Wilbur Chinn was born March 22, 1924 in Portland, OR and died on Nov. 22, 2011 at his home in Seattle, surrounded by his family.

He attended Broadway High School in Seattle, graduating in 1942. He married the love of his life, Sarah Jean Alkana, in 1948.

He attended Central Washington State College and became a high school teacher.

He taught school in Portland, OR for five years before enrolling in osteopathic school.

He graduated from Des Moines Osteopathic School of Medicine and Surgery in 1958 and worked in solo medical practice from 1959 until he retired in 2009.

Dr. Chinn always lived by the golden rule. He always treated people the way he himself wished to be treated. This was especially true in his medical practice, where he treated his patients the way he would wish to be treated if he were a patient.

Dr. Chinn was a very gentle soul and very kind. As much as he loved to eat fish, it was difficult for him to kill the fish that he caught and he always apologized to them before administering a sharp rap with the fish club.

Dad always looked forward to his trips to Las Vegas. He loved the shows, showgirls and the craps tables.

Dad had a great sense of humor and a large repertoire of jokes. He was always the life of the party, and will be greatly missed, not only by his family, but by his patients as well.

Dr. Chinn truly cared for his patients and was very proud of the fact that he delivered several generations of babies in some families. He kept pictures on his office walls of every baby he delivered, adding new pictures as the babies grew into young adults. One of his greatest joys was having a reunion dinner with all of the babies that he delivered.

Many of his patients were surprised to find out that he was quite the basketball player in high school and in the Seattle All Chinese League.

Dr. Chinn’s family is very grateful for the wonderful support and help that they received from both Hospice and their many friends during Wilbur’s final days.

Dr. Wilbur Chinn is survived by his wife of 63 ¾ years, Sarah Jean, son Lauren Lee Chinn, DC (Pamela Anne Chinn, RN) and the apple of his eye, his granddaughter, Margeaux Anne Chinn, a fourth year nursing student.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: We are experimenting with publishing Obituaries for local residents as a community service. If you have one, please email as editor@b-townblog.com for consideration.]

Dr. Elie Levy

Highline Medical Center (BTB Advertiser) announced that Dermatologist Dr. Elie Levy recently received the President’s Volunteer Service Award from the President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation for the number of volunteer hours he provided during 2010.

“Dr. Levy donated time and services to the patients in his community including free skin examinations, skin cancer screenings and more,” reads the announcement.

In 2003, President Bush created The President’s Council on Service and Civic Participation to recognize the valuable contributions volunteers are making in our communities and encourage more people to serve. With the recognition, Dr. Levy also received a letter from President Barack Obama acknowledging his commitment to his community and thanking him for his devotion to service.

Dr. Levy has been in practice since 1997 and has been a member of Highline Medical Center Medical Staff for 13 years. He teaches at the University of Washington, as he excels in state-of-the-art therapies. He tailors his treatment to the individual and focuses on prevention.

According to his website:

Dr. Levy was born in Paris, France. He left at age three months to San Francisco. There, his father completed a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Chemistry at UCSF. Dr. Levy’s father recently finished 40 years of research.

In 1970, Dr. Levy moved to Seattle, where he attended private school until he began his studies at the University of Washington. There he majored in Near Eastern Languages and Civilization, while pursuing his pre-med program–a heavy load! There he also focused on learning languages: Hebrew, Arabic and French. Dr. Levy is also fairly fluent in Spanish.

For medical school Dr. Levy attended the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. He spent six months at the prestigious New York University Skin Cancer Unit working with Drs. Kopf and Bystryn, who are leaders in skin cancer research. This partnership then lead to publishing two papers on Melanoma and one on Basal Cell Carcinoma. Dr. Levy graduated medical school with a special degree in Cutaceous Oncology, skin cancer. This is quite a feat for a medical student!

For the next three years, Dr. Levy completed a full residency in Internal Medicine at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. There he met his lovely wife, Miriam, now mother of seven (all theirs!).
Dr. Levy moved up north a bit to Montreal, Quebec, Canada for his dermatology residency. His two best friends were Canadians living in New York at the time.

Dr. Levy underwent special training in MOHS Skin Cancer Surgery under Dr. Bernstein at the Mayo Clinic and Dr. Billick at the University of Miami. There, Dr. Levy published monthly articles on all forms of skin disease in a local medical journal and presented rare cases at Quarterly meetings.

Dr. Levy began his practice in Burien in November of 1997. He was the first to bring the technique of Mohs Surgery to South Seattle. This provides a 99% cure rate for skin cancer.

