Monday, Aug. 27, 2001 | 11 a.m.
Although he was less than a week from death, Dr. Elias Ghanem sat up in his bed at MountainView Hospital and conducted business as usual, talking only about the future -- not his sparkling past nor his ailing present.
Ghanem, chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission, discussed with NSAC Executive Director Mark Ratner a game plan for overseeing the Nov. 17 world heavyweight title rematch between Hasim Rahman and dethroned champ Lennox Lewis at the Mandalay Bay Events Center.
Since being diagnosed with cancer in 1998, Ghanem had taken a healthy look-toward-the-future attitude that included building a new house and passing up numerous requests for interviews for news stories chronicling his brilliant past. He was rewarded with three more years of precious and productive life.
Elias F. Ghanem, a Lebanese immigrant who rose from a local emergency room doctor to one of the town's most prominent physicians, treating among others rock 'n' roll king Elvis Presley and becoming an innovator in the Preferred Provider Organization-style health system, died today at his home. He was 62.
Ghanem died shortly after 2 a.m. with his family at his bedside.
Services for the Las Vegas resident of 30 years who also was an influential and high-profile political and social fund-raiser, will be 9:30 a.m. Thursday at St. Joseph, Husband of Mary Catholic Church, 7260 W. Sahara Ave. Visitation will be held Wednesday from 7-9 p.m. A rosary will be said at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the church. Interment will be in Palm Mortuary-Eastern.
Nicknamed the "physician to the stars," Ghanem's patient list included entertainers Michael Jackson, Bill Cosby and Ann-Margret and gaming giants Barron Hilton of the Hilton and Flamingo Hilton and William Bennett, formerly head of Circus Circus hotels and now head of the Sahara.
"He was an amazing man, (and) I count it a great privilege in my life that I got to be his close personal friend," said former President Bill Clinton, who visited Ghanem last week at the hospital. "He proceeded to fight this heroic, unbelievable battle against his illness and he lived 2 1/2 years or more longer than anyone thought he could.
"Long before it was fashionable, Elias organized his PPO with hundreds of patients. In the 1980s and early '90s, when medical inflation was going up at three times the rate of inflation in our society, people who were enrolled in Elias' PPO had inflations that were lower than the rest of inflation.
"He was a great doctor. His primary mission in his professional life was taking care of people," Clinton said.
Two-term Nevada Gov. Mike O'Callaghan called Ghanem "a very special person" in the lives of four generations of his family.
"He not only was an outstanding family doctor, he practiced medicine with both his head and heart," said O'Callaghan, executive editor of the Sun. "During the last 30 years, I have sent dozens of sick, homeless people to him for care. No, they didn't have any money, but they received the same excellent care as the wealthy patients."
Mike Sloan, executive vice president at Mandalay Resort Group, echoed that praise, noting that Ghanem, "never said no to anyone -- he was always there to help people. The porter got the same treatment as the president of the resort."
Brian Greenspun, editor and president of the Sun, said: "There have only been a few people in my life who have had an overwhelming influence on me and my family. Elias Ghanem is one of them. Whether it was selflessness, dedication to principle or a sense of loving kindness, Elias gave the full measure."
Gov. Kenny Guinn in a statement called Ghanem a "true friend and a man of integrity."
"Elias was a giver, whose scholarships to students in need created more doctors and nurses than we will ever know."
Ghanem, who cultivated a dashing image -- handsome and always impeccably attired -- was said to be one of the wealthiest doctors in Las Vegas, though he often downplayed his wealth, telling reporters he had less than $1 million. A naturalized U.S. citizen, he spoke English, Arabic, French and Hebrew fluently.
Ghanem, who long ran a string of Las Vegas Medical Centers, treating tens of thousands of workers, also had lucrative contracts to treat Clark County jail inmates and Culinary Union members.
Ghanem was first appointed to the boxing commission in July 1987 and served four times as chairman, holding the one-year post for the past four years.
During his tenure, Ghanem was credited with instituting numerous health and safety issues that have been adopted by fight commissions worldwide. The most significant are mandatory HIV testing to determine if a fighter has the deadly AIDS virus and mandatory hepatitis B and hepatitis C testing.
