Speaker 3: Communications. Madam Secretary, do we have any communications?
Speaker 0: None, Mr. President.
Speaker 3: Proclamations. We have one proclamation this evening. And Councilman Lopez, will you please read Proclamation 623.
Speaker 1: Thank you, Mr. President. Proclamation number 623 Series of 2014 honoring Dr. Paul Milenkovic on the occasion of his retirement. Whereas Dr. Paul Milenkovic has dedicated his entire 37 year medical career at Denver Health to serving Denver's poor and advocating for vulnerable patient populations. And. Whereas, Dr. Paul Milenkovic started the first school based health center in Denver and has been instrumental in establishing Denver Health as one of the most acclaimed school based health care systems in the United States. And. Whereas, under Dr. Paul MILENKOVIC Milenkovic has leadership as director of ambulatory care services, the Denver Health Clinics increase the number of patients served by 50% in seven years to 120,000 people served in 2013. And. Whereas, Dr. Paul Milenkovic led the Lean Transformation of Denver Health's ambulatory clinic, culminating in the acclaimed Chicago Prize, which represented the first health care organization ever to receive this international award. And. WHEREAS, Dr. Paul Milenkovic led the creation of the Denver Health Immunization Program, an electronic registry resulting in the prestigious Codman Award from the Joint Commission, one of only two ambulatory awards given nationally in a decade. And. Whereas, as a result of Dr. Paul Milenkovic, his work, Denver Health, became a truly integrated health care system, which resulted in it becoming a model health care organization for the nation. And. Whereas, Dr. Paul Milenkovic has received many awards and commendations, including being awarded recently the National 2014 Samuel Yu Rogers Achievement Award for Outstanding Achievements in Clinical Practice and Leadership of the Community Health Center, Mission and Service. And. Whereas, the City will miss his leadership, his ability to create the future of health care, and importantly, his consistent dedication, his constant dedication to our patients and the true mission of Denver health. Now, therefore, being proclaimed by the Council of the City and County of Denver. Section one at the Denver City Council hereby recognizes Dr. Paul Milenkovic, his work for his contributions to Denver's community in countless ways, personally and professionally, to keep Denver citizens healthy. And for his professional and personal dedication to the city and county of Denver, the state of Colorado and the nation, his retirement is scheduled for September 2014. And he'll he will leave a void that will be changed will be challenging to fill section two at the clerk of the city and county of Denver shall a test and a fix the seal of the city and county of Denver to this proclamation. And that a copy be transmitted to Dr. Paul. Mm hmm.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Councilman Lopez. Your motion to adopt.
Speaker 1: Mr. President, I move that council proclamation 623 series of 2014 be adopted.
Speaker 3: Is been moved and seconded. Comments from members of Council. Councilman Lopez.
Speaker 1: Thank you, Mr. President. I had a great I had a great opportunity to see Dr. William Rich's work firsthand. He has been very instrumental in making sure that health care is a right in this city and not a privilege. Dr.. Milenkovic is responsible for so many people, countless people and countless families in this city and in this state, their ability to see a doctor. We can only imagine just how impactful that has been in our city and for our families. There are countless individuals in our city that have their mothers, their fathers, their children, their family members in good health, alive and in front of them because of work that Dr. Paul Milenkovic has led. Denver Health is one of the greatest hospitals in our nation. I was born at DG in 1978. If you are already, you probably delivered me. Who knows? So thanks for not dropping that. Although I do have a little mat right here. I don't know where to throw it. I've seen you in action, Dr. Milenkovic. I've seen you in board meetings. I've seen you in community meetings. More recently, I've sat in a meeting that was very proud, very proud moment to see Dr. Milinkevich talk about the new Southwest Denver Clinic in Southwest Denver to be completed, actually to break ground in September and be completed within a year. From what I understand in that year, hopefully, weather permitting, there are so many people that benefit from his work. Dr. Milinkevich, you have been a tremendous, tremendous individual, a tremendous asset to our our community, to the city and county of Denver. And I'm sad to see you retire, although judging from him and from your work and your attitude, I know that this isn't the last time we see you. I know you're still going to be around. And I've also heard very funny stories about Dr. Milinkevich, and especially on why he wears a bow tie. Now, I heard that you wore a tie at one point, but some kid threw up on it. A baby? Oh, you wiped his nose on his tie? No. And that's why he wears bow ties. Nothing more. I'm sure that hasn't stopped some other little patient from trying to do that as well, too. And it looks good on you. I mean, I've never seen a bow tie look better on a man. And you almost want to make me wear one if I could tie it. So, without further ado, Mr. President, I just. I just want to thank you, Dr. Milenkovic. I know I'm not the only one that's going to make comments here, but, you know, on behalf of of the countless people I know, there's the majority of the folks that Denver health serves are able to go for. And, you know, to my and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts, thank you for serving our community in our city.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Councilman Lopez. Councilwoman.
