Juniper and ash pollen, mixed with mold, are to blame for the sneezing and sniffling in Tucson.

“On a sneeze scale, I’d put it at an 8 out of 10,” said Mark Sneller, owner of Aero Allergen Research and the sole pollen counter in Pima County.

He said pollen counts over the weekend were twice that of the same weekend a year ago.

On Monday he counted 330 pollen grains per cubic meter of air. Some 15 pollen types were represented in that count, with the biggest culprits being juniper and ash trees.

During the last weekend of February 2008, the pollen counts ranged from 131 to 164 grains per cubic meter of air.

“With all this really warm weather, we are going to have an early season,” Sneller said. “(The pollen count) will be shooting up.”

Sneller said Italian cypress is also causing some problems for those with allergies, while the big allergens, mulberry and ragweed, haven’t started to make an impact yet.

Some with allergies say that their stand-by medications aren’t doing the job this year.

Elena Waller, 39, of Tempe said she’s “tried everything over-the-counter” and nothing is stopping her sneezing binges. Davell Logan, 32, of Mesa, said that typically he can take an antihistamine a couple of times a week and his allergies are fine. This year, he said nothing gets rid of the sniffling, sneezing, runny nose, plugged ears and tiredness.

“The fatigue part just drained me down,” he said.

Dr. Randy Horwitz, medical director of the Arizona Center of Integrative Medicine at the University of Arizona, said that he doesn’t recommend over-the-counter medications and that most allergy sufferers would find a measurable amount of relief in performing a nasal irrigation to clean out the sinuses. Nasal irrigators can be found at most pharmacies, he said.

Both Horwitz and Sneller recommend protecting the home against pollens by running the air conditioner instead of opening windows, leaving shoes at the door so pollen isn’t tracked inside, and replacing filters in heaters and air conditioners.

“Now is not a good time to open up the home for whatever purpose,” Sneller said.

The Arizona Republic contributed to this article.

———

Tips for allergy sufferers

• Identify what triggers your allergies with a medical test. Try to avoid those things.

• Take medications before leaving home.

• Keep doors and windows closed.

• Shower after being outside. You are covered in allergens when you come in. Wash bedding, pajamas and clothes as much as possible.

• Keep eye drops and decongestants around.

Source: WebMD

Dr. Stuart Flynn had been interim dean since April

The University of Arizona College of Medicine has named Dr. Stuart Flynn dean of the Phoenix campus.

Flynn has spent almost a year with the title of “interim dean,” since Edward “Ted” Shortliffe resigned in April 2008 after he was told by then-dean of the College of Medicine Keith Joiner that his title would be changed from dean to vice dean.

Flynn was the associate dean for academics when he was made interim dean. Joiner resigned in July.

“Dr. Flynn has done a superior job in taking the reins of the important expansion of the College of Medicine,” said Dr. William Crist, vice president of health affairs for UA, in a statement announcing Flynn’s title change. “He is the right person to continue leading this campus and I have every confidence that the Phoenix campus will continue to grow, succeed and serve the state of Arizona under his leadership.”

Crist announced in October that the university would no longer be recruiting for the dean position at the Phoenix campus. He then announced in January that he had no intention of replacing Flynn or the interim dean of the College of Medicine, Steven Goldschmid.

The Phoenix campus started training its first class of 24 in July 2007 and administrators expect 150 physician graduates a year by 2015. The College of Medicine in Tucson graduates about 110 physicians a year.

Part of the curriculum for fifth-grade class

Michael Aguilar (left) and Javier Martinez-Carmona lead a pack of runners in Sandy DelCasale's fifth-grade class at Hudlow Elementary School.

At 9:30 a.m. every school day, 23 fifth-graders at Hudlow Elementary, 502 N. Caribe Ave., walk at least one mile in 15 minutes.

“It’s called a brisk walk,” student Javier Martinez-Carmona said Wednesday.

Martinez-Carmona is one of 43,000 Arizona fifth-graders taking part in “Walk On,” a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona sponsored event. The students are given pedometers and a calender to track at least 10,000 steps a day during February.

Sandy DelCasale’s class has been participating for four years, since the program began.

DelCasale said the first year her students enjoyed it so much, they continued to walk each day the rest of the year. Now, daily walks are a year-round event, although there is extra motivation in February.

The student learn about having healthy hearts and are encouraged to make exercise a daily part of life. Also, participants have a chance of winning a Wii Fit video game system, iPods and more. The school with the highest level of participation will win $2,500 toward a fitness-related field trip or activity.