In 1999, Dr. Levy began teaching future dermatologists at the University of Washington Dermatology Division and enjoys doing so to the present. He continues to educate and teach dermatology by going to many conferences annually. It is important to maintain one’s knowledge. Dr. Levy has no spare time for hobbies-his life’s goal is to do only good to others. He is very generous to his staff and community.

We are happy to announce that B-Town Blog Advertiser Premier Chiropractic welcomes aboard Mitch Raich, D.C.

Dr. Raich is a hometown fellow, having grown up in Burien, attending Mt. Rainier High School.

He’s been a doctor of chiropractic for 15 years.

Here is a sampling of the different chiropractic services Premier offers in their Burien office:

• Chiropractic Care
• Corrective Exercises
• Lifestyle Advice
• Nutritional Counseling
• Spinal and Postural Screenings
• Custom Orthotics
• Massage Therapy

Burien native Mitch Raich has joined Premier Chiropractic.

Also on board for expert and experienced massage is Krysta Goold.

To schedule an appointment, here’s how to reach Krysta: 206.431.1111

Helping to run the ship is Troy Butler, the “right hand man” in the office.

Troy says:

“We accept various insurance plans. We happily handle auto injuries, on-the-job injuries, and sports injuries. They’re all covered at Premiere.

“Also, cash payment plans plus Gift Cards are available. Call anytime, walk-ins welcome.”

Premier Chiropractic
14245 Ambaum Blvd. SW Ste. F
Burien, WA 98166
Phone: 206.431.1111

Website: www.premierchiropractic.net

Email: PremierBurien@yahoo.com

Hours:

• Monday: 9am-1pm & 3pm-6:30pm
• Tuesday: 3pm-6:30pm
• Wednesday: 9am-1pm & 3pm-6:30pm
• Thursday: 9am-1pm & 3pm-6:30pm
• Friday: 9am-1pm
• Saturday by appointment

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The B-Town Blog is proud welcome our newest Advertiser: Reiki By Anita!  She’s located right here in Burien.

“It is my community and I want to practice in my community. Reiki is my calling and my passion, and has been for 22 years,” owner Anita Graham explained to us last week.

Anita started her study and practice of Reiki in 1987 and became a Reiki Master in 2006. She learned in the tradition of the Usui System of Reiki Healing (called Usui Shiki Ryoho in Japanese).

Now she can not only work on her partner, Monty, her cat, her friends, her family, her clients, but also lead Reiki classes for those looking for a way to offer hands on healing for family, friends, pets and themselves. She is pleased to announce her summer classes:

• FIRST DEGREE REIKI CLASSES:
  • June 13 & June 14, 2009
  • July 18 & July 19, 2009
  • August 22 & August 23,2009

All classes will be held Saturday and Sunday from 10am – 5pm both days.

The class is an accessible way for massage therapists, body workers, nurses and other health care professionals to enhance their practice with this gentle, non-invasive modality, as well. For more information and to register contact Anita at (206) 242-2052 or click here. The classes are held in Burien, and space is limited so you’d better act now.

Anita Graham is approved by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) as a continuing education (approved Provider Number 450604-08).

Anita started her journey towards Reiki while working in the health and human services world. She’s been a social worker, therapist, college counselor and her favorite– working with seniors in the field of Geriatric mental health. She still works with elders in her job and volunteer work in and around the south sound.

MultiCare-Good Samaratin Hospital in Pierce Co. and our own Highline Medical Center employ Anita in their Home Health and Hospice “Comfort Therapies Program.” As an adjunct position to the staff Anita visits hospice patients in their home where she uses Reiki to help them relax, reduce anxiety and relieve pain.

She also volunteers at Highline Medical Center where she works with surgery patients in post-op. Reiki helps ease anxiety, stress and pain with post-op patients. A major report about Reiki treatments for surgery patients at Portsmouth Regional Hospital in Portsmouth New Hampshire indicated that they often leave the hospital earlier, in less pain and with less pain medication (see Dr. Andrew Weil’s Self-Healing Newsletter, April, 2006).

“I feel that I’m one of the luckiest people in the world. I am so fortunate that I can give comfort to people. Reiki has given me a way to be of service in the world, said Anita.

I felt like one of the luckiest people in the world last week when Anita suggested a complimentary 30-minute Reiki session in her home Reiki Studio*. Talk about your soft touch. I wanted to totally relax and float away, but I was on the job—interviewing and talking.

*Reiki By Anita offers a series of four treatment sessions of 1-1/2 hours EACH at $70 each. She recommends that all four treatments take place in seven-10 days when starting a treatment for chronic conditions, such as fibromyalgia. The National Institute of Health’s National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine is funding a study on Reiki’s ability to reduce fibromyalgia symptoms, such as fatigue.

