of the many Tom Lea paintings on campus and am then greeted by a warm smile belonging to a person also not in medical apparel, but rather a chic red shift dress and black cowgirl boots.

“Hi,” she says, “I’m Christy.”

| By: ERIN COULEHAN photography courtesy of: TTUHSC-EP |

Christy Blanco D.N.P., R.N., WHNP-BC, FAANP was named 2022 Texas Nurse Practitioner of the Year by Texas Nurse Practitioners, and continues to advocate for the health of her patients and policy changes for nurse practitioners to practice.

Nurse Practitioners are R.N.s who have completed a master’s or doctoral degree in nursing and have advanced clinical training.

Dr. Blanco is an associate professor at the TTUHSC-EP’s Hunt School of Nursing and former president of the Texas Nurse Practitioners Board of Director, who has been advocating for accessible, quality health care by nurse practitioners for more than a decade. She’s been unafraid to take the lead to empower the nurse practitioner community by working to find solutions to healthcare access through engagement with legislative leaders in both houses of the Texas Legislature, as well as by serving as a panelist in health policy proceedings.

“There’s something about advocacy that I just love and that’s what I love: advocating for patients,” says Dr. Blanco. “I tell my students all the time that my whole purpose is making sure that they’re fully-educated and to understand the needs of this community. I love being a nurse practitioner. I truly want our students to know,understand, and believe that they can be a nurse practitioner.”

Dr. Blanco says that nurse practitioners can help address the need for improved health care access by providing primary care services, especially in rural areas. Nurse practitioners are 1.5 times more likely than physicians to work in rural areas. In Texas, 243 of 254 counties are federally-designated Health Provider Shortage Areas, with 690 nurse practitioners in El Paso County.

“Health care doesn’t just start with the patient. There is a lot to consider, and one of those considerations is access to care,” says Dr. Blanco. “I’m doing what I can to advance nurse practitioners and break those barriers that keep health care from rural areas around us.”

In addition to teaching and policy work, Dr. Blanco also specializes in women’s health and sees patients during the week.

Her career started as a R.N in the Labor and Delivery department, then her love of learning took her to new heights when she noticed

something as the fifth-year medical students were quizzed by attending physicians.

“I knew all the answers to the questions they’re being asked,” she said. “I knew the answers to the questions being asked because I was constantly studying and looking things up. I said ‘You know what? I can be a nurse practitioner, I can do this.’”

Dr. Blanco says she had an interest in women’s health and knew she wanted to make an impact on chronic conditions. Today, she sees many patients who have obesity or are going through menopause (and sometimes both).

“Obesity really affects a lot of women and they don’t realize that, especially during the perimenopausal and the menopausal years. There are so many hormonal imbalances that we’re not getting educated on.”

Dr. Blanco’s passion for continuing education is benefiting women in El Paso by dispelling misconceptions about women’s health and bodies.

“Women have been suffering needlessly due to inaccurate information. Women have absolutely been in the situation where their symptoms are just blown off. The word for ‘uterus’ is actually ‘hysteria,’” she says.

Her commitment to education and advocacy is being passed on to students at the Hunt School of Nursing, who she empowers with the knowledge to make meaningful changes in their communities with the bravery to do so.

“Health policy is across the board in nursing,” she says. “We haven’t been at the table for long, but by mentoring students the way I have been mentored we’re changing that. It’s important I acknowledge the only reason I got where I am is because of people who have poured their life into me and mentored me.”

s a teen girl with a toxic relationship with food, I find myself surprisingly unaffected by the low body fat and pristinely toned bodies on social media.

That isn’t me saying I don’t see why it’s triggering, of course.

“Doomscrolling” through girl after girl with a thin waist, or glass skin. And how come everyone but me seems to have a perfectly flat stomach, unaffected by bloating or the like? The echo chamber of nothing but the most flawless aspects of someone, combined with heavy face filters, is a breeding ground for body dysmorphia.

Along with this, the pandemic has been associated with worsening eating disorders. More teenagers have been diagnosed with eating disorders, and those who had one before the lockdown felt their eating disorders had gotten hard to control.

“Eating disorders are made up of several very distinct categoriesbut all are serious and need treatment. It is not a simple suggestion to someone struggling to simply ‘just eat’ or ‘stop vomiting’ or ‘don’t exercise so much’. These are compulsive behaviors and are not simple to stop but they are treatable,” says Dr. Elizabeth L. Richeson, Ph.D., M.S. PsyPharm. “Furthermore, if a person has had these behaviors for a while, it becomes even more of a challenge to stop. It is important to realize that eating disorders, left untreated, can become very serious and even life-threatening. Almost all individuals with an eating disorder are depressed, anxious and struggle with obsessive-compulsive disorders,” she continues.

A 2022 study published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics reports that the frequency of eating disorder inpatient admissions doubled from the Spring of 2020 to the Spring of 2021. The study also reports the rate of young adult and adolescent inpatient admissions for eating disorders increased to 7.2 percent a month, whereas the pre-pandemic rate was 0.7 percent.

“We were able to show that at multiple sites throughout the country, there were significant increases in patients with eating disorders after the start of the pandemic -- that this wasn’t just a phenomenon in one place,” said Dr. Sydney HartmanMunick, the study’s lead author. “The results are in line with what we were all feeling working day-to-day in our clinics and in the hospital.”

While we may all be tired of hearing about the negative impacts of social media and post-COVID effects, eating disorders are a subject that cannot be ignored. From binge-eating disorder to anorexia nervosa, eating disorders are the mental illnesses with the highest mortality rates, caused as a direct effect of the eating habits caused by the disorder.

www.thecitymagazineelp.com

“Eating disorders have been – and continue to be – a significant public health concern for adolescents and young adults,” said Hartman-Munick.

Leaving one pandemic to re-enter the mental health pandemic is dangerous for our teens, especially when we’ve never gotten the conversation around eating disorders right. Instead, we walk around the same story every time, neglecting the other perspectives and experiences that need to be shared just as much.

It’s why I doubted my eating issues for so long: I had never seen an eating disorder story like mine, so I refused help.

As a young girl on the internet, social media had nothing to do with my developing food issues.

Instead, I developed an eating disorder because I felt like I lacked a sense of control in my life, and controlling my eating was the only way to regain it. In being meticulous about the calories I consumed, I had a hold on my life that no one else could take from me.

It wasn’t a conscious thought right away.

Fortunately, 11-year-old me didn’t wake up and realize I wanted complete control over my body fat percentage and diet. No one wakes up the perfect anorexic, and I was no exception to the rule. Everything happened slowly, then all at once. No single drop thinks it causes a flood, but floodwaters rise regardless.

I trickled one drop at a time.

I started skipping lunch out of annoyance; something about how I was not too fond of the lunch I had to eat, and I desperately needed to rebel against something. From this, it was tossing any dinner I didn’t like.

As time moved on, though, my symptoms got worse. A harmless fit thrown by a 5th grader became a high schooler’s sole obsession.

I refused to eat all my meals. I woke up too late for breakfast, skipped lunch, filled myself with water, and threw out every dinner I ate at home.

I felt panicked when this routine was broken, like a lifeline had been taken from me. Without my habits, I felt lost. I couldn’t start healing because I didn’t know who I was without my eating routine, and had no identity besides a faux sense of control.

