Fort Bend Lifestyles and Homes Magazine Sep 2009: Business News

Bill and Jared Jameson of WJ Interests, LLC

WJ Interests, LLC, has again been ranked among the top financial planning firms in the United States by both Financial Advisor and Wealth Management magazines. WJ Interests is a financial planning and investment management firm located in Sugar Land.

Both lists are arranged according to each firm’s assets under management, or AUM. Wealth Manager ranks firms according to its average AUM per client at the end of previous calendar year. For 2008, WJ Interests ranked No. 295, up from No. 305 in 2007. Financial Advisor uses each firm’s gross AUM at the end of the previous calendar year—WJ Interests was ranked No. 286, up from No. 294 in 2007.

Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus collected more than 300 dreams that area children wished for themselves, their family

or friends. Chosen to help with the “topping out” ceremony are: (l-r, back) Gavin Wade Morgan with President and CEO of Texas Children ’s Hospital Mark A. Wallace; (middle) Miranda Elizabeth Smith, Valencia Wilson-Weathers, Tobin Creswell; (front) Brandon Wees and Emily Schaefer.

Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus celebrated its “topping out” ceremony on July 8 with a colorful, ribbon-filled “Dream Tree” being raised to the roof of the new TCH West Campus building. Six local children ages 3-13 –selected from all area children who submitted dreams for the tree–were the stars of the ceremony and, together with Texas Children’s President and CEO Mark A. Wallace, gave the signal to raise the Dream Tree. The Dream Tree was decorated with hundreds of bright ribbons, each representing a dream from a local child. Child participants from the West Houston area included: Gavin Wade Morgan, 3; Brandon Wees, 4; Emily Schaefer, 5; Miranda Elizabeth Smith, 11; Valencia Wilson-Weathers, 9; Tobin Creswell, 13; and the Morton Ranch High School band.

Texana Center received notification from The J.E. and L.E. Mabee Foundation Inc. that they had issued a $400,000 challenge grant towards Texana ’s West Campus project. When this grant is matched, it will be applied to the challenge grant which was issued by The George Foundation for $1.5 million. Texana has already received a $250,000 matching grant from The Houston Endowment Inc.

The proposed West Campus project will encompass a Learning Center to provide training in life and job skills and a Service Center to accommodate staff who deliver services to people with developmental disabilities.

(L-R, front row) Karen Mendoza; Julie Thompson; (back row) Michael Richard, board vice president; Sam Hopkins, board president; Jesse Torres, board secretary; Richard McCarter and Jack Christiana.

Lamar CISD’s Board of Trustees will represent the Houston area as one of only 10 Regional Honor Boards in the Texas Association of School Administrators 2009 School Board Awards Program. Lamar ’s trustees are representing Region 4, Texas’ largest educational service center, which provides services to 54 school districts representing more than 1 million students and more than 83,000 professional educators.

Only five boards will be chosen as 2009 Honor Boards. The five boards will be recognized at the 2009 TASA/Texas Association of School Boards Convention in October. TASA created the School

Board Awards Program in 1971 to recognize those school boards that have demonstrated outstanding dedication and rendered ethical service to the children of Texas.

The criteria emphasize evidence of support for educational performance improvement. The awards program allows each regional selection committee to submit up to two nominations for state competition, one from districts with less than 1,000 students and one from districts with more than 1,000 students.

Fort Bend County Commissioners Court named the street fronting the new Justice Center, Pct. 1 Building, Tax Office and the Gus George Law Enforcement Academy in honor and memory of Eugene James Heimann, a Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Deputy who was murdered in the line of duty in 1988.

The newly dubbed Eugene Heimann Circle extends in a semi-circle from Williams Way (formerly Ransom Road) through the county ’s 40-acre building site immediately across from the county jail in Richmond.

Deputy Sheriff Heimann was shot and killed at the age of 36 while attempting to arrest a burglary suspect.

Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s Cancer Center is at the forefront of technological advances in radiation oncology. To celebrate the Methodist legacy of leading cancer care, which is now available in Fort Bend County, Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce members joined the Cancer Center staff and physicians in an open house in July.

Those attending the event had an opportunity to tour the Cancer Center, meet medical director Clive Shkedy, M.D., radiation oncologist, and view cutting edge radiation oncology equipment, including Fort Bend ’s first and only Varisource Remote Afterloader High Dose Rate (HDR) brachytherapy unit, as well as the Varian 21EX Linear Accelerator.

Today, patients with cancer have more promising and less invasive treatment options than ever before. One treatment that many cancer patients —especially those with breast, gynecological or lung cancer—are considering is high dose rate (HDR) brachytherapy. HDR brachytherapy, which has shown promising results while minimizing side effects, has allowed breast cancer treatments to take five days instead of the typical five to seven weeks, and the healthy part of the affected organ is exposed to less radiation.

“We are excited that Methodist Sugar Land Hospital has chosen to provide our patients with this high level cancer therapy,” says Kelly Dempsey, M.D., breast surgeon on staff at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. “Now my patients can have access to a full-service oncology program right here at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. ”

During HDR brachytherapy treatment, thin catheters are temporarily placed around or into the cancer site. “The number of catheters used depends on the tumor location and is planned specifically for each patient, ” explains Shkedy. “The patient doesn’t experience discomfort during the procedure.” Once the catheters are connected, an HDR machine, called an afterloader, delivers the precise amount of radiation prescribed by the patient ’s oncology team. “The afterloader may make clicking sounds as it delivers the radiation source into each catheter, ” says Dr. Shkedy, “but patients report that they do not feel anything during the treatments, which typically last only a few minutes. ”

“We wanted the members of the chamber to come out and tour the cancer center, but our main focus was letting them know that the high-level cancer treatment they expect in the Medical Center is now in Fort Bend County, ” says Shkedy.

OakBend Medical Center received the American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines–Stroke Gold Performance Achievement Award. The award recognizes OakBend’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment for at least 24 months according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.

OakBend Medical Center has developed a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department. This includes always being equipped to provide brain imaging scans, having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations and using clot-busting medications when appropriate.

To receive the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Gold Performance Achievement Award, OakBend Medical Center demonstrated 85 percent adherence in the Get With The Guidelines –Stroke key measures for 24 or more consecutive months. These include aggressive use of medications like tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis, cholesterol-reducing drugs and smoking cessation.