Special to The Laker/Lutz News

St. Joseph’s Hospital-North opens obstetrics unit

By Kyle LoJacono

At 7:57 a.m. Sept. 15 St. Joseph’s Hospital-North’s newest unit saw its first patient and the only thing Michael Boria III could do was cry.
That is because he was the first baby born at the hospital’s new obstetrics (OB) unit.

“We weren’t expecting we’d be the first, but we were kind of hoping,” said Michael’s mother Jill Boria, of Land O’ Lakes.
It is the first baby for the couple of Jill and Michael Boria II, 26. Michael III, who the family will call Trip, was born 8 pounds, 6 ounces and 21-inches long. Jill was in labor for five hours.
“The first thing that I thought was he looks like his daddy,” Jill said. “I’m excited to have a cute little baby boy.”
The hospital is 10 minutes from the Boria’s house and even less time from Jill’s parents’, Denise and Clay Power, home in Lutz.
“We got a call at 4:45 in the morning, so we rushed over here and because it was so close we were here in plenty of time,” Denise said. “We were here for the delivery and the staff made the experience so great.”
The hospital, 4211 Van Dyke Road in Lutz, opened its OB unit Aug. 25. It is also the closest OB unit to Land O’ Lakes residents like the Borias.
“Within our walls, babies will be born and families will be forever impacted by the work we do,” said Paula McGuiness, the hospital’s chief operating officer. “We look forward to extending our legacy of compassionate care to a whole new generation.”
The new unit’s services will include:
Four private labor and delivery rooms equipped with a labor bed that has multiple positions
designed for comfort during delivery.
A shower designed for use during labor.
An infant warmer that quickly distributes warmth through a recessed heater while also serving as an in-bed scale.

The labor and delivery suites are the largest of the rooms at the hospital at 418 square feet.
“You need a lot of room to deliver a baby and give the doctors and nurses room to work,” said Vicki Gose, nurse manager of the OB and mother baby units. “We can get the lighting pointed right where we need it so the doctors can see everything they’re doing.”
Gose has been in labor and delivery care for 24 years and is also the mother of two. She said she got into the field because she loves helping people start their family.
“We’re very excited to have the OB unit open,” Gose said. “We opened in February and it’s taken a little bit to get it opened, but we’re very happy it is. It wasn’t nine months of waiting for it to be done like mothers have to wait, but it seemed like a long time to us.”
Gose was at the hospital when the first baby was born.
Once the baby is delivered, the mother and child can recover together in one of 12 private suites designed to look like hotel rooms as are all suites at the facility. Kathy Myers, director of operations, said each room has a high definition TV, a full-size shower and an in-room relative area to keep the family together.
“The rooms are big and have everything needed to make the patient feel comfortable,” Myers said. “… The same nurse stays with the mother from when they come in until they leave. That just helps them stay comfortable and the nurse learns what the patient wants.”
Myers also said the mother and father get a special dinner provided by the hospital for one evening. The new mother is also given a robe and several other things including toys for the new baby during the stay.
“The family can also stay with the mother the whole time and that makes the process easier on her,” Gose said. “There is a pullout bed in every labor and delivery room.”
Mother and child are kept together as much as possible, but for short periods they are taken to the nursery. Guests can look into the area much of the time
“They’re here for a bath and little things like that,” said Donna Quinones, neonatal nurse. “People can see in most of the time, but we can frost over the glass in case a baby needs to have a minor procedure or is sick.”
There is a neonatal nurse at the facility at all times, according to Myers.
“The support of this community has made the opening a success and we value each and every person who has visited our hospital,” McGuiness said. “We are grateful to have the opportunity to provide emergency care, surgical services, interventional cardiology, imaging services and
now obstetrics to local residents who truly needed better access to health care.”
For more information on St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, call (813) 443-7000 or visit www.stjosephsnorth.com.

