The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Mary Rathman

Animal Services achieves ‘top’ status

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Pasco County Animal Services (PCAS) has been recognized for inspiring positive change, and helping pets and people in the community.

Human Animal Support Services (HASS) has named PCAS a Tier 1 shelter, according to a news release.

Spencer Conover, PCAS assistant director (Courtesy of Pasco County)

Subsequently, PCAS now officially will serve as a mentor and example for animal shelters throughout the country.

The HASS Tier 1 requirements include:

  • Reuniting lost pets with their owners
  • Resources for owners to keep pets
  • Resources for owners rehoming pets
  • Reducing length of shelter stays

PCAS already implements aspects of the HASS model through multiple events, including free microchip clinics and a pet food bank for residents in need.

“Supporting the human-animal bond is at the core of our mission,” said Spencer Conover, PCAS assistant director, in the release.

“We have presented our ideas to shelter directors and program investors nationwide, and we look forward to continuing as an ambassador for community-based animal sheltering,” said Conover.

HASS is a national coalition led by American Pets Alive! that focuses on reducing shelter intakes, and ensuring community support for people and their pets.

The group formed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which threatened pet owners’ abilities to keep their pets, and led to more fostering and adoption.

Published May 05, 2021

Rotary Club wants to help the underdogs

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The Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel is accepting nominations for its Community Underdog Awards.

The club wants to hear about deserving Wesley Chapel residents that go above and beyond. The nominees can include a coworker that loves his or job and routinely puts in 100% effort. Or, it could be a school custodian or mailman, a cashier at the grocery store that always greets you with a smile. Other nominees might include an outstanding parent or caregiver, or anyone else who deserves special recognition.

Awards will include gift certificates, baskets and services.

High school seniors also can be nominated for a scholarship. Feel free to submit a nomination for a hardworking, scrappy student with good character that plans on attending a vocational or traditional college.

The club also is on the lookout for residents who need help, with a yard cleanup or house painting — even if the need is a temporary circumstance.

To submit a nomination, visit WCRotary.com, and click on the Nominate Your Underdog link.

Published May 05, 2021

Nemo is full of love

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Nemo is a 5-year-old American Eskimo. He is full of love for his family, is gentle with kids, and is always alert to protect his family. Nemo lives in Wesley Chapel with his owner, Carmen Pinilla.

An afternoon siesta?

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This wee tree frog was hidden safely in a curled leaf on Joanne Dionne’s plantain plant in her yard, in Dade City.

Health News 05/05/2021

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Patrick Rhodes is a ‘star.’ (Courtesy of AdventHealth West Florida Division)

Special delivery for frontline workers
Since the start of the pandemic, Patrick Rhodes, also known as ‘Patrick the Giver,’ has donated hundreds of meals to hospitals within the AdventHealth West Florida Division.

Rhodes has no plans of slowing down, and this year his goal is to donate 2,021 meals to health care workers in the area.

Recently, Rhodes teamed up with Inspire Brands restaurant group to provide 100 Buffalo Wild Wings lunches to the frontline workers at AdventHealth Tampa.

To show its appreciation, AdventHealth West Florida presented Rhodes with the Star Award, for his generosity and impact on the community.

Mental health awareness
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) helps to fight the stigma of mental illness, provide support, educate the public, and advocate for policies that support people with mental illness and their families.

This year, NAMI will continue to amplify the message of “You Are Not Alone,” and will use the time to focus on the healing value of connecting in safe ways, prioritizing mental health and acknowledging that it is OK to not be OK.

The organization will use its own blog, personal stories, videos, digital toolkits, social media engagements and national events to share the vision where anyone affected by mental illness can get the appropriate support and quality of care to live healthy, fulfilling lives.

For more information, visit NAMI.org.

Pasco hospitals get an A
AdventHealth Dade City, AdventHealth Zephyrhills and AdventHealth Wesley Chapel once again maintained safety as a top priority, even during a pandemic, by receiving the highest marks possible for patient safety and quality with a grade A from the Leapfrog Group, according to a news release.

The safety grade is awarded based on a hospital’s performance in preventing medical errors, injuries, accidents, infections, and other harm to patients in their care.