I believed that any weight I was losing was proof of my self-control. Any thin person I saw was someone to look up to, someone who seemed to be in complete control. Everything else could fall apart around me, but this? This was my sanctuary.

There isn’t anything “in control” about disordered eating habits.

As I spiraled, I lost control of who I was without my eating patterns, and forgot how to cope without them. All the girls I saw around me, who looked thin and in complete control, weren’t pillars of self-control; they were just girls.

That’s what eating disorders do: They twist your perception of other people, of your own thoughts. Then, at your most vulnerable, they cling to you like a leech and don’t release you until you’ve been sucked empty.

Despite this, we treat eating disorders awfully both online and offline, which is strange in the “accept mental health” world we seem to live in now.

Those who struggle with eating disorders are treated with no empathy; their disorder treated as something they should solve already. When someone is not ready to recover or relapses into old habits, the nearly unanimous response is annoyance, as if they’ve somehow failed.

Everything together paints a bad look for the future of eating disorder awareness. From

a lack of perspective to a lack of empathy, how are we supposed to help those around us heal when the discussion is in this state? How are those with eating disorders supposed to seek help when this is how we treat them?

Dr. Richeson says it’s important for people to educate themselves in order to best support someone with an eating disorder.

“Keep in mind that in the course of recovery, someone with an eating disorder may shift their behaviors to another eating disorder,” she says. “Family and friends need to understand how their words can be scary or hurtful, and even make the ED worse. Commenting on how a person looks or eats can be triggering -- even what you may consider a positive comment -- so it is better to not make those comments at all.”

I have some hope, though, because I’m healing now.

Ironically, I’ve taken back control of my old habits. I no longer lean on my poor eating patterns to cope. Although it’s been difficult, the people around me have understood (although the frustration when I relapse is still present).

I still worry about others with eating disorders, those without a support group, or with unique stories and perspectives they haven’t seen elsewhere. If they only see one repeated dialogue about eating disorders, how do they know their issues are concerning? If we only focus on the mirror monster, does the control monster disappear too?

Or, does it linger in the shadows, waiting to strike?

The

DR. DAYS

The El Paso community is celebrating two decades of happy kids and ‘Healthy Days’ with a physician who has dedicated her career to the human side of medicine and service. At Healthy Days Pediatrics, patients and parents are welcomed into a culture of care that is improving health and wellness for generations of local families.

Dr. Alison Days is a Board-Certified Pediatrician who is reflecting on more than 20 years of caring for El Paso County kids. Prior to practicing as a physician, her academic achievements prepared her for a successful career in public service. She earned a B.A. in Human Biology from Brown University before going to medical school at Yale University, then later graduating with a Master of Public Health from the University of Texas Houston.

Dr. Days came to El Paso in 2002 as part of a two-year commitment with the National Health Service Corps then fell in love with the community -- and her husband -- and made the decision to make her home in the Borderland.

“I only needed two years in El Paso and have been here for 20!” she laughs.

| By: ERIN COULEHAN photos courtesy of: UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER |

She says she’s enjoyed putting down roots in El Paso, but has always enjoyed exploration. She took a gap year of research, travel, and adventure before embarking on her medical school journey.

“I felt like I’d been doing sort of a straight shot. First college then med school, and I wanted to do something different for a little while. I had worked for a summer for the National Institute of Health in the Infectious Disease Division, and they invited me to work for them after college,” she says.

Dr. Days worked for the NIH for nine months that included travel to Ecuador to assist on parasitic disease studies, then backpacked through Europe with friends, and worked for an inner city school program before starting medical school.

She had an inkling pediatrics was her calling and was drawn to caring for patients from infancy through adolescence.

“I really enjoyed pediatrics and wanted to be in pediatrics in the first place. Besides just loving children, I really liked the idea that you can have someone as a patient from birth to to graduation,” she says.

Dr. Days completed her residency in the Bronx at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in the Social Pediatrics Program, which is designed to train pediatricians who have a special interest in health policy, social justice, community and public health.

Her residency program also emphasized that medicine is not a singular career, but rather that the practice is based on partnership and cooperation. Dr. Days and other members of her cohort were partnered and would share calls, research studies, and cases that established a foundation of collaboration.

“We would actually do rotations within the schools, or we would see kids in a clinic in schools,” says Dr. Days. “We did rotations in jails with kids on probation, things like that. I loved it. It was a great experience and I really loved being there.”

She learned of the National Health Service Corps and that the government program covers medical school costs if physicians choose to stay in primary care.

“I applied and I got the scholarship, which paid for my last two years of medical school. When I went through my rotations, I wanted to do everything else before pediatrics because I knew it’s what I wanted to do,” she says.

The National Health Service Corps is part of the federal Health Resources and Services Administration that connects primary health care clinicians to patients in the United States with limited access to health care. El Paso County is considered an underserved region, a term often used as a pejorative for a population rather than discussed as a symptom of a complex and strained health care system where the physician-to-patient ratio is extreme despite the expertise of the doctors.

“El Paso has quality,” explains Dr. Days, “but not quantity when we’re talking about www.thecitymagazineelp.com

the physician shortage. The people of this community are wonderful.”

Dr. Days was initially recruited and hired by Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso as an Assistant Professor in Pediatrics and to establish a medical clinic for children in Horizon.

She served as the Medical Director for the Child Wellness Center of Horizon, where she provided medical care to students from Region 19’s Head Start program.

In 2012, she decided to pursue Healthy Days -- literally.

Healthy Days Pediatrics opened its doors to patients from the El Paso community in April 2012, where Dr. Days continues to serve as President, Founder, and Pediatrician.

“With pediatrics, you have the ability to really influence a personality, a life, and a family from the beginning. I really liked that part,and I knew that if I were going to be staying in El Paso -- because everywhere else I’ve always lived has been for maybe two years, three years, four years max -- it would allow me to be to have that broad-range of taking care of a child for that length of time,” she says of her decision to live and practice in El Paso.

Dr. Days says one of the most special aspects of her job is caring for generations of families, while also transforming the health care landscape one patient at a time. Some of her patients are multi-generational with horizontal and vertical intersections.

“I’ll have some of my younger patients come in, who I took care of initially when they were children and their siblings,” she explains, “and now I have their kids as patients, so they’re like my grandpatients.”

After 20 years practicing in El Paso, Dr. Days has learned from each patient and continues to love the work that she does. Despite

her extensive experience, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her practice but she adapted and offered advice to parents online at the Healthy Days Pediatrics’ website.

“You can encourage your child to help stop the spread of COVID-19 by teaching them to do the same things everyone should do to stay healthy,” she writes before providing a list of hygiene tips.

Dr. Days uses her background in human biology, public health, and social pediatrics (along with a love of writing and literature) to connect with her patients and their parents on a human level.

“I think it allows you to get to know your patients and interact with them a little better in order to find common ground -- not on a high horse of medical terminology that they don’t know,” she says.

On her website, Dr. Days provides resources for parents, ranging in topics from breastfeeding concerns to holiday safety tips she writes herself that encourages parents to engage.

“As an El Paso pediatrician and mother, I understand that parents want to know about their children -- from growth and development issues to questions about why their child is sick,” she writes.

Dr. Days is married with three children, two daughters and a stepson, who she works to create a better world for through her practice and as a mother.

COVID-19 complicated both, which she handled with aplomb.

“It’s been a wild ride, too. It’s been hard. It’s been fun. Nobody expected the pandemic, which challenged us for a while,” she says.

