The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Health

Health News 05/27/2020

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Dr. Nabeel Hamoui peers into a console used for robotic surgery. (Courtesy of Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point)

First robotic prostatectomy
Dr. Nabeel Hamoui performed the first robotic prostatectomy at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point, utilizing Intuitive Surgical’s advanced, four-arm robotic technology.

“Use of the robot allows for better visualization of the anatomy, improved ability to spare nerves responsible for erections, and improved continence compared to open surgery,” Dr. Hamoui said, in a news release.

Dr. Hamoui will perform minimally invasive, robotic-assisted surgeries including prostate surgeries for cancer and enlarged prostates, kidney cancer, and female pelvis surgeries to treat incontinence.

 

OneBlood tests for antibody
OneBlood, the nonprofit blood center, is testing all donations for the COVID-19 antibody.

The antibody test is authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and will indicate if the donor’s immune system has produced antibodies to the virus, regardless of whether they ever showed symptoms.

According to OneBlood, convalescent plasma donors have the ability to help critically ill coronavirus patients. The transfused plasma with COVID-19 antibodies into a patient fighting the virus can help boost the patient’s immune system and potentially help with recovery.

OneBlood began collecting and distributing COVID-19 convalescent plasma in April.

The antibody testing also will provide statistical information to public health officials.

COVID-19 antibody testing will be performed in addition to the standard infectious disease testing all blood donations receive.

Donors will be able to see their results approximately 48 hours after donating, by logging into their donor portal at OneBlood.org.

Due to social distancing measures OneBlood has in place, all donors are required to make an appointment online at OneBlood.org or by calling (888) 936-6283.

AdventHealth cites problems with lab; issues apology

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AdventHealth had been providing free testing for coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) at locations in its West Florida Division but discontinued it because of issues with a third-party lab, according to a news release from AdventHealth.

“To meet the unprecedented demand for COVID-19 testing, we rely on nationally accredited third-party labs to assist us. Unfortunately, one of these labs processing a significant number of our public tests has been unable to fulfill its obligation,” the health care provider said, in the release.

“AdventHealth has terminated its contract with this lab, and we share in the disappointment and frustration this situation has created. We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and uncertainty it has caused.

“This issue impacts more than 8,000 people throughout AdventHealth West Florida Division. “This situation has created unacceptable delays, and we do not have confidence in the reliability of the tests. We are working diligently to notify and appropriately accommodate those who are impacted. They will be receiving a letter from us and may also receive a phone call.

The individuals fall into two categories:

  • Those whose samples were processed, and whose results provided by the lab are not deemed reliable.
  • Those whose samples are at the lab in question and are part of the backlog will not be tested; therefore, no result will be available.

AdventHealth has directed the lab to destroy those samples, in accordance with the law, the release says.

In the case of unreliable results, there were individuals with unreliable positive results, that will require retesting, AdventHealth says.

Also, Individuals with unreliable negative results who are symptomatic need to seek care and may require retesting.

Also, individuals with unreliable negative results who are asymptomatic but request to be retested will be offered testing pending availability, the health care provider adds.

Mike Schulz, president and CEO of AdventHealth West Florida, addressed the issue in a statement:  “It has been a privilege to serve our community during these unprecedented times, and we remain committed to our promise to keep you safe and provide the best care possible.

“We are taking ownership of these issues and are reaching out to the thousands of those who were impacted to help make it easy for them to understand the next step in their care,” he said.

Published May 20, 2020

Health News 05/20/2020

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NOTE: The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County (DOH-Pasco) will be closed in observance of Memorial Day on May 25 and will reopen on May 26. BayCare Health System, DOH-Pasco’s community partner, will temporarily relocate its COVID-19 testing site to 5637 Marine Parkway (at the corner of George St. and Marine Parkway) in New Port Richey from May 26 to May 29, weather permitting.

BayCare has been providing COVID-19 testing at the Gulf High School parking lot since the end of March. This temporary move will allow students and faculty end-of-year access to the building without the concern of proximity to the testing site.

For information, visit FloridaHealth.gov/covid-19, email , or call (866) 779-6121.