About St. Joseph’s Hospital-North
43,000 patients expected in 2010
28,000 emergency room visits expected in 2010
108 private suites
500 employees
1,000 free parking spaces
Cost of more than $225 million to build

St. Joseph’s Hospital-North will open its own imaging in early 2011.
BayCare Outpatient Imaging Center will be a full-service outpatient imaging center being built just east of the hospital, 4211 Van Dyke Road in Lutz, in front of Kohl’s.
“It will offer services such as high-field MRI, multi-slice CT scans, digital
mammography, digital X-rays and bone density scanning,” said hospital spokeswoman Jacqueline Farruggio.

By B.C. Manion

The overall enrollment for Pasco County public schools is close to what district officials projected – but the district still must balance out individual classes to meet the state’s strict class size limits.
At the elementary level, a lot of shifting is being done within schools, said Summer Romagnoli, district spokeswoman. A fourth-grade teacher, for instance, may have to teach a second-grade class.
Veterans, Sand Pine and Seven Oaks are among the elementary schools that are doing a lot of internal shifts, Romagnoli said.
At the high school level, the district has asked teachers to volunteer to take on an additional period to reduce the impact on students. The teachers will receive a stipend, but must give up their planning period.
Some high school students in classes that are exceeding the caps are shifting to online classes, Romagnoli said. Numerous students at Wiregrass Ranch and Wesley Chapel high schools are going that route.
“We’re trying to manage the impacts,” Romagnoli said, but the district realizes these disruptions are hard on people.
“The teachers – they’ve bonded with these students and the kids have bonded with the teachers,” she said.
Superintendent Heather Fiorentino addressed the class size issue in a Sept. 10 letter sent home to parents.
“Under the current law, the district does not have the flexibility to make common sense decisions about the best placement of students if those placements jeopardize a school or classroom’s class size status,” Fiorentino states in the letter.
The state will audit class size in October and if even a single class in the district exceeds the class size limit, the district will be deemed out of compliance and will face severe financial penalties, the superintendent informed parents.
“We understand the importance of continuity for students, and have tried everything within our power to minimize the disruption in classrooms.  Unfortunately, the classes that exceed their limits must be addressed in order to comply with the law,” Fiorentino added.
“I apologize in advance for any inconvenience this may cause your child or family,” she concluded.
Florida voters will decide in November on a proposal to soften the class size cap they approved in 2002. In the meantime, schools still must comply with the law.
The district will offer two class size clinics for principals this week to help them deal with some of the challenges posed by the class size issue, Romagnoli said.
On a brighter note, the district’s enrollment is much closer now to its projections that it was on the fifth day of school. The 20th day count showed the district down just 90 students.
The district remains 774 students short of what the state projected its enrollment would be, Romagnoli said. The good news is that the district based its budget and hiring decisions on its own figures, which have proved to me more accurate, than on the state’s projection.
Across Pasco County, low enrollment is forcing at least one teacher from a half-dozen schools to be reassigned.

By Kyle LoJacono

At 12-years-old Nate McCoole’s life changed forever when his father, Michael, died from cancer. The loss was difficult, but with the help of his family and sports he has become star on the Seahawks football team.
“I remember he was the best dad,” Nate, 16, said. “He was really involved in everything me and my sister did. It was very hard to see him so bad.”

