The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Health

Making a pact to act

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World Autism Awareness Day is April 2.

But Land O’ Lakes High International Baccalaureate students Sydney Crenshaw and Sajni Shah have been raising awareness about autism throughout the school year.

Land O’ Lakes High International Baccalaureate students Sydney Crenshaw, left, and Sajni Shah started Action For Autism, a yearlong project aimed at increasing awareness regarding those on the autism spectrum or with special needs, as well as raising money for Special Olympics. (Mike Camunas)

They began their project, Action For Autism, as members of the school club HOSA – Future Health Professionals, which is an international competition based on medicine and health care related topics.

The duo is competing in the Community Awareness Division, which means they set forth to educate the community on a topic of their choice. They chose Autism Spectrum Disorder because they are passionate about embracing neurodiversity and contributing to the awareness of this “disorder” that still comes with a stigma.

“In my experience, when I meet autistic people or children, I treat them like anyone else, but that’s not always the case,” said Crenshaw, who is a junior. “It’s not a visible condition, so most people don’t even know this person has autism because they can act in a variety of ways when they’re on the spectrum.

“Not a lot of people show they have autism, and we’ve seen that a lot, but autism isn’t something you should treat differently,” Crenshaw added. “Autistic people are people.”

Shah says people on the autism spectrum should have the same chances and opportunities as their “neurotypical counterparts.”

That’s why Shah is working to increase awareness about autism.

“A lot of people with autism don’t receive accommodations they need to thrive in society the way you or I might,” said Shah, who is a senior. “That’s frustrating to see because they are very smart people.

“I hope to make these kids feel seen and important and raise awareness that autism is not a stigma and never has to be,” she added. “These kids, given the same chances and opportunities, can be productive and live great lives.”

Sajni Shah and camper Layla Gile make tie-dyed shirts at Dream Oaks Camp in Bradenton. (Courtesy of Sydney Crenshaw)

So far, the students, through Action For Autism, have organized multiple events, interviewed an autistic person and occupational therapist for their YouTube channel, and received $600 in grant money. Using that money, they created other fundraisers, such as selling Autism Awareness bracelets and bags, as well as created posters and fliers with autism facts and hung them around the school and community.

They also have worked with the Light The Torch Campaign, which helps raise money for the Special Olympics.

“Mainly speaking of autism, I’ve seen how it affects children, and adults, in all very different ways,” Shah said. “There is not one way it affects people, so we just want to understand the patterns and more about it, that way if more people are aware and understanding, then people will understand autism better.”

Both students work with several organizations that help with special needs people, including Special Olympics and Council for Exceptional Children.

Shah also worked at Dream Oaks Camp in Bradenton, which works with children with special needs and chronic illnesses from the ages of 7 to 17.

“Working at Dream Oaks Camp inspired me to work with more people with special needs and autism,” Shah said. “What started as a part-time job grew into a project and something more that I want to continue to do.”

Dr. Louis Florence, the teacher who oversees the HOSA club, isn’t overly familiar with the duo’s project or its specifics — there’s 108 members in HOSA and Florence’s job is just to manage the kids and be as hands-off as possible — but he does know that students such as Crenshaw and Shah will bring their very best to their projects.

“We’re talking about some of the smartest people around that are interested in working or serving in the medical field,” Florence said. “They’re really self-starters, which is amazing, and they’re students who are excited about the medical field, but can become anything, from doctors to other health care professionals.”

Crenshaw and Shah’s efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.

“Sanji is awesome and the vice president of the group,” Florence said. “Sydney is awesome, too. Two very high-quality individuals that already have the drive to go out and make a difference in the medical field, and in this case, helping autism awareness.

“These two are great, shining examples of the type of kids who join this club and love to see all the work they do for their yearlong projects.”

Plus, the students’ devotion to autism awareness is prodigious.

“I know just how much I love these kids — they’re so much fun,” Crenshaw said. “I personally do it because autistic people are still people — I’ve said that a lot, but it’s true!”

Action For Autism
Details: Land O’ Lakes High International Baccalaureate students Sydney Crenshaw and Sajni Shah created this program as part of an international competition through the school club, HOSA – Future Health Professionals. The students chose to educate the community on the topic of autism spectrum disorder. They are passionate about embracing neurodiversity and contributing to the awareness of autism. Their campaign included organizing multiple events, interviewing an autistic person and occupational therapist for their YouTube channel, receiving $600 in grant money and raising additional money for the Special Olympics.
To donate, email or Venmo @sajni_shah12.
For more information or to follow Action for Autism on social media, visit https://linktr.ee/actionforautism.