However, when asked, the students in DelCasale’s class barely talk about the possible prizes. Instead they expound on the benefits of walking every day.

Fifth-grader Marcos Alamirano said the students are told to stay in front of the teacher, who walks quickly.

“It’s not just about going slow,” he said. “It doesn’t help your heart to go slow.”

On early-out days or rainy days the students don’t walk, which has a downside.

“When we don’t walk we all get really cranky,” Brandon Clark said.

As the students walked Wednesday, Haley Rice fell behind the rest of the class. She had cut her toe in gymnastics the day before and it was hurting, but she still managed 2 1/2 laps before it was time to go inside.

Rice pointed out the “running boys,” Kamel Singh, Michael Aguilar, Martinez-Carmona and Israel Mendoza-Castro, who will run five to six laps around a 1/3 mile track during each day’s walk.

Mendoza-Castro said he thinks all the kids should be able to run like they do.

“I tell them to start running often at home, like run a block, because you need to let your energy out,” he said.

Laurel Fisher (left) and Griffyn Krause chat while walking with Sandy DelCasale's fifth-grade class at Hudlow Elementary School during their morning walk.

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On the Web

Blue Cross Blue Shield Walk On

www.walkonaz.com

The Arizona Cancer Center is looking for women to participate in a study that looks at whether a green tea extract may help prevent cervical cancer.

The study will determine whether Polyphenon E affects cancer-related biomarkers in blood or cervical tissue or both in certain types of women.

The study is recruiting women who already have had a diagnosis of persistent cervical dysplasia/CIN1, human papillomavirus or LSIL and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions for at least the last 6 to 12 months. Eligible participants will take either 800 milligram capsules of Polyphenon E or a matched placebo for four months.

For additional study-related information, contact Dr. Francisco Garcia at 626-8539 or Bonnie Weible at 318-7178.

Economic woes leave many without private insurance

Pima Community Access Program customer care coordinator <strong>Sonia Yanez</strong> (left) helps <strong>Norma Padilla</strong> sign up her family for the program's health care assistance. Padilla's husband was laid off. He found another job but it doesn't come with medical benefits. The family has two children, including son <strong>Isaiah</strong>, in his mother's lap.

The economic downturn’s toll on middle-class Tucsonans can be seen as teachers, administrators and even people with doctoral degrees join the growing numbers seeking medical care from programs that serve the uninsured.

“We’re seeing a lot of higher-skilled people coming in,” said Iris Vasquez, director of patient services at St. Elizabeth’s Health Center, 140 W. Speedway Blvd.

Michal Goforth, executive director of the Pima Community Access Program, said more people are turning to that program after being laid off and taking jobs that don’t offer health insurance or don’t pay enough to cover private insurance.

A teacher signing up for the access program said, ” ‘I never realized I would be in this situation,’ ” Goforth said.

The community access program and St. Elizabeth’s, formerly St. Elizabeth’s of Hungary, are self-pay health care programs serving Pima County residents who can’t afford health insurance and don’t qualify for the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, the state’s Medicaid program.

The access program charges an annual fee and offers reduced costs for local medical care to patients who meet eligibility standards based on the federal poverty level. St. Elizabeth’s charges patients fees for services on an income-based sliding scale.

Both programs depend on the support of local health organizations, patient payments and donations.

Vasquez said the number of applicants at St. Elizabeth’s has doubled from 30-40 a day last summer to more than 70 a day.

Even more were being seen in January – as many as 90 a day – until the clinic reduced the hours during which applications were taken to allow the staff time to process applicants’ paperwork.

St. Elizabeth’s stopped taking new AHCCCS patients last fall because the clinic was overwhelmed with self-pay patients, Vasquez said.

Individuals or families who might qualify for AHCCCS or the access program need to make an appointment to complete their application, Vasquez said. It used to mean waiting a week. Now, because so many people are applying, it takes 3-4 weeks, she said.

For Norma Padilla, 34, the access program is the reason her husband will be able to have surgery for a hernia. He had scheduled the elective surgery at UPH Hospital at Kino Campus, but was laid off from his job and lost his health insurance.

The person who helped him cancel his surgery at UPH Hospital referred Padilla to the community access program. Her husband found a new job, but it doesn’t offer health insurance and he makes slightly too much to qualify his family, which includes two children, for AHCCCS.

After meeting with PCAP representative Sonia Yanez on Feb. 11, Padilla was relieved that her family would be able to get some help with medical expenses.

While filling out the application for PCAP, Yanez checked to see whether the family would qualify for other services such as food stamps, cash assistance, or any other government programs. Again, the family’s income was just barely too high.