"After mandatory HIV testing was approved, Dr. Ghanem personally conducted more than 2,000 screenings for fighters at his clinic at no cost to the fighters," Ratner said. "That is how committed he was to protecting the health of the fighters."
Ghanem presided over the hearing after former heavyweight champ Mike Tyson bit the ear of ex-champ Evander Holyfield in 1997. The hearing drew worldwide attention and resulted in the revocation of Tyson's license and a record $3 million fine.
Ghanem also presided over the hearing the next year when Tyson's ban was lifted.
Ghanem was credited in mandating that all Nevada boxing rings have four ropes instead of three. The extra rope prevents fighters from falling through to the floor and suffering potential serious injuries.
In 1996, Ghanem insisted that Holyfield go to the Mayo Clinic for tests following reports that the fighter had a possible hole in his heart -- tests that could have halted potential multimillion-dollar fights for Las Vegas.
"I have to wear two hats because I am on the commission and we generally want fights, but I also am a doctor," Ghanem told the Sun in a 1996 interview. "If I'm not happy with the (Mayo Clinic) test results, I'll say so."
In 1999, Ghanem was recognized for his contribution to sports with a Victor Award at a ceremony at the Las Vegas Hilton.
The last major fight Ghanem attended before he fell ill was the June 28 Oscar De La Hoya vs. Javier Castillejo World Boxing Council Junior Middleweight title fight June 28 at the MGM Grand.
Born March 12, 1939, in Haifa, Israel, Ghanem was one of two sons of an oil company executive. Ghanem immigrated to the United States in 1963 and enrolled at Charlotte College in North Carolina and later at Duke University.
Because he could not transfer to the United States funds from his family's Middle East wealth, Ghanem got a crash course in urban survival, often sleeping in his car, eating cheap fast food and working in the medical school lab.
After his internship at UCLA, Ghanem came to Las Vegas in 1971, where he soon became an expert in emergency medicine. After a stint at Sunrise Hospital, Ghanem opened his own practice, a 24-hour clinic on Joe W. Brown Drive near the Las Vegas Hilton, that grew into a string of clinics.
He soon became the doctor for the Hilton, treating many of its top stars, including, for a short time, Presley, who died in August 1977.
In 1984, Ghanem and his associates proposed a plan to Circus Circus Enterprises that would usher in a new era of health care -- the self-insured plan. Bennett accepted it and saved $1 million during the first year.
In 1985, the Culinary Union joined Ghanem's plan that also included the Clark County Classroom Teachers Association and the Clark County jail.
In 1998, Ghanem went in for an X-ray, thinking he had bruised his ribs during a skiing accident. The test results showed cancer of the kidneys.
"I almost couldn't believe it," he said in a June 9, 1998, Sun report. "I had cancer with no symptoms. There hadn't been any signs of it and I had been feeling well."
Ghanem underwent intense treatment at UCLA.
"I felt like I was going through hell," he said. "I lost 20 pounds, I was weak, I was tired and I had no energy. The whole thing really got me down. But now I'm gaining a few pounds and making some progress. ... I really miss work. It's always been my first love."
Still, Ghanem, as a doctor, was realistic about his future.
"We caught it, but cancer is cancer," Ghanem said in 1998. "At least I'm feeling much better now. I'm feeling stronger and not nearly as tired as I was. I know the realities, but I've decided to be positive about things. I'm going to fight this like crazy."
In his off hours, Ghanem enjoyed horse racing and was considered a fairly good handicapper.
Among his many awards, Ghanem was a Man of the Year for the National Jewish Hospital and American Jewish Committee and he was given the University of Nevada Distinguished Nevadan award.
Ghanem is survived by his wife, Jody Ghanem; two sons, Elias Ghanem II and Farid Ghanem; a daughter, Crystal Ann Ghanem; a brother, Nasser Ghanem; and six nieces, all of Las Vegas.
The family said donations can be made to the Elias F. Ghanem Medical Scholarship Fund, care of James Bradham, Nevada Commerce Bank, 3200 S. Valley View Blvd., Las Vegas, NV 89102.
archive