“But I was also really grateful to have my clinic during the pandemic because it was a nice space that I could organize the way I wanted to so my kids could be here and homeschool.”

Like most El Pasoans, Dr. Days is very family-oriented and says that although a perfect work-life balance is maddening and unattainable, having it all is possible through compromise and coordination.

“You’ll go crazy if you try to be perfect, but you can prioritize things and set boundaries when you need to,” she says.

The pandemic forever changed the ways we think about mental health and put a renewed focus on the values of family and health, both physical and emotional.

“The community has always been familydriven, but I think kids are valuing their families more than they did before,” says Dr. Days.

With 20 years in El Paso, Dr. Days is still moved by her patients when they tell her their dreams, share an anecdote, or recognize her long after being a patient.

She recently lost her debit card and immediately drove to the bank for a replacement.

“The teller says to me ‘Are you Dr. Days?’ and I said ‘yes’ then he said ‘I knew it!’”

The bank representative had been Dr. Days’ patient when he was a child and remembered her for the kindness and care she provided.

“I love it and it always shocks me a little bit,” she says. “You’re in these kids’ lives for a little bit and think they won’t remember you. But they do.”

Meet thE La Mente’ Behind Mind

| By: JADE RACHELLE CARRASCO |

Oswaldo Gaytan Jr. is a first generation American, inspired by the industrious endeavors of his mother and father, Oswaldo Gaytan and Isabel Gaytan.

Two important implements, who raised a man of honor, spirituality, loyalty, and deeprooted humanitarian compassion. Speaking of his childhood with light, security, and love for the cul-de-sac, that he resided in with his childhood friends and family. He was born in a second ward clinic across the border, and raised in Juarez, Mexico for seven years.

“I had a really happy childhood. My mother made the world’s most delicious beans, had always been involved in school, and was Texas PTA volunteer of the year. My dad worked in construction and always pushed me to excel in school because he knew that was the way to succeed in the United States,” Gaytan says, with an exponential and unconditional appreciation towards his parents.

In 1985, Gaytan graduated from Austin High School. He then attended the University of Texas at El Paso from 1985 to 1990. He started his college career as a performing arts major, with a glorious gravitation towards classical guitar, theater, and sports.

“I was told I couldn’t play sports because I would risk breaking my hands,” then fate transformed Dr. Gaytan’s magnificent exhibitions from the performing arts into psychiatry.

The Minority Access to Research Careers, also known as MARC, granted him a scholarship that led to an honor’s thesis and bachelor’s degree in biology.

After five years as an undergraduate in El Paso, a new beginning awaited the intelligent and marvelous addition to the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, framing the successful pathway of gaining his MD-PhD in neuropharmacology for 10 years,

through dedication and diligence. Gaytan in December of 1999, with over 22 first-author publications, that include journal articles, textbooks, published papers, and a residential co-author publication in neurology text.

“I enjoyed school. I’m a perpetual student. I took as many classes as I could because I couldn’t decide on a degree. I enjoyed philosophy, and for a while I was a mathematics major. Then, because I was always interested in how the human brain worked, I turned to medical school. I was lucky enough to get into the MD-PhD program,” Gaytan explains.

As if hard-work and the rhetorical inclination of education is genetic within his bloodlines, Gaytan returned to academia. At Emory University in Atlanta, he began his internship and residency from 2000 to 2006. In addition, he completed a three-year child and adolescent research fellowship to specialize in psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, depression, ADD/ ADHD, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, in teens, adolescents, and adults.

Dr. Gaytan made the decision to come back to El Paso due to his father’s kidney failure.

“I had been away from home for so long, went as high up as you could go in academia, but I wasn’t happy because I didn’t have my family around. I decided to regroup and come back home,” he says.

Shortly after returning, Gaytan secured monumental positions and made contributions throughout our city’s clinical, mental health providers and servicers.

In 2006, Gaytan became the medical director of child and adolescence at El Paso’s Emergence Health Network for two years.

“I only planned on coming back for a year to care for my dad and my family. Then, I’d

eventually move back to Atlanta and become a physician somewhere. Oddly enough, the

training director for the fellowship showed me my medical school essay. In the essay, it said how I hoped to someday come back to El Paso and start my own clinic. As a spiritual person, I believed this was my calling,” Gaytan recalls.

With great purpose and the natural force of the universe, Gaytan married his wife, who he met in Atlanta and became the medical director of El Paso Behavioral Health System’s inpatient unit in 2008, only two months after opening its doors.

“I always say that I chose psychiatry as my specialty because it’s the closest thing to art, since I started as a performing arts major. It deals with the human mind, body, and soul. It’s not just about how the brain works, but also about human experience, existence, and emotional state. That’s what makes psychiatry so great.”

The light and prominent direction of Dr. Gaytan blossomed further, with a tight grip on faith and solicitude, alongside his two children, and wife. It wasn’t long before his medical essay became an exquisite and successful reality of opening a clinic he would proudly call his own.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, as businesses abruptly shut down, La Mente Behavioral Health began its process of growth. The clinic bloomed tremendously with co-founder/ owner, friend, business partner, and physician’s assistant, Dr. Phil Petrus.

“There were very few places we could send patients after I discharged them from the inpatient setting,” says Gaytan. “Dr. Phil said, ‘I’m going to get out there and start a clinic, you can be my medical director, or you could partner with me.’ I spent several weeks praying about it, talking to my wife, and felt this place was needed. In the middle of COVID, that’s when Dr. Phil and I established La Mente Behavioral Health.”

La Mente Behavioral Health offers a variety of services, such as targeted case management,

therapy, treatment plans, rehabilitative services, interactional skill development, and medication management. In addition, the clinic includes a gym and dining area for relaxation and self-enduring activities.

Dr. Gaytan describes La Mente as an “outpatient setting where we like to teach people how to swim and eventually build their own boats. They won’t ever have to worry about drowning ever again. It is not as simple as just taking medication. Once you get here, we use everything available. From diet, sleep, prayer, and exercise. We keep an open mind to anything that will help a patient live a happier and healthier life.”

Being one of the highest ranked psychiatrists in the Southwest, Dr. Gaytan explains the sincerity and urgency of helping others.

“Psychiatric illnesses are nothing but common everyday behaviors, done within an uncommon frequency or intensity, for an uncommon duration of time, or in an uncommon situation, where it is not normally done. It has to affect at least two major areas of your life. So, all of us at one point or another will be challenged with a mental health disorder,” he says.

The most fulfilling part of Gaytan’s career is being of service to those seeking help, or afraid to seek it.

“Everyday on my way to work, I thank God that I get to work in a field where I can be of service to people every single day. That I can use all the talents He has given me to meet the challenges in their lives,” he says. “Through medicine, the corny jokes I like to make, or simply with a smile that will let the patient know that someone cares about them and wants to help. There is no magic pill, the big key is equipping ourselves with tools to overcome and learn to live with our emotions or horrible things that happen to each and every one of us.”

Dr. Gaytan is mindful of the precision and guidance he delicately gives to patients, and has gratitude towards those who have

helped him greatly. This includes Patricia Torres, Doctorate in Nurse Practitioner, Jesse Montero, Clinical Director, Natasha Rivera, Director of the Care Coordinator Department, and Brenda Robins, Chief Operating Officer, and Dr. Phil Petrus, whom all stood -- and continue to stand beside -- Gaytan into creating a place of recovery, enlightenment, and abundance.