The Dade City and Zephyrhills hospitals proactively implemented a set of best safety practices to continue delivering high-quality patient care:

  • The hospital formed an oversight committee that meets quarterly. Team members review patient quality and safety outcomes. The team also sets measurable goals for improvement and provides feedback to the frontline team.
  • Hospital leaders launched the “safety huddle,” to enhance daily communications between team members. The purpose is to proactively flag safety issues and identify safety concerns for patients. The initiative is proven to reduce medical errors, poor hygiene, and other practices that may be potentially harmful to patients.

AdventHealth Wesley Chapel instituted these safety measures:

  • Hiring additional infection preventionists to continue to reduce risk of infection
  • Implementing additional sanitation technology, such as foot-sanitizing stations and state-of-the-art bacteria removing robots and lights in operating rooms to ensure the safest settings for care

To see grade details on all participating hospitals, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.

BayCare recognized
BayCare Health System once again has been recognized by a leading, independent survey for excellence in clinical outcomes, operational efficiency, patient experience, financial health, and contributions to community health with a focus on equity, according to a news release.

Fortune/IBM Watson Health lists BayCare in the top 20% of large health systems in the country.

This is the third year in a row BayCare has been recognized with the honor.

The hospitals included on the 100 Top Hospitals list had better results on key clinical and operational performance indicators compared to similar hospitals.

These include survival rates, patient complications, health care-associated infections, 30-day mortality and 30-day hospital-wide readmission rates, length of stay, throughput in emergency departments, inpatient expenses, profitability and ratings from patients.

Several BayCare hospitals also have been named to the 100 Top Hospitals list:

  • St. Joseph’s Hospitals, including St. Joseph’s Hospital, St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital and St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, all in Tampa; and St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz and St. Joseph’s Hospital-South in Riverview
  • Morton Plant Hospital (made the list as a top teaching hospital)
  • Bartow Regional Medical Center (made the list in the small community hospital category)

For more information, visit 100TopHospitals.com/.

Chalk Talk 05/05/2021

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Fine arts grants awarded
First National Bank of Pasco (FNBP) awarded six Pasco County schools with fine arts classroom grants for the third quarter of the 2021 school year.

Fine arts teacher Carolyn Frances, left, of Quail Hollow Elementary, accepts her grant from Kathy Balthazard, area sales manager for First National Bank of Pasco. (Courtesy of First National Bank of Pasco)

ArtsFirst is a public-private collaboration between the school district and the bank, where grant applications are submitted by Pasco fine arts teachers and awarded by FNBP based upon the grant’s likelihood of improving student achievement and opportunity.

Most grant requests were made in an effort to purchase supplies to assist with COVID-19 precautions, once classrooms reopened.

Grants were requested for various items, including folding chairs (so students could go outside in the open air), bags of clay, individual art kits, new music scores, communication tools, and mini electric pianos and headphones.

The schools receiving ArtsFirst grants were Anclote Elementary School, Land O’ Lakes High, Pasco High, Quail Hollow Elementary, San Antonio Elementary and Wiregrass Ranch High.

The challenges of learning fine arts online are numerous, and these grants help students return to school in a safe, productive and creative way.

(Courtesy of Florida Recovery Schools of Tampa Bay Inc.)

Donation for Victory High
Victory High School received a $5,000 presented by Pilot Bank. The school is the first Recovery High School in Tampa Bay for students ages 14 to 19 seeing recovery from addictions. From left: Eileen Bedinghaus, Florida Recovery Schools of Tampa Bay Board of Directors chair; Tina Levine, Florida Recovery Schools founder and executive director; and Rita Lowman, Pilot Bank.

Writers retreat
Saint Leo University will host its eighth Sandhill Writers Retreat, virtually, on May 15 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., via Zoom.

The retreat is for writers of all experience levels, and sessions and workshops will cover a variety of topics, conducted by prominent writers.

Topics will include: Fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, nature writing, writing for veterans, spoken word and performance, publishing, and creating literary community.

The complete program showing all classes, teacher biographies, and digital access to a local bookstore carrying titles from the workshop authors is available at SaintLeo.edu/sandhill-writers-retreat.

Fees are between $25 and $45, with additional charges for optional consultations or master classes.

Those attending the retreat and other members of the public also are invited to register to attend a free reading featuring veteran-author Brian Turner, of Orlando, on May 14 at 7 p.m., also via Zoom.

