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| Service Overview | Primary Care Team | Center Location |
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Mark Wesselman, MD Medical Director “Dr. Mark” joined Total Community Care in mid-May after working at Lovelace Medical Center for 15 years as an internist and hospitalist. He had also served as the medical director for a hospice. Dr. Mark said that Total Community Care appeals to him because, “I like the whole idea of an interdisciplinary approach to caring for patients and keeping them safe — and out of nursing homes for as long as possible. He also said, “The participants at PACE are a remarkable group of individuals who offer great rewards and interesting challenges. Dr. Mark grew up in New Mexico, graduated from UNM and completed his residency at the University of Utah. He and his wife have two teenagers. |
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Lucas Casul, MD Primary Care Physician Dr. Casul says that his goal was to find a medical job that would allow him to spend all the time he needs with his patients, without feeling rushed. He found that “pace” at PACE. “Here at Total Community Care I can treat each person as the individual they are,” he says. He also appreciates the PACE philosophy because it’s a better way of practicing medicine and ends up saving the state money by avoiding or delaying nursing home care. Dr. Casul was born in California but grew up in Puerto Rico. He graduated from college and medical school from the University of Puerto Rico and completed his internship at Loma Linda in southern California. He has been at Total Community Care since December 2004. “New Mexico is home now,” he says. Dr. Casul and his wife have three children. |
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Sara Santilli, CNP, RN, MSN, is the PACE program's "historian" having been with the Albuquerque program since it started. Her entire professional career has been with the elderly population; she began as an aide in a nursing home. Originally from Dover, Ohio, Sara received her bachelor's degree from Kent State University and her master's from the University of Florida. It was her husband's job that brought her to New Mexico. Sara's background in geriatric care includes particular expertise in resuscitation and advance directives. An article she wrote on those topics was published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Sara says that the "holistic approach at PACE" gives her a unique opportunity to learn from the participants and their life experiences. |
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Sharon Gee, CNP, RN, provides primary care at PACE. She formerly worked in New mexico correctional facilities and taught English as a foreign language in Iran. She enjoys total care because "we keep participants out of nursing homes and hospitals, cutting the cost of healthcare." She holds her bachelor's and RN from Reese College, and her certification in family practice from the University of North Dakota. |