“We look at someone as a person, not a patient. We believe that your body and mind want to heal. Our job is to help find someone’s path to healing. Everyone’s path is different,” Gaytan says.

“We started off very small. The community and God have been receptive. We wanted a place where patients could see their therapist, occupational therapist, work out, pick-up their medication, and eat. Brenda and her staff made it come true. Our primary objective is to serve and transform the community. To contribute back as we succeed.”

WALKER, TEXAS-BASED SCIENTIST

| By: ERIN COULEHAN photos courtesy of: TTUHSC-EP and ROGER SPENCER JONES |

local researcher is exploring the science of sleep and sepsis in order to improve the lives of people in the Borderland and beyond.

Wendy Walker, Ph.D. and Assistant Professor at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso’s Center of Emphasis in Infectious Disease earned a $489,160 grant award from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute in 2022 to study the relationship between sepsis and the sleep quality of hospitalized patients.

Sepsis occurs when an infection causes an inflammatory response throughout the body and can be fatal. According to the Centers for Disease Control, at least 1.7 million adults in the United States develop sepsis each year, with nearly 270,000 sepsis fatalities annually. The CDC also reports that sepsis is the 10th leading cause of death in the U.S. and that one in three people who die in the hospital have sepsis.

Dr. Walker’s study, ‘Goodnight Mouse: Sleep and Sepsis’ is grant-funded for three years

and provides roles for graduate students from the Francis Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences who are under Dr. Walker’s expert tutelage.

Approaching nearly a decade in El Paso, Dr. Walker credits her husband with helping her make the life of a scientist and mom possible. The couple joined the community in 2014 when Dr. Walker began her role at TTUHSC-EP. She earned her B.S. and Ph.D. at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland and completed postdoctoral work training at Imperial College London, as well as Yale University.

The City Magazine sat down with the wonderful Dr. Walker to discuss the art of being a successful scientist.

The City Magazine

What type of research do you focus on?

Dr. Wendy Walker

I do research on sepsis, which is a condition that evolves when a severe infection causes a dysregulated immune response, which leads to organ damage. Often this can occur from a bacterial infection, but it can also occur from a fungal infection or from a viral infection. For example, severe COVID-19 is a form of viral sepsis.

We do research to try to better understand sepsis so that we can develop new treatments for patients. One thing that I do research on is looking at how sleep affects sepsis. Most people are aware that you need a good night’s sleep for good health, but a lot of us don’t get that each night. Then, particularly in the hospital, a lot of people have trouble getting good sleep. This is especially true in the intensive care unit, where patients have to receive 24hour medical care so this can interrupt their sleep. So we’re

looking at how that kind of repeated sleep disruption might make sepsis worse. I also do research on COVID-19, where we’re looking at which immune pathways are helpful versus harmful in COVID-19 to see if we can develop new treatments

TCM

The life of a scientist is intense, and you’re also a full person on top of that! What keeps you motivated?

Dr. Walker

It can, obviously, get overwhelming, but I do remain really, really, passionate about what I do with my science. I actually had the opportunity to go into my son’s classroom and talk about being a scientist; that kind of thing renews my own passion for the career. I like when I make a discovery, it’s so exciting for me. Then, also communicating that to younger people, including my mentees in the lab helps me to stay fresh with it. Through careful management of time, combined with having a fantastic husband, who is like the wind beneath my wings and just strongly supports me, which helps me to balance everything.

TCM

What does it feel like when you make a scientific discovery?

Dr. Walker

It is so exciting when either the hypothesis that we’re testing turns out to be true, or conversely, when we discover something unexpected. We can talk about my recent research on COVID-19. This isn’t published yet, but we’re looking at a protein called interferon regulatory factor 3. It’s a protein that helps induce secreted proteins called type 1 interferons. They’re very important in the response to protect people from viruses, but viruses also like to manipulate it – to suppress it.

We found that in bacterial sepsis, it actually plays a harmful role. I wanted to test what

would happen with COVID-19. Would it be helpful or would it be harmful? When I was starting to test it, I was really excited to know if it would or wouldn’t have the same effect as in bacterial sepsis. We have data now suggesting that it plays a similar harmful role to what we see with the bacterial sepsis. So that was a really exciting moment for me, that maybe the findings that I had previously might also be applicable for COVID-19.

TCM

What else do you love about your work?

Dr. Walker

I also teach for the Francis Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences and we have a master’s program there. I teach and I also mentor students in the lab. And that’s one

thing that I’m really, really passionate about. We have obviously a very diverse city here in El Paso and that’s reflected in our student population of the master’s program. Many of our students are also first generation college graduates. Some of them are first generation immigrants, and they’re super smart, and they’re really passionate about pursuing a career in medicine or science. I can be a part of that journey, helping to mentor them, guide them along that path, what do they need to do to pursue that career? I can teach them some of my knowledge and help them get some research experience and I see them become successful. That’s super rewarding to me.

Walker, Texas-based Scientist

I WANT PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT SCIENCE IS TRYING TO HELP PEOPLE. NOT EVERYBODY HAS MET A SCIENTIST, BUT WE ARE HERE IN THE COMMUNITY.

TCM

How can readers better understand the role of scientists in our everyday lives?

Dr. Walker

I want people to understand that science is trying to help people. Not everybody has met a scientist, but we are here in the community. We really want to do research that will help people. We try our best to do the experiments fairly and to evaluate the evidence appropriately so that we can develop new treatments that are effective and safe.

TCM

Do you have any advice for readers interested in pursuing a career as a scientist?

Dr. Walker

Don’t be afraid. Even if nobody in your family has been a doctor or a scientist before -- this is still a career that might be the right choice for you. I want students to know that science is a really creative career actually, contrary to what some people may think. You have to think about what’s known and then try to take a step beyond that into the unknown and imagine what might be a pathway that makes sense -- it’s a very creative process.

THE NEXUS OF

ACCESS&

| By: ERIN COULEHAN |

Inside a discreet building in Central El Paso is a sophisticated medical laboratory that features a smorgasbord of scientific instruments and possibilities.

Nexus Health Solutions is a home health and medical laboratory that utilizes nurses for specialized at-home testing with a specialized mobile unit that provides a clean, safe, and discreet environment. At the helm are Jaime Arriola, Director of Nursing who has more than 10 years experience in the nursing field, as well as a background in infection control; and his wife Meghan Arriola, Clinic Practice Administrator who oversees the clinic’s administrative processes and staff.

“I was a home health nurse and noticed that my patients couldn’t go to their doctors’ appointments and couldn’t be tested for COVID-19 because they were homebound,” says Jaime. “Meghan said we should try to test them at home.”

Jaime coordinated with the lab, then he and Meghan put their money together to purchase a van so they could begin administering COVID-19 tests to community members at-home and at no cost. Word of their mobile testing services spread quickly, and it didn’t take long before they were providing testing for businesses, drug rehabilitation centers, and more.

“We tested at women’s shelters and migrant shelters. We did testing for Haitian migrants coming from Del Rio, and we also went to one of the migrant camps housing the Afghan refugees,” says Meghan

Access to lifesaving services that must be first diagnosed through testing is being developed across the country as healthcare evolves. The COVID-19 pandemic made clear that medical labs must adapt to the ever-changing health care system that has moved beyond the traditional clinical setting.

