Video Overview and Questions: Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network (BEN) in Colorado

BEN Colorado's Executive Director J.B. Holston - @jholston - shared the Network's vision at the 2014 Colorado BioScience Association All-Member Meeting at the Omni Interlocken:

 
http://youtu.be/gJ6thHzIw1U

 
http://youtu.be/NyFV5q5cAq4

Quoting from the BEN Colorado website about the program:

"The Blackstone Charitable Foundation has selected the Silicon Flatirons Center for Law, Technology, and Entrepreneurship at the University of Colorado to host its first expansion of its innovative Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network.

Through a gift of $4 million, the Blackstone Entrepreneurs Network in Colorado (BEN Colorado) will strengthen and grow the networks across the aerospace, bioscience, digital/technology, energy, and natural foods sectors.

BEN Colorado will initially focus on the Boulder and Denver Metro Area regions. BEN Colorado will work with Master Entrepreneurs and Advisors to open up important networks of influence to a select number of companies on the verge of rapidly 'scaling up'. The goal is to extend, expand, and connect the networks of experience and expertise in and outside of Colorado.

On April 23, 2014, the Blackstone Charitable Foundation formally launched the program at an event featuring Governor John Hickenlooper, Senator Michael Bennet, University of Colorado President Bruce Benson, University of Colorado-Boulder Chancellor Phil DiStefano, Blackstone Charitable Foundation Executive Director Amy Stursberg, and The Blackstone Group Managing Director Jon Gray."

Link to the BEN Colorado website

Link to the related Xconomy article

Colorado BioScience Association Announces Two New Directors at Annual All-Member Meeting

Denver, CO – May 9, 2014 - The Colorado BioScience Association (CBSA) introduced two new board members to its membership at the 2014 Annual All-Member meeting held at the Omni Interlocken Resort, Broomfield, CO, yesterday. The announcement is made by Derek Cole, Chairperson of the Board of Directors and April Giles, CBSA President and CEO of CBSA. “We are very proud of our Board and the work they do to advance our industry,” Giles stated. 
New CBSA Directors:

Marcus Boggs, Founder, CEA Medical Manufacturing (Colorado Springs) www.ceatechnologies.com - He has been involved in the medical device business for over 25 years and founded CEA in 1988.

Dustin Whistler, Principal, Forte Commercial Real Estate (Denver) www.fortecre.com - Chair of the CBSA Membership Committee and founder and principal at Forte Commercial Real Estate.

Link to the Business Wire

Link to the Pitch Engine social media release

Thursday Biz Wrap: Consumer Reports rates Kentuckiana Medical Center No. 1 for patient safety'

Quoting from the April 3rd posting by Terry Boyd:

"If you’re not feeling great, you might want to head to the Sunny Side of Louisville. Kentuckiana Medical Center in Clarksville has come out of several reviews with the top safety rating in the Kentucky market. A market where it appears the rest of the competition is having a tough time when it comes to patient safety.

KMC, managed by Wichita, Kansas-based healthcare development firm Galichia Hospital Group, is ranked as the No. 1 Hospital in the Louisville area for patient safety by Consumer Reports.

That got them a shout out from WAVE-TV’s Eric Flack, who did the original reporting. Flack stated the highest safety score in Consumer Reports for Louisville area hospital ratings 'is far from a household name. It’s the Kentuckiana Medical Center in Clarksville, Indiana.'

Only KMC received an above-average rating for avoiding medical mortality, based on how likely patients are to die within 30 days of being admitted for a heart attack, heart failure, or pneumonia."
 
Link to Insider Louisville

HFN: 'When finances fall apart: Bankruptcy may lead to salvation'

Quoting from the April 25th article by Kelsey Brimmer:

"Last summer, the 40-bed hospital filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in July. But bankruptcy didn’t lead to closure for Kentuckiana [Medical Center]. It actually led to its salvation.

Shortly after a settlement agreement with the hospital’s creditors was reached in November, Galichia Hospital Group, a national healthcare development firm based in Wichita, Kan., took over the hospital. Galichia brought on a new management team led by chief executive officer Michael Phillips, but retained Kentuckiana’s 200 employees.

