The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Mary Rathman

Coffee and conversation

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(Courtesy of Deidra Shelley)

Sundance & Sun Communities of Zephyrhills recently hosted its first-ever Veterans Coffee Hour. Veterans who took part in the conversation and camaraderie were Wayne Sprague, Dave Jordan, Donald Connell, Richard Marquette, Jerry Burgoon and Fred Wadelin. For more information, call Deidra Shelley, community manager, at 813-779-3214. 

Meet 1-year-old Cody

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Cody loves to chase balls, visit the dog park at Del Webb Bexley, and sit on the bed and watch birds at the bird feeder (which is what he is doing in this photo.) Cody lives with his proud parents, Linda and Craig Nowicke, in Land O’ Lakes.

A stately silhouette

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Calm water provides the perfect silhouette of this great blue heron in Lake Bernadette in Zephyrhills. Michael Lambirth captured the photo of one of Florida’s most recognizable wading birds.

Health News 09/27/2023

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A new Walmart Health center has opened in Lutz at 1563 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. (Courtesy of  Walmart Health)

A total health care commitment
Continuing its commitment to making quality health care more convenient, accessible and affordable for customers, Walmart Health has expanded in the Lutz, Hudson and New Port Richey communities, according to a news release.

The Walmart Health centers, adjacent to their respective supercenters, will deliver primary care, labs, X-ray and EKG, behavioral health, dental, select specialty services, and community health all in one facility.

The health centers will offer care seven days a week with weekend and evening hours, as well as telehealth options on Sundays.

The new Lutz center is at 1563 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., adjacent to Store No. 988 Supercenter.

The other centers are at 12582 U.S. 19 in Hudson and 8901 State Road 54 in New Port Richey.

Senior centers tapped for vaccine
The National Council on Aging (NCOA) is contracting with up to 150 senior centers to administer 15,000 updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines this fall, as part of its Vaccine Uptake Initiative, funded by the U.S. Administration for Community Living, according to a news release.

“New strains of COVID and flu are already circulating, and we know that older adults continue to be at higher risk of getting ill from these viruses,” said Ramsey Alwin, NCOA president and CEO, in the release.

“Seniors centers are trusted messengers in their communities, and they have what it takes to make sure older adults stay protected this respiratory season,” said Alwin.
Participating senior centers will receive $10,000 each and will be required to administer a minimum of 100 COVID-19 and/or flu shots to older adults and people with disabilities.

The centers will target diverse and hard-to-reach populations, including communities of color, rural individuals, and Spanish speakers.

The 150 senior centers will join the 180 community-based organizations that NCOA selected earlier this year as grantees for the Vaccine Uptake Initiative. The 180 grantees will administer a total of 317,000 COVID-19 and flu vaccines.

For more information, visit NCOA.org and click on the “Older Adults” tab.

Achievement Award
HCA Florida Trinity Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Silver Plus quality achievement award for its commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability, according to a news release.

Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts — part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so brain cells die, the release said.

Early stroke detection and treatment are key to improving survival, minimizing disability and accelerating recovery times. 

Get With The Guidelines – Stroke is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care by promoting consistent adherence to these guidelines, which can minimize the long-term effects of a stroke and even prevent death.

Each year, program participants qualify for the award by demonstrating how their organization has committed to providing quality care for stroke patients. In addition to following treatment guidelines, Get With The Guidelines participants also educate patients to help them manage their health and recovery at home.

HCA Florida Trinity Hospital also received the American Heart Association’s Target: Stroke Elite Plus award.

In addition, HCA Florida Trinity Hospital received the American Heart Association’s Target: Type 2 Honor Roll award. Target: Type 2 Diabetes aims to ensure patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to stroke.

Published September 27, 2023

Chalk Talk 09/27/2023

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(Courtesy of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce)

Student Citizens recognized for achievements
The East Pasco Chamber Foundation in partnership with The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce recognized 11 students as Student Citizens of the Month. Students are chosen by the teachers and administration of their individual schools for exemplary effort, achievement, and contribution to their school, family and community. These students were honored: Allaster Spivey, Academy of Spectrum Diversity; Austin Dick, Children’s Educational Services Elementary Campus; Mikayla Washington, Children’s Educational Services Secondary Campus; Jackie Herrera, Chester W. Taylor Elementary School; Layla Decara, East Pasco Adventist Academy; Karissa Barrington, Heritage Academy; De’Najah Jackson, Raymond B. Stewart Middle School; Josiah Gomez, West Zephyrhills Elementary School; Audney LaPoint, Woodland Elementary; Cameron Sanford, Zephyrhills Christian Academy; and Yaxiel Nieves, Zephyrhills High School.