Providing at-home testing for COVID-19, STDs, UTIs, and more can lead to better patient outcomes through early detection and accelerated diagnostic treatment; expand and enhance health care access and equity by traveling to the patient; and improve the patient experience by offering convenient and discreet services.

“We’ve grown from something really small to something big, and now we’re the only laboratory that has specialized testing for tuberculosis and are able to get the results back within a few hours,” says Meghan.

Nexus Health Solutions offers the quantum tuberculosis test, a simple blood test that yields more reliable results than traditional skin tests for TB.

“The skin test can’t be done on children. If you have HIV, the skin test can come back negative, even if you’re positive for tuberculosis. If you have a vaccine, it doesn’t work. So it’s really important to get the blood test. It’s actually required in order to immigrate to the United States for those going through the process of citizenship.”

In addition to testing, Nexus Health Solutions also provides vaccinations.

“When the COVID-19 vaccine came out, we had a large stockpile,” says Jaime. “We have an ultra-low freezer, we actually have two. We were able to store 26,000 of vaccine doses for the city and county.”

For now, the couple continues to lead their staff of nurses and look ahead to the future.

“Our whole goal is to bring access to the community that wasn’t there before,” says Jaime. “It’s nice to not only be able to keep taking care of people, but also to take care of them properly.”

Medical Professionals Profiles

Meet

El Paso Children’s Hospital-Urology Clinic

Shumyle Alam, MD

Belen Terrazas-Ponce, NP

What is your specialty?

Our board certified pediatric urologist, focuses on providing medical and surgical management of the genitourinary system in children. Our amazing pediatric nurse practitioner has years of experience caring for pediatric urological patients.

Why should readers turn to you for their medical needs?

Dr. Alam’s subspecialty is genitourinary tract reconstruction so patients in El Paso no longer have to travel to treat their child’s urologic condition. From urinary tract infections to complex bladder reconstruction, our team is ready to help.

Why do you choose to serve the El Paso community?

Dr. Alam’s goal is to extend the availability of urological care for pediatric patients across the region. Our team is building a service line and advancing the availability of complex care for patients with congenital anomalies of the kidneys and urinary tracts (CAKUT). The ultimate goal is to create a destination center for urologic care at EPCH.

How do you work to improve the health of the community?

By engagement with Pediatric Providers to develop our service line and expand surgical services. We also provide prenatal consults for urologic conditions to put families at ease and streamline the care of their children after delivery.

Photography courtesy El Paso Children’s Hospital

Sudheer

Rini

What is your medical specialty?

We are board certified pediatric cardiologists. Our clinic treats patients ranging from neonates through early adulthood, and in some instances we care for adults with congenital heart problems.

What do you want readers to know about you?

Our goal is to provide families with the best clinical outcomes as close to their home as possible. We are dedicated to treating patients with pediatric heart conditions. Before the El Paso Children’s Hospital was built, children with heart problems traveled hundreds of miles to access care. Now families can rest assured knowing that the same care is available here in El Paso.

How would you describe your approach to patient care?

We understand that being referred to a pediatric cardiologist by their pediatrician can be cause for worry, so when we treat our patients we are actually treating their family too.

How would you describe your team at EPCH?

It is important for our families to understand how to care for their child at home, so we make sure that our highly advanced clinical teams take time to explain their child’s diagnosis, their treatment plan and connect them with other specialties if necessary.

El Paso Children’s Hospital-Cardiology Clinic

Gorla, MD

Sahewalla, MD

What is your medical specialty?

Ijeoma C. Ibeanu, MD

Abraham Lopez, PhD

Deyanira Zambrano, MHNP

Charity Vizcaino-Strand, LPC Saira Bissuett, Psychometrist

Our team includes a child and adolescent psychiatrist, neuropsychologist, nurse practitioner, licensed counselor and psychometrist. Together we evaluate and treat pediatric and adolescent patients across a spectrum of behavioral and mental health conditions.

How do you work to improve the health of the community?

We believe it is important for children and teens to have good mental health so they can thrive at home, school and in their communities. Our team works with our patients and their families to help them understand how to cope with a variety of things ranging from behavioral and learning deficiencies to serious medical diagnoses.

Why should readers turn to you for their medical needs?

It is important for families to seek professional help when their child exhibits any sign of mental distress or behavioral problems.

Our behavioral health team is dedicated to improving the lives of children in our community. We encourage parents and families to talk to their pediatrician first about any concerns they may have about their child’s mental wellness or behavioral changes. We work closely with the child’s pediatrician to evaluate and treat young patients to improve their overall mental health.

El Paso Children’s Behavioral Health

What is your medical specialty?

We specialize in high quality home health and hospice care in the comfort of your own home.

How would you describe your approach to patient care?

We strive to provide comprehensive care for our patients by taking a multidisciplinary approach that includes clinical, social work, spiritual, and community based programs.

Why should readers turn to you for their medical needs?

With over 30+ years of community care experience, our agency was built on integrity, love, kindness, and trust. We are committed to providing the care you need and the compassion you deserve.

How do you work to improve the health of the community?

Home health and hospice care consists of education, preventative measures, facilitating access to care, collaborating with local organizations, and leading the path towards patient centered care.

What are the best parts of your job?

Making a difference in patients lives and fostering strong community connections while delivering personalized care in the comfort of their own home.

100 E Schuster Ave El Paso, Texas 79902

(915) 317-5900

What is your medical specialty?

As a pediatric office, we are passionate about bringing a personal approach to healthcare that can truly make a difference in the lives of your children from birth to 20 years of age.

How would you describe your approach to patient care?

At our office, we want you and your child’s visit with us to be a positive one each time you walk through our doors. To us, it’s more than just another doctor visit, it’s a personal doctor visit!

Why should readers turn to you for their medical needs?

The right pediatrician can make a big difference in your child’s health and well-being. Your child deserves excellent medical care from the day you deliver your precious newborn until they go off to college.

How do you work to improve the health of the community?

We want to be the place that you turn for routine yearly checkups and vaccinations as well as to provide superior care when your child is ill or injured.

What are the best parts of your job?

The BEST part of my job is having the privilege of caring and interacting with the best patients and families. Working alongside some amazing individuals and physicians such as Dr. David Jimenez.

Ricardo Reyna III, MD PLLC

Thank you for your friendship and being a dedicated, thoughtful, and compassionate doctor!

Your guidance and wisdom will be missed by all who knew you! Thank you for your dedication and your outstanding contributions that you have made to the field of Neurosurgery. You will always be remembered by your colleagues and all the patients that you have helped throughout your brilliant career.

epqdsmile

What is your medical specialty?

Our Prosthodontist Specialists & highly trained dentists focus on treating adults needing Complex Dentistry, Implant Reconstructions including Implant Dentures, TMD & all aspects of Cosmetic Dentistry.

How would you describe your approach to patient care?

We deliver quality care one patient at a time! We are committed to supporting each patient during all phases of treatment, providing individualized attention while creating a safe & caring experience.

Why should readers turn to you for their medical needs?

Our experience, expertise & supportive team allows us to deliver comfortable, functional & beautiful smiles for the most complex cases. Our goal is to deliver clinical excellence & long term results!

How do you work to improve the health of the community?

We believe our direct care improves quality of life one patient at a time. In a bigger spectrum we share our knowledge & expertise, & provide support to colleague dentists through our Dental Study Club.

