Health

Health News 07/03/2019

July 3, 2019 By Mary Rathman

Audiologist attends conference
Dr. Judith L. Reese, of JC Audiology in Lutz, attended a conference in St. Joseph, Michigan, for hearing professionals from around the country and Canada. Presentations were focused on improving hearing aid patients’ experiences with the ever-changing technological developments in hearing devices.

Dr. Judith L. Reese, left, with Dr. Gyl Kasewurm (Courtesy of Charlie Reese)

The guest speaker was Dr. Gyl Kasewurm, of Professional Hearing Services, who discussed industry developments and best practices related to new technology, as well as quality consumer education.

“Hearing devices nowadays are the most complicated and sophisticated consumer electronic item that a person can buy,” Dr. Reese said, in a release.

“The best way to ensure that devisces are working optimally for the consumer is to make the ideal match of individual need, specific hearing impairments, with the right technology and ongoing professional adjustments,” Reese said.

Dr. Reese opened her practice, the first female-owned private practice audiology company in the greater Tampa area, in 2005.

Volunteer to drive for cancer patients
The American Cancer Society Road to Recovery program provides patients in need with rides to treatment.

Drivers can donate their spare time to take patients to their cancer-related medical appointments.

Volunteer drivers must complete online training courses to prepare them for the role, and the American Cancer Society will screen each volunteer.

Requirements include: a good driving record; a current driver’s license; access to a safe and reliable vehicle; proof of adequate automobile insurance; schedule availability; and, regular desktop, laptop or tablet computer access.

For information on the transportation programs, visit Cancer.org/roadtorecovery, or call (800) 227-2345.

Hepatitis A can be prevented
According to the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County, Hepatitis A is a virus that is a vaccine-preventable form of infectious hepatitis.

Hepatitis A is contagious and can harm your liver.

Hepatitis A can be present for up to two weeks without symptoms, but during that time can be spread to others, usually when an uninfected person ingests food or water that has been contaminated with the feces of an infected person.

Symptoms usually start 2 weeks to 6 weeks after infection and last less than two months.

Common symptoms include stomach pain, nausea and vomiting, and yellow skin or eyes.

The best defense against Hepatitis A is to wash your hands and get vaccinated.

An information line is available to the public, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Call (844) 225-5364.

Teen’s mobile app aids in communication

June 26, 2019 By Brian Fernandes

Fourteen-year-old Bradley Rothbaum has already created a mobile app that has attracted national recognition.

He didn’t have to go far for the source that inspired this achievement.

He developed the app in response to his own health dilemma.

Bradley Rothbaum, 14, developed the app Speak Up to help those with communication delays, after he experienced the same while in the hospital. As seen here, the app will be available for smartphones, as well as tablets, in the near future. (Brian Fernandes)

Bradley was diagnosed with cancer in March 2017.

The condition affected the chewing muscles in his mouth, and within weeks he began treatment.

The radiation treatment caused him to develop sores in his mouth, which made it difficult to speak.

So, he began texting and writing on a white board to communicate — but found those methods to be inconvenient.

“One of my main frustrations during treatment was the inability to speak,” Bradley said. “I turned this frustration into the app, Speak Up.”

He started working on this program last fall.

The concept behind Speak Up is to help those who have difficulty speaking to better communicate their needs, especially inside a health care setting.

The program uses voice automation to verbally translate a typed message to the receiver.

The app is already equipped with a list of greetings, requests or comments that are preset and can be sent with a push of a button.

For messages not already stored on the app, a user can preset additional ones for convenience, as well.

“You’re still telling the app what to do, but instead of typing in everything, it’s already there for you,” the Land O’ Lakes youth explained.

Speak Up enables the user to type a custom-made message or text a regular message, with both options providing voice automation.

And, not only is it for smartphones, but can be downloaded onto tablets and laptops, too.

Bradley decided to enter his project into the Invention Convention at his school, Academy at the Lakes, on Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes.

Along with a fellow schoolmate, Bradley earned his way into the Florida Invention Convention. There he was among 150 students statewide, all displaying their various creations.

