Latest news with #Echevarria
Miami Herald
5 days ago
- Health
- Miami Herald
What patients can expect from the new leader of a South Florida hospital system
The University of Miami Health System has a new leader. Dr. Dipen Parekh, a surgeon who led the hospital system through the COVID-19 pandemic, will now serve as UHealth's chief executive officer and UM's executive vice president for Health Affairs. As UHealth CEO, Parekh will oversee the more than 17,500 employees who work across the hospital system at more than 100 facilities, including Bascom Palmer Institute, the nation's top hospital for opthalmology, and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in South Florida. The urologic oncologist wants UM to 'push the frontiers of research.' That goal may be challenging at a time when more than 1,000 research grants in the country have been terminated by the federal government, according to a database created by two scientists documenting the terminations and as reported by STAT News. Parekh also sees more AI in the future of healthcare in South Florida. 'The demand for our services is increasing every day, and our responsibility is to meet that demand without compromising the excellence that defines UHealth,' Parekh told the Miami Herald Wednesday in an email. 'To do so, we must continue to improve how patients access our care—whether that's through new locations, more efficient systems, or advanced technologies. Artificial intelligence will play a key role in this effort. 'AI holds tremendous promise in helping us make smarter decisions, improve outcomes, and enhance the experience for both patients and providers.' UM's Board of Trustees unanimously agreed this week to promote Parekh, UHealth's chief operating officer and a longtime urology chair at UM's medical school, to CEO. The surgeon will takes over the top job from Joseph Echevarria, who since 2024 has juggled the jobs of UM and UHealth president and UHealth CEO. Echevarria will remain president. Parekh considers expansion to be one of the health system's greatest challenges — and opportunities — and has played a key role in UHealth's recent push into North Miami-Dade and Doral, one of South Florida's hottest growing medical hubs. Like other health systems, UHealth is trying to bring care closer to patients, a strategy to not only improve access to care, but to also attract and retain patients and employees. 'Dipen has played a pivotal role each step of the way as the University of Miami Health System has grown into one of the top academic medical centers in the country,' Echevarria said in a statement. 'He understands the mission —from the operating room to the classroom to the boardroom — and he embodies the excellence we strive to deliver for our patients, students, and community.' Who is UHealth's new CEO? UHealth is now the second hospital system in South Florida to be currently led by a physician. The veteran surgeon, one of UM's highest paid employees, has performed more than 6,000 robotic urologic cancer surgeries and has published more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, including a 'groundbreaking trial, published in The Lancelet in 2018, which established the efficacy of robotic-assisted surgery for bladder cancer,' according to the university. Parekh joined UM's medical school in 2012 as the chair of urology and is also the founding director of the Desai Seithi Urology Institute. He became chief clinical officer, his first system-wide administrative role, in 2017, before becoming chief operating officer in 2020, when COVID struck and hospitals became overwhelmed with sick patients. Besides being tasked with overseeing UHealth's day-to-day operations, Parekh in 2021 was also made executive dean for clinical affairs at UM's Miller School of Medicine. Becker's Hospital Review named him among the top 60 academic health system COO's to know in 2024. The private university declined to reveal is new salary. For years, UHealth has been the only academic health system in South Florida although that will change once Baptist Health South Florida finalizes the process of becoming the future teaching hospital of Florida International University. FIU has tapped Nicklaus Children's Health System to be its pediatric teaching hospital. UHealth's teaching hospital is Jackson Memorial, part of Miami-Dade's public hospital network. At UM's medical school and health system, researchers have long tackled infectious diseases, cancer treatments and therapies, Alzheimer's, dementia, genetic diseases and many other conditions. The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis is working with Elon Musk's startup company Neuralink to test whether its brain chip can give people who are paralyzed the ability to use mind to wirelessly control computers, smartphones and other electronic devices. 'Our role as an academic health system is not just to care for patients, but to lead in innovation, discovery, and training the next generation of healthcare leaders,' said Parekh, who plans to keep caring for patients while serving as CEO. 'That's what sets us apart — and that's what we'll continue to build on.'
