The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Health

County board relaxes COVD-19 rules

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The Pasco County Commission has changed its rules and is now allowing a limited number of members of the public to attend its meetings in person.

The board voted on May 4 to allow up to 18 people from the public to be in the board’s chambers during meetings at the Historic Pasco County Courthouse in Dade City, and up to 30 members of the public to be in the board room at the government center in New Port Richey.

The board adopted that change before Gov. Ron DeSantis lifted COVID-19 requirements imposed by local governments, so it is unclear how the governor’s order will affect the board’s action.

In adopting the new rules, the board noted the maximum capacity limitations will be posted on signage outside of the board rooms and could change over time, based on the most current public health agency recommendations.

The amended rules also allow for the county administrator or designee to impose additional rules for use of the county’s board rooms through posted signage, including any required ingress/egress points for each board room.

At the time of adoption, the county attorney recommended masks be worn inside the board room.

The amended rules continue to allow other public participation options — email, WebEx and public comment kiosk — but also allow the county administrator or chair to close the kiosk, if it is not needed for overflow capacity and if no one shows up at the kiosk within 10 minutes of the morning or afternoon meeting start time.

Published May 12, 2021

Health News 05/15/2021

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Hospital recognized for 40 years of service
A resolution by the Board of County Commissioners of Pasco County congratulated Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point on its 40 years of service to Pasco County citizens and its transition to an award-winning medical center.

Bayonet Point-Hudson Hospital opened its doors in 1981, in a small facility serving the northwest Pasco community of less than 25,000 people.

The medical center adopted a new name in 1997, transforming to Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point. The facility is connected to the nation’s largest healthcare system, HCA Healthcare.

Bayonet Point also received the 2021 Patient Safety Excellence Award for a fourth-consecutive year. The award recognizes a hospital’s excellence in safeguarding patients from serious, potentially preventable complications during their hospital stay.

The hospital is the only Level II Trauma center serving Pasco, Hernando and Citrus counties.

And, its graduate medical education program has earned Bayonet Point a Statutory Teaching Hospital designation.

For more on the hospital’s achievements, visit BayonetPointHospital.com/about/newsroom.

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

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

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

For information and a list of events, visit NAMI.org/calendar.

Pregnancy center
The Oasis Pregnancy Care Centers has opened a new office at 37522 Meridian Ave., in Dade City.

The center provides pregnancy tests, ultrasounds by appointment, pregnancy options counseling, pregnancy and parenting classes, essential baby items, and community resources and referrals.

All services are free, and are provided in English and in Spanish.

For information, call 352-534-5003.

Gulfside needs volunteers
The Gulfside Hospice Thrift Shoppe Team is looking for volunteers ages 15 and older for its Dade City, Lutz and Zephyrhills stores.

Volunteer duties include greeting and assisting customers, sorting and pricing items, and accepting donated items.

The proceeds from each of the Gulfside shops directly support its patient care costs and the operation of the Gulfside Centers for Hospice Care.

For information, visit Gulfside.org/thrift-shoppes.

Leaders tour new research center site

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Leaders from Moffitt Cancer Center, Lennar, and Metro Development Group recently toured the Central Pasco site that is planned to become home to a massive research and innovation district — as well as to one of the West Central Florida region’s newest live-work-play communities.

H. Lee Moffitt, left, reviews a map of Angeline with Dr. Patrick Hwu, CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center. At right is Metro Development Group CEO John Ryan. (Courtesy of Moffitt Cancer Center)

As plans for the new Angeline mixed-use community continue to take shape — H. Lee Moffitt, founder of Moffitt Cancer Center; Dr. Patrick Hwu, CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center; John Ryan, CEO of Metro Development Group; and Mark Metheny, division president of Lennar Central Florida toured the property on April 22 — riding in off-road vehicles along trails and dirt roads, according to a news release.

Angeline — which is being billed as a wellness-themed community — will be developed on thousands of acres of land, east of the Suncoast Parkway and south of State Road 52.

Moffitt plans to create a massive research and corporate innovation district that is expected to become a life sciences destination for the world.

Moffitt is working closely with the project developer, Metro Development Group, and the lead homebuilder, Lennar.

In the first phase, Moffitt will construct 128,000 square feet for a corporate business park, generating approximately 430 full-time jobs, the release says.

Once the Suncoast Parkway-Ridge Road Extension intersection is built, the first phase is expected to be complete in five years.

Plans for the Angeline community, which spans 6,200 acres, include a variety of homes from leading homebuilders for 30,000 new residents, a 150-acre regional park, Crystal Lagoon and beach, village center featuring restaurants and retail, and 3,600-plus acres of natural, undeveloped green space with an extensive trail network that could span up to 100 miles, the release says.

