Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By Suzanne Schmidt

Zephyrhills elementary students walked the woods, sifted through owl pellets and learned about science and the environment last week at a hands-on learning camp.

The School District of Pasco County provided the camp for about 25 students from each of the 21 Title I elementary schools. Title I federal funding targets support to low-income schools.
Students visited The Energy and Marine Center, Starkey Environmental Education Center, Safety Town’s Environmental Center, Crystal Springs Preserve and the Florida Aquarium.
Laura Hill, supervisor of science at the District School Board of Pasco County, said the students are making connections.
“They will be talking about the environment and what is affecting the environment,” Hill said. “They learn ways to help the environment. They all have science notebooks where they are writing down their lessons. Through the week they will be visiting different places like the Energy Medical Center. There they will be learning about actions they can take to help with the oil spill. It is a good academic experience.”
Carol Pigeon, teacher at Chasco Middle School, is working at the camp to teach children about the environment.

“They are exploring plants and learning about leaves,” Pigeon said. “We went on a walk (at Starkey) and the kids collected plants and leaves. They were figuring out what type of plant they are and what type of environment they live in. You can read all you want, but doing hands-on work is what makes a difference.”
Kapil Patel, 11, a fifth-grader at West Zephyrhills Elementary School, said he loved the camp.
“I learned about orienteering, which is how to use a compass,” Patel said. “I also learned about how to tell whether water is good or bad. If the water is bad then there are leeches in it but if there are sensitive bugs in the water, then it is good.”
For Ryen Ramnauth, 10, fifth-grader at West Zephyrhills Elementary, the trip to Safety Town was his favorite.
“I like that we get to go to different places,” Ramnauth said. “I learned a lot about the different kinds of skulls and insects at Safety Town yesterday.”
Joe Kurtright, a teacher at Hudson Middle School, led an owl lab during camp at Starkey.
“They are getting an introduction into skulls, bones and owls,” Kurtright said. “They are dissecting owl pellets to identify the bones. This is helping them to connect book knowledge to hands-on learning. This is an experience they will never forget.”
The owl pellets were especially fascinating to Chester W. Taylor Elementary School fourth-grader Hunter Hall, 9.
“I learned that it takes 20 days for an owl to make a pellet,” Hall said. “It has bones from its prey in it. I liked looking through the pellet and finding bones, it was fun.”

The camp taught Destiny Jordan, 10, a fourth-grader at Taylor Elementary about the environment.
“I learned about owls and bones,” Jordan said. “I learned that owls have sharp beaks and big eye sockets. I like the camp because I learned about stuff I didn’t know. It was fun.”
Kendra Williamson, 10, a fifth-grader at West Zephyrhills Elementary, said she learned more about animals.
“I learned that we need to take care of the animals, because they need to stay alive,” Williamson said. “We should be treating the animals better.”
Stacie Reese, 17, will be a senior at Zephyrhills High School next year. She was volunteering at the camp to help teach children about science.
“I wanted to volunteer so I could help out and because I love kids,” Reese said. “I think it is good for them to learn this stuff. It gives them the experience of getting out in the Florida habitat.”
Christine Altenes, bus driver and instructional assistant for Pasco County School District, said she loves getting to teach the children about the environment.
“A lot of these kids have never been on this side of the county and seen this type of environment,” Altenes said. “They are learning so much and they don’t even realize it because they are having so much fun.”
The district will continue to host the summer camps for another week and a half. For more information, call (813) 794-2312.