To be eligible for AHCCCS, an individual must make less than the federal poverty level, which is $10,830. A family of four – with children under age 18 – qualifies for AHCCCS’ KidsCare program if it makes up to $42,408, or 200 percent of the federal poverty level for a family of four.

To qualify for PCAP, individuals and families can make up to 250 percent of the federal poverty rate.

PCAP costs $40 per person per year. It offers reduced rates at local hospitals and area specialists. For example, a PCAP member will never pay more than $2,000 for a hospital stay and is responsible for 20 percent of the bill for an outpatient procedure.

Goforth said PCAP members are encouraged to use St. Elizabeth’s; El Rio Community Health Center; MHC Healthcare, formerly Marana Health Center; and other community health centers that charge patients on an income-based sliding scale.

Yanez said she is seeing a lot more people applying with PCAP who are receiving unemployment benefits.

Vasquez said some of those applying at St. Elizabeth’s have been jobless for so long that they are using the 20-week unemployment extension Congress passed and then-President Bush signed in November.

The stimulus package signed Tuesday by President Obama includes an unemployment insurance extension. It also offers some help for laid-off employees who, through the COBRA program, would otherwise have to foot the whole bill to be covered by their former employers’ health insurance plan for up to 18 months.

Under the stimulus package, the federal government will pay 65 percent of the COBRA premium for nine months, leaving the patient to pay 35 percent.

Even with the aid for people who get laid off, Goforth said she thinks the need for PCAP and self-pay health care services will continue to increase.

“People don’t see it, and nor do we, as a full-time fix,” Goforth said. “It is coverage to ease them through the gap. The question is, will that gap period be longer now?”

———

FOR HELP

St. Elizabeth’s Health Center

140 W. Speedway Blvd., #100

628-7871

Applicants are seen at the clinic from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. Monday through Friday

www.ccs-soaz.org/St.-Elizabeth-s-Health-Center.html

Pima Community Access Program

Application stations are available at community health centers.

To find the closest center, call 694-0418

www.pcap.cc

Both organizations need the following information to complete an application:

• Proof of address (utility bill such as electric, water or gas bill with your name on it) dated within past 30 days

• Picture ID

• Unearned income such as retirement, pension pay or award letter from Social Security for all family members

• Earned income (wages, all paycheck stubs for prior and current month, for all family members)

• Social Security cards or Social Security numbers for those applying

• Proof of citizenship or alien status

• Copies of both sides of health insurance cards or the card itself

• Day care expenses

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PIMA COUNTY AHCCCS ENROLLEES

As unemployment has risen, more county residents have qualified for AHCCCS.

2008 184,260

2007 174,262

2006 166,790

2005 168,419

2004 168,505

2003 153,300

Source: Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System

Mercedes Sumner worked at El Rio Community Health Center for 14 years before her death Feb. 13.

All 15 of El Rio Community Health Center clinics will be closed Friday afternoon so workers can attend the funeral of longtime employee Mercedes Sumner, who collapsed and died Feb. 13.

Sumner, called Mercy by her friends, had been a nurse in southern Arizona for more than 40 years. She was 70 when she died.

“We have an individual that has touched the hearts of many,” said Dr. Arthur Martinez, El Rio’s chief medical officer. “Many of our staff will want to be at services. It was too difficult to pick and choose. . . . We just wanted to allow everybody the opportunity to attend (the funeral).”

Services are scheduled for 2 p.m. Friday at St. Francis de Sales Parish, 1375 S. Camino Seco.

El Rio spokeswoman Jill Rodriguez said Sumner was raised in Sonoita on a cattle ranch. After high school she received a registered nursing degree from St. Mary’s School of Nursing in Tucson, which closed in 1966.

She worked at St. Mary’s Hospital for a short time and then worked at Copper Queen Hospital in Bisbee. She was an instructor at Cochise College in the late 1960s.

Sumner returned to Tucson to work at Tucson Medical Center, where she spent 22 years. She left TMC to work at El Rio, where she had been for the past 14 years.

Rodriguez said Sumner began to experience pain in her legs five weeks before her death. Martinez said she had been moved to a position where she was writing policies and procedures, which enabled her to sit more frequently.

However, on Feb. 13 she collapsed while working and was unresponsive. She was taken to a local hospital, where she died of a pulmonary embolism.

“It’s been very sad,” Martinez said. “It was unexpected and as a result it was quite traumatic.”

He said counselors have been brought in to help staff members.

To close the clinics, Martinez said some appointments had to be rescheduled and signs have been placed on all doors to let patients know of the closure.