“Touring the Pasco campus for the first time only solidified how incredible this endeavor will be,” Moffitt’s CEO Hwu said, in the release.

He is meeting with biotech companies and other potential partners to be involved in the Moffitt facility.

“We foresee a first-of-its-kind campus with patient care, research, biotech, wellness, digital innovation and ultimately cures,” Hwu adds, in the release.

He also talked with the Metro Development Group and Lennar leaders about how the growth opportunity created by Moffitt’s new Pasco County location was one of the major reasons he decided to join Moffitt as CEO last year.

Site entitlements for Moffitt’s project, which encompass 24 million square feet, include plans for a hospital, research and development space, office, manufacturing, laboratories, pharmacies, educational facility/university, hotel, and commercial space. The multiyear, multiphase project is expected to create 14,500 jobs.

At the site visit, Metro Development Group shared initial ideas for the surrounding mixed-use master-planned community and amenities to complement Moffitt’s expansion campus, according to the release.

Leaders discussed potential synergies, such as researchers working with students at a STEM magnet school.

Here is a look at the progress being made on the Ridge Road extension, at the site that is part of a massive development being planned for a Pasco campus of the Moffitt Cancer Center. In addition to research facilities, the new community of Angeline will feature neighborhoods and an array of amenities.

Angeline will have a focus on being a wellness community, with fitness trails and recreation areas that would benefit those who live and work on campus, as well as cancer patients and survivors. The community will be built with a digital infrastructure to provide high-speed connectivity indoors and outdoors, the release says.

“We are proud to partner with Moffitt and Lennar on this forward-thinking project,” John Ryan of Metro Development Group, added in the release. “At Metro, we are known for creating healthy places for residents to live and work, and being aligned with Moffitt is a great fit in this regard.”

“We are very excited to be one of the first builders selected for Angeline, and look forward to providing a great product for the residents of Angeline and Pasco County,” said Lennar’s Metheny.

On the same day that the tour was taking place, Dr. Timothy Kubal was talking about the Moffitt Cancer Center at Wesley Chapel, where he is senior medical director, during a Zoom economic development briefing with members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

During his talk, Kubal mentioned that the tour of the cancer hospital’s new Pasco site, which included Moffitt’s CEO, was happening on the same day.

“We bought a massive amount of space — 775 acres, Suncoast Parkway, Ridge Road extension,” Kubal said, noting the need for that site “arises out of a need for space.”

Plans for the site, he said, are not “100% fleshed out yet, because it is so early.”

However, he added: “We’re going to keep growing because we’ve got a 25-acre footprint that is old.

“We need to be able to offer all of these different services in different places.

“So, we’re growing — we’re going to grow north, south, east, west — and we’re looking to grow with the community,” Kubal said.

Published May 05, 2021

Masks still required in Pasco public schools

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Pasco County Schools will require masks on its school campuses through the end of the school year, Superintendent Kurt Browning said, recently in a video.

The superintendent said he previously misspoke when he said the district’s requirement was based on the governor’s executive order. Rather, he said, as superintendent he has the authority to require masks in a time of emergency, and the continuing COVID-19 pandemic constitutes an emergency.

Browning said a decision regarding masks for next school year will be made closer to that time.

Meanwhile, Browning also addressed the issue during a recent webinar hosted by the Greater Pasco Chamber of Commerce.

He said the decision to require masks through the end of the school year made some people happy and others, not.

“It’s not about making people happy, with me, it’s about making sure we have a safe environment for our students and our staff, and the visitors that come into our schools,” Browning said.

“You know, COVID has become very political, unfortunately. People are kind of polarized on two different sides. It’s either they will support vaccines, or they don’t. They support masks, or they don’t.

“We are having to make decisions of what we believe are in the best interest of our kids and our employees, based on CDC recommendations, and depending on where you are coming from — you just don’t subscribe to that, or you do subscribe to that,” Browning said.

Published May 05, 2021

Health News 05/05/2021

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more information, visit NAMI.org.

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

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

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

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

AdventHealth Wesley Chapel instituted these safety measures:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more information, visit 100TopHospitals.com/.

Moffitt exceeds early expectations

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When Moffitt Cancer Center at Wesley Chapel formed a medical partnership with AdventHealth, the idea was to bring Moffitt’s brand of oncology services closer to its patients, said Dr. Timothy Kubal, the cancer center’s senior medical director.