Donations to help local schools
Pasco Tax Collector Mike Fasano’s five offices collected donations for the Pasco County School District and select charter schools’ ABC (Assist, Believe & Care) Program, which was created to provide financial assistance to students and their families experiencing economic hardship.

“These uncertain economic times can provide extra stress upon families who have already had to deal with COVID and other challenges,” said Fasano, in a news release.

“Thanks to the ABC Program or its equivalent in many charter schools, funds can be designated to students and their families who are experiencing hardship or crisis. …our five offices collected monetary donations of $22,500 to help children and their families in their time of need,” Fasano said.

Ten Pasco elementary schools each received $2,000 to be used by its respective ABC Program. Additionally, five Pasco charter schools received $500 each.

  • Cox Elementary School, Dade City
  • Lacoochee Elementary School, Lacoochee
  • West Zephyrhills Elementary School, Zephyrhills
  • Woodland Elementary School, Zephyrhills
  • Lake Myrtle Elementary School, Land O’ Lakes
  • Mary Giella Elementary School, Spring Hill
  • Gulfside Elementary School, Holiday
  • Hudson Primary School, Hudson
  • Sunray Elementary School, Holiday
  • Calusa Elementary School, New Port Richey
  • Dayspring Academy, Port Richey
  • Athenian Academy, New Port Richey
  • Pepin Academy of Pasco, New Port Richey
  • Learning Lodge Academy, New Port Richey
  • Academy at the Farm, Dade City

For more information about the tax collector’s charitable giving programs, contact Assistant Tax Collector Greg Giordano at 727-847-8179, or visit PascoTaxes.com.

Donations may also be mailed to the tax collector’s office at: Tax Collector Mike Fasano, P.O. Box 276, Dade City, FL 33526.

Online donations are accepted, too, at GovHub.com/fl-pasco/tc-gives/donate.

Forensic education
National Forensic Sciences Week (Sept. 17 to Sept. 23) recognizes the value forensic investigations provide to law enforcement and the criminal justice system.

The Pasco Sheriff’s Office celebrates its diverse Forensic Science entities within its agency, including its Forensic Services Section, F1RST (Florida’s Institute for Research, Security and Tactics), and Explorer Post 916 Forensic Branch.

Forensic investigators collect, catalog and identify evidence from every scene and achieve this through an array of techniques from evidence collection in traditional settings to finding ways to adapt to Pasco County’s landscape.

Many PSO forensic investigators also take part in specialty teams: Underwater Recovery, Critical Incident Stress Management, Missing & Abducted Children Team, and more.

The PSO Forensic Services Section uses skills and specialties such as crime scene documentation and reconstruction; specialized photography; latent print processing, comparison and identification; DNA collection; and blood pattern analysis. Visit PascoSheriff.com for more information.

The F1RST program provides a more research-focused approach to the forensics field, and includes an in-house forensic anthropologist, who often joins PSO investigators on cases, working to identify those whose remains were discovered in a variety of cases. For more, visit FloridaFirstTraining.org.

Explore Post 916 offers an innovative forensics branch that introduces younger members (ages 14 to 21) to forensics sciences. The program is a science-based look at forensic roles, outside of what is traditionally thought of as a responsibility of a law enforcement officer. Visit https://pascoexplorers.pascosheriff.com/ for information.

International Conference
Saint Leo University’s Center for Catholic-Jewish Studies is one of the organizers of the upcoming international conference, “New Documents from the Pontificate of Pope Pius XII and their Meaning for Jewish-Christian Relations: A Dialogue between Historians and Theologians,” from Oct. 9 to Oct. 11, in Rome.

The conference also will be livestreamed, in Italian and English, online at YouTube.com/unigregoriana.

The conference goal is to shed new light on the historical and theological controversies concerning Pope Pious XII and the Vatican during the Holocaust period and on Jewish-Christian relations at multiple levels.

Structured in seven sessions, the conference will address the most complex issues, both in the historical-diplomatic implications and in the social, religious and cultural ones, which led to an irrevocable reformulation of the relationship between the Catholic Church and the Jewish people in the following decades.

Registration is open to the public and due by noon on Oct. 2, online at tinyurl.com/2s35d4fu

Published September 27, 2023

Woody adds something special to family

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Woody is a working dog that always patrols the property for lizards and squirrels. He loves to run the fence line when delivery trucks drive by. Sometimes the trucks race him to see how fast he can go. Woody lives with Yvette and Rick Dubaj in Dade City. They aren’t sure what breed he is — maybe a Rhodesian mix. 

A glorious reflection

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June Robinson snapped this photo shortly after she and her husband moved to Lakeshore Ranch in Land O’ Lakes. Robinson said she loves the wildlife and they have always lived on the water or conservation areas. She spotted this heron in one of the retention ponds on one of her morning walks.