Galichia also added a couple more service lines and more employees, Phillips said, and it plans on launching a new emergency department and increasing the number of patient rooms, turning a desperate situation for Kentuckiana into a win.

'It was a smooth transition,' said Phillips. 'Sometimes it can be a rough transition when you are trying to identify where costs are being lost, or how to downsize in many cases.' Kentuckiana and its surrounding community were very fortunate in the way the takeover by Galichia turned out, said industry observers."

Link to Healthcare Finance News

It's Lavender Kitten Season at Cat Care Society; Don't Miss Out

Lavender Kittens!

The miniature version of Cat Care Society's popular Lavender Cats are back, but for a limited time only during Kitten Season 2014 at Meow Mart (located in the Cat Care Society shelter at 5787 W. 6th Avenue).

Don’t miss out. Each little handmade cat contains dried lavender blossoms grown in the Pacific Northwest. They’d love to sit on your desk, dresser, or windowsill, softly scenting your world and making you smile!

Lavender Kittens are $3 each Lavender Cats are $7 each or two for $12.

Our special thanks to Linda Langsted, adoption assistant and volunteer, who spearheads this wonderful project, now exceeding 500 sold!

Lakewood Pet Examiner: 'Elephant Bar supports Feasting for Felines'

Quoting from Carrie Dow's Examiner.com column:

"Both of the metro area’s Elephant Bar locations are supporting the cats at the Cat Care Society with a Feasting for Felines dine out event next Wednesday, April 16. Twenty percent of the day’s proceeds will go to the Cat Care Society.

The dining is from 11 AM to 10 PM next Wednesday. Guests must present this special Elephant Bar flyer to their server before ordering. Tax, gratuity, alcohol, merchandise and gift card purchases are not included in this offer. Elephant Bar offers global cuisine mixing together the best of Asia and the Americas together."

Link to Examiner.com

Registration Now Open At CBSA Website: 5th Annual GoldLab Symposium, “Embracing the Reptile Within: Head, Heart and Healthcare”

The fifth annual GoldLab Symposium will take place on the University of Colorado Boulder campus on Friday and Saturday, May 16 - 17, 2014. This year’s Symposium, entitled “Embracing the Reptile Within: Head, Heart and Healthcare,” brings together 18 renowned scientists and healthcare experts to discuss progress and issues in personalized medicine. The announcement is made by Colorado Bioscience Association President & CEO April Giles, who says, “Registration can be accomplished online at the Colorado Bioscience Association website: http://www.cobioscience.com/events-calendar/goldlab-symposium-2014.”

“This year our Symposium will have several talks on how the brain works and about the limitations of some of our brain capacity. Indeed, we are less rational than perhaps we might hope,” said Larry Gold, the Symposium’s founder. “The limitations of our neural capacities stand in the way of healthcare improvement,” he added. “The number of great things done in the world is smaller than it ought to be. I blame our ‘reptilian brains’ and this year we will confront our deficiencies without fear,” Gold concluded...

...Speakers scheduled for the 2014 event include: Alan Attie (University of Wisconsin), Tom Cathcart (Freelance Writer), Scott Danielson (SweetViva, Inc.), Bob Duke (University of Texas), Caldwell Esselstyn Jr. (Cleveland Clinic Wellness Institute), Peter Ganz (UCSF School of Medicine), Joy Hirsch (Yale University), Ted Kaptchuk (Harvard Medical School), David Krakauer (University of Wisconsin), Richard Levin (Yale University), Charles Middleton (Roosevelt University), James Rothman (Yale University), Lucy Shapiro (Stanford University), Ken Sharpe (Swarthmore College), Neil Siegel (Northrop Grumman), Ajit Singh (Artiman), Lisa Stubbs (University of Illinois) and Steve Williams (SomaLogic).

The Symposium will be held in the Muenzinger Auditorium on the University of Colorado Boulder campus from 8:30 AM - 6 PM on Friday, May 16th, and 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM on Saturday, May 17th. Admission is free but seating is limited. Registration can be accomplished online at the Colorado Biosciences Association website: http://www.cobioscience.com/events-calendar/goldlab-symposium-2014. Additional information about the Gold Lab Symposia can be found at www.goldlabcolorado.com.

Link to the PitchEngine social media release