“I made it to the Florida state level and then there were only four of us that moved on to nationals,” he stated.

For the national level, Bradley got to travel to The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan.

There, his work was showcased among those of more than 500 students from around the country.

He said he enjoyed the experience that resulted from much determination.

Like any invention, this one had its trials and errors, Bradley said.

However, what eased the process was receiving assistance from his friend in Ohio, as well as his dad, Howard.

As a physician who practices internal medicine, Howard comes across sick people on a regular basis.

Yet, when his own son became a patient needing help, it was a tough situation, he admitted.

“Everything I learned in medical school and beyond is what we had to use to navigate the whirlwind,” Howard said.

His admiration for his son has only grown through this experience, noting that Bradley is “probably the strongest person I’ve ever met.”

Bradley said that creating the app was a therapeutic experience for him because it took his mind off his health issues and redirected it toward helping others in need.

He is currently preparing to enter his first year of high school at Academy at the Lakes, and is in a much healthier condition, thanks to treatment.

He offers this message of hope to other sick kids: “Persevere and you can get through this.”

With a few more kinks to work out, Bradley has yet to officially launch Speak Up. Upon release, it will be available for download on Android phones and iPhones, as well as tablets.

Published June 26, 2019

Health News 06/26/2019

June 26, 2019 By Mary Rathman

Wrapping children in comfort
As an official Project Linus blanket-making site, 45 volunteers from AdventHealth Tampa hand-made 110 blankets to share with pediatric patients at the hospital. AdventHealth employees and members of the community, dubbed ‘blanketeers,’ stepped up to help provide comfort to children who are seriously ill or traumatized. Two of the volunteers were a mother and father whose 9-month-old daughter had received a blanket as a newborn.

Hospital achievements
The Medical Center of Trinity has been recognized with the following:

Initial Accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, for its internal medicine residency program. The program is accredited for 50 residents starting July 1. This is the hospital’s first step in developing a graduate medical education residency program and a logical progression as the hospital continues to expand into other residency specialties.
Healthgrades 2019 Patient Safety Excellence Award. During the study period, 2015 to 2017, the hospital demonstrated excellent performance in safety provided for patients in the Medicare population, as measured by 14 patient safety indicators defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Seniors benefit from CARES programs
Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano’s five county locations highlighted CARES (Community Aging & Retirement Services) as its May charity of the month, and raised $7,700 for the organization.

In a release, Jemith Rosa, president and CEO of CARES, said, “The money they raised for CARES will help frail elderly people in Pasco County who are facing illness, hunger and isolation.”

CARES has “always been important to me,” Fasano added.

“CARES, and more importantly the people they serve, hold a special place in our hearts. The health care professionals who volunteer their time at the senior health clinic to help this aging and medically fragile population are to be applauded for their work.

“The people who make sure food is delivered on a daily basis to homebound seniors, and the caregivers who often give up other aspects of their life to care for their frail loved one, all make this organization unique in our community,” Fasano said.

For information about CARES and its programs, call Jemith Rosa at (727) 863-6868, or visit ElderAffairs.state.fl.us/.

AdventHealth gets A grade
AdventHealth West Florida Division has earned the highest marks possible for patient safety and quality in Tampa Bay.

The Leapfrog Group, a national nonprofit health care ratings organization, announced its safety ratings for more than 2,600 hospitals across the country.

Only about one-third of those hospitals received an “A” grade, including seven in the AdventHealth West Florida Division: AdventHealth Carrollwood, AdventHealth Lake Place, AdventHealth North Pinellas, AdventHealth Sebring, AdventHealth Tampa, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and AdventHealth Zephyrhills.

Health News 06/19/2019

June 19, 2019 By Mary Rathman

Fashion show supports Hospice
Gulfside Hospice presented a Spring Charity Fashion Show and raised more than $13,000 to support hospice patients and families. The show featured spring and summer fashions presented by Dillard’s from The Shops at Wiregrass, and included a seated lunch, vendor expo and door prizes. Deiah Riley, of ABC action News, emceed the event. Most of the show’s models were staff and volunteers from the Gulfside organization. Dr. Lisa Barker, medical director for Gulfside Hospice, and her husband, Kipp, show off their outfits.

