Health Events

American Legion Post 108 Lutz-Land O’ Lakes has started a GoFundMe campaign to support an upcoming Healing with Horses event at Peaceful Pastures Ranch. Donations will help to cover the cost for 30 veterans to experience equine therapy, have food and drink, and support the ranch in its efforts to care for rescued horses and its Healing Heroes program. For more information and to donate, visit tinyurl.com/2p9yw2m2.

Join the Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions (ISPS) and Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) panel of experts to explore the intersection of nursing and the workforce on April 4 at 2 p.m., at the PHSC Instructional Performing Arts Center, 8657 Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel. Panelists will discuss the trends, challenges and solutions for those in the nursing field, as well as the state of nursing education in Florida. For information, visit ISPS.spcollege.edu/events/nursing-workforce-dilemma/.

The GFWC Wesley Chapel Women’s Club will meet on April 5 at 6 p.m., at Atonement Lutheran Church, 29617 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel. The guest speakers will be Dr. Chase Riever from Double Branch Chiropractic and Dr. Kelsey Baxter, Chinese medicine. For information, email Cindi Nalon at .

The Florida Department of Elder Affairs and the Area Agency on Aging of Pasco & Pinellas’ SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) program is free. A SHINE representative will be available at these locations to answer Medicare questions:

• April 20 at 10:30 a.m.: New River Library, 34043 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel. For information, call 813-788-6375.
• By appointment: Land O’ Lakes Library, 2818 Collier Parkway. For information, call 813-929-1214.

HCA Florida Trinity Hospital, 9330 State Road 54 in Trinity, will present a lecture about “Osteoarthritis and Hip Fractures: Learn How to Keep Your Bones Healthy” on April 11 at noon. The guest speaker will be Dr. John Fuller, orthopedic surgeon, who will discuss bone metabolism and the changes that occur in osteoporotic bone, risk factors for low bone density, and the actions to take to avoid preventable fractures. A light boxed lunch will be served. To RSVP, call 727-834-5630.

The Florida Breast Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program will host a mobile mammography bus on April 15 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at 10841 Little Road in New Port Richey. The bus also will make a stop in Dade City, with the date to be determined. For details on eligibility, call 727-619-0369, or email .

The bereavement team at Gulfside Hospice will start a new support group specifically for those who have lost a loved one to cancer. The group will meet virtually on Zoom, weekly on Thursdays at 1 p.m., starting March 16. For information or to register, call 727-845-5707, or visit GulfsideGrief.com.

The University Area CDC (Community Development Corporation) will offer free art classes for adults on Wednesdays at 11 a.m., at the University Area Community Center, 14012 N. 22nd St., in Tampa.

These art classes are meant to be a “safe place where you can heal and communicate your feelings through art.” Participants can explore drawing, composition, color and styles, using various media and painting techniques. Adults of all artistic abilities can participate in the lessons, which are taught in English and Spanish.

For information in English, call Ron Bradford at 813-558-5212, ext. 309. For Espanol, call Lorena Casteneda at 832-876-4729.

NAMI Pasco, an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, offers these virtual groups:

• Support groups for those with mental health conditions: Mondays, 3 p.m.; Wednesdays and Fridays, 6 p.m. 
• Create Your Calm: Mondays, 6 p.m. Participants can color, sketch, knit, or just join in and chat. Open to all. 
• Sunrise Check-in: Thursdays, 7 a.m. Start your day off right.
• Sunday Night Chat: Sundays, 6 p.m. Join in for a chat and to meet new friends. Open to all. 

No registration required for any of the groups. Zoom ID is 850 0883 5339, password is 101305. For more information, visit NAMIPasco.org.

Hillsborough County Parks & Recreation will host “It Takes a Village Community Baby Shower” on April 15 at 10 a.m., to help alleviate the financial burden for up to 25 new or expectant parents.

Organizers are asking the community for donations. Needed items include diapers, diaper bags, baby thermometers, pacifiers, receiving blankets, baby clothes and more. There is a compiled Amazon Wish List that can ship the items directly to the Roy Haynes Recreation Center, 1092 S. Village Ave., in Tampa. Other donations can be dropped off through April 10 at the University Area Community Complex, 14013 N. 22nd St., in Tampa, where the baby shower will take place. Donors are asked to first call Carrie Albano at 813-836-1839 to arrange a drop-off time.

Expectant or recent parents who want to participate in the shower must register by calling Carrie Albano at 813-836-1830 or Sara Roman at 813-558-5212, ext. 403. The deadline to register is April 10.