Martinez said closing the clinics for a funeral is an unusual act for El Rio. But because Sumner had supervised and been a mentor for most of the nurses and has worked with many of the doctors, it was important to let everyone attend her funeral.

———

SERVICES

Memorial services for Mercy Sumner will be at St. Francis de Sales Parish, 1375 S. Camino Seco, at 2 p.m. Friday.

St. Elizabeth’s Health Center, 140 W. Speedway Blvd., is offering free dental screenings to uninsured and low-income children Friday.

Those who want to get a screening for a child at “Give Kids a Smile Day” should make an appointment by calling 770-8529. Volunteer dentists will be on hand from 8 a.m to 5 p.m.

Children and families are also invited to make St. Elizabeth’s their “dental home” for ongoing care.

Patient

University Medical Center staff have been unable to identify a patient who has been at the hospital since Feb. 1.

The patient, who may be named Ernesto or Neto Lopez, was hit by a car on the South Side, stated a hospital flier requesting help in identifying the man. The extent of his injuries was not provided.

The patient may live in or have friends living in the Barrio Hollywood neighborhood. He speaks English and Spanish, but has given staff members several names.

The patient is in his early 60s, is about 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 110 to 120 pounds. He has graying hair and is missing the majority of his teeth.

He was wearing an L.L. Bean khaki jacket and jeans when admitted to the hospital and was not carrying any identification.

Anybody who may know the patient or his family is asked to call 694-6035.

Funds will pay Rxs for low income, elderly, disabled

El Rio Community Health Center has received $180,970 of an $800,000 settlement with two pharmaceutical companies in 2008.

The money will pay for the prescriptions of low-income, elderly and disabled patients.

Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard was at El Rio on Friday to announce the distribution of the money, which will mostly go to statewide community health centers.

“They have a reach that is not matched by anyone else,” Goddard said of such facilities.

The money is being distributed by the Arizona Association of Community Health Centers, of which most health centers in Arizona are members.

An Arizona Supreme Court ruling designated that the money from the settlement be used for indigent patients who had no other way to pay for prescriptions.

El Rio Executive Director Kathy Byrne said patient advocates look first to see if the patient qualifies for Medicaid assistance. If not, the patient may qualify for one of two prescription assistance programs.

The money from the Attorney General’s Office will go to patients who don’t qualify for the other options, Byrne said, adding that about 1,000 El Rio patients could benefit from the program.

One of those patients receiving help is Andrea Arce, 55, a diabetic who is on multiple medications.

Arce said she was signed up for the new assistance Thursday, the first day patient advocates were able to access the money.

MHC Healthcare, formerly Marana Health Center, will receive $61,890 and United Community Health Center in Green Valley will receive $30,553.

Joseph Coatsworth, chief executive of the Arizona Association of Community Health Centers, said the association applied for the money so that each health center did not have to do it themselves, or have to compete against one another for a share of the available funds.

Coatsworth said all the money will go toward prescriptions, not for administrative costs.

The 2008 settlements were with Caremark and Express Scripts. In the settlement against Caremark, Arizona received $1 million, of which $659,341 was to be set aside for indigent patients. Caremark was accused of dispensing the drug Ranitidine in capsule instead of tablet form, which Medicaid said increased the reimbursement rate.

In the second settlement against Express Scripts, Arizona received $250,735; $185,735 of that was to go to indigent patients. Express Scripts was accused of encouraging physicians to switch patients to drugs that cost the physician less, but would cost the patient more, creating a higher profit margin for the company.

Planned Parenthood reviewing advice to teen in film clip

Planned Parenthood of Southern Arizona is investigating an allegation that one of its Tucson employees did not report statutory rape of a teen asking about an abortion.

The allegation was made by Lila Rose, a UCLA student who filmed interactions with Planned Parenthood nurses across the country last summer.

Rose, who is president of Live Action Films, visited the Margaret Sanger Clinic, 2255 N. Wyatt Drive, last July.

Live Action released a video of the July visit Tuesday, the same day Planned Parenthood representatives were lobbying the state Legislature in Phoenix.

The six-minute video shows Rose’s friend, Jackie Stollar, posing as a 15-year-old impregnated by her 27-year-old boyfriend.

Before learning the boyfriend’s age, the nurse tells Stollar that she will have to go to court to get a judicial bypass to have an abortion without her parent’s permission.

When the nurse finds out the boyfriend is 27, she tells Stollar not to take him to the hearing. The video ends at that point.

The video is part of the Mona Lisa Project, for which Rose filmed the Planned Parenthood interactions. So far, only two other videos – both filmed at Indiana clinics – have been released.