Pregnancy centers still open
The Oasis Pregnancy Care Centers are still open, with some creative and temporary changes.

The staff works everyday continuing pregnancy education with clients.

Each week, for a few hours, each center location opens to provide curbside delivery of diapers, wipes, formula and other baby items for those in need.

The centers still offer decision coaching, pregnancy tests, emergency ultrasounds, and more.

In Land O’ Lakes, call (813) 406-4965. In Wesley Chapel, call (813) 618-5037.

For more information, visit OasisPregnancyCenter.org.

Crisis Center funding
The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay is committed to ensuring that the ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) community in Hillsborough County has access to crisis intervention, resource information and referrals, suicide prevention, and rape crisis services.

United Way Suncoast is providing the nonprofit Crisis Center with $25,000 in emergency funding. The funds are part of a more than $1.2 million in COVID-19 emergency assistance from the United Way Suncoast’s COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, which is being distributed to human services across the Suncoast, to support housing/shelter, food, child care, financial stability and mental health services.

In addition to intervention, resources and referrals, suicide prevention and rape crisis services, the Crisis Center’s Gateway Services 2-1-1 provides 24/7 on-call support for callers who need help with basis needs, such as housing and food access.

For information, visit CrisisCenter.com.

Pharmacy hours back
As of May 16, Publix stores reopened daily from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., and its pharmacies returned to regular operating hours.

Pharmacy hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. For hours on Saturday and Sunday, visit your locale store’s website.

Pharmacy hours at hospitals will vary by location.

For customer updates, visit Publix.com.

Virtual chat
NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Hillsborough and NAMI Pasco will host a lunchtime chat on May 21, May 26 and May 28, at noon, on Facebook or YouTube.

Those that tune in can hear from local business officials, peers and family members on a variety of mental health issues.

For example, the May 14 episode was provided by nationally certified intervention professional Stephen Sundquist on not only addiction but the importance of recovery, too.

YMCA blood drives
The YMCAs of the Tampa Bay area will continue to host blood drives, in partnership with OneBlood.

The Tampa Metropolitan Area YMCA and the YMCA of the Suncoast will host blood drives at 11 YMCA locations across Hillsborough, Pinellas and East Pasco counties on May 21 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The East Pasco Family YMCA, in The Laker/Lutz News coverage area, at 37301 Chapel Hill Loop in Zephyrhills, will be one of the donation sites.

All donors will receive a OneBlood T-shirt, and a free wellness checkup including blood pressure, pulse, temperature, iron count and cholesterol screening.

For information and other locations, call (888) 936-6283.

Virtual classes
The Gulfside North AHEC (Area Health Education Center) will host free virtual Tools to Quit classes, covering all forms of tobacco.

The classes will provide information about the effects of tobacco use and the benefits of quitting, and will provide assistance to develop a personal quit plan.

A workbook and materials will be provided, along with nicotine replacement patches, gum or lozenges, if necessary.

The upcoming classes are on May 26 from 10 a.m. to noon; May 27 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.; and, May 29 from noon to 2 p.m.

Preregistration is required by calling (813) 929-1000.

Once registration is received, a ZOOM link will be provided to join the conference via video or audio.

Health News 05/13/2020

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(Courtesy of Pasco Federated Republican Women’s Club)

Thanking front line workers
The Pasco Federated Republican Women’s Club (PFRWC) and the Republican Club of Central Pasco (RCCP) delivered 45 meals to the Medical Center of Trinity under the banner of Pasco FLAG (Pasco Front Line Appreciation Group). The front line heroes dined on food provided by Hungry Harry’s Family BBQ and Benedetto’s Ristorante Italiano. From left: Meg Merritt, founder and treasurer PFRWC; Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey; Sandy Graves, president PFRWC and Pasco County Republican committeewoman; and two Trinity Hospital staff members.

Show solidarity
Join NAMI Pasco (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and NAMI Hillsborough for a quick and easy way to show solidarity for those who are feeling alone.

Wear green on May 15 and, at noon, join NAMI for a quick ZOOM conference. NAMI staff will video record 30-second messages of hope to those dealing with mental health conditions.

