Columnists

Joshua Schliesser, M.D. Named TLC Health Partner of 2016

Issue 49.16

Once a year, The Learning Center for Families (TLC) hands out an award to a member of the community for their volunteer services.  This year’s award was given to Joshua Schliesser, M.D. from the Dixie Ophthalmic Specialists at Zion Eye Institute.

TLC was developed under a grant to serve infants and toddlers with disabilities in Washington County, Utah.  The grant was funded by the Utah Department of Health, Division of Family Health Services, on September 1, 1993, and services started that very same day. In June 2011 TLC for Families moved their St. George site to a brand new, spacious facility.  This center was built through generous donations and labor from the community.  Their new facility has greatly increased their capacity to continue to expand services in the St. George area, including offering fee-for-service classes to the public at large. This program allows children to enhance their developmental skills and has become very popular in the community.

“As a nonprofit, TLC spends a great amount of time trying to find volunteers to help with our mission.  Rarely do we have someone find us, but Dr. Schliesser is one of those volunteers who found us rather than us finding him.  On a random Tuesday he showed up at TLC asking how he could help” said Tena Heward R.N.  “Immediately I grabbed him by the arm, and gave him a tour to show him all about TLC and the health services we provide through our multiple programs.”

Dr. Schliesser is a fellowship trained Pediatric Ophthalmologist specializing in the medical and surgical management of pediatric eye diseases and adult strabismus. He is the only full-time Pediatric Ophthalmologist in Southern Utah and is in practice with the Dixie Ophthalmic Specialists at Zion Eye Institute.  He lives here in St. George with his wife and five children.

Dr. Schliesser agreed to join TLC’s Health Services Advisory Board and just last year alone provided his quality services for free to 15 of TLC’s children who had vision concerns of varying degrees. Most of these children do not have private insurance or Medicaid. His services have been instrumental in helping us meet the vision requirements for our Early Head Start federal grant.  Heward continued “We are just so grateful to Dr. Schliesser and his staff for the time and generosity they have donated to TLC.”

Dr. Schliesser can be contacted at Dixie Ophthalmic Specialists at Zion Eye Institute 435-656-2020.

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