Live Action’s Web site says the purpose of the Mona Lisa Project is to “lead to criminal prosecution of Planned Parenthood, so that their business practices will be forced to comply with governing laws that protect young girls” and that it is “dedicated to the respect and protection of all human life.”

Live Action used hidden cameras in the filming, its Web site states.

Spokeswoman Joline Nestor said Planned Parenthood is investigating and hopes to look at the whole video.

“We’re not taking it lightly,” Nestor said. “It’s concerning to see something like this.”

However, she added, “It’s concerning with how choppy it is and we can’t tell what is going on.”

Rachel Chánes, vice president of community services for Planned Parenthood Arizona, said in a news release, “We are conducting an internal, fact-based review to ensure that all our high standards of care and legal obligations have been met.”

E-mail from Rose said the raw footage will not be released to Planned Parenthood or the media, but will be given to law enforcement authorities in Arizona.

———

On the Web

Live Action Films

http://liveaction.org/monalisa/tucson/

Larry Aldrich had been interim CEO of health care group

Aldrich

University Physicians Healthcare has dropped the interim from interim CEO Larry Aldrich’s title.

Aldrich, a former CEO of Tucson Newspapers Inc., has been acting CEO since June, after Norm Botsford resigned.

Aldrich said UPH is still looking for someone to oversee UPH Hospital at Kino Campus, which is being run by an interim CEO as well, Peter Bryan.

“Over the course of this year, we will work on finding a permanent CEO for the hospital,” Aldrich said Monday.

As the physician-practice group for doctors at University Medical Center and UPH Hospital, UPH also provides physician faculty to the University of Arizona.

Legislative budget cuts to the university could affect hiring and recruiting, although Aldrich said physicians with UPH have some advantage over those working in a private practice.

He said faculty can bring in money through teaching, seeing patients and research.

“If you are a full-time clinician, you have one revenue stream,” Aldrich said.

While there has been some confusion and controversy in recent years between the heads of each organization, Aldrich said he believes that is about to change.

“We can work together to help support the growth of the academic medical center,” he said.

Aldrich expressed confidence in the ability of newly hired William Crist, UA’s vice president for health affairs, to bring the department heads together.

“Extreme Makover: Home Edition” is looking for people to volunteer Monday who have experience in brickwork, drywalling or landscaping to help put the final touches on the Tucson home being built for the Bell family.

Volunteers should report directly to the staging area at the southeast corner of River and Craycroft roads. Though participants need not sign up on the Web site beforehand, more information is available at extrememakeovertucson.com.

The home will be revealed to the family at 2 p.m. Tuesday.

Workers move a section of wall into place at the new home of Lizzie Bell and her family at 4630 N. Paseo Aquimuri on Friday. The family's old home was demolished Wednesday night and construction on the new home began Thursday.

“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” has not had to pay thousands of dollars in building fees to Pima County to build a home for 14-year-old Lizzie Bell’s family.

Construction of the home Lizzie will share with her dad and mom, John and Kathleen Bell, and sister Alicia, 12, at 4630 N. Paseo Aquimuri began Thursday after the their old home was demolished Wednesday night.

With time, labor, money and materials donated by local subcontractors and companies, the home is scheduled to be completed by Tuesday afternoon.

Carmine DeBonis, development services director for Pima County, said Friday that because the house is a community project, the county wanted to contribute as well.

“This is a project of community interest,” he said. “We are part of the community and wanted to do our part and facilitate the project moving forward.”

However, he said the development office cannot waive fees. Fee waivers must be approved by the Pima County Board of Supervisors. The fees are deferred until either the board waives them, or a private party pays for them, he said.

“There are some efforts in the private sector to find donations to pay for those fees,” DeBonis said.

The fees include $4,500 for a building plan review and building inspectors, plus $1,200 to certify the home as a green, or energy efficient, home.

Additional fees will have to be paid to the U.S. Green Building Council, which is the official certifier.

DeBonis said that because there won’t be a change in the number of residents using the street or sewer system, other traditional fees that apply to new construction don’t apply.

He said that while there won’t be a building inspector on site 24/7, one will be there regularly.

“We’ve been given a detailed construction schedule,” DeBonis said. “We know down to the hour when they will be at stages of the construction when they need an inspector.”

Pima County Recorder F. Ann Rodriguez is spending her days at the job site, but she is not being paid by the county to facilitate community donors during the construction.

Rodriguez said she is a friend of the primary builder, John Wesley Miller, and was asked to volunteer her time for the construction.

