KEALAKEKUA, Hawaii-The Mental Health Association of Hawaii said 47-bed Kona Hospital here has violated a court order requiring it to provide psychiatric-care beds on the island of Hawaii. However, the hospital contends it can't open more beds without more money. In a 1986 settlement with the association, the hospital agreed to establish an eight-bed psychiatric unit. State records show the hospital currently is operating only two psychiatric beds. Jennie Wung, Kona Hospital's administrator, said the facility has never denied admission to any psychiatric patients because it lacked sufficient beds.
PHOENIX, Ariz.-Aetna Health Plans of Arizona has named Henry Nadler, M.D., the managed-care company's medical director, to the post of Phoenix market vice president. Dr. Nadler fills the spot left vacant after the recent promotion of John Coyle, who now oversees Aetna's managed-care operations in Dallas. In his new position, Dr. Nadler will supervise Aetna's operations in Phoenix and will be responsible for expanding its provider network in that market. Dr. Nadler joined Aetna Health Plans last July from Michael Reese Hospital and Medical Center in Chicago, where he served as president and chief executive officer of the 1,000-bed hospital, which had a 250,000-enrollee health maintenance organization.
EVERETT, Wash.-The Everett Clinic, a 112-physician multispecialty group practice, has opened its Center for Behavioral Health, a mental health program designed for individual and group care. Financial details about the center weren't available. Paul Schoenfeld will oversee the center, which includes clinical therapists.
OAKLAND, Calif.-Children's Hospital Oaklandhas opened a $2.1 million pediatric cardiac catheterization laboratory, one of two such diagnostic laboratories in California. The specialty program, which was designed by Waukesha, Wis.-based General Electric Medical Systems, is intended to treat infants and children with congenital or acquired heart diseases. The laboratory, located in a new structure adjacent to the 193-bed hospital, uses automated X-ray cameras and state-of-the-art digital imaging, which permit clearer viewing and diagnosis of heart ailments while exposing young patients to lower doses of radiation. Cardiac physicians at Children's last year performed 250 catheterization procedures. The University of California Los Angeles Medical Center has the other pediatric cardiac catheterization laboratory in the state.