The Zoom recordings can then be shared with loved ones and community members.

Visit Zoom (881-9795-4665) and use the password 071608.

Hub of support established
In response to an overwhelming outpouring of support from businesses, community groups and individuals, AdventHealth Foundation West Florida has established a central hub for people who want to support the AdventHealth caregivers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic in our area.

The greatest opportunities for community support are: food for care teams; care packages for caregivers who have been impacted by COVID-19; and, financial donations to support response and relief efforts.

All contributions can be made by visiting AdventHealthFoundationWestFL.com.

AdventHealth also welcomes the community to leave a note of thanks or encouragement for the physicians, nurses and other team members on the front lines. Use #SpreadThanks to post a thank-you note on social media platforms for caregivers to publicly see the outpouring of love and support from the community.

Call to action
Tampa’s Museum of Science & Industry (MOSI) began using its 3D printers to make face shields for front line staff, when the COVID-19 pandemic started to escalate.

The museum’s Chief Operating Officer Rob Lamke saw a Moffitt Cancer Center social media post asking for the community’s support in making masks for team members.

MOSI had purchased the 3D printers eight years ago to help broaden its STEM programming, to allow the museum to demonstrate prototyping and create new interactive displays for visitors.

To ensure quality control and to make sure the masks were acceptable for medical use, Lamke said MOSI had the National Institute of Health test and clinically review all the designs.

Jay Wright, Moffitt’s supply chain director, said that the patient-facing clinicians will benefit the most from the face shields.

A closer look at coronavirus statistics in Pasco County

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Pasco County’s percentage of positive coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) cases compares favorably to the state’s percentage of positive cases, according to Mike Napier, health officer for the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County.

Napier’s comments came on April 24, during a town hall virtual meeting hosted by Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey.

Napier said the health department’s epidemiologists work with hospitals, long-term health facilities, urgent care centers, and other medical and testing facilities to identify, monitor and track all positive COVID-19 cases.

Once a positive case is identified, the health department’s epidemiology team contacts the individual and asks about their activities and the people they’ve come in contact with.

“Based on that information, follow-up calls are made to those possible contacts. Information is gathered and recommendations are provided to those individuals, as well.

“A tracking system is used to compile this information and determine trends in our community.

“Normally, this is a 24/7 operation, manned by four staff in the health department.

“However, in the last few weeks, we’ve ramped up and have a total of 25 people working on contact tracing.

“As we know, contact tracing is a huge component in resolving our COVID-19 cases,” Napier said.

“Before we had the self-isolation, you  may have been to a neighborhood barbecue. You may have been to your children’s school event. I may have 40 to 50 people.

“Contact tracing is important.

“We contact our positives within the first 24 to 48 hours of the lab getting back to us. Many times, we’re contacting them before the doctors call them.”

“The amount of work is reduced because of the isolation, and the spread is reduced because of the isolation.”

Napier put Pasco County’s percentage of positive cases at 5% of those tested, compared to the state average of 10%.

“Today (April 24), we’ve had nine positive cases; in the past, we’ve been doing pretty well, with four or five cases,” he said.

Of 229 cases, 174 people have been removed from isolation, he said.

As of April 24, Pasco had its highest daily positive count on the first three days of April. The counts on those days were 15, 12 and 16, respectively.

“For this past week, we’ve averaged five cases, so we’re making progress,” he said.

Early on, most of the county’s cases were related to travel from known hot spots.

Then, the positive cases were from exposure to known cases, with a large percentage being from household contact, such as spouses, children and siblings, he said.

He said the health department provides priority testing, based on first responders and health care workers.

He said BayCare also has stepped up with drive-thru testing at its Gulf Harbor location and now at Gulf High School in New Port Richey.

“BayCare has tested more than 2,000 residents that met the screening criteria. I can’t emphasize the importance of the screening criteria — fever, cough, shortness of breath,” Napier said.

The focus has been on testing people who are symptomatic, he said.

The testing will be provided through the first week of May at Gulf High School, said Napier, who also gave a shout-out to the principal, for accommodating the testing.