Michael came home from work one day in 2002 with what he and his family thought was the flu. They never expected the diagnosis to be terminal cancer in his abdomen.
“He was wonderful,” said Michael’s wife, Laura McCoole. “He was very involved in our children’s lives. They waited for him at the door to get home from working at Gaither every day.”
Michael worked at Gaither High School as a science teacher for 17 years. When he became sick Laura, who was a stay-at-home mother, went back to school for her master’s degree in reading education from Saint Leo University. She has been a third-grade teacher for the last five years at Maniscalco Elementary in Lutz.
While Laura was going back to school, her children, Nate and Micah, had to take care of Michael until he died in 2006. Laura said she would set out the things for dinner and Nate would make it for his father and sister when he got home.
Laura said the family’s faith in God and closeness helped them get through losing Michael. Additionally, Nate, a junior, has found a sanctuary on the football field as the starting right tackle on the Sunlake High football team.
“I most like the camaraderie with my friends on the line, but I also like driving people into the dirt,” Nate said.
Also on the line this year with Nate are right guard Matt Sanders, center Josh Nobles, left guard Randy Silverwood and left tackle Canon Clark.
“He’s a very hard worker,” said Sunlake coach Bill Browning. “He leads by example in the weight room and is probably the strongest guy we have. I can’t say enough about him because he’s a great example of a young man.”
Clark said off the field Nate is one of the most mellow guys he knows, but when he straps on his helmet he switches into another mode. Nate did not always have that edge.
“His whole life he was so big compared to the other kids so we told him he had to be careful playing with them,” Laura said. “We’d have parents complaining at the playgrounds that there was a 10-year-old in there when he was only 5. When he started playing I had to tell him it was ok to be aggressive and hit people.”
Nate started playing football in seventh grade in the Exciting Idlewild Baptist league. He was not allowed to play in other leagues because he was too big. At Idlewild he had to play with 16-year-olds because he was so much bigger than the other players.
Laura is the Sunlake team mom and supports the team however she can.
“Almost every weekend we all go to Nate’s house and hang out and his mom makes us food,” Clark said. “His mom is really amazing and she’s like my second mom.”
Those meals do not come cheap.
“Those are big shopping bills when they come over,” Laura said jokingly. “They can really eat and I make sure to get them only the best steak to keep them strong.”
Nate’s work ethic and by Laura’s choice of meat has helped him on the Seahawks weightlifting team as well. In the last year he earned the title as strongest 15-year-old in the USA Powerlifting (USAPL) Florida competition. The title qualified him for the national event in Wisconsin in March, where he placed second in his division. His best lift in the bench press is 425 pounds and can also put up 445 in the squat and 540 in the powerlift, also called deadlift.
Sunlake’s weightlifting coach Matt Smith, who is also the offensive line coach, went with Nate to the USAPL national event. Nate said Smith has been the biggest male influence on his life since his father died.
In addition, both Nate and Micah, 13, participate in track and field. Nate does the shot put and discus throw, while Micah does the discus for Charles S. Rushe Middle.
Nate is not just about athletics. His parents made it clear how important education is and he has responded with a 3.83 weighted grade point average. He is also not far from his Eagle Scout award from Boy Scout Troop 212 in Lutz.
Nate also volunteers at his church’s vacation Bible school, at Maniscalco and at the Relay for Life event at the Lutz Train Depot.
“I do the relay each year,” Nate said. “It’s a good way to remember my father and help other people with cancer.”
Nate wants to play football in college and would like to play professionally, but if that does not work he will go into criminology.
“Whatever he does I’ll be proud of him,” Laura said. “He’s such a good young man.”

Wesley Chapel’s John Negley will not have to travel far for his new task

By Kyle LoJacono

Building hospitals has become second nature to John Negley.
The Wesley Chapel resident is in charge of building the Wesley Chapel Medical Center, which will break ground later this year. It is the fourth hospital he has helped put up. Two others were in Maryland and the most recent is Florida Hospital Heartland Medical Center in Sebring.