Published March 29, 2023

Health News 03/29/2023

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Grant funding
The Florida Department of Children and Families announced $21 million in available funding for essential programs to enhance mental health crisis services in Florida’s communities and the Recruit and Maintain Behavioral Health Professionals grant program through select managing entities, according to a news release.

Funding will be allocated for crisis services and supports that help to address specific community needs deploying a three-pronged approach focused on prevention, intervention and recovery.

The services provided include immediate triage, assessment, care coordination/case management, and crisis intervention for individuals with behavioral health challenges.

In addition, through the grant opportunity, funding will support increased recruitment and retention efforts for behavioral health professionals; professional development opportunities for the existing workforce that allow upward mobility; and the development of innovative workforce initiates, the release said.

Specifically, the grants will focus on recruitment and retention of these types of professionals: Social work, psychology, marriage and family therapists, mental health therapists, psychiatrists and certified peer specialists.

Nursing award
The Florida Association of School Nurses (FASN) has named Pasco County Schools’ Amy Ponce as the Excellence in School Nursing: School Nurse Administrator of the Year (2023). Ponce is the first recipient of the statewide award, according to a news release.

Ponce, who has worked for Pasco County Schools for 10 years, now oversees all School Health Services for the school district.

The FASN described Ponce as a dedicated and effective medical professional who has “consistently improved the practice of school nursing in Pasco,” and who has been instrumental in supporting school nurses around the state and increasing leadership growth among school nurses, the release said.

“Amy Ponce is a great supervisor and a great advocate for school health. We are fortunate to have her here in Pasco,” said Superintendent Kurt Browning.

Browning recalled when Ponce was a school-based nurse in 2018, she was instrumental in saving the life of a high school student by performing CPR after the student suffered a heart attack.

Health News 03/22/2023

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(Courtesy of Pasco County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department)

Painting for Purpose sparks creativity
Participants of the Painting for Purpose event last month, at the Wesley Chapel Recreation Complex, show off their take-home creations as part of the RECreate Your Mind Mental Health Awareness campaign aimed to use leisure services as a catalyst to promote mental well-being and stress relief. The class was led by Guava-Rose, also the complex’s yoga instructor. For more information about upcoming campaign activities, call 813-345-3145.

New hospital opens
BayCare Health System has opened its newest state-of-the-art hospital at 4501 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in Wesley Chapel. The 86-bed, 318,000-square-foot hospital will provide comprehensive medical services and health care resources, including an emergency department, intensive care unit with virtual-monitoring beds, diagnostic services such as imaging and lab, and surgical services. For more information, visit BayCareWesleyChapel.org.

Trauma Center verification
HCA Florida Bayonet Hospital is a Verified Trauma Center by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Committee on Trauma (COT), a voluntary process designed to evaluate and improve trauma care, according to a news release.

The hospital is a designated Level 2 Trauma Center by the Florida Department of Health and the ACS process verifies that the hospital has the resources listed in the COT’s current Resources for Optimal Care of the Injured Patient manual.

The Bayonet hospital is the only designated Trauma Center in Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties.

It recently opened a 30-bed Inpatient Rehabilitation Center to further support the rehabilitative needs of patients recovering from a wide range of illness and injury, including trauma.

Human Trafficking
Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano has announced that 100% of the tax collector’s office employees are trained in human trafficking awareness — every active employee has completed an extensive training in the recognition of human trafficking, according to a news release.
The office is now part of Attorney General Ashley Moody’s “100% Club,” a designation that indicates the agency has taken the proactive steps needed to train employees to recognize the signs of human trafficking and have been given the resources to report the indications to law enforcement, the release said.

“I applaud Staff Development Manager Alicia Albanese and her staff for putting in the hard work to ensure that all 229 active employees of the tax collector’s office have been trained to recognize the red flags of this crime,” said Fasano, in the release.

“Utilizing curriculum created by the Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking, we have taken the positive steps needed to make sure our employees are fully trained in spotting human trafficking in its many forms,” said Fasano.

New tumor treatment
Advanced Cancer Treatment Centers now uses a combination of imaging and motion management technologies from Varian Medical Systems to treat a wide range of cases involving moving tumors, according to a news release.