What are the best parts of your job?

Connecting with patients, building trusting relationships, knowing we make a difference, seeing patients smile with confidence and appreciating our commitment, and working with an amazing team!

What is your medical specialty?

Benjamin Shahabi-Azad, M.D.

NeuroRestorative Texas

4360 Doniphan Drive El Paso, TX 79922

neurorestorative.com

Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation specializing in Brain Injury Medicine and Neuromuscular disorders.

How would you describe your approach to patient care?

NeuroRestorative El Paso is a unique rehabilitation center that specializes in treating individuals with brain injury and other neurological pathology. It stands out as the sole facility of its kind within a 350-mile radius of El Paso, TX.

Why should readers turn to you for their needs?

Readers can benefit from our specialized expertise, personalized approach, innovative treatment, and dedication to delivering exceptional healthcare outcomes in the field of neurological rehabilitation.

Why do you serve El Paso?

El Paso is my hometown and holds a special place in my heart. My goal has always been to give back to the community that nurtured my growth.

What do you love about your job?

Within the realm of devastating neurological disorders, there is a broader scope of co-morbidities that often accompany them. Addressing these complex conditions necessitates a holistic and comprehensive approach, and it is the opportunity to provide such care that I find truly rewarding, with the utmost emphasis on enhancing functional abilities and overall quality of life for our patients.

Photographed by: SERGIO OLIVAS

What is your medical specialty?

Anesthesiology/Pain Management

How would you describe your approach to patient care?

Our approach is catered to treating patients like I would a family member, mother, grandmother, etc. Patients with chronic pain look for doctors who empathize and understand their pain.

Why should readers turn to you for their medical needs?

At West Texas Pain Institute, we care about our patients and tailor our care to each individual’s needs. Every patient is different, and we don’t practice cookie-cutter medicine.

How do you work to improve the health of the community?

By mitigating chronic and acute symptoms, we are able to keep patients living a healthy and functional lifestyle that they were not able to live prior to their pain conditions.

What are the best parts of your job?

Seeing patients’ quality of life improve after they have been suffering from pain by utilizing conservative interventional pain procedures.

Dr. Michelle Espina, Owner El Paso Family Orthodontics epfamilyorthodontics.com

5925 Cromo Dr. El Paso, TX 79912 (915) 307-9688

What is your medical specialty?

Board Certified Orthodontist Master in Dental Science PHD in Dentistry Master in Microbiology

How would you describe your approach to patient care?

My goal in orthodontic care is to provide affordable orthodontic treatment to patients from all economic backgrounds. I am here to help them achieve a beautiful healthy smile.

Why should readers turn to you for their medical needs?

I am a board certified orthodontist that has been serving the El Paso Community since 2011. I provide a concept of orthodontic care in a state-of-the-art service facility.

How do you work to improve the health of the community?

I enjoy being a part of community events to help spread oral health awareness. I also enjoy mentoring future dental professionals.

What are the best parts of your job?

Knowing that I bring a smile to patient and parents faces after the completion of their orthodontic treatment. Which can help improve their confidence.

What is your medical specialty?

Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

How would you describe your approach to patient care?

We pride ourselves in excellent patient care. We treat each patient as if they were our family and ensure to make the experience as pain and stress free as possible.

Why should readers turn to you for their medical needs?

We have years of experience in patient care. The patient experience is of highest importance to us and we strive to make each experience a pleasant one.

Dr. Gerardo Guillen-Rivera, DMD, OMFS, MsD

Prestige Oral and Facial Surgery

5925 Cromo Dr. Ste B El Paso, TX 79912 (915) 283-4730

prestigesurgery.com

How do you work to improve the health of the community?

We are constantly investing in the continuous education of both our doctor and staff to ensure we are up to date with patient care and administration.

What are the best parts of your job?

The best part of my job is getting to work with like minded individuals that make up staff, esteemed partners who share a vision in patient care and each one of my patients!

Sunset West Health

1201 E. Schuster Ave. Building 7 El Paso, Texas, 79902

sunsetwest.health

(915) 229-6448

What is your medical specialty?

Infectious Diseases and Sexual Health Sunset West Health is to provide exceptional patient care, improve education and engage in research that impacts the health of West Texas and beyond.

How would you describe your approach to patient care?

Sunset West Health focuses on patient-centered care. Patients come to us as a safe place to help them with their healthcare. We work as a team to help them get the best outcomes possible.

Why should readers turn to you for their medical needs?

Sunset West Health provides the best infectious disease and sexual health care in the City. We do this on an individual patient basis using technology to make access easy AND with a team that cares.

How do you work to improve the health of the community?

Sunset West Health models for the next generation of students how patient-centered care should be delivered in our community. We partner to offer the community innovative research access opportunities.

What are the best parts of your job?

If a team member at Sunset West Health can help a scared patient or their family realize there is hope...that honestly is Golden. That’s what we strive for every single day when we come to work.

Andrew Cleveland, MD

Sun City Orthopaedic & Hand Surgery Specialists

1387 George Dieter, Suite 106 D El Paso, Texas, 79936 915-581-0712

suncityorthoandhand.com

What is your medical specialty?

I am an orthopedic spine surgeon, and address pretty much anything that can go wrong between the base of the head and the bottom part of the spine, where it reaches the pelvis. There’s a wide variety of complex problems that can occur in between, and I pretty much do all of it. I was interested in the kind of nuanced and complex nature of spine care. I’ve had several family members who have had spine problems. And I’ve just felt a calling to this kind of work to be able to address those kinds of issues.

How would you describe your approach to patient care? What I strive to do for people is find out if surgery is the appropriate course of action once they’ve been through a trial of trying to get relief from whatever their problem might be. Once we’re at that point where we need to figure out if surgery is for you, we determine what would be the best approach to giving you the greatest amount of benefit. Sometimes that’s a smaller surgery, sometimes that’s a larger surgery, but ultimately having not just a short term, but a long term perspective.

Why did you decide to serve the El Paso community?

I’ve been in El Paso for a while. I trained here and have been practicing in the military for the last couple of years. I’ve now gotten out but my wife is still active duty, and I’ve always really liked El Paso to begin with. This is a great place to practice medicine with my skill set because there are not a lot of people practicing that kind of medicine in this region and it allows me to help a lot of people.

What is the best part of your job?

I enjoy complex work, and there’s definitely no shortage of that in doing surgeries. It’s very fulfilling to see a patient at three, six, nine months after surgery and having them reflect on the thing you did to make them better.

What is your medical specialty?

Our specialty is Family Medicine Wellness Medical Aesthetics.

How would you describe your approach to patient care?

We provide a compassionate and person-centered approach to address the physical, emotional, and social needs of the patient.

Why should readers turn to you for their medical needs?

Our healthcare professionals take the time to listen and understand the individual needs of each patient. We provide personalized care tailored to meet the specific requirements of each patient.

How do you work to improve the health of the community?

Premier Clinic is committed to providing affordable healthcare services that are accessible to everyone. We accept most insurances to ensure our patients receive the care they need.

What are the best parts of your job?

I enjoy being able to provide care and support for each patient to help them achieve better health and feel better from inside out.

Karina Mendoza, DNP, FNP-C

Premier Clinic

11351 James Watt C-300

Premierclinic.us (915) 320-7707

Jose ruiz, FNP-c

What is your medical specialty? Family Medicine and also Palliative Medicine

How would you describe your approach to patient care? World-class, compassionate, comprehensive, and customized care.