Fee adjustment review
Pasco-Hernando State College’s District Board of Trustees (DBOT) will meet on May 18 at 6 p.m., at the Spring Hill Campus, to consider the approval of proposed adjusted course-related fees.

Fee adjustment proposals are reviewed and approved for DBOT consideration by PHSC’s Council of Academic Affairs, a committee that includes representation by administrators, deans, academic department chairs, program directors, faculty and staff.

For details regarding the adjustments, justification for the fees and fee implementation details, visit Policies.phsc.edu/policies-and-procedures/public-disclosure.

Many fee adjustments relate to vendor increases for workforce courses, laboratories, and program testing.

Some fees may be covered by financial aid, scholarship and grants.

Questions or concerns about the proposed fees should be directed to the appropriate dean listed on the web page.

In-person graduations
Pasco County Schools will host in-person graduations in school stadiums, unless otherwise noted.

This year, each graduate will be allowed to have four guests — two guests to accompany the graduate on the field, and two seated in the bleachers.

“We know how important it is to the graduates to walk across the stage and receive their diploma in person. And we know how important it is to have family there to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime experiences,” said Kurt Browning, Pasco superintendent of schools.

Here is a complete list of graduation dates and times for the schools in The Laker/Lutz news coverage area:

  • May 26 at 6 p.m.: Marchman Technical College, at River Ridge High Performing Arts Center
  • May 27 at 6 p.m.: Pasco eSchool, Idlewild Baptist Church
  • June 1 at 6 p.m.: Wendell Krinn Technical High School, in the school’s gymnasium
  • June 2 at 7 p.m.: Cypress Creek High School
  • June 3 at 9 a.m.: Zephyrhills High School
  • June 3 at 7 p.m.: Wiregrass Ranch High School
  • June 4 at 7 p.m.: Land O’ Lakes High School
  • June 4 at 7 p.m.: Wesley Chapel High School
  • June 4 at 7:30 p.m.: Pasco High School
  • June 5 at 9 a.m.: Sunlake High School

For more information, email Stephen Hegarty at .

A community ‘star’

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(Courtesy of Pasco Sheriff’s Office)

Pasco County Sheriff’s deputies presented a Community Star Award to Tahree Williams for his efforts in helping to rescue young children from a car that had crashed into a pond. Because of Williams’ efforts and willingness to assist deputies with ensuring the safety of the children without hesitation, all the occupants of the car made it out safely before the car sank.

Artists’ paintings show a love for animals

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The Art Club of Zephyrhills has not let the COVID-19 pandemic slow it down, as it continues to stay busy helping others through art projects.

Club members have been hard at work — painting at home — to create animal portraits for the Octagon Wildlife Sanctuary of Punta Gorda. The portraits will be on display around the sanctuary for visitors to enjoy.

Members of the Art Club of Zephyrhills painted various animal portraits to donate to the Octagon Wildlife Sanctuary of Punta Gorda. (Courtesy of Jim Butz)

The art club presented and donated more than 20 animal portraits to the sanctuary, at its April 12 meeting, at the First Baptist Church, on Fifth Avenue in Zephyrhills. Laurie Caron, sanctuary director; Jacky Krohn, assistant director; and Jim Butz, regional coordinator were there to accept the paintings.

Octagon Wildlife is a nonprofit 501(3) charity that rescues exotic animals and also serves as a learning facility. These animals are no longer needed or wanted, and many times have been mistreated.

For more than 40 years, the sanctuary has been a retirement home for many exotics. Its resident animals include bears, lions, tigers, primates, wolves, macaws, tortoise and others.

There are volunteer opportunities and animal sponsorships available for anyone who would like to help Octagon Wildlife.

The sanctuary also accepts donated materials such as tools and fencing, and cash or gift certificates.

For information, visit OctagonWildlife.org.

Published April 28, 2021

Health News 04/28/2021

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(Courtesy of Shantel Meyers)

Recycle, and donate to charity
GFWC Wesley Chapel Women’s Club member Cara Alberghina collected more than 20 pounds of aluminum can pop-tops for the Ronald McDonald House, a charity with programs near top children’s hospitals that allows parents who are far from home to stay close to their hospitalized child. The parents can benefit from having the comforts of home without incurring hotel and food costs. If you would like to help Alberghina and other members continue to collect the pop-tops for this charity project, email .

New imaging scanner
St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, 4211 Van Dyke Road in Lutz, now has a CT scanner, known simply as the “Force.”

