Valley Hospital & Medical Center has recruited 12 doctors during its first year under the ownership of Community Health Systems Inc., and the dozen physicians are the largest recruiting class there in recent years, says Sasha Jackowich, a hospital spokeswoman.

The physicians include seven hospitalists, who work primarily at the hospital, and five other physicians who have joined medical practices here and also are under contract with Valley Hospital, Jackowich says.

She says the hospital also has had a hand in recruiting at least three other physicians to the Spokane area over the past year, although they aren't under direct contracts with the hospital. The hospital said it had 492 doctors on staff as of September, up from 482 doctors there in May of 2008.

One of the new hospitalists is affiliated with Radia Inc. PS, an Everett, Wash.-based radiology group that provides imaging services to Valley Hospital, she says. The other six recruited hospitalists are affiliated with Tacoma, Wash.-based Sound Inpatient Physicians Inc., which has set up a practice here under contract with CHS, Jackovick says.

Franklin, Tenn.-based CHS bought the assets of Empire Health Systems, including Valley Hospital, and Deaconess Medical Center, last year.

Hospitalists

Dr. Terri Turner is the newly recruited Radia hospitalist. Turner earned a medical degree at Western University College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, in Pomona, Calif. She completed her residency at Alameda County Medical Center and Highland Hospital, in Oakland, Calif.

The other hospitalists are:

•Dr. K. Craig Hart, former chief of staff at Samaritan Hospital, in Moses Lake, Wash., who earned a medical degree at the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, in Oklahoma City, and completed a residency program there.

•Dr. Robert Feren, who earned a medical degree at George Washington University Medical School, in Washington, D.C. He completed a residency program at Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital, in Santa Barbara, Calif.

•Dr. Frank Rosenbloom, who earned a medical degree at Karnataka State University, in Karnataka, India, and completed a residency program at Providence St. Vincent Medical Center, in Portland, Ore.

•Dr. Freda Gardner, who earned a medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine, in Houston, Texas. She did her residency work at Jewish Hospital-Washington University, in St. Louis, Mo.

•Dr. Dale Gorski, who earned his medical degree at Pomona, Calif.-based Western University of Health Sciences College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific. He did his residency work at Loma Linda University Medical Center, Pacific Hospital of Long Beach, and LAC+USC Medical Center, all in southern California.

•Dr. Thomas Wimmer, who earned a medical degree at St. George's University School of Medicine, in Grenada, West Indies. He did his residency work at State University of New York at Stony Brook and the University of Alabama, in Birmingham, and did a fellowship at the University of Lubeck Clinic for Rheumatology, in Germany.

Practice-based recruits

Dr. Stephen Lloyd-Davis is a primary-care provider practicing at Millwood FirstCare Center. Lloyd-Davis, who previously practiced at the Spokane Veterans Affairs Medical Center, earned a medical degree at the University of Washington School of Medicine, in Seattle, and completed a residency program at St. Mary's Family Practice, in Grand Junction, Colo.

Dr. Joseph Swiggum is a specialist at ESC Pulmonary & Critical Care, of Spokane. Swiggum earned a medical degree at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He completed his residency at Huntington Memorial Hospital, in Pasadena, Calif.

Dr. Kristina Swiggum, an internal medicine specialist, is practicing at Spokane Valley Internal Medicine. She earned a medical degree at the Keck School of Medicine, at the University of Southern California, and completed her residency at Huntington Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Vijay Reddy, a nephrologist at Kidney Care Spokane PS, earned a medical degree at the University of Missouri, in Kansas City, Mo. Reddy completed a residency program at Duke University, in Durham, N.C., and a fellowship at the University of Washington.

Dr. Olivia Sementi, an obstetrician and gynecologist, practices at Valley Obstetrics & Gynecology PS. She earned a medical degree at the University of Washington School of Medicine and completed her residency there.