Released February 14, 2005

LONG BEACH - A distinguished health care executive from St. Luke's Episcopal Health System will be the third speaker in a lecture series sponsored by The University of Southern Mississippi and The Sun Herald.

David Fine, president and chief executive officer of SLEHS, an integrated health care system with $1.0 billion in net patient revenues, will speak at 7 p.m. Feb. 22 at the Advanced Education Center on the Long Beach campus. Fine, a teaching affiliate of the Baylor College of Medicine, home of the Texas Heart Institute, will speak on "Critical Issues in Health Care: Problems and Solutions."

Fine's knowledge of the health care industry results from over 30 years as a health care executive. His experience includes 22 years as CEO of university hospitals, multi-hospital systems, medical groups and managed-care organizations. He also has held academic teaching appointments and published articles and books throughout his career.

The lecture series, titled "Issues and Answers," features five lectures each year on topics of interest to South Mississippi residents, such as arts, economic development, government, science and technology, and education.

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