A patient’s chest, abdomen and pelvis can be scanned in 1.5 seconds, according to Chris Blanchard, the hospital’s imaging manager.

The speed also eliminates the need to use medications to lower a patient’s heart rate before undergoing a scan.

New staff member
BayCare Medical Group has welcomed Dr. Paula Lundgren, surgical oncologist, board certified in general surgery.

Lundgren is experienced in breast surgery, and the care of benign and malignant breast disorders.

She received her undergraduate degree in microbiology from Pennsylvania State University in University Park and earned her Doctor of Medicine from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia.

Lundgren continued her medical education by completing a general surgery residency at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and a clinical breast fellowship at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Ohio.

She is a member of the American Society of Breast Surgeons and the American College of Surgeons. She is affiliated with Morton Plant Hospital.

Dr. Lundgren will see patients at the Comprehensive Breast Care Center, 2102 Trinity Oaks Blvd., Suite 202, in Trinity.

For more information, visit DrPaulaLundgren.org.

Chalk Talk 04/28/2021

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Rebecca Schulkowski (Courtesy of Pasco-Hernando State College)

New board appointment
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the appointment of Rebecca Schulkowski to the District Board of Trustees (DBOT) for Pasco-Hernando State College.

Schulkowski, director of operations for Mease Dunedin Hospital and Mease Countryside Hospital, is leading the construction of BayCare’s new 318,000-square-foot hospital in Wesley Chapel.

“Dr. Schulkowski brings over 20 years of administrative and clinical experience to the DBOT,” said Timothy Beard, PHSC president. “We look forward to her leadership and guidance.”

Schulkowski’s position on the board began on March 26. She succeeds Al Hernandez who served on the DBOT since March, 2017.

The appointment is subject to the confirmation by the Florida Senate.

CyberCamp scholarships
The University of South Florida’s (USF) CyberCamp is a virtual experience open to students in grades three to 12, and graduating high school seniors who are interested in the rapidly growing field of cybersecurity.

Scholarships are being offered through the support of businesses and individuals, and all funds are distributed based on need.

The application window for the USF summer camp program is open until April 30, at bit.ly/3flHM4x.

To learn more about the elementary cybercamp, visit bit.ly/usfelemcybercamp.

For middle school camp, visit bit.ly/usfmiddlecybercamp.

For high school camp, visit bit.ly/usfhighschoolcybercamp.

In-person graduations
Pasco County Schools will host in-person graduations in school stadiums, unless otherwise noted.

This year, each graduate will be allowed to have four guests — two guests to accompany the graduate on the field, and two seated in the bleachers.

“We know how important it is to the graduates to walk across the stage and receive their diploma in person. And we know how important it is to have family there to celebrate this once-in-a-lifetime experience,” said Kurt Browning, Pasco superintendent of schools.

Here is a list of graduation dates and times for the schools in The Laker/Lutz news coverage area:

  • May 26 at 6 p.m.: Marchman Technical College, at River Ridge High Performing Arts Center
  • May 27 at 6 p.m.: Pasco eSchool, Idlewild Baptist Church
  • June 1 at 6 p.m.: Wendell Krinn Technical High School, in the school’s gymnasium
  • June 2 at 7 p.m.: Cypress Creek High School
  • June 3 at 9 a.m.: Zephyrhills High School
  • June 3 at 7 p.m.: Wiregrass Ranch High School
  • June 4 at 7 p.m.: Land O’ Lakes High School
  • June 4 at 7 p.m.: Wesley Chapel High School
  • June 4 at 7:30 p.m.: Pasco High School
  • June 5 at 9 a.m.: Sunlake High School

For more information, email Stephen Hegarty at .

Student achievements

  • Joel Perdomo, of Lutz, has earned a place in The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation’s oldest and most-selective all-discipline collegiate honor society. Perdomo was initiated at the University of Southern Mississippi.
  • Marissa Schabes, of Lutz, was recognized to the fall Dean’s List at Furman University, Greenville, South Carolina. Furman is a private, undergraduate liberal arts and sciences university.

Free VPK offered
Pasco County Schools offers free VPK for three hours a day, for the 2021-2022 school year.

Children must be 4 years old on or before Sept. 1, to be eligible.

For information, contact the Pasco Schools VPK office at 813-794-2672.