The treatment combines the use of Varian’s On-Board Imager device for automated, image-guided patient positioning with Varian’s respiratory gating for synchronizing treatment with the patient’s respiratory cycle, the release said.

Respiratory gating is a non-invasive technique for dealing with tumor motion during radiation therapy treatments for cancer. The computer-aided technique synchronizes the radiation therapy with a patient’s breathing patterns. This enables doctors to safely treat lung and other cancers of the chest and abdomen with radiation therapy, while exposing less volume of healthy tissue to radiation.

“Respiratory gating lets us treat during only part of the respiratory cycle and that allows us to minimize tumor motion so we will be aiming at a smaller area for treatments,” said Dr. Clayton Alonso, board-certified radiation oncologist, in the release.

For more information, visit ACTCHealth.com, or call 352-345-4565.

Harp player brings soothing sounds to patients

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Judy Raab, “musician in residence” at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz, administers a different kind of medicine to the patients there.

“My hope is to improve the hospital environment, bring down the stress level and humanize being in the hospital,” Raab said, in a news release from the hospital.

Judy Raab is a ‘musician in residence’ at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz. (Courtesy of St. Joseph’s Hospital-North)

She plays for two hours a week, asking patients if they are open to a music session.

She usually plays for them in their rooms or in an area just outside their rooms where patients can hear her. If she plays for a patient, her session is charted on the patient’s medical record, similar to them receiving medicine.

The Carrollwood resident is a certified music practitioner and has played harp for more than 35 years, including 10 years at St. Joseph’s North.

She plays for patients, staff and visitors and is compensated through BayCare’s spiritual care department and St. Joseph’s Hospitals Foundation, according to the release.

Raab said the instrument is a good fit for the hospital environment due to its soothing and soft nature.

“The harp is not overwhelming like a wind instrument that can occupy a whole room,” Raab said, in the release. “With the harp, I can project directly to that individual person.”

The musician has written about her work and has been published in scholarly journals on the subject. She holds a unique degree: a Master of Arts (MA) in arts in medicine from the University of Florida. The degree teaches people how to safely and effectively engage the arts, like music, into health care environments.

Raab said her work is rewarding. “It is very satisfying and fulfilling to use my skill set and be certified to play in hospitals,” she said. “It is nice to hear a patient say ‘This is really cathartic, it is really helping me.’”

Raab also plays the harp at hospitals at St. Joseph’s Hospital and St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital, in Tampa, as well as other health care facilities.

Published March 15, 2023

New heart failure unit opens

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Team members of AdventHealth Tampa’s new Advanced Heart Failure Unit attend its ribbon-cutting. (Courtesy of AdventHealth West Florida Division)

AdventHealth Tampa has announced a new 20-bed unit dedicated to patients diagnosed with heart failure. The new unit allows AdventHealth’s board-certified cardiologists to provide advanced therapies and highly specialized care to patients who have the most progressed stages of the disease, according to a news release.

“With this unit in the hospital, we are able to work together with physicians in other areas to fully understand the comprehensive needs of our patients and provide a better care plan,” said Dr. JaMia Washington, fellowship-trained cardiologist in advanced heart failure and transplant cardiology, in the release.

“We have access to mechanical therapy support that can keep a heart beating, lowering the need for a heart transplant or improve a transplant patient’s health while they wait for a new heart,” said Washington.

Drs. Gus Agocha, JaMia Washington, Oliver Abela, Rozales Swanson and Merna Armanious are leading the heart failure program for patients at AdventHealth Tampa. They are part of a team of more than 70 board-certified cardiologists and providers serving patients in the Greater Tampa Bay area.

Heart failure symptoms include shortness of breath; chronic coughing or wheezing; swelling in feet, ankles or legs; dizziness; nausea or lack of appetite; and sustained exhaustion or weakness.

To speak to a physician or to find out more, call 813-644-4572 or visit AHMGTampaBay.com.

Choose to eat healthier, all year long

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This year’s theme for National Nutrition Month — “Fuel for the Future” — aims to promote a healthy vegetarian and/or plant-based diet.

While March is designated as National Nutrition Month, the West Central Florida County Health Departments, including Pasco and Hillsborough, are encouraging everyone to make informed food choices and develop sound eating and physical activity habits that can be followed throughout the year, according to a news release.

The National Library of Medicine indicates a high-sugar, high-fat, processed food diet has contributed significantly to obesity and chronic disease, the release said.