By Suzanne Schmidt

Women are helping to empower other women and promote their businesses through the new networking group Women of Wesley Chapel.
The group recently had its first meeting at Cosi at the Shops at Wiregrass.
Debbie Yoerg, independent marketer for the Trump Network, is working with Vicki Hamilton of Smart Health and Carol Goeble of Trail Wind Travel to run the group.
“The networking group is important because women in Wesley Chapel are really looking to connect with each other,” Yoerg said. “We are working to come together and network for businesses as well as to support each other. Our motto is to empower, encourage, embrace and educate the women of Wesley Chapel so they can become all they can be on the inside and the outside.”
Even though the meetings are not rigidly structured, at every meeting women will be given one minute to talk about their business. Since one purpose of the group is to educate its members, Yoerg said they will have various female guest speakers who will talk about what makes them successful.
“We are going to bring in women who have succeeded in different areas who can be a role model,” Yoerg said. “They will be speaking about how they have overcome different obstacles.”
Women attending the group will also learn useful skills.
“We will have women speaking on different topics like social networking, blogging, leadership skills and recruiting,” Yoerg said. “They will learn how to grow their business and important skills like time management and stress management.”
Hamilton co-owns Smart Health with her husband (Capt.) Rob Hamilton. She said she thinks networking is one of the best ways to grow a business.
“I want to educate women on how to network and build their business,” Hamilton said. “The key to networking is to step outside of your business and learn how others have built their business in order to help your own. When you are running a business you are so busy you don’t have time to recognize what other people are doing.”
Hamilton said a woman-only group is exactly what many women need in order to feel comfortable.
“Traditionally women are in the background of their organization,” Hamilton said. “They may need more prompting than men to get their voice out. In our group we are encouraging women to talk as much as possible. We want the group to be just women because we want women to really open up. We want women to feel comfortable enough to come in and just ask questions.”
Yoerg said she is hoping the group will also help women find balance between work and their lives.
“Sometimes women feel defeated or tired because they are running around in all directions,” Yoerg said. “They have their children and they are trying to run a business. They end up not feeling their best. We want this to be a safe place to talk things through that they might be struggling with.”
The Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce had the woman-only networking group previously and David West, chamber president, said he is glad it is back.
“I am excited about them starting the WOW group,” West said. “The power of networking and marketing is what we are trying to deliver to our members. It is a great benefit to our members that they don’t have to pay extra for.”
He said there will also be several other new networking groups starting soon or that have just started.
“We also have several other networking groups starting with a facilitative networking group and a business builders coffee group,” West said. “They will be focusing on bringing in successful people to talk about how to run a successful business. There will also be a CEO roundtable that will meet quarterly.”
Women will be allowed to visit the group three times as a visitor. Then they will have to join the Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce in order to stay in the group.
“It is nice because people can visit a couple times and decide if it is a good fit for them,” Yoerg said. “We hope women will come out and check it out.”
The group only meets once a month now, but in the future the plan is to meet every other week.
“Building relationships from a monthly meeting is harder,” Hamilton said. “It is better if we could see each other more often in order to build better relationships. We want to make sure we are having more one-on-one interaction between the members.”
The next meeting will be 7:30 a.m. July 9 at Cosi at The Shops at Wiregrass in Wesley Chapel.  Typically the group will meet on the first Friday of the month, but with the holiday weekend, the meeting was pushed back.
For more information or to attend a meeting, call (813) 994-5399 or e-mail .

By Sarah Whitman

In recognition of National HIV Testing Day June 27, Spirit of Life Metropolitan Community Church in New Port Richey and the Pasco County Health Department will offer free confidential testing.
Rodney Leifheit, administrator for Spirit of Life and treasurer for the Pasco World AIDS Day Committee, said getting tested is just as important today as it ever was.
“People may not realize it but HIV is still prevalent regardless of a person’s sexual orientation,” Leifheit said. “There’s a whole new generation coming along that may or may not be aware of the risks out there.”
As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are approximately 700 people living with AIDS in Pasco County. The county is currently ranked 16th in HIV/AIDS cases statewide behind Hillsborough, which is ranked fifth with a reported 5,841 cases. While there still is no cure, advanced drugs and treatments have made it possible for patients to live long relatively healthy lives.
Unfortunately, according to the Pasco County Health Department, less than 50 percent of Pasco adults less than 65 years of age have ever been tested.
The health department and groups like the Pasco World AIDS Day Committee work to educate the public. World AIDS Day traditionally falls in December but efforts to promote awareness are ongoing.
“We have an HIV/AIDS prevention team that goes into the community for education and outreach,” said Teresa Waterman, director of disease control for Pasco. “There are a number of community partners working to promote awareness.
Leifheit became involved with the cause after losing several friends to AIDS. When Spirit of Life asked him to help, he immediately said yes.
The Pasco World AIDS Day Committee and the health department recently visited the New Port Richey campus of Pasco Hernando College to hand out information and offer free testing.
The response was overwhelming.
“There were lines of kids waiting to be tested,” Leifheit said.
Waterman said surveillance data allows for prevention efforts to focus on high-risk populations and those most impacted by the disease. The fastest growing group affected by HIV/AIDS in Florida is African-American and Hispanic women. Among African-Americans age 25 to 44, AIDS is the leading cause of death.
The disease, of course, does not affect only one specific group. Anyone who practices unsafe sex or who uses IV drugs is at an elevated risk for contracting HIV/AIDS.  The key is to get tested.
Spirit of Life will offer testing from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. June 24 at the church, 4133 Thys Road. The Pasco County Healthy Department clinic will offer testing from 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. June 25 at its clinic, 10841 Little Road. For information, call (727) 861-5260 ext. 162.
The Hillsborough County Health Department will offer free testing from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 20 and 27 at St. James AME Church, 1436 Madison Ave. For information, call (813) 363-2226.