“We’re coming to you, as opposed to you coming to us,” Kubal said, explaining that a lot of Moffitt’s patients were coming from Wesley Chapel, Trinity, Dade City or Land O’ Lakes.

“We wanted to get closer to the patient and Wesley Chapel was a great opportunity to do that  with a partner,” he said, during Zoom economic development briefing with members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce on April 22.

As one of the nation’s top cancer centers, Moffitt wanted to deliver its expertise to patients, rather than them having to drive to its main campus in Tampa. At the same time, Moffitt wanted to partner with a high-quality hospital, he said.

“We can augment what they do; they can augment what we do,” he explained.

Moffitt’s center is located on the campus of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, at 2600 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.

AdventHealth Wesley Chapel has built an entirely new floor for oncology patients, with the long-term prospect of having up to 50 beds for oncology patients, Kubal said.

The center has 20 exam rooms, 22 infusion bays and a linear accelerator.

“I can treat probably 20 to 30 patients a day on this lin-ac (linear accelerator). It delivers radiation specified to a tumor site,” he said. “We can do any body part, from brain to toe, for radiation oncology out here.

The nice thing about being located closer to patients is that they won’t have to drive as far each day to receive the treatment, he said.

“For example, you live in Wesley Chapel, you’ve got a breast cancer. You need 20 treatments over four weeks. You can get it close to your house, as opposed to going into Moffitt, parking your car, getting set up, getting 3 seconds of radiation to hit that tumor, and then doing the hour back.

“We’ve seen a lot of patients want to transfer their radiation oncology care to this site because they live out in this area. So, this is a big draw. Right now, I think they are 1000% over projected volume.

“Their growth far exceeds what we initially thought,” he said.

The center’s 22 infusion bays are in an area that gives patients a chance to be able to see outside.

That’s important for patients because an infusion can sometimes take up to six hours, the doctor said.

The center will be able to handle infusion services for about 100 to 120 patients a day, he said. At the moment, though, those numbers stand at between 30 to 40 patients day.

In addition to its modern equipment, the center will offer a different oncology approach than what’s been available in the area, he said.

“In the cancer community, you either see everything, or you see one thing.

“So, in the Moffitt community, you might just do, for example, right-sided liver lesions. You might just do surgery on the right side of the liver, when there’s tumors there.

“In the community, commonly, you’re going to do everything.

“But what we’ve found is that it’s hard to do everything. People want to do more than one thing.

“So, what we’ve done here is we’ve hired multiple oncologists to do what we call multi-specialists.”

Besides attracting patients from Pasco and Hillsborough counties, the Wesley Chapel center has patients coming from Lakeland and The Villages, Kubal said.

People coming from Lakeland say that driving the back roads is quicker than going to Tampa, he said.

He added: “Those Villages people are willing to drive. They like to park their own car, though.”

At Moffitt’s main campus, in Tampa, patients must valet. At the Wesley Chapel center, they can do self-parking.

Besides liking to park their own cars, people coming from The Villages often have very specific plans for where they want to eat or shop, after finishing their appointment, Kubal said.

But, they aren’t the only ones having an economic impact on the area, the doctor said.

“The money I make, it goes back into the community,” he said.

“I need to eat. I need to go to the gym. I need to be able to have a meeting and grab a beer at the end of the day. My kids need schooling,” he said.

The same economic impacts are true for other staffers, too, because many of them move into Wesley Chapel after they’ve been hired.

Published April 28, 2021

Health News 04/28/2021

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(Courtesy of Shantel Meyers)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more information, visit DrPaulaLundgren.org.

Mental health peer support specialists in high demand

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As community focus increases on mental health and substance use issues — particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic — the need for certified recovery peer support specialists may be at an all-time high.

That was the message of Tina Kinney, executive director National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Hernando, during an April 13 virtual social services event hosted by Saint Leo University’s East Pasco Education Center.

Kinney’s talk came as part of a speaker series for students and prospective students interested in “helping careers.”

The topics for the free online series are designed to have broad appeal to those interested in social work, education, criminal justice, psychology, and human services.

National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Hernando executive director Tina Kinney (Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

Throughout the webinar, Kinney highlighted the role of peer support specialists. They are people who’ve been successful in the recovery process themselves and who help others battling addiction, mental health or criminal justice issues.

Through their shared experience they can provide understanding, respect and mutual empowerment.

The peer support specialist focuses on holistic person-centered, strength-based support, where connections are made through crisis intervention teams, state hospitals, emergency rooms, correction facilities, courts, halfway houses, mental health offices and other community settings.

This approach has shown to reduce relapse and recidivism rates over time, the speaker said.