Nursing excellence
The Medical Center of Trinity recognized two nurses for the Excellence in Nursing Awards, established by HCA to honor outstanding nurses who demonstrate excellence in professional mentoring and compassionate care.

Beverly Hoenes, RN, charge nurse, received the Excellence in Nursing for Compassionate Care award.

Hoenes has served patients at the Medical Center of Trinity for 25 years. She is a strong patient advocate, with a focus on excellent patient care. Hoenes also provided mentorship for another registered nurse from another unit other than her own.

The Excellence in Nursing Professional Mentor Award was presented to Kimberly Cain, RN.

Cain provides excellent care for patients and mentoring new registered nurses at the same time. She received her certification as a medical surgical RN to further her knowledge.

Presidential awards
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point announced that two if its volunteers are the recipients of the Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award, from the office of the President of the United States.

To receive the award, an individual must have volunteered a minimum of 15 years and logged in more than 7,500 hours of service.

Dan Hammer and Elliot Lorenzi were both recognized with the award.

Hammer began volunteering in 2000 and has more than 45,000 hours of service. He currently volunteers in the hospital CSU and serves as volunteer chairperson for that department.

He is a past president of the Volunteer Association Board from 2004 through 2008.

In 2002, Hammer was selected as the Volunteer of the Year and, in 2008, he was presented with the Frist Volunteer Humanitarian Award.

Lorenzi has been volunteering since 2003 and has accumulated more than 37,000 hours of service.

He is currently serving as a courier, has been the courier’s team leader, and has been on a variety of volunteer committees, including bylaws, chairman of the awards committee, finance committee, chairman of the scholarship committee, and was the liaison for the Quality Council.

Lorenzi served as president of the Volunteer Association from 2012 through 2016, received a Star Award in 2006, the Volunteer of the Year in 2007, and the Frist Volunteer Humanitarian Award in 2010.

Hospital honors staff members

June 12, 2019 By Mary Rathman

The Medical Center of Trinity announced it has named Dr. Sudhir Agarwal, interventional cardiologist, as Physician of the Year, selected by the nurses of the hospital.

Dr. Agarwal is regarded as a passionate, open-minded physician with a deep respect for the patients.

The Nurse of the Year award, selected by the physicians of the hospital, was given to Shawna Mulherin, RN, BSN, CMS.

Mulherin’s nomination emphasized her caring attitude toward patients, and her ability to mentor and teach new nurses.

Carlo Rivera, RN, was awarded the New Nurse of the Year, selected by people on staff at hospital.

Rivera was recognized for his care, compassion and positive attitude shared with not only patients, but coworkers, too.

Health News 06/05/2019

June 5, 2019 By Mary Rathman

New CEO for AdventHealth
AdventHealth has named Denyse Bales-Chubb to the position of CEO for AdventHealth Tampa.

Bales-Chubb currently serves as CEO for AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, and will assume leadership of the Tampa hospital on July 1. She replaces Brian Adams, who is transitioning to senior vice president for new markets for AdventHealth Central Florida Division.

Bales-Chubb has served as CEO for AdventHealth Wesley Chapel since 2014.

During her tenure, the hospital has grown from 83 beds to 145 beds, and has expanded its services to include a multidisciplinary women’s center, neuro-spine surgical program, and wound care center.

The hospital opened AdventHealth Central Pasco ER; established a partnership with Moffitt Cancer Center to open an outpatient satellite center, and provide treatment, screenings and survivorship programs for local residents; and received numerous recognitions, locally and nationally.

Bales-Chubb earned a master’s degree in health care administration from Wichita State University, and bachelor degrees in medical technology and biology from Fort Hays State University.

She serves on the boards of the Pasco Economic Development Council, New Tampa Christian Academy and AdventHealth Zephyrhills.