Speaker 6: Thank you, Mr. President. I remember when city council had to vote to allow the school based clinics to exist. You remember the chambers was packed. We had people concerned that the schools were going to be handing out condoms to students. And some of my colleagues on the council at the time were very concerned about that. And it was a very controversial issue. But to realize today that we have over 120,000 students actually being served, many of whom this is the only opportunity to see a doctor, to get preventative care and to make sure that if something is identified, that it's being treated. And so the work that you have done over the years in not only with the school based clinics, but with the clinics that we have in the community. I know that when clinic started right next to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church, Denver Health played a role in that. I can remember when Quick Newton had a clinic on their site and Denver Health had docs that worked out of there as well too. To know that we have a first class health care system in this city that serves everybody and that indigent people receive the same quality treatment as somebody that ends up there that was in a car accident that can afford to pay for their health care is is just amazing. They know it's a teaching hospital. We have a lot of people that come through there that are getting their doctorate degrees. And basically we are getting state of the art. Folks that are helping ensure that, you know, any of the latest diseases and things like that are being treated with with first class equipment as well, with all the upgrades that have taken place on the campus over the years. And I just want to say thank you for your years of service. I want to thank your family. I see you have family members here for their allowing you to be able to do this job. I know it takes a whole family that allows us to, you know, to do the work that we do. And so I just wish you Godspeed in your retirement. I understand you're not going to go too far. So look forward to any additional contributions that you will still make. Thank you.
Speaker 3: Thank you, Councilwoman Ortega. Are there any other comments from members of council seen on Madam Secretary? Roll Call.
Speaker 0: Lopez. Hi, Nevitt. Hi, Ortega. Hi. Rob Shepherd. Sussman. Brooks Brown. I thought I. Can each. Hi, Lehman. Hi, Mr. President.
Speaker 1: Hi.
Speaker 3: Madam Secretary. Please close the voting. And now the results.
Speaker 0: 12 eyes.
Speaker 3: 12 eyes. Proclamation 623 has been adopted. Councilman Lopez, is there anyone you would like to call to the podium to accept this award?
Speaker 1: Yes, I would like to invite Dr. Gonzalez and Dr. Paul Milinkevich to the podium. Mr. President and members of council, it's a delight to be here on this occasion to acknowledge Dr. Paul Milenkovic. You know, we do three things at Denver Health and we try to do him very well. One of them is research, and Dr. Milenkovic is what you would call a researcher's research. His prowess at bringing in national level grants at very high levels speaks to not only his ability, but the ability of the team that he has trained and the work that he does. We also do teaching, and Dr. Milenkovic is a teacher's teacher. He's taught many of the senior leaders that we have at the medical school and through the medical school at Denver Health, as well as medical students, residents and people who have become and assumed leadership positions at Denver Health. And in terms of service, which is highest and foremost, what we try to do, he is a doctor's doctor. Many people seek him out for his opinion, for his wisdom and his guidance in the work that we do. It is a great loss, I think, for Denver Health. And one of the nice things about Denver health is we have so many senior caring physicians who represent the conscience and the heart of Denver health. And the bad news is sometimes they think they're entitled to retire and have a life besides the Denver health. And we're working on that. I have tried to recruit him back to the hospital in a volunteer capacity or any kind of capacity. But he says, I have to talk to his wife and she's here. So I'll work on that this evening. But finally and most importantly, he's been a mentor and a guide for me in my first two years, and I'm pleased to call him a partner and a friend and he'll be missed. Thank you. But I had to make a couple of notes because if not, I would be talking forever. But I don't have any slides, so I will try not to talk too long. You know, when I when I first working started working at Denver Health back then Denver General Hospital, I actually had no idea that I would spend my life and my whole career there. My first position was actually as a pediatrician working at a clinic, which now no longer exists. I was working at the Hyde Park Clinic, which at the time that I first started working there, was in the basement of a church on 32nd Street. And I still remember Mayor Webb's mother coming in occasionally to that clinic to tell us what we were doing, usually what we were doing wrong. Sometimes she would tell us what we were doing right. But I still remember. And that that was my connection with community. I mean, that was community health. We were here to to take care of the community and to listen to what the community felt we needed to be doing. Now, 37 years later, this is a very different health care delivery system that I started working at. And I think that it it has grown substantially through the leadership of many, many people. And it has done a lot to support the health of the Denver community, but it still has not turned its back.
Speaker 3: On the.
Speaker 1: Most underserved residents of this community. And I think through our community health program we take care of almost 130,000 patients, most of whom are low income and without us would not get the care they deserve. And it's that commitment to the mission of Denver Health that's really kept me coming to work every day and enjoying it almost all of the time. I really do.
Speaker 3: Think I'll miss it.
Speaker 1: Because it's been a great place to have a career where you feel like you're making a difference. I want to thank City Council for the recognition. It's it feels good to be recognized and I feel fortunate to have been part of that work, although I must say that I have not done this alone. This is I have been part of it.
Speaker 3: But I've been fortunate to have.
Speaker 1: Great support from administration, from prior administrations. And now Dr. Gonzalez, I've had great support from staff, many of whom are here, who've worked really closely with me to get done what we've been able to get done. And I think most importantly, I've had the support of my family and a wife who's been considered enough to let me do what I wanted to do. Most of the time, I, I think without all of them, nothing that we've accomplished in community health would have happened. And and so I have to thank them and recognize them for this achievement. So thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you.
A proclamation honoring Dr. Paul Melinkovich on the occasion of his retirement. A proclamation honoring Dr. Paul Melinkovich on the occasion of his retirement.