“These efforts have allowed us to identify and slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community,” Napier said, adding that social distancing is working to reduce the spread of the potentially deadly virus.

When employers can find ways for employees to work at home, that helps to limit the spread, he said.

“Pasco County, in general terms, has done very well with the COVID response and has seen less cases and less deaths, compared to similar counties,” Napier said.

He attributes some of that to the health department’s efforts to fight back the Hepatitis A problem that has plagued the county for the past year.

He explained: “COVID-19 messaging is similar to Hep A, in that good hygiene is the No. 1 best way to avoid infection.

“Our hospitals, long-term care facilities, community partners and you, our residents of Pasco County, are making a difference and the data shows. Continue to follow CDC guidance, watch for updates for the governor and when Pasco County begins to get back to business, following their guidance,” he said.

“The Department of Health is working with Pasco County to provide data on case counts and other related information, so that they can make informed decisions on opening the county for business,” Napier added.

He also offered these simple reminders: “The basics of infection control continue to be good hand hygiene.

“Remember,” he added, “the best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to the virus.”

Published May 06, 2020

AdventHealth Center Ice is site for free COVID-19 testing

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UPDATE: AdventHealth has discontinued testing at this site.

AdventHealth is offering free coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) testing at AdventHealth Center Ice, 3173 Cypress Ridge Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

It began on April 29, and will be offered each weekday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., for 30 days.

A doctor’s order is not required, but  AdventHealth is encouraging pre-registration at AdventHealthCoronavirusTesting.com or (866) 694-5503 prior to arrival, according to an AdventHealth news release.

There are no out-of-pocket costs for the test, regardless of insurance status. AdventHealth will cover the cost of those who are uninsured, the release says.

The test consists of coughing and spitting into a cup, the release adds.

“Expanding testing is an important and necessary step to help flatten the curve and keep our community safe,” Mike Schultz, president and CEO of AdventHealth West Florida Division, said in the release. “We are investing in these testing sites in strategic community locations to make it convenient and affordable for as many people as possible.”

“Additional testing for COVID-19 is an important part of the plan to reopen our community,”  Pasco County Commission Chairman Mike Moore, added in the news release. “AdventHealth has always been a good community partner, and I appreciate them working closely with Pasco County and the Florida Department of Health on this drive-through COVID-19 testing site for our citizens.”

Anyone who pre-registers will be assigned a designated appointment time. First responders and health care workers who show proper workplace identification will have a designated lane at the test site to shorten wait times for those groups. Test results are available in approximately two days to three days, and will be delivered through the AdventHealth app and the AdventHealth website.

Anyone who is tested will receive a call from an AdventHealth physician or nurse practitioner with their results and any next steps in care, if necessary.

Published May 06, 2020

Staying positive during a pandemic

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It’s no secret that impacts from the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic pose significant challenges.

“What happened to normal? Normal is just gone, right? It’s just gone,” said Paula O’Neil, former clerk and comptroller for Pasco County, and now a private business consultant.

Paula O’Neil offered words of support and encouragement in a Zoom virtual meeting of WOW TOO, a women’s networking group that is part of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce. (File)

O’Neil’s remarks came during a Zoom meeting of WOW TOO, a women’s networking group that is part of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce.

She reminded participants about Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs — identified as physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem, and self-actualization.

Before COVID-19, the women typically were acting at the self-actualization level of the hierarchy, O’Neil said.

“We’re good problem-solvers, we care about people. We care about our community. We look at the facts and we can make good decisions.

“Now, all of a sudden — the world has turned around,” she said. “I’ve never seen anything like this,” she said.

“With COVID-19, there’s a lot of fear of getting the disease. There’s a lot of fear with our economy.

“The biggest problem we have, I think, is uncertainty. Not knowing what’s next.

“The uncertainty — we’ve got to embrace it and see how we can help other people. Because really, you heal yourself by helping other people.

“So, what do we do now? How can we use this situation to help others?”

She reminded the virtual gathering:  “Not everybody has the problem-solving skills that you have.”

No doubt, it’s a challenging time.