Anita believes the best way to learn what Reiki is about is to experience it. And the best way to experience it in Burien and surrounding area is with Anita, at Reiki By Anita.

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Unlike a few years ago, this year there’s plenty of flu vaccine to go around.

Vaccination is recommended to protect people at high-risk for complications from the flu, including:

• Children aged six months until their 19th birthday
• Pregnant women
• People 50 years of age and older
• People, 6 months or older, with certain chronic medical conditions, such as heart disease, lung disease (including asthma), kidney disease or diabetes
• People who live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities

People who live with or care for those at high risk for health complications from flu should be vaccinated as well, including:

• Household contacts of persons at high risk for complications from the flu
• Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children less than 6 months of age, who are too young to be vaccinated
• Healthcare workers

King County Health has created a website to help you find nearby flu shots (click here and enter your zip code on the right), but we’ve taken it one step further and created our own customized, interactive and regional “Places to Get Poked Map” – just click on a nearby pushpin, or use the zoom in (+) and out (-) controls on the left and you’ll see a listing of the store or pharmacy where you can get a flu shot:

View Larger Map

The event takes place Saturday, October 4 from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference Center in SeaTac.

“We wanted to create an event that would give the women of our community an opportunity to learn strategies for staying healthy,” said Mara Burke, director of community relations for Highline Medical Center. “Our goal is for every woman who attends this event to come away with valuable information that is meaningful in her life. We couldn’t think of a better way to do that than to bring Dr. Oz to Seattle and pair him with a dozen other medical experts.”

Event guests will enjoy their choice thought-provoking health workshops, the keynote by Dr. Oz, continental breakfast and lunch, and their own copy of Dr. Oz’s latest book YOU: Staying Young for an all-inclusive $90 registration fee. Workshops cover a wide and relevant range of topics for women at every age and life stage. From the power of positive nutrition to strategies for restful sleep to coping with menopause gracefully, this event promises to answer women’s pressing health and aging questions in candid, compelling, and useful ways.

Visit www.LiveHealthyStayYoung.com to download a brochure with class descriptions. Seats for this event are limited. Advance purchase is required. Call 206-695-5544 to claim your place at your workshops of choice and register.

Burke said that this event is part of the 50th anniversary activities in motion to honor Highline’s half-century of growth and commitment to healthy living and compassionate care. Highline opened its doors as Burien Community Hospital 50 years ago and has since grown into an award-winning, comprehensive medical center. The presenting sponsor for the event is KeyBank. Other sponsors include Puget Sound Health Partners, BECU, Burien Toyota/Burien Chevrolet, Albertsons/Supervalu, Powell Brothers and Alaska Airlines.

About Highline Medical Center
Highline Medical Center includes two healthcare campuses and more than 20 clinics across Southwest King County. From orthopedic surgery to obstetrics, from heart care to home health, you’ll find it at Highline. We offer access to leading medical experts supported by sophisticated technology. And through our progressive Planetree model of care, we are committed to caring for each patient and his or her family with genuine respect, understanding and compassion. Learn more at www.highlinemedicalcenter.org

Burien native and long-time resident Dr. James Rice was honored as Highline High School Alumni Association’s 2008 “Alumnus of the Year” during Highline’s annual Senior Celebration at the Cove in Normandy Park on Thursday June 12.

The award was presented by the Alumni Association in recognition of Dr. Rice’s 23 years as football team physician, assistant wrestling coach and many other volunteer roles.

Dr. Rice, well known in the community as Jim, was born and raised in Burien and was a 1963 graduate of Highline. After medical school at Tufts University, and medical residency in California, he returned to work at the Emergency Room at Highline Hospital. Eventually logging in 25 years at the hospital, he emerged as one of the leading physicians in the department.

Jim is the son of prominent Burien residents Donna and James Rice, Sr., also longtime contributors to the community. The late James Sr. was a Highline School District Board member for 26 years (1952-1978), while Donna was a long-time member of the Highline High School Parent-Teacher Association, and was active in many other community volunteer roles.

Always a family man first and foremost, Jim was congratulated at a brief celebration at  home by his wife Nancy Pazareskis Rice, sons James, Chad, Brad and Casey, and daughter Christina.  Daughter Brianna lives in California and was not able to attend.

At the ceremony, Jim was also presented with the Highline High School Booster Club’s Pirate Award for his tireless efforts to benefit Highline athletics. Highline student athletes and the entire community of Burien have benefitted substantially from Jim’s work through the years, and with these awards they said a hearty, “Thanks, Jim!”