“I’m really pleased to be building the first hospital in Wesley Chapel,” Negley said. “It’ll certainly bring quality healthcare closer to home. Part of my job has been getting involved in the community to learn about what the people want from their hospital, which is why I’m in the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel as their president and also on the board for the Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce.”
The hospital is being built by the Adventist Health System (AHS), which recently merged with University Community Health (UCH). Negley’s current position with AHS is assistant vice president at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills. He has been a part of AHS since 1992.
“I started building a lot of commercial facilities in West Virginia before moving toward healthcare construction,” Negley said. “I came to Wesley Chapel in 2008 after the Sebring hospital was finished.”
The Wesley Chapel hospital will break ground later this year and will take about 18 months to build. Robins & Morton will be completing the job. The company has finished more than 900 projects in 28 states, including the AHS-owned Florida Hospital Memorial Medical Center in Daytona Beach.
When it does open, the facility will bring 450 jobs to the area according to hospital spokeswoman Lyn Acer.
“It’s also the construction workers who will be eating in the area restaurants, buying gas and shopping here during the project,” Negley said. “It will be a big boost to the local economy, job market and to the availability of healthcare.”
Negley, 62, said most of his daily duties now include finishing the permitting process for the new hospital. After that is finished, he will turn his attention to building the facility. It’s a heavy process — the blueprints actually weigh 250 pounds.
When completed, the facility will cover 200,000 square feet on 52 acres of land. Some 400,000 cubic yards of dirt will be moved. It will open as an 80-bed facility, but is built to easily expand to about twice that once the demand is established from the community.
A removable roof will be installed to more quickly expand from three to six stories. The hospital’s features will include obstetrics, pediatrics, women’s and men’s services, general surgery, an emergency department, a comprehensive medical fitness program, orthopedics and sports medicine.
While Negley has become experienced at building hospitals, he has several other interests including rebuilding classic cars. His favorite is his 1936 two-door Dodge humpback, which won first place at a past car show at The Shops at Wiregrass.
Negley also enjoys climbing mountains. He and his son, John Jr., recently climbed Mount Whitney in California. He will soon take a trip to Japan where he will climb Mount Fuji.
Negley married his high school sweetheart, Eileen. The couple has been married for 42 years and has one child and four grand children.

Facts about the hospital
Location: one half-mile north of SR 56 on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard
Proposed cost: $121 million
Will include 18,000 cubic yards of concrete, enough for 75 miles of sidewalk
Will have four miles of underground utility lines
Will also include 37 miles of piping and 161 tons of sheet metal ductwork

By Kyle LoJacono

Doug Duffield was only at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills for seven months, but his leadership won him the position of hospital CEO and president Sept. 2.
“It was a great honor to be named CEO and president of Florida Hospital Zephyrhills,” Duffield said. “It’s a beautiful area with great people. I love working and living here in east Pasco.”

Duffield, 41, was named to the position after the facility’s previous leader, John Harding, was named CEO of the new Florida Hospital Tampa Bay Region formed after the merger of the Adventist Health System (AHS) and University Community Health (UCH) Sept. 1.
After learning of Duffield’s new position, Harding said, “Doug has proven that he has the leadership skills, the vision and the sense of mission that will enable Florida Hospital Zephyrhills to continue on its journey to provide the most comprehensive and compassionate healthcare services to our patients and the communities we serve.”
The merger of AHS and UCH has Duffield thrilled about the possibilities for the people of the Tampa Bay area.
“I think it’s very exciting to see that UCH has merged with AHS and I think that’s going to create a lot of synergy throughout this region,” Duffield said. “As Wesley Chapel Medical Center is built, I see some very interesting collaboration that’s going to be able to take place. However, my role is with this hospital, so my commitment is 100 percent to this community in east Pasco.
“As I look out I look at how do we align relationships with the community physicians and I see us seeing how we can expand services so that patients don’t have to leave Zephyrhills for higher levels of care,” Duffield continued. “I think we’ve earned the trust of our patients because they can get the same patient experience of any other medical center.”
Duffield lives in San Antonio and started at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills in January. He most recently worked at the AHS-owned Sonora Regional Medical Center in California. Before that he was in Africa at the Maluti Adventist Hospital in Lesotho, where he worked with doctors to track the HIV virus while starting a computer training school.
“In Africa we were working with people who had never seen a calculator before,” Duffield said. “It was very different from here where we have so much technology. We were able to help them get better equipped to follow the AIDS pandemic while giving them some of the tools to better their access to healthcare.”
Duffield started his career as a technology consultant and helped launch several of Microsoft’s Internet-based services, including MSN, Expedia and City Search. He also worked with Intel Corporation’s supercomputing division. He said healthcare was becoming a larger part of his career with technology, which moved him toward his current profession.
Duffield said his position in Sonora had a similar clientele as Zephyrhills because that hospital is not in a major city and is an area where many people from central California go when they retire. However, the seasonality of Zephyrhills residents is a different challenge.
“In Sonora we talked about the winter increase in patients because of having more respiratory diseases, while here it’s because a lot of the people come for the winter,” Duffield said. “It causes its own challenges with staffing, but the hospital has been around for 25 years and everyone here has a lot of experience dealing with those challenges.”
Duffield said the two main things he is focusing on are keeping the commitment to excellent care and looking for ways to be more efficient.
“When someone first walks into the hospital they’ve already spoken to four or five people and by the time they’ve left they’ve been with 50 people from the doctors, staff and volunteers,” Duffield said. “We need to make sure everyone is committed to providing excellent care from making patients feel comfortable to providing the best medicine and treatment.
“When I talk about efficient I don’t mean limiting care in any way,” Duffield continued. “It’s more about taking the waste out of the system. Our goal is to create no-wait clinics. People expect to spend hours when they go to a doctor now. We’ve seen that it’s possible to cut that time not by reducing time spent with the doctors, but by having them pre-signed in, getting their weight, blood pressure and other things checked by a nurse and then go right in to the doctor.”
Duffield was born in Portland, Ore. and graduated from Walla Walla University. He has been married to Melanie Duffield for 10 years and the couple has two daughters — Taylor, 8, and Sienna, 5.

