Nancy Alexis, M.D., who has served as a family medicine physician at Fairview Chisago Lakes Clinic, Chisago City, since 1986, was honored on March 22 as one of four finalists for the 2006 Fairview Cares Award.

The award, which was established in 1998, recognizes outstanding community service by a Fairview employee or volunteer and exceptional commitment to Fairviewís values of compassion, dignity, integrity and service. Dr. Alexis is a three-time recipient of this honor.

Dr. Alexis and three other finalists each received $2,500 from Fairview to be directed to the charity of their choice. The 2006 Fairview Cares Award
winner, Peter Ole-Sabay of Fairview Southdale Hospital, received a $10,000 gift directed to his designated charity.

The award recognizes Dr. Alexis for her extensive work on behalf of Volunteers for Medical Missions (VIMM) as well as her work with prison missions.

Dr. Alexis has volunteered with VIMM since 1989. During that time, she has taken part in 26 medical missions to countries in Central and South America, Asia and Eastern Europe and organized and led 17 of those missions.

Dr. Alexis gives two to four weeks each year to travel to Third World Countries for medical missions. She has traveled to Honduras, Guatemala, Vietnam, Nicaragua and the Philippines on multiple occasions and has made single mission trips to El Salvador, Peru, Venezuela, Ecuador, Haiti, the Ukraine, India and China.

On those trips she has helped an estimated 35,000 patients ñ the poorest of the worldís poor ñ to be seen by physicians and dentists and receive free medicines and other medical supplies.

For each week in the field, she devotes an additional 60 to 80 hours to trip preparations. This includes calculating budgets, recruiting participants, obtaining and packing supplies and making travel arrangements. In addition to her work as chair of the VIMM budget and finance committee, for the past 10 years, Dr. Alexis also has served as a board member and several years as chairman of VIMMís national board of directors.

Dr. Alexis is also a long-time member of the Fairview Foundationís Medical Missions Committee, which last year allocated $45,000 to help support the mission work of 45 Fairview employees.

No matter how far Dr. Alexis travels across the globe, she somehow makes sure she is home on the third Sunday of every month. On that Sunday, she rises very early to get to the Minnesota Correctional Facility at Lino Lakes in time to greet prisoners as they arrive before the 7:30 a.m. church service ñ a service that she has planned and often conducts. In November 2005, the prisoners showed their appreciation for her work by featuring Dr. Alexis and the prison ministry in a front-page article in the prison newspaper.

ìDr. Alexis has an extraordinary history of volunteerism through her medical mission and prison work,î said Dan Anderson, president, Fairview Lakes Health Services. ìWe are pleased and proud that she was nominated for this award, and grateful that Fairview has selected her for this well-deserved honor.î