“This has been a big shock, in income, obviously,” O’Neil said.

“How do we get people to trust us, to let them come to our business, and let them continue to get back to a normal life?” she asked.

O’Neil then cited the work of Elisabeth Kubler Ross, who defined the five stages of grief. Those stages are denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance.

“We are grieving our normal lives. We’re grieving our normal economy. We’re grieving the stock market — when it was high. We’re grieving teachers that can teach our kids, so we don’t have to.

“We’re grieving our jobs. We’re grieving our co-workers. And, we’re grieving those people who are sick and have gone,” O’Neil said.

Initially, O’Neil said, people, including herself, thought: “That’s not going to happen here.”

There’s been anger, too.

“Are we angry that the governor didn’t close the beaches during Spring Break? Are we angry that the president didn’t do things quicker. Are we angry because we just lost our jobs? What are we angry about?” O’Neil asked.

People are asking: “What can we do to try to get back to some normalcy?”

There have been losses, and that’s taking a toll.

“There’s a lot of depression,” O’Neil said. She talked about a client who told O’Neil that suddenly she “would just burst into tears because all of a sudden, no one is coming in her store.

“These are serious things,” the business consultant said.

Eventually, there’s acceptance.

“I think it’s going to be easier for us, once the economy opens back up, our country opens back up,” O’Neil said.

In the meantime, she reminded the women: “There are a lot of blessings in this challenge and nobody can deny that.

“We have time.

“We have time to ride our bikes.

“We have time to play with our kids.

“We’re cooking more.

“We’re working differently and we’re socializing differently.

“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.

“It’s hard to do that, when you have so many things on your schedule. But, now that your schedule is blank, except for Zoom meetings, you can easily prioritize.

“What things were you doing that were not that important?” she asked.

“Now that you are spending more time with your family — maybe you limit some of those (less important) things, so you can continue to do that (in the future),” O’Neil said.

Published April 29, 2020

Health News 04/29/2020

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(Courtesy of Debra Ruyle)

Moffitt gets a boost from ‘friends’
Breast Friends Forever hosted ‘Pink Heals Hits the Links,’ a golfing fundraiser, at The Groves Golf and Country Club. With the support of sponsors and the community, $23,000 was raised for Moffitt Cancer Center. The funds were earmarked for breast cancer treatment and research. The event also included a putting contest, raffle drawings, an auction and entertainment. Breast Friends Forever, from left: Debbie Wright, Diane Wiley, Judi Miller, Pam Gerbig, Hilda Holt and Debra Ruyle.

(Courtesy of AdventHealth West Florida Division)

A police tribute for health care personnel
Members of the Dade City Police Department stopped by AdventHealth Dade City in a show of support for the team members and EMS workers at the hospital. The police department also set up digital signs out in front of the hospital that read, ‘AdventHealth team and EMS, thank you.’

 

 

Virtual grief support
To help those dealing with grief, Gulfside Hospice is offering a solution that allows for proper social distancing — virtual support groups.

These video conferencing groups are currently replacing the organization’s weekly in-person groups, and are open to the community to participate.

“We want to make sure people know that even though they are at home, they don’t have to go through their grief alone,” said Charlie Lowry, director of caregiver support services at Gulfside, in a news release.

In addition to participating in the virtual support groups, Lowry also recommends keeping up with regular phone calls to close family and friends, writing regularly about your thoughts and emotions in a journal, practicing self-care, and going through normal daily routines, like checking the mail, making the bed, and washing the dishes.

For information about the virtual support groups, call Gulfside’s bereavement department at (800) 561-4883.

Additional resources, including a grief support library, are available online at Gulfside.org.

These services are offered for free.

Premier recipient of award
Premier Community HealthCare (Premier) has been named the recipient of a $1.4 million award from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to combat COVID-19.

The funding stems from the passage of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and is part of the $1.3 billion awarding of funds by HHS through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to nearly 1,400 health centers nationwide.

The $1.4 million award will be put to immediate use, as Premier responds to emerging and evolving local needs, while continuing to deliver high-quality primary health care services to patients.

