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2007

2007 A YEAR IN REVIEW

Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Honors

Dementia Care Professional of the Year Memorial Cancer Institute Opens First
Bone Marrow Transplant Unit in Broward
In Broward County, FL, the Coral Springs (FL) Police
Department has a mantra: “If it involves a senior, call Cindy,”
according to police officer Kerry Draddy. He’s referring to his col- Memorial Cancer Institute at Memorial Hospital West has just
league, Cynthia Heafy, a certified elder crime practitioner and cer- become the first facility in Broward County to open a bone marrow
tified geriatric care manager who has worked with seniors with transplant unit where patients with certain kinds of blood cancers,
Alzheimer’s disease or other forms of dementia for more than a such as leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, will be able to
decade. receive treatment.
Dementia Care Professionals of America (DCPA), a division of “Chemotherapy can get rid of some cancers,” explains Lyle
the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA), has recognized Feinstein, M.D., hematologist/oncologist and co-director of the pro-
Heafy’s dedication by awarding her “Dementia Care Professional gram with Daren Grosman, M.D., hematologist/oncologist.
of the Year.” “Unfortunately, you can also knock out the good cells with the bad. If
Heafy is the first recipient of this new award for dementia care that happens, the patient can’t produce red and white blood cells and
professionals. DCPA will present the award annually to an indi- platelets.” The solution: remove some of the blood pregenitor cells,
vidual who has demonstrated professional excellence in care, store them, give the patient high doses of radiation or chemotherapy to
compassionate performance above and beyond expectations, and eradicate the cancer, then infuse the blood progenitor cells, which can
a dedicated commitment to individuals with dementia Cynthia Heafy then produce normal red and white blood cells and platelets in the
Heafy has worked for the Coral Springs Police Department for marrow.
the past 27 years. As the department’s community involvement coordinator, she investigates sen- The unit is the third component of the Leukemia, Lymphoma and
ior abuse cases, is a first responder in cases involving individuals with dementia, makes arrange- Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program, which is also comprised of
ments for those who can no longer live alone, and ensures that long-term care facilities are in research and specialty care for cancer patients.
compliance. Until now patients had to travel out-of-town or even out-of-state to
By coincidence, Heafy said, while she was already entrenched in her career, her mother devel- receive the transplant. “There has been a real commitment on the part
oped dementia and passed away in 2004. of Memorial Healthcare System to invest in this,” says Daren Grosman,
Draddy, Heafy’s co-worker, nominated her for the award because of her goal to “assist seniors M.D. “One of the things that will be unique about the program is that
in any way that she can,” he said. “If there is any senior-related issue, Cindy is right in the mid- our bone marrow transplants will be outpatient procedures. Now that
dle of it.” the supportive care, antibiotics and anti-nausea medications have got-
In addition, Heafy trains police officers and firefighters on how to deal with seniors with ten so refined, we can actually keep most patients at home through
Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. She also was instrumental in setting up Project their transplants.”
Lifesaver, a rapid response system to track wanderers, in the Coral Springs community.

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30 December 2007 hospitalnews.org South Florida Hospital News