Kathy Nelson

Kathy Nelson, spokeswoman for Valley General Hospital in Monroe, said several patients were treated for flu in the emergency department, "but no one's feeling like it's a big issue yet."

Other parts of the hospital's overall $2.4 million improvement plan include upgrades to its medical records area, moving the hospital's business office to an adjacent building and structural upgrades to its surgical area, said Kathy Nelson, hospital spokeswoman.

The project is being paid for by a seven-year loan, she said.

Kathy Nelson, Director of Marketing and Strategic Planning at Valley

Kathy Nelson, Director of Marketing and Strategic Planning at Valley

Kathy Nelson has joined Valley General Hospital as the marketing and strategic planning director.

Marathon runner Kathleen Nelson, right. Photo by Action Sports International.

Valley Springs woman completes her first marathon

Kathleen Nelson of Valley Springs earlier this month completed her first, but probably not her last, marathon.

Nelson, who works at the Valley Springs Longs as a bookkeeper, participated in the Jan. 15 P.F. Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon & Half Marathon. She was one of more than 30,000 runners and walkers who challenged their strength and endurance on the 26.2- and 13.1-mile courses that went through the Valley of the Sun communities of Phoenix, Scottsdale and Tempe.

Nelson, who said she is "runaker," which is the level between a runner and a walker, participated in the marathon through the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training. She said she finished in the middle of the pack of about 8,000 who were in the full marathon.

She was motivated to run her first marathon due to the loss of her aunt to leukemia and her father to colon cancer.

"I joined because I love helping people," Nelson said. She became affiliated with a Sacramento area Team In Training the past summer. The team would meet twice a week and gave Nelson a schedule for individual workouts. She worked her way up to 20- and 23-mile workouts.

Nelson's husband Ken was there during those workouts to follow her and pass out water when she needed it.

"I made a promise to finish to all the people who donated," Nelson said.

Each Team In Training participant had to raise a minimum of $3,500 in pledges to cover expenses and raise money for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, she said, and in all, the runners at the event netted $7 million for the society.

As the title of the event indicated, rock 'n' roll was also featured. There was a big concert and a band was playing every mile along the route.

"It bumped your spirit up a bit," Nelson said about running and hearing the bands play along the way.

Kathy Nelson has joined Valley General Hospital as the marketing and strategic planning director.

Kathy Nelson, Director of Marketing and Strategic Planning at Valley General Hospital, commented, "Wyndgate Technologies has a sound reputation in the blood banking industry and we look forward to working with its system.