Former U.S. Surgeon General, Two Others Join RHI Foundation Board
Indianapolis, IN – The Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana (RHI) Foundation recently added three new members to its Board of Directors, including former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams. Mr. Alex Limontes, trial attorney and managing partner at Hurst Limontes, and Dr. Lance Trexler, rehabilitation expert in traumatic brain injury have also joined the board.
Adams served as America’s 20th Surgeon General from 2016-2020, leading the 6,000-person U.S. Public Health Service during the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic. He was previously the Indiana State Health Commissioner under then Governor Mike Pence where he handled Ebola, Zika, the nation’s largest HIV and Hepatitis C outbreak associated with IV drug use, and a lead contamination situation in northern Indiana that drew comparisons to the crisis in Flint, Michigan. Adams is an anesthesiologist who holds a medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine, and a master’s in public health from UC Berkeley.
Dr. Adams’ work reflects his lifelong commitment to fighting for people with limited healthcare access, chronic disease, substance abuse disorder, mental illness, and the opioid epidemic.
“All of our board members bring such value added to the entire RHI system of care,” said Dr. Dan Woloszyn, CEO of RHI. “Dr. Adams’ personal, professional, clinical experience, and community focus across our industry, and his equally stellar focus on evidence-based medicine across a patient’s continuum of care aligns with RHI expertise in exceeding our patients’ needs as well as the community. We are beyond excited to work with him and our newly appointed board members on our team.”
Mr. Alex Limontes, a bilingual attorney of Cuban descent, is originally from Florida, but moved to Indiana to attend Hanover College, where he played football. He graduated from the Indiana University School of Law and began his career as a trial attorney with the Marion County Public Defender Agency. Soon after, Alex started working with the Law Office of William W. Hurst which eventually became Hurst Limontes LLC. Mr. Limontes has been recognized by his peers in publications like Best Lawyers in America and Super Lawyers. In addition, Alex has dedicated much of his time volunteering with State and Local Bar Associations.
A strong advocate of community involvement, Mr. Limontes has volunteered with Indianapolis organizations such as the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, the Julian Center, and the Muslim Legal Clinic. At the Julian Center, Mr. Limontes worked with Latino women who were victims of domestic violence. In addition, he served as Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Emberwood Center, an addiction treatment facility that serves a significant portion of the Hispanic Community, and as Vice Chairman of Addiction Services for the Mental Health American of Indiana Board of Directors.
Dr. Lance Trexler spent four decades as a rehabilitation neuropsychologist, including clinical, administrative, clinical research and teaching activities. He has committed his career to providing rehabilitation services to people with acquired brain injury and their families, to developing new brain injury rehabilitation programs and services, and to providing professional training and promoting evidence-based rehabilitation services for people with brain injury.
While working at RHI, Dr. Trexler, an internationally recognized pioneer in adapting neuropsychological knowledge to helping people with brain injury live more fulfilling lives, led the development and
enhancement of Resource Facilitation, a treatment model for brain injury that significantly improves return to work and school, reduces level of disability, and decreases recidivism for individuals with traumatic brain injury even as long as 10 years post-injury. Today RHI provides Resource Facilitation throughout Indiana, helping approximately 250 people at any one time. Dr. Trexler was honored with the Indiana Senator Patricia Miller Award for Recognizing Exceptional Leadership and Advocacy for Hoosier with Brain Injury in 2019 for this research, clinical program development and governmental advocacy for Resource Facilitation.
The RHI Foundation provides philanthropic support for non-operational priorities of the nonprofit Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana and considered by rehabilitation experts and patients alike to be the best and most comprehensive rehabilitation hospital system in the Midwest. The Foundation invests in research, education and training, technology and equipment, quality-of-life programs, and other initiative to attract the best clinicians and provide the best patient care, outcomes, and experience possible.
The Foundation’s initiatives include an adaptive sports program with more than 300 participants enjoying everything from wheelchair basketball to waterskiing. In addition, the Foundation raised funding for RHI’s Balance Tutor. Used to improve patient mobility in real world circumstances, it is only the fourth balance trainer of its kind in use in the United States.