Nursing units recognized
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point has earned two 2018 Unit of Distinction Awards in an annual program that recognizes and rewards exemplary nursing units at HCA Healthcare facilities.

Approximately 1,200 HCA Healthcare nursing units participated in the 2018 program.

The Regional Medical units that earned distinction are:

Neuro/Spine & Orthopedics under the direction of Marjorie Freeman, Rn, BSN, CMSRN (certified medical/surgical registered nurse)
Trauma Stepdown Unit under the direction of Susan Cooper, MSN, BSN, RN-BC (registered nurse-board certified)

Recipients of the awards are considered to be in the top 5 percent of all HCA Healthcare medical-surgical, critical care, emergency services and surgical services nursing units.

Can human connection heal?

May 29, 2019 By Kevin Weiss

Austin Eubanks remembered with clarity the tragic day that forever changed his life, and, ultimately claimed it.

His best friend was killed instantly in front of him.

Then Eubanks was shot twice, in the hand and knee.

Eubanks was just 17 years old when he experienced and survived the massacre inside the library of Columbine High School on April 20, 1999.

Columbine shooting survivor Austin Eubanks was the keynote speaker at the annual ‘Strengthening Our Communities Conference on Mental Health and Drug Prevention’ in Wesley Chapel. He passed away just days later at his home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, at age 37. (Courtesy of AustinEubanks.com)

“I remember seeing my hand and knowing that I had been shot, but I couldn’t feel it,” Eubanks recalled. “I couldn’t connect to the emotion of it, or the physical pain of it, because I wasn’t present in my own body.”

That traumatic experience as a teen, as a survivor in the Columbine school shooting, was the catalyst to Eubanks’ painful journey through addiction and eventually into long-term recovery.

Eubanks put it like this: “I will never be the person I was on the morning of April 20, 1999. That boy did not walk out of the library that day. He was altered, forever.”

Eubanks shared his personal story as the keynote speaker at the annual “Strengthening Our Communities Conference on Mental Health and Drug Prevention,” held May 14 at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel.

The conference, hosted by Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) and Baycare Behavioral Health, is designed to increase public awareness and inspire action on mental health and substance abuse disorders.

Just a few days after the conference, the speaker was found dead from a suspected drug overdose at his home in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He was 37.

In a statement, his family said Eubanks “lost the battle with the very disease he fought so hard to help others face. Helping to build a community of support is what meant the most to Austin, and we plan to continue his work.”

ASAP also expressed its sympathy on Eubanks’ passing in a released statement: “We extend our thoughts and prayers to Austin’s family and friends. Although he has passed too early, his voice will echo in our memories and actions forever.”

Before his untimely death, Eubanks addressed a crowd of nearly 500 people, to discuss the intersection of trauma, mental illness and addiction.

‘An emotional robot’
Shortly after the school shooting, Eubanks was prescribed opiates, benzodiazepines and stimulants for his physical injuries. He soon found the drugs helped him in other ways.

“From the moment I was medicated, that emotion (from Columbine) completely shut off. It was like somebody turned off a faucet,” Eubanks explained.

Nearly 500 people attended the annual ‘Strengthening Our Communities Conference on Mental Health and Drug Prevention,’ hosted by Pasco County Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention (ASAP) and Baycare Behavioral Health. Columbine school shooting survivor Austin Eubanks was the keynote speaker at the May 14 event, at Saddlebrook Resort in Wesley Chapel. (Kevin Weiss)

“I learned very quickly how to turn myself into an emotional robot, with the combination of those three substances. I thought that I had found the answer, I never had to feel anything. I was taught how to seek the fast road to relief.”

Years later, at the height of his addiction, Eubanks said he was using upwards of 400 milligrams of the painkiller OxyContin per day, plus a host of other recreational drugs.

His drug of choice, he admitted, was “just more.”

Emotional healing through human connection
After a decade more of undergoing a cycle of addiction and relapse, Eubanks said he finally received the help he needed, at a long-term treatment center in Denver that accepted him free of charge.