Why should readers turn to you for their medical needs? My approach is holistic, and focuses on the whole patient and not only on a specific part of their body.

How do you work to improve the health of the community?

I teach at local universities to train the future providers and interact with specialists in town to help our patients.

What are the best parts of your job?

The best part of my job is the doctor-patient interaction.

“Serving my community, especially those desperately needing legal representation, is a blessing. Our greatest satisfaction is to see how we can improve the quality of life of El Pasoans after going through terrible accidents.”

- Carlos Tristan

Be Bold Think Pink

| By: ERIN COULEHAN |

Welcome to the “Magentaverse,” otherwise known as the Pantone 2023 Color of the Year, which takes its origin from the cochineal beetle. The shade, Pantone 18-1750 Viva Magenta, celebrates the vim and vigor of life while also paying homage to nature that The Pantone Color Institute describes as a signal of strength that promotes joy, optimism, and new beginnings.

“In this age of technology, we look to draw inspiration from nature and what is real,” says Leatrice Eiseman, Executive Director of The Pantone Color Institute. “Pantone 181750 Viva Magenta descends from the red family, and is inspired by the red of cochineal, one of the most precious dyes belonging to the natural dye family, as well as one of the strongest and brightest the world has known.”

The Pantone Color Institute has named colors of the year for the last 23 years, with each shade corresponding to the current cultural moment.

“The Pantone Color Institute originally created the Pantone Color of the Year educational program in 1999 to engage the design community and color enthusiasts around the world in a conversation around color,” says Laurie Pressman, Vice President of The Pantone Color Institute. “We wanted to draw attention to the relationship between culture and color. We wanted to highlight to our audience how what is taking place in our global culture is expressed and reflected through the language of color,” she adds.

Viva Magenta is defined by its “nuanced crimson red tone that presents a difference between warm and cool” and emblematic of the need for an unconventional shade during an unconventional time.

According to The Pantone Color Institute, “Three years deep into a pandemic, facing a war, an unstable economy, social unrest, supply chain breakdowns, and mounting climate change -- we need to heal.”

The psychology of color indicates that shades from the red family are power colors that celebrate life and celebrate

boldness. Viva Magenta was selected for its dynamic combination of both rebellion and vulnerability that promotes confidence, humanity, and grace.

Somewhere between a white flag of surrender and a red flag of battle, Viva Magenta “cloaks us in power and grace, and sends us into the world with the verve we’ve yearned for.”

www.thecitymagazineelp.com

A Touch of

Tuscan

By: ERIN COULEHAN

Photography by: JOHN HORTA

Styled by: LADONNA APODACA

Tuscan-style castle rests at the corner of classic and contemporary in West El Paso that has been transformed into a divine domain with all the comforts of a cozy home. Homeowners Rose and Victor LeGloahec describe the house as a masterpiece of Tuscan elegance and simplicity that coalesced into a Michelangelo triumph.

“The design was taken lock, stock, and barrel from a villa in the Tuscany Region of Italy. Blueprints were created from the original villa and the home constructed. A Tuscan Villa in the Franklin Mountains in El Paso, Texas,” says Victor.

The LeGloahec’s explain that their aesthetic-style developed from a combination of moves over their time in the military, which led them to understand the concepts of what looks good and flows well with a refined and graceful sophistication.

Elements of Tuscan architecture and design are typically achieved using limestone, travertine, or marble and terracotta roof tiles. The style coalesces classical architecture with modern accents for a cozy old-European feel defined by an effortless incorporation into natural elements -- like the Franklin Mountains.

Tuscan-style architecture emerged long before Tuscany became the home for olive, wine, and assorted agricultural products when the Etruscans inhabited central Italy and created a thriving civilization that included the development of a unique architectural and building style.

Art historians assert the Etruscan architectural style was inspired by Greek design with the major distinction being that the Greeks built with stone whereas the Etruscans constructed using wood, which remains a characteristic of modern Tuscan-style homes. Etruscan homes often featured stone facades with marble carvings and accents, as well as wooden beams upcycled from farmhouses.

“We love the interior courtyard that is heavily balanced by eightfoot solid wooden doors, along with the abundance of stainedglass windows highlighted by brick and copper ceilings,” says the LeGloahecs.

Additionally, contemporary Tuscan-style homes continue to pay homage to the Etruscan people with the inclusion of warm colors that invokes pastoral landscapes and romantic settings.

One of the most beloved qualities of the LeGloahec home is the integration of old European features in a uniquely modern Borderland setting.

“It’s a mix of European architecture with high graceful ceilings and American architecture with large open spaces,” says Rose. “Some of our favorite features are the open airy kitchen with exclusive appliances cand stonework throughout the home.”

While some elements have evolved over time, modern Tuscan style homes have retained key features as seen in the LeGloahec home:

• Thick stone exterior walls that blend the structure into the region’s natural landscape

• Terracotta tiles made of clay that are prevalent in warm climates like El Paso that also connect the home to the environment

• Outdoor living space that welcomes the warm summer nights and cool mornings

The inviting stone exterior and elegant design details emphasize the home’s modern Tuscan design, while also integrating oldWorld elements like arched windows and grand entryway that create an aura of strength, resilience and timelessness.

The outdoor courtyard’s fountain area showcases Tuscan rustic charm that also connects one with nature – a pleasant oasis in the desert.

Soaring ceilings within the LeGloahec home enhance the structure’s magnificence by demonstrating the durability of the home’s construction that creates a cathedral-like aesthetic made lambent by the large windows and abundant natural light.

The seamless integration of the home to the natural landscape is the LeGloahec’s favorite feature.

“We love the manner in which the entire home flows so simply and easily. The breathtaking views of Texas, New Mexico, and Mexico do not hurt either!” the couple agrees.

At Home with Weekend Domain

Home is where the heart is, and one local couple is putting their hearts and minds into a new local furniture store that is transforming homes across El Paso. Weekend Domain is a brick and mortar furniture boutique that specializes in furniture and home decor, and also offers interior design and staging services.

Weekend Domain is owned and operated by Nayelie and Dustin Wiggs, a married couple who understood the need for high-quality, eco-friendly modern home goods available locally and immediately.

“Most of what you see is available for purchase and made from reclaimed materials,” says Nayelie. “Everything in the store can be purchased immediately and ready to take home -- and we can also do custom ordering.”

The couple says their goal is for Weekend Domain to thrive throughout the Borderland and establish a cornerstone for reliable quality furniture and home decor.

The City Magazine sat down with the couple to learn more about the inspiration behind Weekend Domain.

The City Magazine

Where did the idea for Weekend Domain come from?

Nayelie Wiggs

We were furniture shopping online and I thought that if I was looking, then there were probably other couples looking for the same things. We wanted to bring unique items that weren’t yet available locally. We were literally just in bed and I turned to my husband and asked ‘Why don’t we open a furniture store?’

TCM

Did you have any prior experience?

NW

Nothing! We traveled to see what was available and what we might like to bring back to El Paso. We decided to bring pieces back here and make them immediately available. People were waiting months for stuff to come in. With us, you don’t have to wait months for options to become available.

TCM

Where do you find inspiration for the aesthetics of the stores and the pieces?

NW

I follow a lot of bloggers and designers, and am constantly reading magazines and everything else I can get my hands on.