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Yahoo
Peoria Police Memorial honors fallen officers
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Peoria city officials and police gathered outside downtown to remember those who have served in law enforcement. The Peoria Police Department hosted their annual police memorial outside of city hall, in which they take the time to remember fallen officers. 'We don't want to forget that every day officers come in and put this uniform on,' said Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria. 'So let's not forget what they do. Let's not forget what happened in the past. We stand on their shoulders and we continue to push forward to keep our community safe.' Peoria City Council agrees to fund remaining PeoriaCorps term 15 roses were laid on the memorial stone to honor fallen Peoria officers. Echevarria explained the kind of unity all law enforcement share. 'You don this uniform on,' he said. 'Some of the uniforms may be green, some of them may be tan, some of them are blue. But, you know, at the end of the day, we're all police officers trying to do the right thing for a community. It's a very difficult job.' This is a part of National Police Week, where departments across the country take part in the same type of memorial. An awards ceremony followed the memorial service which included categories such as Livesaving, Chief's Appreciation, and Distinguished Service – Commissioned. Award winners included: 2024 Rookie of the Year Officer Terravis Ward 2024 Field Training Officer of the Year Officer Michael Wallace 2024 Supervisor of the Year Sergeant Todd Leach 2025 American Legion Meritorious Service Detective Brian Grice 2024 Officer of the Year Detective Nicholas Mason 2024 Lifesaving Awards: Officer Logan Jackson Officer Matthew Prest Officer Gavin Watland Officer Zion Whitehurst Officer Jia Zheng Officer Bryson Zolicoffer 2024 Civilian of the Year Mary Peterson 2024 Chief's Appreciation Assistant State's Attorney Terrence Muench Deputy Coroner Brandon Witt Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
House approves study of state's property tax relief programs
Residents complain that new construction in older neighborhoods like this one in Southeast Raleigh drive up taxes and make homes unaffordable. (Photo: Courtesy of Anthony Pope) A bill directing a study of current property North Carolina tax relief programs for disabled veterans and elderly and disabled homeowners received unanimous support in the House on Wednesday. House Bil 432 directs the Revenue Law Study Committee to study options to enhance such programs and to consider other tax reforms to reduce property tax burdens for low-income elderly and disabled residents and disabled veterans. 'This is a study bill and the reason we need this study bill is because other states have done things to protect their homeowners that I think we can follow,' said Rep. Brian Echevarria (R-Cabarrus), a bill cosponsor. 'We have some states that have 100% property tax exclusions for veterans. They have better exclusions for the elderly and disabled.' Big concerns, Echevarria said, are rising taxes and property tax revaluations, which are making it difficult for residents on fixed incomes to remain in their homes. Cabarrus County has been 'decimated' by property revaluations and tax increases, he said. 'I'm sure that I'm not the only one who has received phone calls from the elderly, from the disabled, those on fixed incomes who simply don't know how they're going to keep up with increasing property taxes,' Echevarria said. Several Democrats spoke in support of HB 432, including Rep. Abe Jones (D-Wake) who said he 100% backs the tax relief study. 'I've been worried about older people in my communities … [who] might eventually lose their homes because the property taxes are going up and up and up and their income is fixed,' Jones said. 'I'm sure there's nobody in here doesn't know anybody like that.' Rep. Carla Cunningham (D-Mecklenburg) noted that several bills have been introduced to provide tax relief for veterans and elderly and disabled North Carolinians. More must be done to keep veterans in the state and to encourage those from the state to return home after separating from the military, she said. 'I do know that we want to move forward to assist the veterans in the State of North Carolina not to leave North Carolina but to come home to North Carolina after they have served and that we should be assisting in any way that we can for them to come back home,' Cunningham said. She noted that in South Carolina, veterans who are totally or permanently disabled from wartime may receive a property tax exemption on their home. Rep. Marcia Morey (D-Durham) said the bill is vastly improved compared to previous versions but reminded colleagues that property taxes pay for essential services such as public schools. 