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This Week
Wednesday, March 1, 2023
Arizona Foothills 911 to launch whistle initiative BY SUMMER AGUIRRE Foothills Focus Staff Writer
S BUSINESS.......... 14
Foothills opens new location in Anthem
FEATURES......... 18
Fundraiser supports dementia care in the Valley
YOUTH.............. 21
Phoenix students make RIT dean’s list
OPINION.......................9 BUSINESS.................. 14 FEATURES................. 16 YOUTH....................... 21 CLASSIFIEDS............. 22 Zone I
unny Parker started her safety whistle initiative with one hope: to bring people home to their families unharmed. After hearing about the deaths of hikers Dr. Evan Dishion and Kathleen Patterson in fall 2022, Parker created the Arizona Whistle Initiative through her nonprofit, Arizona Foothills 911, to provide hikers and other individuals with safety whistles for emergencies. The initiative will launch at an event honoring Patterson and Dishion from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, April 22, at Spur
see 911 page 4
Arizona Foothills 911’s founder and CEO, Sunny Parker, is launching the Arizona Whistle Initiative through her nonprofit. The initiative’s purpose is to provide hikers and other individuals with safety whistles for emergency situations. (File photo)
Local event highlights DaVinci robot BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI Foothills Focus Executive Editor
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ince Dr. Varun Chakravorty moved to Norterra Fireside, he’s longed to introduce his neighbors to Valley Surgical Clinics. He’s doing so from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, March 4 — with kids in mind. He’ll show off a robotic surgery simulator at Norterra Fireside Community Center Great Room.
“It’s going to be a cool event where there are a lot of young professionals with kids,” he said. “They’ll learn about the DaVinci robot while they’re having fun. They’ll have the opportunity to sit and try the robot itself. I was hoping to hold it previously, but then the pandemic hit. Now the stars have aligned.” A Toronto native who moved to the Valley in 2018, Chakravorty operates at HonorHealth and Abrazo and performs a wide range of pro-
cedures including cholecystectomy (gallbladder removal), appendectomy, hernia repairs, colon surgery and thyroid surgery. His group, Valley Surgical Clinics, is home to a number of surgeons performing bariatric, anti-reflux and breast surgery, as well. “I hope that, through this event, everyone — not just kids — can see that surgeons are members of their own community, and a lot of
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see ROBOT page 8