Dr. Alan Firestone celebrates thirty years of medical practice

—SIGNPOST STAFF
On November 17, El Pueblo Health Services hosted an open house at their medical facility to celebrate Dr. Alan Firestone’s first thirty years of practicing medicine in Bernalillo. The clinic’s thousands of patients are grateful that the winds of change over the years have only strengthened Firestone’s resolve to stay in town and provide health care where there once was none.

In 1976, Firestone was assigned to work in Bernalillo by the National Public Service Corps, and El Pueblo Health Services, a nonprofit primary-health clinic, was formed. He stayed in town when the corps left.

Firestone was appointed the first medical director of Sandoval County Ambulance in 1986. He has taught medical students at UNM for twenty-five years. In 1996 he was awarded a professorship and was named New Mexico’s Physician of the Year by the New Mexico Academy of Family Physicians.

Firestone says he has no plans to retire. He is active in the community and still plays soccer in a local adult league. “Being involved in the community, soccer, music, and my practice, I have no reason to leave. My family is here and I work with a wonderful group of people. The board of directors at El Pueblo makes sure that I don’t have to worry about the business side of the practice. Most of them have been here as long as I have. Teaching at the university gives me constant exposure to other physicians, so I’m not isolated in a private practice,” he explained. “I can leave the office and go for a walk when there’s time. It’s really a perfect fit.”

Report on Las Huertas Creek available

The report Las Huertas Creek: Monitoring of Selected Water Quality and Quantity Parameters 1995-2005 represents the work of Bosque School students and teachers during ten years of participation in the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish sponsored New Mexico Watershed Watch program.

Although every reasonable attempt has been made to provide quality assurance, there should be an assumption that each individual measurement or test has some modest degree of inaccuracy. The data in the report can be most effective when looked at over time. Trends and data ranges emerge from such a longitudinal study. It is hoped that the findings will be helpful as you consider the health and well-being of the Las Huertas Creek and its associated watershed.

The support of program partners, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish and River Source, the USDA Forest Service, and the Sandia Ranger District in the New Mexico Watershed Watch program, is appreciated. If you have questions or need data not addressed in the report or wish to receive copies of the report, contact Daniel Shaw, at 898-6388 or dshaw@bosqueschool.org. Electronic copies of the report may be downloaded at www.bosqueschool.org, by clicking on Bosque Ecosystem Monitoring Programs and then Reports.

Nominate a woman you admire for the Governor’s Award

The New Mexico Commission on the Status of Women is accepting nominations for the twenty-second annual Governor's Award for Outstanding New Mexico Women from December 1, 2006, through Friday, February 23, 2007.

“The Governor's Award for Outstanding New Mexico Women is one of the state's most prestigious awards honoring women,” says Kathy Chavez, event planner for the commission.

This year's award banquet will be held on Friday, May 4, 2007, at the Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town. Invited guests will include Governor Bill Richardson and First Lady Barbara Richardson, Lieutenant Governor Diane Denish, former governors, and other special guests.

Nominations are encouraged from every community in the state. Forms can be requested by contacting the commission office in Albuquerque, at 222-6600, or toll-free, at 1-800-432-9168. TTY/TDD users, please call NM Relay, at 1-800-659-8331. Forms and instructions are also available at www.state.nm.us/womenscommission.