She said Friday that she is volunteering on her own time.

Family’s need and generosity inspired friend’s ‘Extreme Makeover’ nomination

HEIDI ROWLEY

hrowley@tucsoncitizen.com (hrowley@tucsoncitizen.com)

Tucsonan Lynda Langlois has been entering 14-year-old Lizzie Bell’s family in every home improvement contest she knows of since she saw their bathtub in the garage.

But it was her son’s idea to nominate Lizzie’s family for “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

Jared Giddings, 21, suffers from cerebral palsy and is a big fan of the ABC TV show that airs on Sundays, Langlois said.

“Jared watched every show and he wanted to do it,” she said. “He’s happy for Lizzie.”

The Bell family had been needing some help with their home for a long time, Langlois said.

Lizzie has Diamond Blackfan anemia. Her body does not produce red blood cells, and she must undergo two blood transfusions a month.

Neighbor Nancy Acosta said that Lizzie’s medical bills made it impossible for the family to keep up with the repairs needed in their home.

But it was more than the Bells’ need and her son’s idea that inspired Langlois to act.

“The Bell family is unique in that they spend their whole lives for others,” she said.

After Lizzie’s diagnosis, the family created the John P. Bell Family Foundation, which raises awareness about the need for blood drives and raises money for scholarships and for University Medical Center and other organizations to buy toys for hospitalized children.

Acosta said Lizzie’s mother, Kathleen, works full time on the foundation, often from Lizzie’s hospital room. Lizzie volunteers her time speaking to groups about the benefits of blood donation.

Langlois said that she was excited when an “Extreme Makeover” producer followed up with her but that Bell thought she was too busy to go through the nomination process. However, Langlois talked her into it.

“I started crying when they came up here,” Langlois said of her reaction Tuesday morning when the “Extreme Makeover” crew showed up with a bus and a bullhorn to announce that the family would be a recipient of a new home.

Crews of volunteers tore down the house Wednesday and will build the family a new home by Tuesday.

The shape of a home emerges during construction on Friday.

———

IF YOU GO

Spectators

The spectator area at the “Extreme Makeover” home is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Driving in the neighborhood is be closed to everyone except residents. Spectators should park at Fort Lowell Park, at North Craycroft Road and East Glenn Street, where a shuttle will run to and from the home site.

Blood drive

A national blood drive is being held Saturday to honor Lizzie Bell, 14, whose congenital blood disorder – which requires her to undergo two blood transfusions a month – has made her a poster child for blood donations.

Blood donors can give at:

• Pima Community College East, 8181 E. Irvington Road, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Broadway Donor Center, 7139 E. Broadway, 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

• Foothills Donor Center, 7401 N. La Cholla Blvd. at Foothills Mall, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Debra Deininger, communications manager for the American Red Cross Arizona Region Blood Services, recommends that potential donors make an appointment, although walk-in donors will be accommodated.

For more information or to make an appointment to give blood, call 800-GIVE-LIFE or 917-2820 or log onto www.helpsavealife.org.

———

Schedule

Through Sunday

Crews will be working on home exterior and landscaping.

Monday

Keys are given to “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

Designers move in furniture and decorating begins.

Exterior and interior are cleaned.

Tuesday

2-3 p.m.: Family sees new home for the first time.

Wednesday

4 p.m.: Family/builder news conference

Gifts will be presented to the family from community donations.

———

ON THE WEB

“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” in Tucson extrememakeovertucson.com

John P. Bell Family Foundation www.johnpbellfamilyfoundation.org/

U.S. Green Building Council www.usgbc.org

Framing new one starts Friday

Crews worked on removing rubble from Lizzie Bell's demolished home Thursday morning. The rubble was at a staging area at North Craycroft Road and East River Road.

At noon Thursday there was no sign that 14-year-old Lizzie Bell’s home ever existed.

Tractors leveled the one-acre lot at 4630 N. Paseo Aquimuri. The 400 tons of debris from the home, first taken to a 5-acre lot a mile south on the corner of Craycroft and River roads, had all been loaded up into dump trucks and taken to the private Speedway Landfill to be sorted for recycling.

The home Lizzie shares with her mom and dad, Kathy and John Bell, and sister Alicia, 12, was selected for replacement by “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

The ABC TV show is picking, for this season’s show, people who have contributed to their communities and picked Lizzie because her congenital blood disorder – Diamond Blackfan anemia, which requires her to undergo two blood transfusions a month – has made her a poster child for blood donations.

Overnight Thursday the concrete foundation will be set and by early Friday morning steel frames will begin to show the structure of the new home.