Americans consume fewer daily servings of fruits and vegetables and they consume a large quantity of red meat and poultry each year — creating a much higher daily intake of calories and protein than required in a healthy diet.

Making healthy eating habits doesn’t require a drastic lifestyle changes and a good eating pattern isn’t a ‘one-size-fits-all’ endeavor.

Registered dietitians can offer advice on ways to fine-tune traditional recipes, provide alternatives to cooking methods and how to incorporate family favorite foods into everyday meals.

The local health department also can serve as a valuable resource on getting started on expanding your own food horizons.

To reach the Department of Health-Pasco, call 727-619-0300. For Hillsborough, call 813-307-8000.

For more about nutrition and National Nutrition Month, visit the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics at EatRight.org.

Published March 08, 2023

Festive day marks open house for BayCare Wesley Chapel Hospital

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Visitors had plenty of options at BayCare Wesley Chapel Hospital’s community open house.

Outdoors, they could get free health screenings, apply for jobs, grab a bite from a food truck and enjoy live music.

Indoors, they could take self-guided tours, with stops in various parts of the hospital.

They could peek into the fully equipped private patient rooms. The rooms have ample space for visitors and they are Alexa-enabled, allowing patients to play music, turn lights off and on, raise and lower blinds, and, of course, call the nurse, among other things.

BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel is scheduled to open on March 7. It aims to help meet the health care needs in a growing region. (B.C. Manion)

Tour-takers also could see a surgical suite, check out different departments, learn about various services and enjoy the artwork adorning walls along some hospital corridors.

They also could get a glance at the hospital’s restaurant, Waves Café, and take a look at the gift shop.

Hospital employees were stationed at spots throughout the tour, to field questions. Signs were posted, too, providing additional details.

Staffers eagerly shared their enthusiasm for being part of the BayCare team.

Some employees at the Wesley Chapel location transferred from other BayCare hospitals. They said they’re happy to work closer to home.

Others are new to the health care organization.

Many — whether new to BayCare or not — said they were attracted by having the opportunity to be part of a brand-new hospital and to help set the tone for quality care.

Rebecca Schulkowski, president of BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel, is enthused, too.

Rebecca Schulkowski, president of BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel, is eager to lead a new hospital that aims to introduce the area to BayCare’s quality of care. Some patients who will use the hospital already are familiar with BayCare because they’ve received care at the health system’s St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz and at BayCare’s main campus in Tampa.

“I’m just so thrilled to be here. I’m so excited to be a part of bringing something new to the community, to be able to represent BayCare and the BayCare values,” she said.

She was pleased, too, by the event’s turnout.

“It’s been a phenomenal morning. It’s extremely humbling, to me, to see how gracious the community is to us,” the hospital executive said.

Thousands turned out.

The crowd was diverse. There were families with young children, retirees and people of all ages, in between.

The vast majority arrived in shuttle buses provided by the hospital, catching rides at stops at The Shops at Wiregrass or Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch.

Others strolled over, from the adjacent Seven Oaks neighborhood.

“It’s a testament of the healthiness of this neighborhood — how many people have just walked over,” Schulkowski said.

All of the patient rooms in the hospital are private. They are Alexa-enabled and there’s ample room for visitors, too. Visiting hours are 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Many of those she spoke with were curious about the hospital’s services.

Those services will include medical services and health care resources relating to: breast health; diabetes and endocrinology; diagnostic services including imaging and lab; ear, nose and throat; emergency room; gastroenterology; heart and vascular; intensive care unit with virtual-monitoring beds; interventional radiology; orthopedics; primary care; pulmonology and respiratory; surgery including robotic surgery; urology and wound care.

But the services will not include labor and delivery.

“One of the reasons we chose not to do it is when we looked at the demographics, most of the people moving to this area — they’re established families,” the hospital president said.

BayCare does offer those services at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz and St. Joseph’s Women’s Hospital in Tampa.

Beyond providing health care services, BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel is providing a significant number of jobs.

It currently has about 350 team members, including full-time, part-time and labor pool positions, with about 90% of the openings filled, Schulkowski said.

There also will be additional staffing needs, as the hospital grows.

“We built the foundation of this hospital, with expansion in mind. We want to grow with the community,” Schulkowski said.

She estimated the staff will grow to around 600 in the future.

Originally, expansion wasn’t expected for at least four or five years.