'They [property taxes] are not a regressive tax like a sales tax and I don't want to see a study go into a shift of tax consequences that are more regressive on the poor that they are on the rich,' Morey said. She asked if bill sponsors had sought input from the NC Association of County Commissioners and the NC League of Municipalities and whether the groups support the bill. Echevarria said he hadn't received input from either organization. North Carolina currently offers three property tax relief programs for qualified homeowners that are administered by counties: The Elderly/Disabled Homestead Exemption is for residents 65 years or older or those who are totally and permanently disabled. The program excludes from taxes the greater of $25,000 or 50% of the assessed value of the owner's permanent residence. The Circuit Breaker limits the amount of annual property taxes the owner pays on their permanent residence. Eligibility is limited to homeowners who are 65 and older or who are totally and permanently disabled. The tax bill is limited to a fixed percentage of income, and any taxes owed above that limit is deferred until a 'disqualifying event' such as the owner's death. This program requires a new application to be filed every year. The Disabled Veteran Exclusion program excludes up to the first $45,000 of the appraised value of the permanent residence of a disabled veteran who has a total and permanent service-connected disability or who received benefits for specially adapted housing. There is no age or income limitation for this program.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Yahoo
Peoria police receive autism training to enhance officer sensitivity
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — April is World Autism Awareness Month, and the Peoria Police Department using that to train officers on how to respond with sensitivity to people on the spectrum. New program from Peoria County Sherriff's department to help support people with Autism Police Chief Eric Echevarria has understood the behaviors associated with someone who is autistic long before he put on the badge. 'I grew up with a brother who is autistic,' he said. 'I see things in my life through him that prepared me as a police officer.' Commemorating the month, officers will be trained through the Autism Hero Project, an organization that is dedicated to 'drive the paradigm shift towards autism acceptance, influence positive changes in public policy, and transform the landscape of how businesses embrace diversity.' 'We want to understand that from the beginning,' the chief said about the upcoming training, 'Not necessarily at the end of a call where we've talked to somebody for a while because the officer may not be trained to understand it. 'The sooner we understand it, the sooner we can adapt to figuring out what we need to do to de-escalate and bring them down, bring in the proper person to talk to them, etc,' he added. The department has stickers on hand that people can put on the back of their cars, on the front of their doors or anywhere police would see it, which gives the officers the chance to shift their focus to understanding how to respond. Peoria Police Department handing out stickers for Autism Awareness Month Along with the stickers, a blue envelope is given out for someone who is austistic and drives. Inside the envelope would contain a photocopy of the person's driver's license, current vehicle registration and proof of insurance. The envelope also has instructions on what someone on the spectrum can expect during a traffic stop, including procedure to give the officer the envelope itself. On the back, it gives instructions for the officer on how to respond. 'This is for both ways, for us to be able to communicate better and to help the person that we just may need to educate them. 'Hey, you did this when you were driving,' and that's all it is,' Echevarria said, holding up the envelope. 'They may deal with that differently, and so we want to be aware of that, and we want them to be safe.' The department has already partnered with Trillium Place offering a co-response unit to help in de-escalation. An autism awareness event will be held on April 26 at the building that houses the co-response unit where sensory kits will be handed out. These kits will now be in all of the squad cars. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Yahoo
Officials agree: Everyone needs to get on board with helping tackle juvenile crime