Specifically, it will support the ability to detect, prevent, diagnose and treat patients impacted by the virus, while also providing enhanced preparedness and response workflows.

Community health centers, like Premier, are on the front lines combating COVID-19 and providing essential care to those in need.

These centers serve the nation’s most vulnerable individuals and families, including people experiencing homelessness, agricultural workers, residents of public housing, and veterans.

For information about Premier and its mission, visit PremierHC.org.

Pasco County has history of health scares

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The global pandemic known as coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) has claimed lives — including thousands across the United States — but, this health threat isn’t Pasco County’s first experience with uncertain times.

In fact, weeks after the county was formed by the Florida Legislature on June 2, 1887, it faced a deadly yellow fever.

At that time, Pasco had just one medical doctor, James G. Wallace, according to Bill Dayton, past president of the Dade City Historic Preservation Advisory Board.

The Spanish influenza made headlines on the front page of The Dade City Banner dated Oct. 4, 1918. Two weeks later, a sick list published the names of several health care professionals, including Dr. C.F. Touchton whose condition the article described as ‘alarming.’ (Courtesy of the University of Florida Digital Collections)

The epidemic hit Florida’s port cities first, then spread to Tampa where five people died from yellow fever in September of 1886.

“It was reported that hundreds of people fled their homes, literally leaving meals on their tables,” Carol Jeffares Hedman wrote, in a history column published on Dec. 18, 2001, in The Tampa Tribune.

Dade City was still unincorporated and serving as a temporary county seat, when the Pasco County Commission adopted a countywide quarantine in 1887.

“There were no health departments back then,” said Glen Thompson, an environmental specialist who worked for the Pasco County Health Department from 1973 until 2006.

The Florida Southern Railroad had been transporting goods and products to Dade City since 1885. This new railroad also provided an opportunity to carry yellow fever into Pasco County.

“The Pasco County Commission voted to pay $5 per day to post guards at the Dade City Depot, among other points of entry,” Thompson explained.

With little knowledge of yellow fever, one popular theory suggested it traveled underground at 2 miles a day.

Experiments were tried, including one that involved firing military canons, on the premise that the shock waves could kill yellow fever.

John Wall, a physician and mayor of Tampa, from 1878 to 1880, was one of the first to point out that mosquitoes carried the disease.

More than 100 students and campus employees eating at the William P. McDonald Student Center at St. Leo College became sick in 1980 with a foodborne outbreak attributed to the Norwalk virus. (Courtesy of Fivay.org)

Wall reported that in 1881 — 20 years before Walter Reed led a medical team in Central America and confirmed that fact in 1901.

Reed became famous for eliminating the threat of yellow fever for workers completing construction of the Panama Canal.

As for Wall, he contracted and survived yellow fever in 1871. He was still pleading his case when he died of a heart attack in 1895 while addressing the Florida Medical Association in Gainesville.

The Spanish influenza — the deadliest plague in history — claimed the lives of 100 million, worldwide, at the height of World War 1, according to “The Great Influenza,” a 2005 New York Times bestseller by author John Barry.

More people died from the Spanish influenza in that single year than the Black Death had killed in a century.

Local families were not spared from the suffering.

The first death from Spanish influenza reported by The Dade City Banner occurred in 1918.

It involved 21-year-old William Craig, a Dade City native, who was stationed in Camp Jackson, South Carolina.

A sign of the times posted at the offices of the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) in Dade City. The department updates its COVID-19 dashboard twice daily on its website at FDOH.maps.arcgis.com/covid-19. (Courtesy of Doug Sanders)

The newspaper received a telegram reporting the death had occurred in the base camp’s hospital.

“Such was the sad cry that passed through Dade City this morning,” the newspaper later reported on its front page. “The family has requested that the body be shipped to Dade City.”

Churches closed, but The Dade City Banner reported on Oct. 25, 1918 that prayer services would be held on the courthouse lawn at 5 o’clock in the evening for divine intervention “…as a matter of precaution.”

Florida saw a total of 4,000 deaths in 1918 from Spanish influenza, and thousands more weakened survivors would die from pneumonia.