To build the house in 106 hours, volunteer plumbers and electricians and rental equipment need to show up on time.

Laura Edwards, membership director for the Alliance of Construction Trades, is coordinating all the construction volunteers. Each must show up at the staging area at Craycroft and River to check in and receive a hard hat and “Extreme Makeover” shirt, before being sent to the site.

Thursday morning she had some issues with some stand-by workers not showing up, but luckily they weren’t needed. She must have plumbers, electricians and fork-lift operators available 24 hours a day.

“I’m so thankful when they show up,” she said. “Everyone wants to help, but they don’t all know what they need to do.”

As she spoke, employees from Yaqui Electric and Concrete Designs Inc. played cards. Although they weren’t needed at the construction site Thursday, they were helpful in moving around portable toilets and other equipment.

Rick Hernandez, of RDO equipment rentals, said RDO, nationwide, is often a participant in the “Extreme Makeover” show, although this is the first time the Tucson office was able to take part.

He said most of the equipment, from lighting to forklifts, was available in Tucson, although other stores in Arizona also donated equipment to be used.

“Something we really focus on is community support,” he said. “We jumped at the chance.”

John Wesley Miller, the builder of the project, said optimistically Thursday that everything was on schedule. However, because the effort is simultaneously being filmed for the show scheduled to air March 22, there is a lot of “hurry up and wait.”

“It’s a little frustrating as builders,” he said, “but we’re not complaining.”

John Wesley Miller, the builder, said everything is on schedule.

Ty Pennington gives the order for Lizzie Bell's house to come down for the 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition' at 10 p.m. Wednesday.

Crews work on removing rubble from Lizzie Bell's demolished home Thursday morning. The rubble was at a staging area at North Craycroft Road and East River Road. The work is for an episode of 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,' which will air on March 22.

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On the Web

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Tucson

http://extrememakeovertucson.com

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Blood drive

Blood donors across the country will join Tucson in a national blood drive to honor Lizzie Bell, 14, whose home is currently being rebuilt by “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

Debra Deininger, communications manager for the American Red Cross Arizona Region Blood Services, said that while not all the blood will go to Lizzie, who needs two blood transfusions a month because of a rare blood condition, the event is meant to raise awareness about blood donation.

She said Arizona Region Blood Services provides an average of 300 units of blood a day to hospitals.

During a blood drive on Wednesday, Tucsonans donated 60 units of blood, she said. Each donated unit of blood can help up to three people.

Where to donate blood:

• Pima Community College East Campus, 8181 E. Irvington Road., 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Broadway Donor Center, 7139 E. Broadway, 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

• Foothills Donor Center, 7401 N. La Cholla Blvd. at Foothills Mall, 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Deininger recommends that potential donors make an appointment, although walk-in donors will be accommodated.

For more information or to make an appointment to give blood, call 800-GIVE-LIFE or 917-2820 or log onto www.helpsavealife.org.

HEIDI ROWLEY

hrowley@tucsoncitizen.com (hrowley@tucsoncitizen.com)

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If you go

Driving in the “Makeover” home’s neighborhood will be closed to everyone except residents. Would-be spectators should park at Fort Lowell Park, at North Craycroft Road and East Glenn Street, where a shuttle will run to and from the home site.

Builder John Wesley Miller gives Lizzie Bell, 14, a kiss and meets the rest of her family (from left): her mother and father, John and Kathy Bell, and her sister, Alicia, 12. Miller’s company will be working with “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” to build the family a new home in a week.

Twice monthly blood transfusions are taking their toll on 14-year-old Lizzie Bell, who has spent much of this last year at the Phoenix Children’s Hospital and whose family is receiving a new home from “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.”

Neighbor Nancy Acosta, who has known Lizzie since the girl was 4-years-old, said Tuesday that the family has tried hard to remodel their dilapidated Catalina Foothills home, but ongoing medical treatments have to take priority.

As an infant, Lizzie Bell was diagnosed with Diamond Blackfan anemia, a congenital disorder that affects only 600 to 700 people worldwide. Her blood does not produce any of the red blood cells that sustain life by carrying oxygen throughout the body.

Her family created the John P. Bell Family Foundation, which raises awareness about the ongoing needs for blood donations. The family also sponsors regular blood drives for the American Red Cross, who named Lizzie a “Real Hero” in 2004.

As Acosta worked with producers of Extreme Makeover, which airs Sundays on ABC, she was told the Bell family was one of five possible families in Tucson to be chosen for an extreme home remodel.

