From left: Tom Reed, Dr. Nishit Shah, Dr. Shachi Shah,
Corazon “Nikki” Hoffman, CRNA; OB/GYN Anna Haring, MD; Lori Baker, CRNA;
Medical Director Bilal Ahmed, MD; JMH CEO Eva Benedict.
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This event is an opportunity to thank those who support the hospital. It is also a chance for the community to meet the new people at JMH. This year, the honored guests included six new members of the medical staff in addition to Congressman Reed. Two of those physicians, Dr. Nishit and Dr. Shachi Shah, took the opportunity to personally thank Rep. Reed for the part he played in their arrival.
In her opening remarks, CEO Eva Benedict explained that Rep.
Reed provided invaluable assistance in navigating the immigration of the
pediatricians. “There were so many delays in getting them here that we knew we
needed some assistance in Washington,” she said. “When we asked for his help,
Tom Reed and his office reached out to Immigration and to the Appalachian Regional
Commission to help navigate the issues that were holding up the Shah’s J-1
visas.”
“When our office was alerted by Eva Benedict that the
pediatricians were at risk of losing their legal immigration status, we went
right to work slashing through red tape at three different Federal agencies to
approve their J-1 visa waivers,” Rep. Reed said. “With our assistance, the
doctors received a response in a timely fashion and were able to open their
practices in late November and early December.”
In addition to Dr. Nishit and Shachi Shah, the new providers
attending the reception were OB/GYN Anna Haring; Certified Registered Nurse
Anesthetists Corazon “Nikki” Hoffman and Lori Baker; and Medical Director Bilal
Ahmed, MD.
“We are here to thank you, our generous donors, for helping
us to continue to provide the highest quality healthcare,” said Eva Benedict…“And
to thank Tom Reed for coming tonight and giving us the opportunity to thank him
in person for his assistance.”