News and Events
New Providers and Services Welcomed in 2007
Our Eye Services Department welcomed DR. MARY CELENTANO at the Springfield office and DR. ROLF GERCHBERG at the Chicopee office. Dr. Celentano was practicing in Longmeadow and Hadley for the past few years. In 1990, she graduated from the State University of NY, receiving her O.D. degree, and completed a residency at SUNY's College of Optometry in 1991. For the past two years, Dr. Gerchberg had been practicing optometry in Springfield before joining our practice in April. He received his O.D. degree from the State University of NY, College of Optometry in 1990.
CONTACT LENS SERVICES are currently being offered by both optometrists at Springfield and Chicopee.
The Gastroenterology Department in Chicopee is very pleased to announce the addition of our new gastroenterologist, DR. JORGE SOTELO! Dr. Sotelo comes to us from Orchard Park, NY, where is practiced for three years. He received his MD degree from the Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia in Lima, Peru, and completed his Internal Medicine Residency and Gastroenterology Fellowship at SUNY at Brooklyn. He is board certified in both Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology.
DR. KAREN CONWAY joined our Chicopee Pediatrics Department in January. She came to us from Phoenix, AZ, where she worked as a pediatrician in a Spanish-speaking community for over two years. She earned her BA from Yale and her MD from UMASS Medical School. Her internship and residency were completed in Phoenix at the Children's Hospital/Maricopa Medical Center. She is board certified in Pediatrics, and fluent in Spanish.
ULTRASOUND SERVICES are now available at the Agawam office, Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Agawam Pediatrics Department welcomed nurse practitioner KAREN SHELDON in January. Karen had been a "school nurse" for many years at Northfield Mt. Hermon School, and a grant nurse liaison for the East Longmeadow public school system. Prior to that, she worked as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Greenfield Pediatrics for 13 years. Karen received her BA from Hampshire College and her MSN from Yale School of Nursing.
In February, ADRIENNE HINES, CNM, joined our OB/GYN Department in Agawam. She is a recent graduate of the Baystate Medical Center's Midwifery Education Program. Adrienne had been a labor and delivery nurse at our local hospitals for several years.
We offer AESTHETIC LASER TREATMENTS in Chicopee. The most powerful YAG laser is used to treat leg veins or rosacea, remove tattoos, hair or brown spots, or tighten skin and wrinkles. For an appointment, call the Chicopee OB/GYN Department at 594-3111.
2006 Quality Awards
US Family Health Plan - Quality Excellence Award
RiverBend Medical Group has received the 2006 US Family Health Plan Quality Excellence Award! The award is designed to recognize and reward a provider group or network organization that demonstrates an achievement in delivering the highest quality of care and service, as well as for demonstrating improved performance. On November 2, 2006, members of our Management Team were presented with the award, as well as a $500 honorarium from the Plan. RiverBend Medical Group will be highlighted in US Family Health Plan communications and on the US Family Health Plan website.
"RiverBend's investment in the electronic medical record for the purpose pf providing better customer care is impressive," says US Family Health Plan Executive Director David Chicoine. "We believe in honoring our providers whose actions are aligned with the USFHP mission to provide the best health care possible to retirees of the uniformed services and the families of active military."
Blue Cross Blue Shield of MA - Recognizes Providers
Three physicians from RiverBend Medical Group have been recognized by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts as being among the top performers (top 10%) of primary care providers in Massachusetts based on quality measures in 2005. They are Dr. Chaula Vora, Adult Medicine in the Springfield practice, Dr. James Schumacher, Rheumatologist in the Chicopee practice, and Dr. Josephine Scotto-DiCarlo, Pediatrics in the Springfield practice.