As she and her family awaited the arrival of the Extreme Makeover crew Tuesday morning, Acosta thought, “I knew they had to be the one.”

And they were.

University Medical Center Dr. Fayez Ghishan, one of Lizzie’s many doctors, said he was excited for the family.

“I’m delighted they are doing this for her,” he said. “They really deserve it.”

Ghishan said that because of the number of transfusions Lizzie has undergone, she is faced with increasing complications and more admissions into the hospital to deal with those complications.

He said that there is no cure but that experimental treatments are being researched.

It was only minutes after the family were sent on their New York City vacation that crews were cutting down trees in preparation for the demolition of the home at 4630 N. Paseo Aquimuri, northeast of Craycroft and River roads.

Before leaving on vacation, Lizzie said she is excited to have a room that reflects her personality, while her mother said that all she wants is a working bathtub.

“They’ve had a lot of problems with the house,” Acosta said.

She described cracks in the concrete, mold in the walls, lack of tile or carpet and a termite infestation.

John Wesley Miller, best known as the developer of the energy-efficient Armory Park del Sol community, is building the home and said Tuesday that it would use solar power for heat and water heating.

In addition, he said everything inside the home that can be used by Habitat for Humanity will be taken out before the demolition, and all the demolition materials will be sorted and recycled by the private Speedway Landfill, 7301 E. Speedway Blvd.

The demolition will take place Wednesday evening, with the family returning on Feb. 3 to see the new home. The show featuring the Bells is scheduled to air March 22.

The demolition is not public, but spectators will be welcome to view the construction.

Lizzie’s grandmother, Gloria Flores said she hopes the new home will give the family room to study and play, as well as provide her daughter, Kathy Bell, a place to take care of Lizzie when she is sick.

“I want the best possible for these kids,” she said.

Extreme Makeover designer Rib Hillis said families this season are being chosen based on their contributions to the community and cited Lizzie’s endeavors to get people to donate blood through the American Red Cross. Flores said Lizzie also speaks at local schools about what it’s like to receive a blood transfusion.

For several years she has also conducted several toy drives for UMC’s pediatric ward and the toys are now part of a box called “Lizzie’s Loot.”

Two blood drives will be held at Pima Community College East during the makeover, on Wednesday and Saturday.

“It’s her crusade,” Hillis said of the blood drives. “Unfortunately she’s also raising blood she needs.”

Hillis said Lizzie told him: “Don’t give me any money, don’t give me a new house. Just give me your blood.”

Hillis said he will be donating blood at the blood drive Wednesday.

He said he is also in charge of designing a room for Lizzie’s 12-year-old sister, Alicia.

Hillis called it an “opportunity to make sure Alicia is not forgotten, that she’s an integral part of this family.”

Public relations coordinator Nona Patrick said an on-site toy drive and food drive will take place every day of construction. Spectators are being encouraged to bring either a toy or can of food to the construction site. She said the food will go to the Community Food Bank and it has yet to be determined who will get the toys.

Designer Rib Hillis talks to reporters Tuesday in front of the Bell home, 4630 N Paseo Aquimuri, near Craycroft and River roads. The home will be demolished Wednesday and a new home is to be ready for the family to move into Feb. 4.

Regular blood recipient Lizzie Bell is snuggled by her mom, Kathy, as she gets out of the pool at her home.

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ON THE WEB

‘Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in Tucson’: extrememakeovertucson.com

John P. Bell Family Foundation

www.johnpbellfamilyfoundation.org/

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IF YOU GO

Where: 4630 N. Paseo Aquimuri

When: The neighborhood will be closed to everyone except residents. Spectators should park at Fort Lowell Park, at North Craycroft Road and East Glenn Street, where a shuttle will run to and from the home site. Starting Thursday, the spectator area for viewing will be open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Other events:

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition will also be sponsoring a toy drive, food drive and blood drives during the construction of the home.

Blood drives will be held 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday at Pima Community College East, 8181 E. Irvington Road.

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SCHEDULE

Wednesday

Furniture move out, clothes sent to dry cleaner, construction prep, set up trailers and tents

8-9 p.m.: Demolition of the house

Thursday-Friday

9:30 a.m.-2 a.m.: House is framed. Spectators are allowed on-site for the first time.

Friday through Sunday

Crews will be working on home exterior and landscaping.

Monday

Keys are given to Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.

Designers move in furniture and decorating begins.

Exterior and interior are cleaned.

Tuesday

2-3 p.m.: Family sees their new home for the first time.

Feb. 4

4 p.m.: Family/builder news conference

Gifts will be presented to the family from community donations.