But the hospital president said: “According to the response of the community this morning, it might be faster than I thought.”

BayCare Hospital Wesley Chapel
Where: 4501 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in Wesley Chapel. (The location is on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard, between State Road 56 and State Road 54, east of Interstate 75.)
When: Opening day is March 7. Visiting hours will be 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Why: The hospital will provide health care services in a growing region. It has 86 private rooms and 20 Emergency Room beds. It offers comprehensive medical services and health care resources, including an emergency department, an intensive care unit with virtual-monitoring beds, diagnostic services such as imaging and lab, and surgical services.
Cost: The 318,000-square-foot building is on a campus of more than 40 acres. The project’s estimated cost is $246 million.
Fun fact: Alexa stands ready to assist. Patients can ask Alexa to play music, turn on the TV, turn off the TV; raise the blinds, lower the blinds; change the temperature; and, of course, call the nurse.

Published March 01, 2023

 

Ramped-up activity expected soon on Moffitt’s Pasco campus 

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The official groundbreaking for Speros FL — Moffitt Cancer Center’s Pasco campus — happened a few weeks ago and construction activities are expected to ramp up soon.

“We’re starting to put some shovels in the ground,” said John Allgeier, senior director of the Pasco real estate development for the Moffitt Cancer Center expansion project.

“It’s exciting to see it start going,” added Allgeier, during remarks at the Feb. 7 North Tampa Bay Chamber breakfast meeting.

The first phase of the 775-acre campus will begin in the northwest corner of its property, near the Suncoast Parkway and Ridge Road.

“That’s where we’ll start our buildings,” Allgeier said. “We’re only going to build on probably 480 (acres) to 500 acres of the land.”

This rendering provides a visual of what Moffitt Cancer’s Speros FL campus is expected to look like, as the development takes shape. (Courtesy of Moffitt Cancer Center)

“The wetlands, they’re amenities, really,” he added, noting the idea is to provide views of nature for patients who are getting infusions, for instance, rather than have them stare at blank walls.

The Moffitt site is entitled for up to 24 million square feet of development, but Moffitt’s current master plan calls for about 13.5 million square feet of mixed uses, Allgeier said.

At full build out, the campus is expected to have about 140 buildings, which will be constructed according to design guidelines. At this point, no buildings over six stories are planned.

The campus will be divided into what Allgeier describes as “six neighborhoods,” with different types of uses in each one.

The vision is to create a community that will become a hub for international research, education and cutting-edge treatment.

There’s already a partnership between Moffitt and Pasco County Schools, involving the new 6-12 Angeline Academy of Innovation magnet school, 1 mile east of the Suncoast Parkway. The school is set to open in August, beginning with students in grades six through 10.

Ultimately, the mission of Speros FL, which when translated means ‘hope,’ is to find a cure for cancer, Allgeier said.

“It’s really beyond research and clinical. It’s really about collaboration. It’s about what partners can we bring in? What entrepreneurs? What innovators can we bring in to partner with us, to hopefully cure cancer and do other things in health care,” he said.

John Allgeier, a senior director of real estate development for Moffitt Cancer Center, spoke recently at the North Tampa Bay Chamber breakfast meeting about the new Moffitt campus planned in Pasco County.

“We obviously have a lot of pharma partners. We do cell therapy, cell manufacturing,” he said. Data centers, manufacturing and warehousing are other expected uses.

“All of these things support us, and then can collaborate with us,” he said.

Construction has begun on the road into Speros FL, and construction is expected to begin on the buildings in the middle of this year. Crews will be building roads, between 600,000 square feet to 700,000 square feet of buildings and parking garages — all at the same time, he said.

Initial plans call for a research building of about 300,000 square feet, with a wet lab.

There’s also an outpatient center of about 80,000 square feet and a proton therapy center of about 20,000 square feet.

Proton therapy, he said, “is kind of like radiation on steroids. It’s the newest thing,” Allgeier said.

Moffitt plans to bring in an office developer at the north end of its property to create a “dry lab” for researchers. “Dry lab” refers to where researchers work using computers and crunching data.

Plans also call for bringing many of Moffitt’s administrative employees, who are now working at scattered leased spaces in Tampa, to the Pasco campus.

Allgeier estimated that about 35% of Moffitt’s current employees already live in Pasco.

For many others, the commute won’t be much different than the one they already make to Moffitt’s location at the University of South Florida, he said.

