Names of Note: Modesto hospice appoints medical director. New owners at Dodge Ridge
Dr. Peter Lai, a longtime cardiologist in Modesto, will become medical director at Community Hospice on Sept. 1.
The nonprofit serves more than 2,000 people each year who are approaching death at their homes, care centers and the Alexander Cohen Hospice House in Hughson.
Lai has more than 35 years of service in the area. He was director of cardiovascular research and chief of cardiology at Sutter Memorial Medical Center. He also was medical specialties department chair and chief of cardiology for Gould Medical Group.
Lai earned his medical degree at the National University of Singapore. He did a general medicine internship at United Christian Hospital in Hong Kong and an internal medicine residency at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. He also had cardiology training at the University of Michigan.
“As a respected and dedicated member of our medical community, Dr. Lai has extensive medical expertise and patient involvement, education and leadership skills that fully support our mission,” said C. DeSha McLeod, president and CEO of Community Hospice, in a news release.
Ski area has new owners
Seventy-one years of family ownership has ended at the Dodge Ridge Ski Resort, off Highway 108 in Tuolumne County.
Frank and Sally Helm sold the business to Invision Capital, owner of Mountain High Resort in Southern California, and Mountain High president and CEO Karl Kapuscinski.
The resort’s only owners have been Earl Purdy, who founded it in 1950, and the Helms, who purchased it in 1976. The terms of the latest deal were not disclosed in the Aug. 16 news release.
The Helms tripled the resort to 862 skiable acres, including a 2007 expansion that also added the Family Lodge.
Dodge is the closest skiing and snowboarding to Modesto. It managed to get in a 2020-21 season thanks to a few well-timed storms amid the drought.
Dodge operates under a permit from the Stanislaus National Forest. The new owners will assume a separate contract for managing several forest campgrounds from spring to fall. And the forest has just approved a plan for mountain biking using Dodge chairlifts during these seasons.
SCOE team wins awards
Three employees of the Stanislaus County Office of Education won state and national awards from the School Public Relations Association. They went to the communications and graphics team of Judy Boring, Cynthia Fenech and Katie Teixeira.
- The office’s 2020 annual report received Awards of Excellence at both the state and national levels.
- A series of digital ads for the Come Back Kids program won a national Award of Merit. It serves high schoolers whose education was interrupted.
- A national Award of Merit went to a series of videos on mental health. They aired on local television stations.
Names of Note recognizes people and organizations for their contribution to their communities. Submit items to jholland@modbee.com.
This story was originally published August 22, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