By B.C. Manion

Cascade DuSel sits near her computer, telephone in hand, talking to a student, while clicking away on her keyboard.
Welcome to Spanish class, eSchool-style.
The Pasco County educator teaches 120 students online, including Spanish classes for middle school, high school and Advanced Placement students.
DuSel uses a lot of technology to deliver her instruction. In addition to the curriculum delivered in online lessons, she uses instant messages, Skype, e-mails, texting, telephone calls, audio files and her cell phone to get the job done.
One of the beauties of eSchool is its flexibility, said JoAnne Glenn, an assistant principal who oversees Pasco eSchool.
It can cater to the pace of individual students. Some students need more time to learn, and they can take it. Others may be able to zoom ahead, and they’re not stymied.

“It’s not a passive learning experience,” Glenn said. There are lots of ways for students to be engaged, and teachers are able to see if students are logging on, what they are doing when they are logged on and whether they are on pace to succeed.
eSchool also offers a safety valve to the school district to enable students to take a class that has been capped at a traditional bricks and mortar school because of the state’s strict class size limits.
“Kids don’t necessarily have to settle for a second choice,” Glenn said.
This year’s eSchool enrollment is roughly 30 percent more than last year, which Glenn attributes primarily to the class size limits.
“I think we (eSchool enrollment) will continue to creep up in the next few weeks,” she added, to accommodate more students who must shift into a new class because of the state’s cap.
Enrollment for the program includes 53 full-time elementary pupils and about 160 full-time high school students. Overall, there are about 500 sixth- through 12th-grade students enrolled in at least one class. Ten district teachers are assigned to the eSchool program.
The enrollment figures also include children who are being home-schooled, or who are enrolled in private or charter schools.
eSchool gives students the option of taking a class that isn’t offered on their campus or doesn’t fit into their school day.
“Classes are available 24/7. The digital learner wants to be able to learn all of the time. They’re used to be able to access information all of the time,” Glenn said.
While students can work at all hours of the day and night, the eSchool school year complies with the school district’s calendar, Glenn said.
Students who are interested in eSchool can try it without penalty, Glenn said. There’s a 28-day grace period, so students can try eSchool without penalty. If eSchool is not for them, Pasco eSchool will work with the county’s traditional schools to work something out for the student.
eSchool gives students an avenue to complete their course work while pursuing special interests.
For instance, one of DuSel’s students wants to be a professional golfer.
“He is up 4 or 5 in the morning, he does an hour or two on the computer and then he’s out playing golf for 6 or 7 hours, then he’s back and does another 6 or 7 hours on the computer,” DuSel said.
“He’s taking Spanish 2 and he’s an eighth-grader.”
His mom told DuSel that she likes eSchool because it allows her to be involved in her son’s education.
DuSel said the mom told her: “I know everything that he’s doing. I know all of his assignments. I know when they are going to be due.”
eSchool not only encourages parental involvement; it demands it, Glenn said.
eSchool teachers must talk with their students’ parents at least once a month, said DuSel, who lives in Wesley Chapel. That’s not required of teachers at bricks and mortar schools.
eSchool also requires lots of reading, so it is not a good option for students who are lagging behind in those skills, Glenn said.
DuSel loves teaching students online.
“It really is everything that I love about teaching and none of the stuff that I don’t really love so much.
“I loved being in the classroom. I loved my kids. I loved my schools. But this is just pure subject matter. They’re not coming up to me and talking to me about other stuff.
There’s no, ‘Sit down. Put your gum away. Get that dress code appropriate. Go to the office.’  There’s none of that stuff.
“When I’m talking to a kid on the phone, I can talk to him purely about subject matter,” DuSel said.
Glenn said people frequently wonder whether the district offers physical education and driver’s education courses through eSchool.
Both classes are offered, Glenn said. Driver’s education is available, but does not include behind-the-wheel instruction. Physical education is available, too, but the students get to choose their own physical activities, which can vary widely.
Another benefit of eSchool is that lessons within a course can offer a wide variety of options, enabling students to have more choices in the work that is done to satisfy course requirements, Glenn said.
eSchool is not for everyone, DuSel said.
“This is not for kids who do not want to learn. If the parents don’t have the time, or the parents are not involved, and the kid is not motivated – that is not a good combination.”