Kinney herself is a certified recovery peer specialist, based on her and family members’ mental health conditions.

She labeled a peer support specialist’s function as part mentor, part accountability partner, part sponsor — all while working in conjunction with clinical providers.

Kinney acknowledged how she’s overcome her own past mental health challenges to become the leader of a large nonprofit in Hernando — a prime example of encouraging outcomes peer specialists can share with others.

She put it like this: “We want to inspire hope and share our lived experience, because it is that lived experience that’s able to provide the hope for individuals. When they see someone like myself…that alone is an opportunity for people to be hopeful that this is not a lifelong sentence they’re going to have to live with.”

Peer specialists seek to make individuals aware of various community resources, which may include employment preparation and job prospects, transportation opportunities, assisting with food stamps applications, and general socialization techniques.

“I joke around about NAMI Hernando being the best kept secret in Hernando County, but we’re not the only ones,” Kinney said. “There’s a lot of resources in our community that people don’t know about, and so, because we have access to networking with all these other programs, we have information that can help people connect to more resources.”

Peer specialists also encourage people to explore other support networks, such as faith-based programs, yoga, art classes or other opportunities, to ensure needs are met in mind, body and spirit.

In other words, Kinney said: “A stool doesn’t stand on one leg.”

A peer specialist’s role can be likened to an around-the-clock therapist — which is almost a necessity given how the present pandemic-impacted landscape has overwhelmed behavioral health networks.

“Because we do not have enough (health care) providers in the community, peers have a little bit more of an opportunity to meet with people more often than maybe they can meet with their therapist; they may only meet with their therapist once a month or every other week, so if they have a peer support specialist, that’s somebody they can reach out to when they’re needing to overcome something specific, whether it’s 7 o’ clock at night, or 8 o’ clock in the morning, they can just reach out and talk to that peer support specialist.”

Becoming a certified peer specialist
Those interested in becoming peer specialists can choose a number of pathways.

There are various certified recovery peer support credentials that can be obtained, and opportunities can be researched and applied for through the Florida Certification Board (FCB).

Saint Leo University’s East Pasco Education Center has an ongoing virtual social services speaker series focusing on social work, education, criminal justice, psychology, and human services. An April 13 webinar focused on the growing need for recovery peer support specialists to help those battling addiction, mental health and the criminal justice system.

That board designs, develops and manages programs for more than 30 health and human services professions across Florida.

Certifications are available for a youth, adult, family and veterans. The state also is working on a specific validation for forensic peer specialists, for navigating the criminal justice system, Kinney said.

To become a peer specialist, Kinney explained someone must prove they’ve been living in recovery for at least two years.

A 40-hour in-person or online content specific training course, 500 hours of supervised on-the-job training opportunities and an exam, among other components, must be completed to earn FCB certification.

“There are a lot of different steps,” Kinney said, but she said NAMI Hernando and a number of other organizations are willing to help those interested in navigating the process.

Kinney also noted that a criminal record does not disqualify someone from becoming a peer specialist, as there’s an exemption process for certain charges.

Opportunities in the field are increasing, Kinney explained, via law enforcement crisis intervention and mobile response teams, state hospitals, emergency rooms, halfway houses, jails, prisons, and traditional and specialty courts.

Moreover, a new development in the past year or so — state’s attorney and public defenders, in Hernando at least, have begun writing mental health treatment and peer supports into people’s pre-trial interventions, Kinney said.

“The job market for peers in all of these places is growing rapidly,” she said.

Upcoming Saint Leo human services webinars are scheduled for April 27 and May 11, focusing on youth mental health, and suicide prevention and awareness, respectively.

For more information about the East Pasco Education Center Social Service Speaker Series, email Yvonne Montell, senior associate director of admissions, at .

Tools for recovery
Tina Kinney, executive director National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Hernando, detailed three common tools used by peer support specialists to help individuals on their path toward recovery.

  • Wellness Recovery Action Plan (WRAP): An in-depth plan created by individuals and led by a peer specialist to discover daily wellness maintenance tools, habits and routines to establish recovery; along with an outline to minimize risk and duration in crisis.
  • Recovery Capital Scale: Assessments and conservations regarding a person’s present needs, resources and priorities to sustain recovery, whether it is human capital, financial capital, social capital or community capital.
  • SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely) Goals: A written plan that essentially takes a seemingly weighty goal or task, and breaks it up into smaller, digestible pieces to build a sense of accomplishment and muscle memory for constructive habits.

For instance, if someone has a goal of working out daily and getting fit, an initial step may call for having the person lay out their gym outfit the night before.