Should you get tested?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the following behaviors or situations increase the need for immediate HIV testing.

*Unprotected sex with men or women who’ve had multiple or anonymous partners

*Sharing needles or injected drugs with others

*A previous diagnosis of hepatitis, tuberculosis or a sexually transmitted disease

*Are pregnant or planning to get pregnant

By Sarah Whitman

Sister Roberta Bailey wakes up every morning and says a prayer thanking God for the day ahead.
Bailey, 71, has served as a sister at Holy Name Monastery in St. Leo for more than 50 years. She has traveled the country teaching and is currently Principal of St. Anthony Interparochial Catholic School in San Antonio. Education is her calling, she said.

Bailey was recently selected by the Benedictine Sisters of Florida to serve as Prioress of Holy Name Monastery in St. Leo.

Q: What was your life like growing up?
A: I was born in Delaware but my dad was in the Coast Guard so we lived all over the United States. We came to Florida in 1948, when I was 8 years old.

Q: Were you raised in a Catholic home?
A: Yes. I’m what they call a cradle Catholic. I was born into the faith.

Q: When did you begin thinking about becoming a sister?
A: I always sort of knew that I wanted to be sister. I knew I wanted to be a teacher and I had a dream of starting an orphanage. Back then, St. Leo had a boarding school for girls interested in the Sisterhood. In high school, I lived there and worked as a housekeeper for the parish priest. After finishing school, I went into the Sisterhood.

Q: Have you always been at Holy Name Monastery?
A: This has always been home. I’ve taught in several other places but when we go away to teach we always come home for Christmas and Easter. I’ve taught all over Florida, in inner city Chicago and at a boy’s military school in Virginia.

Q: What challenges do you face as a teacher and a sister?
A: It’s a daily challenge to keep recommitting yourself to what you promised to do.

Q: What are you duties as Prioress?
A: In the old days what we call Prioress now was called Mother Superior. My job is to be available to the sisters as a role model, to offer informal teaching and oversee the inner workings of the convent.  It’s like being the leader of an orchestra. We all play different parts and when we work together there is harmony.

Q: What changes have you witnessed within the Sisterhood through the years?
A: It changed dramatically in the late 1960s when the Pope issued a mandate to modernize. We had to pick things from modern society to adapt to while still sticking o some of our traditions. We went from wearing full attire to conservative modern dress.

Q: Did the changes bring more young women to the Sisterhood?
A: Actually there are not many young people entering the Sisterhood at 18 like we did in my day because people are delaying life decisions now. Most of the women that come to us already have a career. We have a woman now who is aspiring to enter that is in her late twenties and she is the youngest. The youngest sister we have who has made the commitment is in her 50s.

Q: What advice would you give a women considering going into the sisterhood?
A: To come spend time with us and see if it is a good fit for you.