By Kyle LoJacono

A single vote will help move Wiregrass Ranch from a cattle farm to a center of education, business and fun.
The Pasco County Commission voted unanimously Sept. 6 to approve a plan for the development of that section of Wesley Chapel.

The plan includes clearing way for the new Wesley Chapel Medical Center, Pasco-Hernando Community Hospital’s (PHCC) Wiregrass Campus and a future recreation complex. With those additions, the plan also calls for a reduction in the number of potential homes that can be built in the area by 1,205.

The details of the plan include:
Planning for a 300,000-square-foot attractions and recreation facility.
Adding an 18-hole golf course.
Officially setting aside enough land for the new $45 million PHCC campus that can accommodate 1,100 students on Mansfield Boulevard near Wiregrass Ranch High.
Allocating 200,000-square-feet needed for the Wesley Chapel Medical Center that will begin construction later this year about one half-mile north of SR 56 on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard.
Increasing the number of hotel rooms from 120 to 480 in the area.

Pasco Commission chairwoman and Pasco tourism council chairwoman Pat Mulieri sees the benefit of adding recreation that will bring people from other counties or states.
“The recreation center would be a big boost for the economy,” Mulieri said. “A prime example is the lacrosse tournament we have in January near Saddlebrook. It brings in more than $2 million to our economy. Pizza places, hotels and stores are jumping and the registers are all ringing. Imagine having a facility that has weekly tournaments, perhaps professional ice hockey practice, and local teams.”
“The hospital and PHCC will create a synergy that will bring more prosperity to the area and contribute positively to the quality of life in Wesley Chapel,” Mulieri continued. “The hospital and college will bring additional professionals to the area and new residents can absorb some of the housing surplus.”
Mulieri was a professor at PHCC for more than 20 years and is happy to see the expansion of education.
“Having a diverse educational environment contributes to economic development and will be a plus when recruiting new businesses to Pasco,” Mulieri said. “It will help us realize our goal; Pasco bringing opportunities home.”
The reduction of potential homes is to make room for increased development of more businesses. To compensate for the loss of residential development, the plan approved rezoning of the area around the future extension of SR 56 from where it stops at Meadow Pointe Boulevard east to Morris Bridge Road. That project will likely be paid for by developers, not the county.
The rezoning will allow more than 2,000 homes to be built on the 825.5 acres of land next to the future extension. Part of that area would be the new River Landing development, which will have about 1,200 homes, 400 multifamily homes and 300 townhouses.
Before the rezoning, the land was for agricultural purposes.
On the recreation side, the “attractions and recreation facility” could be many things, according to Eric Keaton, Pasco tourism manager.
“That land is currently available for private developers who can approach the county to build any recreational facility from hockey to racquetball or shuffleboard,” Keaton said.
Keaton said there is county land near Saddlebrook that will be used for a tennis or other relational facility. He said there is a chance the county will swap that land with the area around SR 56 and open up the property near Saddlebrook for private developers.
The 5,000-acre Wiregrass Ranch is owned by the Porter family. The Porters first bought 14,000 acres of land that stretched from New River down into Hillsborough County in 1941. Don Porter’s father, James, moved his family to the land in 1946.
Porter said his family still has a ranch that raises cattle and grows oranges in the Wiregrass area. He said there was a time when he envisioned an area with schools, shopping centers, recreation and a hospital decades ago. The commissioner’s vote has helped that vision has come true.
“There’s been a lot of progress and that’s needed,” Porter said. “I’m glad I’ve been able to see the area build up into what it is today.”

