June 7th @ 7PM

Vromans

695 E. Colorado, Pasadena, CA

NEWPORT BEACH, CA–Your odds of winning the California lottery are 13 million to one, yet over a billion tickets were sold last year. Millions of people buy a chance on winning the lottery yet ignore the odds against them if they are not prepared for a health emergency.

Americans have one in three chances of dying from heart disease, one in six of having a stroke, one in seven of getting arthritis, and one in nine of getting breast cancer. Your doctor can’t tell you when or what will kill you, but the time will come—probably when you least expect it—that you’ll face a health emergency. Anticipation is stressful, but being unprepared to handle what happens to you can be life threatening.

Take it from a man who learned the hard way, Richard S. “Dick” Stevens. The hard-charging business turnaround specialist figured his fate was sealed because his father died of a heart attack, so Stevens lived life to the fullest. Then the tennis player, fisherman and hunter had to face his mortality with the first of several heart attacks. In typical Stevens’ fashion, he didn’t sit still. Just as he developed hard and fast rules for overhauling companies that hemorrhaged millions, he has developed a prescription for putting the odds of survival in the patient’s favor.

“The tie between business and healthcare is pretty obvious,” said Stevens. “If you neglect to delegate work outside your area of expertise and undertake tasks that could easily be handled by someone else, you’re taking a risk. It pays to identify what you don’t know and to find the proper help in those areas.”
How to build a health support team is one of the strategies he reveals in his new book, Never Give up! The Six Secret Steps You Must Take to Protect Your Own Life. The survivor of a heart transplant, multiple heart surgeries, colon cancer, a coma, and acute thrombosis, the Southern California resident gives readers life-saving tools–checklists of things to do before you have a health emergency, ways of optimizing your survival chances during a medical crisis, and how to choose your medical providers, and resources for taking charge of your health.

Written with his business partner and wife, Joan, the book takes a unique can-do approach from a patient and caregiver’s perspective. The information is relatable, understandable and useful. This is not a clinical textbook, diatribe against the healthcare industry, or a personal memoir. The husband and wife team layout their lessons learned in an easy-to-implement 148 pages.

Businesses and organizations can order in bulk by contacting JoansClub.com. Individuals will find the book at www.amazon.com and www.barnesandnoble.com.

NEWPORT BEACH, CA — As Americans heatedly debate the perfect health care program, 18,000 people a year die from lack of health care and as many as 98,000 die each year because of medical errors despite an unprecedented focus on patient safety over the last five years¹.

Despite the headlines, there is some encouraging news. A study by the Milken Institute found that if the U.S. can make modest improvements in prevention and management of disease by 2023, Americans could avoid 40 million cases of chronic disease and save $218 billion annually in treatment costs ².

Business turnaround specialist Richard Stevens knows first hand that taking personal responsibility for your health and being an advocate on behalf of a loved one can make the difference not only in the quality of care your receive, but in the length and quality of life.

Stevens has had 14 lives. A survivor of a heart transplant, multiple cardiac surgeries, colon cancer, a coma, and acute thrombosis, Stevens and wife Joan, are the people family, friends and acquaintances turn to for advice.

“I have spent my entire career specializing on corporate turnarounds—taking weak and failing businesses and making them strong and profitable again. Now, I’ve learned how to do that with my health,” said Stevens. “Just as I developed hard and fast rules for overhauling companies that were hemorrhaging millions, I created a system I share with others from the perspective of a patient, not a medical expert.”

Joan Stevens is often asked the ins and outs of dealing with doctors, hospitals, nurses, lawyers and insurance companies. She has learned over 30 years how to get the best care for a loved one and ways to stay energized in the pursuit. While there is no cure for human error, exhaustion and carelessness often found in our healthcare delivery system, Stevens warns families against passively accepting the advice and services given. Don’t rule out alternative therapies. Speak up when you see something wrong or don’t understand a procedure or medication. Do your research, be prepared, document everything, and ask questions.

Errors occur not only in hospitals but in other health care settings, such as physicians’ offices, nursing homes, pharmacies, urgent care centers, and care delivered in the home. “The more you know, the more capable you’ll be to make the best decisions you can. The medical system doesn’t have to be intimidating and overwhelming if you have an open mind and willing heart, you’ll reap enormous benefits,” said Joan.

“There are many preventative steps you can take to improve your situation; and several things you must do to safely handle whatever arises, regardless of any government legislation,” said Dick. “Keeping a positive attitude and surrounding yourself with loved ones are among the top ten for seeing your way through to an improvement in your condition.”
Those who have benefited from their wisdom persuaded the couple to write down their experiences and lessons learned to pass along to others. The Stevens have outlined “Dick’s SIx Rules” in Never Give Up!, a survivor’s perspective for empowering patients to take charge of their wellbeing. Now in its second printing, the paperback is available from Amazon and Barnes and Noble.

While legislators waffle and yell about healthcare reform, the Stevens are actively engaged in making a difference in the day to day lives of people.

¹ DeVol, Ross and Armen Bedroussian. An Unhealthy America: The Economic Burden of Chronic Disease, Milken
Institute, October 2007.

² Institute of Medicine, November 1999 report “To Err Is Human: Building a Safer Health System”.

Insiders triumph over improbable odds

NEWPORT BEACH, CA – Business turnaround specialist Richard Stevens has had 14 lives. A survivor of a heart transplant, multiple cardiac surgeries, colon cancer, a coma, and acute thrombosis, Stevens announces the release of his new book “Never Give Up!” Written with his wife Joan, the lessons-learned
are inspirational survival guides for others facing medical crises.

The couple offers readers a survivor’s perspective for empowering patients to take charge of their wellbeing by following “Dick’s Rules.”

“I have spent my entire career specializing on corporate turnarounds—taking weak and failing businesses and making them strong and profitable again. Now, I’ve learned how to do that with my health,” said Stevens. “Just as I developed hard and fast rules for overhauling companies that were hemorrhaging millions, I created a system I share with readers from the perspective of a patient, not a medical expert.”

The six steps explained in the book will help those facing medical problems and their families to better deal with the challenges they face. Stevens believes that there is no cure for human error, exhaustion and carelessness often found in our healthcare delivery system, and therefore, no place for passiveness on the part of the patient and family.

Joan Stevens can tell caregivers a thing or two. Over her 30 years of dealing with doctors, hospitals, nurses, lawyers and insurance companies, she has a firm grasp of the ins and outs of getting the best care for a loved one and how to find the energy to keep going.

“The more you know, the more capable you’ll be to make the best decisions you can. The medical system doesn’t have to be intimidating and overwhelming if you have an open mind and willing heart, you’ll reap enormous benefits,” said Joan.

Never Give Up! by Richard and Joan Stevens with Michael Levin is available at BarnesandNoble.com and Amazon.com. The Orange County couple are engaging, informative speakers on their six steps to protect your life and frank conversations about where to look and how to use the advice you find.