The Florida Legislature passed an act in 1931 to create county health departments using state funding, according to a historical account published in concert with the health department’s 75th anniversary.

But, it wasn’t until 1947 when the Pasco County Health Department first opened an office in Dade City.

Another Pasco County health challenge arose on Nov. 5, 1980, at what was then St. Leo College. It involved the outbreak of Norwalk Virus Gastroenteritis.

A 1985 report by the Johns Hopkins University School of Hygiene and Public Health said, in part, that: “College officials notified the local health department that more than 100 students complaining of sudden onset of abdominal cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea had reported to the Student Health Center since the previous evening.”

Former health department employee Thompson recalls: “We only had three health specialists on staff and were quickly overwhelmed with medical surveys and reports.”

Thompson joined a task force working with the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services and the Tampa Regional Laboratory to examine students and campus employees who had eaten one or more meals at the campus cafeteria from Nov. 3, 1980 to Nov. 5, 1980.

“The Norwalk virus was most likely spread by a combination of exposure to contaminated tossed salad and person-to-person transmission,” concluded the report submitted to the American Journal of Epidemiology. However, the report also noted, “the source of contamination was not identified.”

Now, the health department’s Pasco office is the midst of working to prevent the spread of COVID-19, while also continuing its work to address a Hepatitis A outbreak —an ongoing battle since 2016.

Pasco County led the state with 415 cases in 2019, followed by Pinellas County with 377 cases.

Since January 2019, there have been more than 3,200 cases in Florida associated with Hepatitis A. While this outbreak has not yet ended, Pasco showed new cases trending downward to nine so far in April 2020, according to Melissa Watts, public information officer with the Florida Department of Health in New Port Richey.

As of the morning of April 20, the number of positive COVID-19 cases in Pasco County, was 207, including three deaths.

Published April 22, 2020

Health News 04/22/2020

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(Courtesy of Mariah Berberich)

A nightly tribute for those on the front lines
Molly Berberich started a new tradition in her Willow Bend community, to honor essential workers. Berberich and her family have been clapping every night at 7 p.m., at the corner of Willow Bend Parkway, in Lutz. The family has a daughter currently working as a nurse in New York City, so the cause is close to their hearts. Abiding by social distancing, a group of neighbors come out each night, too, to pay tribute to those serving on the frontlines. Other community members are encouraged to join, from a safe distance or from their own driveway.

 

 

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

Reenactment echoes these trying times
Donna Banuelos, a clinical nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz, recreates the iconic Rosie the Riveter image (inset) from World War II. Rosie the Riveter represented the U.S. coming together during the war in the 1940s and the ‘can-do’ effort put forth by all citizens. Banuelos’ reenactment resonates today as the fight against COVID-19 continues.

 

 

 

 

(Courtesy of AdventHealth West Florida Division)

Essential workers get essential meals
Select AdventHealth hospitals are providing take-home meals and groceries for team members to help make sure they get what they need after working long shifts. At AdventHealth Tampa and AdventHealth North Pinellas, team members can select their meals at the beginning of their shifts and pick up the pre-prepared meals when they leave for the day. A couple of the hospitals are offering onsite groceries, too, for those team members who aren’t able to make it to the store.

 

 

(Courtesy of 3 Daughters Brewing)

Looking out for community employees
The motormen, bus operators and paratransit operators of the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit Authority (HART) are essential employees who provide a critical services to the community, like medical personnel, first responders, pharmacists and grocery store employees. HART recently received a ‘thank you,’ when 3 Daughters Brewing in St. Petersburg donated a 10-gallon supply of its hand sanitizer for all HART’s operators. The brewing company began bottling hand sanitizer in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

(Courtesy of Patricia Serio)

Providing a necessary precaution
Members of the GFWC Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club have been busy for the past month sewing face masks for area hospitals and Lab Corp. The masks also were provided to all of the club’s 100-plus members, and husbands. Under the circumstances, the undertaking took a lot of coordination to make home deliveries of the pattern and material packets to the ladies, so they could work ‘at a safe distance.’ KarenSue Molis was one of the members sewing masks.