By Kyle LoJacono

For the second straight year Sister Stroll for a Cure will help raise awareness of breast cancer while supporting Florida Hospital Zephyrhills’ effort to build a new treatment facility.
The event, which is free and open to the public, is from 8 to about 10:30 a.m. at the hospital’s fitness trail in front of the facility, 7050 Gall Blvd. in Zephyrhills. Participants will walk the trail from 9-10 a.m. to support anyone facing the disease or to honor those who have died from breast cancer.

“Getting awareness out about the disease is very important,” said Dr. Danielle Albritton. “With October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month we get a lot more women coming in to get checked out and that’s critically important.”
Albritton said it is recommended that women start getting breast examinations from their doctor after age 20 and start getting mammograms regularly around age 40. She added anyone who has a history of breast cancer in their family, especially close relatives, should discuss it with their doctors as soon as possible.
Albritton added there are several ways to decrease the risk of developing breast cancer, which include: not smoking, limiting alcohol intake, decreasing stress, exercising regularly, keeping weight at a healthy level and reducing the amount of fat, sugar and salt in someone’s diet.
Albritton has been with Medical Group of Tampa, partners with the Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, for the last seven years and is based out of Dade City. While Albritton works more to prevent breast cancer, and all diseases for that matter, Dr. Kim Apple, also with the medical group, performs surgeries to remove the tumors.
Apple has been performing the surgeries at Florida Hospital Zephyrhills for three years and will participate in the stroll this year.
“I wanted to get into treating breast cancer because I get a lot of gratification helping women with the disease,” Apple said. “It’s very emotional even to speak about breast cancer and I really enjoy being able to help women make the right decision about treatment.”
About 1 percent of men contract the disease, according to Apple, but early dedication is much less common. She said if a man discovers a lump in the chest wall he should get it checked as soon as possible.
Apple said new technology allows for minimally invasive biopsies that allow patients to heal more quickly. If a lump is cancerous she performs either a lumpectomy, which removes just the tumor and surrounding tissue, or a mastectomy, which removes the whole breast. She added the most important thing in cancer treatment is detecting it early.
“That reduces the amount of spreading that can happen,” Apple said. “Events like the Sister Stroll can help the community not only become aware of breast cancer, but it also helps those with the disease know there are people thinking of them.”
At the stroll, health practitioners will be available to answer questions about breast cancer. There will also be a raffle at 10 a.m. with refreshments.
Denotations will also be collected at the event to raise money for Florida Hospital Zephyrhills’ future Breast Center. The stroll raised $2,500 last year.
In addition, the hospital is offering mammograms for $49 throughout the month. The full amount must be paid for at the time of service and can be done at both the hospital and at Florida Hospital Imaging of Wesley Chapel. To schedule a mammogram, call (813) 783-8378.