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — In the wake of a botched car theft that left a 9-year-old with a gunshot wound to the chest, attention is again back on juvenile crime. And with that scrutiny comes questions like 'how is this happening' or 'what can be done?' Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria spoke with passion and emotion during a brief news conference Tuesday night, urging parents and school personnel to get involved. And on Wednesday, educators agreed, saying they had a role to play in keeping the city's streets safe. Efforts need to be focused on reaching children before they pick up the guns and before a quest to steal a car goes horrifically wrong, said Carl Cannon, whose ELITE Program has worked with troubled youths for years. ELITE is an outreach program designed to teach children about character, respect and also job skills. The program stresses that if one puts in the work, they will be rewarded at some point. Cannon stresses the importance of catching patterns early. 'That young man was fifteen, he was ten, he was nine, and he had a profile at nine and he had a profile at eight,' Cannon said. 'If he had a profile, then let's get to the eight year old, let's get to the nine year old and let's address that profile at eight and nine.' He also broke down what ELITE looks into when filing profiles. 'I read four kinds of data when we're working with our kids,' Cannon said. 'It's attendance, behavior, grades, and then look at home.' The older teen, whose name was not given because he is a juvenile, was arrested Monday and taken to the Peoria County Juvenile Detention Center. He was booked on charges of aggravated battery and attempted motor vehicle theft. As of Wednesday afternoon, he had not been formally charged in Peoria County Circuit Court, either as a juvenile or as an adult. The boy, the chief said, has a history of arrests, dating back five years. Among the arrests were possession of a weapon, criminal trespass and robbery. In total, Echevarria said, the boy has been arrested about 20 times. According to information from Sgt. Amy Dotson, a 9-year-old boy was injured after a botched car burglary on Sunday. Officers originally responded to the shooting that occurred near the 1200 block of Southwest Phoenix Drive at approximately 8:30 p.m. Sunday. When officers arrived on the scene, they found a boy with a gunshot wound to the chest. The boy was rushed to the hospital, where he was said to be in stable condition, according to Dotson. Police Chief Echevarria said Tuesday night that 'we need to stop working in silos and figure out how do we work together to solve these issues.' He went on to say it isn't a police issue. Peoria Public Schools Superintendent Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat said the district already works closely with the police department. 'We're all on the same page,' she said. 'We have a great relationship and we're on speed dial. We share data. We share information and there know there there's nothing but love amongst everybody to help make our city as strong and and as safe as possible.' The boy who was shot, Desmoulin-Kherat said, was a PPS student and that makes the shooting especially hard. But as a community, the district is working to help 'think outside the box' to help prevent crime. 'For every incidents that gets reported, there are a lot of them that are solved,' she said. 'I'm proud of the collaboration . . . it's all hand on deck.' She said there is progress being made. There are things still to do but progress is being made. Mayor Rita Ali took part in the press conference Tuesday and joined Echevarria in thanking officers and detectives for their work in finding a suspect within 24 hours of the shooting, and she was grateful that the victim is in good condition. 'I'm delighted that he's going to grow up, hopefully, to be an adult and be able to give back to his community,' she said. She too, echoed what the chief said — that the schools are a vital part of the solution. 'It's going to take our schools working with our not-for-profit agencies. It's going to take our religious institutions and families getting nosy into the lives of their children,' she said. 2nd District Councilman Chuck Grayeb, who is running for mayor against Ali and At-Large Councilman John Kelly, reiterated that he and the rest of the council, along with law enforcement believe the SAFE-T Act, which overhauled the state's criminal justice system a few years ago, needs to be reformed. Grayeb, a former educator, said there needs to be more accountability for parents and that all parties, including the schools need to take a much stronger stance with the police department in order to help with the issues that confront teens in Peoria. But he also stressed there must be consequences: ''Catch and release' of dangerous individuals whether adults or juveniles must stop. Law abiding citizens deserve nothing less.' Kelly said the city of Peoria is 'stagnant and stagnant in declining cities have unacceptable crime rates.' Peoria, he said, is like other cities that are suffering from such issues. One way that a city can combat crime is to grow economically will offer more chances and opportunities. 'Our police do a great job, but they sweep up after the crime. The answer is a change in culture which comes from real opportunity in our city,' he said. 'As it stands, status quo in our city does not offer real opportunity.' Crime will still occur but the rate of crime will drop, he said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
