Mitt Romney visits Mesa hospital
By Angelique Soenarie
The Arizona Republic
MESA, Ariz. (Oct. 1, 2009) -- Former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's first visit to Arizona since the 2008 election was more than just a family visit.
Romney, a second cousin to southeast Valley real-estate developer Wilford Cardon, toured the new home of Cardon Children's Medical Center with the discerning eye of a former hospital-industry executive.
"I worked as a consultant to a number of hospitals back in the 1980s . . . and therefore find it interesting to see how modern hospitals are being constructed and organized," particularly when many are operating with reduced staffing. Romney said.
"This is a real tribute to the Cardon family that they would decided to use their resources to help build a hospital like this that will not only treat young people but would make them feel comfortable and more at home," he added.
During the tour, Peter Fine, president and chief executive officer of Banner Health, said he was impressed with Romney's questions on the use of technology for medical records.
"It's certainly exciting to have him here. He's been a very visible figure for the community," Fine said. "He was far more astute on the issues of a costful environment . . . and I thought he had asked some very good follow-up questions. He was really interested in what we did for the design and the development and the reasons why."