Published April 21, 2021

New Lutz hospital specializes in rehabilitation services

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Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of North Tampa — a 50-bed hospital specializing in helping people recover from illnesses and accidents — opened earlier this month at 3840 Atmore Grove Road in Lutz.

“We are an inpatient rehab hospital,” said Chris Ballish, area business development director for the hospital, which is located in the general vicinity of Idlewild Baptist Church.

Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of North Tampa opened on April 6. It offers a variety of rehabilitation services. (B.C. Manion)

The facility provides a hospital level of care for acute rehabilitation, Ballish said, noting patients must meet specific criteria to be admitted.

For instance, they must require medical supervision by a physician and must be able to manage the recommended therapy.

They also must require around-the-clock nursing availability, Ballish said.

In general, the facility serves stroke patients, orthopedic patients, spinal cord patients, amputees, and patients with neurological disorders, he said.

Encompass Health is a national company, with 139 locations.

It has facilities in Spring Hill, Ocala and Altamonte Springs— but this is the company’s first new facility during the past five years in Florida, Ballish said.

When the facility is operating at its full capacity, it is expected to have more than 200 employees, he added.

Ballish said the company chose the Lutz location because of a need for its services, particularly in the rapidly growing area.

There’s a need for this level of care, he explained. “It’s about serving patients that need our services.

“Our mission is to get patients as independent as possible, and get them back into the community,” Ballish said. The average length of stay for this type of care is 10 days to 14 days, he said.

Patients are engaged in high-level therapy, undergoing therapy sessions, and receiving care from nurses and physicians.

“Our doctors that are attending are rehab doctors, rehab specialists.

“And then we have all of the consultants available. We have cardiology, pulmonology, neurology. All of the specialties are available,” Ballish added.

The 52,000-square-foot facility has 50 private rooms for patients.

The 52,000-square-foot facility also has the highest level of technology available to support the efforts of therapists, as they work with patients, he said.

“It’s astounding the type of technology that’s available,” Ballish said.

Therapy services outlined in a hospital brochure include:

  • Occupational therapy, which includes self-care skills for activities of daily living, such as bathing, dressing, eating and preparing foods. Therapists address cognitive (thought) and perceptual (visual) deficits.
  • Physical therapy: Focuses on such things as helping patients to walk; teaching wheelchair transfer techniques; and providing orthotic/prosthetic device evaluation and training
  • Respiratory therapy: Helping patients with respiratory muscle weaknesses or a susceptibility to respiratory difficulties
  • Speech/language pathology: Improves communications skills through basic cognitive retraining, increasing functional independence with decision-making, reasoning, memory and swallowing retraining.

The hospital also has a gym, with all sorts of equipment, to help patients in their rehabilitation. And, it has a room set up to mimic a patient’s home — providing them a chance to practice returning to the tasks of daily life, such as getting out of bed, using appliances, bathing and so on.

The North Tampa hospital serves a large market generally stretching from Wesley Chapel down to Riverview, over to Brandon and out to North Tampa, Ballish said.

As the facility ramps up to full capacity, the hospital intends to get involved with area chambers of commerce and to create partnerships with programs that prepare health care workers, Ballish said.

It also intends to offer a variety of support groups, such as stroke support groups, brain injury support groups and amputee support groups, he said.

Since opening, the hospital has enjoyed a warm reception, Ballish said.

“We’re very pleased and overwhelmed by the response of the community, so far,” he said.

Published April 21, 2021

Isolation Reduction Project

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The Florida Assisted Living Association (FALA) and Sunshine Health have launched the Isolation Reduction Project to help decrease the feelings of stress and sadness that may be the result of social isolation.

The FALA received a grant from Sunshine Health to provide tablets to dozens of long-term care facilities across the state in order to help reduce the social isolation of residents, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project aims to decrease the side effects, such as anxiety or depression and the use of anxiety medication.

More than 50 assisted living facilities and adult family care homes were chosen to participate in the program.

Ten-inch tablets were distributed to each of the select communities, and residents can use the tablets to communicate with family members via online platforms such as IMO, WhatsApp and Zoom. Residents also can access email and online games.

The following communities, within The Laker/Lutz News coverage area, are participating in the Isolation Reduction Project:

  • Hillsborough County: Delince, Natacha – Adult Family Care Home; Stone Ledge Manor; Von’s Adult Family Care Home; and Weinberg Village Assisted Living Facility
  • Pasco County: Harrell, Terry – Adult Family Care Home; Rosecastle of Zephyrhills; Sunshine Christian Homes; and Trinity Place Assisted Living.