By Sarah Whitman

Dr. Sunil Panchal, physician at the National Institute of Pain in Lutz, shakes his head every time he hears about another pain clinic being raided by police.
“Some of these clinics were seeing more than 100 patients a day,” he said. “How can you properly evaluate a patient’s condition and devise a treatment plan when you are seeing that many people in a day? You can’t. I never just write a script for pills the first time I see a patient. That’s not what we’re here for.”
Panchal is a certified pain management doctor through the American Board of Medical Specialties and former director of Interventional Pain Medicine at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. In 2006, he opened the National Institute of Pain at 4911 Van Dyke Road.
He does not have a line of people waiting outside his door. He does not prescribe oxycodone. He limits the use of opioid drugs entirely, opting to use controlled release medications that do not produce the euphoric effect associated with addiction.
“ My goal is to determine where a patient’s pain is coming from and create a comprehensive treatment plan using as little medication as possible,” Panchal said. “I want my patients to return to living full functional lives.”
Panchal treats patients experiencing pain associated with injuries, chronic diseases and side effects from cancer treatments. He uses treatments including radiation frequency, anesthetic block injections and the implantation of spinal cord stimulators.
“There are severe downsides to pain medication,” he said. “They cause side effects like itching, nausea and constipation. There is also an increased risk of a toxicity effect, opioid induced hyperaglesia, which can actually make pain worse. When that happens, a patient thinks the medicine is not working so they want to increase the dose, which only intensifies the side effect.”
Panchal said true pain management specialists know drugs aren’t the only option. Panchal studied medicine at Albany Medical College in New York, followed by a residency at Northwestern University in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of Illinois. He was director of the pain division at Weill Medical College of Cornell University and co-director of the Chronic Pain Service at John Hopkins University before coming to Tampa.
He advises anyone in pain to research before choosing a physician.
“A lot of these clinics are run by doctors who are trained in another specialty but call themselves pain doctors,” he said. “They advertise, ‘We prescribe vicodin. We prescribe oxycodone,’ because they know that is what the people are craving for. They are contributing to the problem.”
Yvette Rollings is one of Panchal’s patients. She was driving in Texas three years ago when a quarter ton truck forged ahead at 80 miles per hour into the back of her SUV. Rollings was left with severe neck and back injuries from the top of her head to the base of her spine. She was treated with medications, which did little to help.
“They just made me tired all the time,” she said. “I was depressed and all I wanted to do was sleep.”
When Rollings moved to Tampa, she visited and interviewed several pain management doctors before meeting Panchal. They offered suggestions ranging from more medication to putting a cage in her spine.
“When I got to Dr. Panchal, I was ready to give up,” Rollings said. “I was in so much pain I didn’t even want to fill out the new patient paperwork. When I met Dr. Panchal he said, ‘I can help you. You just need to have patience.’ ”
Panchal treated Rollings using radiation frequency treatments and the surgical implantation of a spinal cord stimulator. The stimulator utilizes probes permanently implanted on the spine and a small battery placed at the hip.
“The spinal cord stimulator changed my life,” Rollings said. “I am able to be a mom and a wife again. I’ve had 98 percent relief.”
Panchal said pain problems are often misdiagnosed. In Rollings’ case, much of her pain was caused by damage to the nerves and joints.
“A lot of times people will complain about neck or back pain and be sent for an MRI,” Panchal said. “One third of people will show a herniated disc somewhere but that isn’t necessarily what is causing the pain. The actual joints of the spine may be what is causing the pain, so we can do a selective block of anesthetic to numb the area.”
According to Panchal, a good way to tell if a pain doctor is credible is how knowledgeable they are.
“Anyone can claim they are board certified in pain medicine but unless they are certified by the ABMS and have passed the board exam, they are not,” he said.  “I’ve had people come in who’ve had continual access to pain medication for whatever reason and they’ve never even been worked up to determine the real source of the pain.”
Panchal has also seen patients suffering from addiction or borderline addiction.
“I’ve had patients come to me who just want a prescription and when I won’t give it to them, they get angry,” Panchal said. “I’ve also had patients who say their dependency on the medicine is interfering with their lives and affecting their families, and they want to try something different. I’ve had some patients who’ve gotten completely off of medications and some who will always need some level of medicine, but we are able to find something that works for them other than the typical pain medication.”
In addition to time-release drugs, Panchal prescribes anti-depressants and anti-seizure medications to help with pain when absolutely necessary.
Rollings no longer takes medication but says people shouldn’t be ashamed to take medications as directed by a trained doctor.
“It’s a shame that some people will live in pain because they’re afraid of the stigma associated with pain management,” she said. “There are good doctors out there who can help and people should get the help they need.”
In Pasco County, Pasco Regional Medical Center has seven certified pain management physicians on staff. All are trained in the latest advancements and do not rely solely on medications.
“We treat a lot of people who are suffering acute pain and have been for a long time,” said Susan Frimmel, media relations representative for the hospital. “We help them manage the pain and have a better quality of life using different therapies including injections. Prescription medications aren’t always the way to go. Getting to the root of the problem for every patient is our goal.”
Panchal said the answer to the pain clinic problem is to require that physicians have proper certification.
“Hopefully in the future, only people properly trained in the field will be able to call themselves pain doctors,” he said. “What these clinics are doing now is ridiculous.”
For the National Institute of Pain, call (813) 264-7246 or visit www.nationalinstituteofpain.org. For Pasco Regional Medical Center, call (352) 521-1100.