TCM

What’s the process like when you go to market or are deciding on what to feature in the store?

NW

I wanted to go somewhere to be really inspired, so we went to High Point, North Carolina, which is the largest marketplace for furniture in the world. It was so much fun. We went to narrow down the main manufacturers we wanted to work with.

We’re constantly looking for designers, and there are some I’ve never heard of that have been popping up. There’s so much creativity out there, and I want people to see everything we have and what we have to offer.

TCM

What are some of the design elements that help make a house into a home?

NW

We bring in lots of wood and leather elements that can work with a lot of different design styles. There are many modern pieces, but we enjoy creating a modern yet cozy vibe like we have in the store. We also have a lot of metal elements that we bring together with wood and stone -- it’s kind of like bringing the outdoors into your home.

TCM

You two have been married for a while, what’s your advice to newlyweds or couples decorating their first homes together?

NW

We all have our own style, so it may be a challenge to work with two different styles, but I say just talk about it. Go see different pieces and styles. Feel it: make sure it’s a piece that will last a long time. We’re becoming smart as consumers, and buying things that last and are well made is important. We have pieces in the store that are earth-friendly, so it’s stuff that not only looks good in your home but is also good for the earth as well.

The Lust Frontier

| By: MEGAN MEHL, Professional Matchmaker |

s a professional matchmaker who has set up hundreds of people across the country and collected candid feedback from ALL of them, I have a pretty unique perspective on first dates. It has been particularly interesting to learn that what makes a first date a success or a failure often has less to do with who someone is than how they behave for ~90 minutes in a first meeting. Since my success as a matchmaker is measured on whether both people say yes to a second date, you better believe I spend a lot of time digging deep into the types of things that make people say “no.” It’s amazing how often a very basic faux pas can ruin a perfect match on paper -- ahem, don’t miss tip #3.

But don’t worry, I’m here to help!

Enjoy the ride and use your experiences to be very clear on what you’re seeking! Once you’ve mastered the art of the first date, it’s only matter of time before you find that special someone who will love getting to know all the ins-and-outs of how amazing you truly are.

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Bring your best self

I can’t emphasize this enough, because this step is so basic that it gets overlooked. Whatever the best version of you is, I want THEM on your date. No bad moods allowed. Put on an outfit that makes you feel fantastic. Spend a little extra time pampering yourself and making sure you look your best. Leave with enough time to get there early so you aren’t showing up flustered and sweaty. Give yourself a pep talk in the car on the way to your date where you affirm all of your best qualities (I’m not kidding, I do this all the time). If you don’t think you’re a catch, why would someone else?

Choose to have a good time

The whole point of a date is that it’s supposed to be fun! Please don’t do yourself the disservice of taking dating (or yourself) too seriously. You may get there and realize in two minutes that this person isn’t the future love of your life, but you already put in the effort to get ready and be there, and you’re committed to spending some time with them for better or for worse. PLEASE make an effort to get to know the person who shows up to meet you: you never know where a new connection may lead! It’s exceedingly common these days for people to make a snap decision based on physical appearance and proceed to be rude, disengaged, or make an excuse to cut the date short. But that’s just mean, and you’d never want someone else to treat you that way. Make the decision to be the kind of person who has a good time wherever you go, and I promise that positive energy will serve you much better.

Be a good conversationalist

Sorry men, but this is where you’re screwing it up most often based on date feedback. This seems obvious, but a date is not an invitation for you to pitch yourself or dump your life story on someone. A date conversation should be reciprocal and roughly balanced 50/50. If you realize that you’ve been dominating the conversation for a bit, stop to ask the other person some questions. Instead of thinking about what you’ll say next, really listen to what the other person is saying, and engage with them by asking questions based on what they have already shared (rather than generic questions you’d ask anyone, like “What do you do for work?”). This allows your conversation to flow more easily and center on deeper topics that are of interest to the two of you. The goal isn’t to fill every silence, it’s to learn as much as you can about the other person. And don’t forget good eye contact!

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It’s not an interview

This is another common pitfall -- try not to spend the date hammering the other person with questions or evaluating them. Things like their level of career success or their ability to settle down and have lots of babies shouldn’t even be on the menu for a first date. Rather, try to get a feel for who they are as a person and whether you have things in common or shared values. Do they make you smile or laugh? Did they show interest in getting to know you? How do they make you feel? Keep the conversation light and steer away from heavy topics like past relationships and politics. Avoid “checklisting” and try not to make any judgement calls until after the date is over.

Anyone can take one look at a person and rule them out for no reason, and trust me, people do it all the time. The thing is, if you can look at someone and decide they’re not good enough for you, others can and will do it to you too. If you’ve been in love before, you know that you are infinitely more attracted to someone after you build a meaningful relationship with them over time. Get to know someone beyond their hairline, their body type, their height, and their age, and you may surprise yourself. Here’s some tough love –you’re single for a reason. Maybe it’s time to consider someone who isn’t your typical physical type. The less rigid you can be, the more likely it is that you’ll find love. Challenge yourself to find at least three things you really like about every person you go on a date with, and not surface-level things, either. Seeing the best in others will keep you feeling positive about the process.

Ignore the Elephant

The cringiest thing you could possibly do is talk about dating on a first date. You might as well wave a white flag and go home, because no good can come of this. You both know you’re on a first date. You both know dating can be difficult/weird/fun/awkward. You both have exes, baggage, and trauma. There’s no need to address it, and there are far more interesting things to chat about. If the other person brings it up, make a light joke and move on. If you really can’t think of anything else to talk about, that’s a clue that your conversation skills need some work.

Don’t be superficial

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Don’t be a jerk

Get there 5 minutes early. Be kind and respectful to your date, the host, the waitstaff, and literally anyone else you encounter. Tip adequately, at least 20 percent. Be chivalrous, gracious, and polite in every way. Make your mother proud.

Keep it short and sweet

There’s nothing worse than being stuck on a bad date – that’s the stuff of nightmares. I typically recommend a drinks-and-appetizers date for my clients because it’s casual, fun, and comfortable for most people, but it also allows for a more graceful exit in case it’s needed. Even if it’s a great date, it’s easy to overstay your welcome. You aren’t supposed to learn everything about this person on the first date, so leave some room for mystery. Better to err on the side of leaving them wanting more, especially if you’re drinking. Six cocktails deep isn’t anyone’s best look.

Dating is very vulnerable: you’re showing up to meet a stranger in hopes that they will like you. The fear of rejection triggers our deepest insecurities and can shake us to our core. For this reason, some people spend the whole date wondering what the other person is thinking and trying to behave in a way that will win their approval. This is a waste of your time and theirs. You have no idea what the other person is thinking and frankly, it’s irrelevant. Stay present in your own experience of the interaction and authentic to who you really are. Trust yourself and remember that you’re seeking someone who will like you exactly as you are. After the date is over, make your decision based on how YOU felt, not your assumptions of how they did.

Guests enjoyed the view from the top at The Davenport Social Club to celebrate the launch of The City Magazine’s June issue, which showcased the community’s leading men in business who are taking the city of El Paso to new heights.

| Photos by: SERGIO OLIVAS |

Ethos Financial hosted an appreciation dinner at the El Paso Country Club to celebrate success and support.

Guests enjoyed meaningful conversation, making connections, and looking ahead to the future.

| Photos by: SERGIO OLIVAS |