NHTSA cautions on teen drivers’ immaturity

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While summer is a popular time for teens to get driver’s licenses, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) warns that teen drivers have a higher rate of fatal crashes — mainly because of their immaturity, lack of skills and lack of experience.

On average, eight teens die each day from motor vehicle injuries, according to WalletHub’s recently released report, 2023’s Best & Worst States for Teen Drivers (for the complete report, see WalletHub.com/edu/best-worst-states-for-teen-drivers/4598). 

The NHTSA encourages parents to learn about the state’s Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) laws and to not rely solely on a driver’s education class to teach a teen to drive.

A driver’s education class can teach road rules and safe driving practices, but those are only part of a GDL approach, which is designed to ease teens onto the roadway by controlling their exposure to progressively more difficult driving experiences.

The GDL has provisions and restrictions for three stages: Stage 1-Learner’s Permit; Stage 2-Intermediate (Provisional) License; and Stage 3-Full Licensure. 

Parents also are advised to talk to their teen drivers about the dangers of drug and alcohol use; distracted driving (texting, talking, eating, applying makeup, etc.); and other potentially dangerous behaviors, such as not wearing a seatbelt, speeding and having too many passengers in a vehicle.

The NHTSA also recommends parents set driving ground rules and consequences for distracted driving.

For more information and tips, visit NHTSA.gov/road-safety/teen-driving. 

Published September 20, 2023

Pasco’s Senior Services expands programs

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Pasco County Senior Services will be the new lead agency for Community Care for the Elderly as of Sept. 1. The county will provide in-home programs and on-site services, as it does at the Land O’ Lakes Senior Services Center at 6801 Wisteria Loop.
(Mike Camunas)

Pasco County Senior Services (PCSS) has been named the new lead agency for Community Care for the Elderly in Pasco County, effective Sept. 1, according to a news release.

The transition comes on the heels of a vote by the Area Agency on Aging board of directors.

Currently, PCSS administers the Home Delivered Meals program and four Congregate Dining Sites.

Pasco County will additionally oversee these three programs for seniors:

  • Community Care for the Elderly
  • Alzheimer Disease Initiative
  • Home Care for the Elderly

The county’s Senior Services department focuses on supporting the health, vitality, independence and well-being of seniors.

The department aims to ensure seniors in the community will not experience any disruption of service, the release said..

“This is a great opportunity for Pasco County, and we look forward to expanding our services to our seniors,” said Brian Hoben, director of community services, in the release.

“There’s no need to worry. Our clients can expect the same continuity in services that they have already experienced,” said Hoben.

For more information about all services and programs offered, call 727-847-8011.

Published September 20, 2023

New Community Initiative

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The Alliance for Healthy Communities, Incorporated (AHC) has partnered with The Hope Shot (THS), A Recovery Community Organization, to create an essential initiative to Pasco County residents.

The partnership of the two organizations, aptly named The Alliance for Hope Project (TAFHP), is a one-year project funded by a Congressional Appropriation sponsored by Congressman Gus Bilirakis. The project will lead efforts to prevent substance misuse, while also providing pathways to treatment, recovery resources and prevention initiatives. Supports will include (but are not limited to): recovery and mental health peer support specialists; navigation specialists; prevention education, individual support, and classes; peer support meetings; overdose prevention education; medication safety and Narcan.

TAFHP is an inclusive community resource for prevention services and recovery resources that aims to increase community protective factors, reduce use, reduce overdose rates, encourage long-term sobriety, and promote engagement with systems of care. TAFHP will serve all ages from birth to older adults, with a specific reach toward at-risk populations in “hot spots” as identified by population health indicators, and overdose, arrest, and Intelligence Lead Policing data. While TAFHP will exist as its own entity, the program also will serve to uplift already established initiatives such as its collaborator, The Hope Shot, the Alliance for Substance Addiction Prevention (ASAP) and the STAND youth coalition. 

Pasco county has experienced a 378% increase in overdoses since 2017. The 2022 Florida Youth Substance Abuse Survey (FYSAS) revealed community risk factors of laws and norms favorable to drug use and perceived availability of drugs by middle and high school students to be higher in Pasco County compared to their peers around the state.

“While I am no proponent of big government spending, I have a duty to ensure my community receives its fair share of allocated federal resources and to be transparent about my efforts to prioritize important local projects,” said Bilirakis, in the release.

The Alliance for Hope Project is slated to serve 848,800 individuals and families all around Pasco County and will continue the efforts to make Pasco County a stronger and healthier community. 

For more information and for resources to get help for addiction, visit EmpoweredCommunities.org.

For more on The Hope Shot and its vision, visit TheHopeShot.org.