Of course, that won’t be true for everyone, he said. “Some live in Ruskin, they’re going to be a little bit upset.”

Planning for what happens on the Speros campus has been in the works for about two years, Allgeier said.

Finding the property took about a decade, he said.

Selecting this particular site began around 2016, when Moffitt was working with the Pasco Economic Development Council Inc., he said.

In addition to working with Pasco EDC, Moffitt worked with Pasco County, the state of Florida and Metro Development, the developers of Angeline, a new city that’s rising around the Moffitt site.

Moffitt closed on its property in 2019.

“Now, here we are. We’re getting a lot of interest,” Allgeier said.

Besides playing a pivotal role in cancer research, Moffitt is expected to create a sizable economic impact, from its workforce and from the other companies that are attracted to the Pasco campus.

Allgeier said he expects there will be a couple of thousand people working on the Speros FL campus, when it opens, which is expected in late 2025 or early 2026.

He also expects Moffitt — which has several locations — to continue to grow.

Moffitt currently has 8,500 employees, Allgeier said. Its workforce is likely to double by 2030, based on its current growth estimates, he said.

Pasco approves conduit loan
The Pasco County Commission has approved a request by Moffitt Cancer Center for a conduit bond, which allows Moffitt to borrow funds at a tax-exempt rate.
Moffitt plans to use the conduit bond to borrow up to $400 million to develop its Pasco Campus.
The county is not responsible for the debt. Moffitt’s allocation of state cigarette tax will be used to pay the debt, according to Robert Goehig, the county’s budget director.
The IRS requires a public hearing to be conducted on the request and requires that the county board finds that the project is in the public’s best interests.
No one spoke during the public comment portion of the public hearing on Feb. 7 and the county board unanimously approved Moffitt’s request.

Published February 22, 2023

New board member

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(Courtesy of St. Joseph’s Hospital-North)

Lutz resident Sara Dodds, St. Joseph’s Hospital-North’s operations director and currently serving as the hospital’s interim president, was named in 2022 to the Board of Directors of The Florida Orchestra (TFO), according to a news release.

The board of directors “share TFO’s passion for the power of music, bring varied expertise and provide support that will help nonprofit TFO build on its success. As the backbone of the orchestra’s fundraising efforts, board directors are committed to fulfilling TFO’s mission to inspire, unite and educate the Tampa Bay community through music,” the release said.

Music has been an integral part of Dodds’ life since a very early age when she began playing piano. She is part of a musical family and her sister is a musical director at a local school.

Dodds has been part of the hospital’s leadership team as operations director since 2016 and is serving as its interim president for a three-month period.

Single-incision surgery an option

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BayCare Medical Group and St. Joseph’s Hospital-North general surgeon Dr. Quan Tran performs advanced minimally invasive surgical procedures using a single incision to remove gallbladders and appendixes, according to a news release. The acronym for this surgery is SILS, for single incision laparoscopic surgery.

Gallbladders are typically removed because of complications from gallstones, and appendixes are typically removed when they become swollen or infected.

SILS is an advantage over traditional surgery, which usually requires multiple incisions.

Dr. Quan Tran (Courtesy of St. Joseph’s Hospital-North)

Often, this single incision is hidden completely within the belly button or leaves the patient with a scar that is barely noticeable.

In addition to the improved cosmetic result, one incision can mean less pain for the patient and a quicker recovery time following surgery.

A specialized camera is the key to single-site surgery because of the flexibility of the tip and visual clarity it gives the surgeon.

St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz recently added one of the most modern state-of-the-art cameras for SILS.

“It is a camera system that flexes 100 degrees in every direction as opposed to a regular laparoscopic camera which is set at 30 or 45 degrees,” Tran said in the release.

“This allows me to place the camera in the abdomen at an angle, which allows me to be able to perform the operation without the camera getting in the way of my instruments,” Tran said.

The camera projects a large magnified image of the surgical area onto a monitor.

Dr. Tran said SILS procedures require an experienced surgeon highly skilled in laparoscopic surgery and a surgical team that understands the nuances of the operation and camera system. He has performed several thousands of these procedures over the last decade at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North.

“If you want to have SILS surgery, it is important to find a surgeon that has been properly trained,” Tran said. “It’s not an easy operation due to the confinement of the space and inversion of your hands (left is right and vice versa). The learning curve is quite steep with most surgeons requiring up to 50 operations before becoming completely comfortable with the technique.”