It’s there he found the prescription he needed most: authentic human connection.

The treatment center helped him navigate the stages of grief through meaningful, personal relationships with others with similar, lived experiences.

“With emotional pain, in order to heal it, you have to feel it. It is essential to recovery,” Eubanks said.

He added: “What is so essential for emotional healing for all of us, is relying on others from a place of vulnerability and authenticity and transparency.”

The environment also provided him with structure and accountability, too, he said.

Eubanks said, “I had to finally admit that I knew nothing, and I had to trust somebody else enough to believe that they did, and I did everything that they told me to for long enough to where it became a pattern.”

Eubanks explained that after Columbine he didn’t return to school for his senior year, instead relied on a private tutor from home in order to graduate. The decision isolated himself from others, leaving him to rely on substances to cope with his emotional pain.

“I withdrew from human connection entirely. If you can create a better petri dish for addiction, I don’t know what it is,” the speaker said.

“I missed out on a lot of the collaborative, connected healing that many of my classmates experienced in our senior year, because I withdrew from that community entirely.”

Prevention and rehabilitation reforms needed
Eubanks discussed his ideas to combat the nation’s addiction crisis, which he blamed partly on increased accessibility, acceptability and toxicity of various substances.

The speaker called for greater efforts in implementing more systems of prevention and rehabilitation to curtail the demand for drugs.

He challenged the medical community to do a better job of integrating physical health and mental health. He also challenged the education community to put more focus on nurturing emotional intelligence in early childhood education, to increase the ability to relate to other people.

Eubanks then called for greater accessibility to long-term treatment for those who cannot afford its services. He also said the criminal justice system needs to place more emphasis on rehabilitation programs, specifically, by providing inmates a therapeutic continuum of care and teaching them pro-social behaviors.

Said Eubanks, “Drugs are always going to exist. We cannot eradicate these issues by combating them on the supply side. We have to curtail the demand.”

In addition to Eubanks, the conference featured presentations from Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco; Gail Ryder, Baycare Health Systems vice president of behavioral health; and Roderick Cunningham, Drug Enforcement Agency outreach program manager.

There was also a series of breakout sessions that focused on substance abuse prevention and recovery efforts, among other topics.

Published May 29, 2019

BayCare’s plans for new Pasco hospital are uncertain

May 29, 2019 By B.C. Manion

The Florida Legislature’s decision to drop the requirement for a Certificate of Need review for new hospitals is causing BayCare Health System to reconsider its plans for a hospital in Pasco County.

The hospital chain had received a preliminary OK on its Certificate of Need request for a 60-bed hospital on a 111-acre site at the northeast quadrant of Interstate 75 and Overpass Road.

It was pushing ahead with planning for the new facility, despite a challenge filed by AdventHealth’s hospitals in Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills and Dade City.

A hearing on the appeal had been set for August.

But, the repeal of the requirement for a Certificate of Need has created a wide open market for the establishment of hospitals.

The repeal is causing BayCare to take another look at its plans, said BayCare spokeswoman Lisa Razler.

It’s still too early to say how the change will affect the health care system’s plans, Razler said.

“We have a whole new lens to look through,” Razler said. “We’re going to have to take a step back and re-evaluate because with that new legislation, anyone can put a hospital anywhere.”

The health care system was disappointed by the Legislature’s action, Razler said.

“We believed in the planning process,” she said.

Proponents for axing the Certificate of Need requirement said the repeal would promote more competition.

Razler said the issue is more complicated.

“It’s not straight up supply and demand, when it comes to health care, because of all of nuances involved,” Razler said.

BayCare will need to review its plans “to determine what’s the best option, given the new landscape,” the hospital spokeswoman said.

BayCare had been pursuing the hospital in Pasco because of the dramatic population growth and increasing demand for health services.

The construction of the hospital was expected to create 300 jobs, and once it became fully operational, it would need about 300 team members, hospital officials told The Laker/Lutz News in previous interviews.

BayCare had planned to provide these services at the new hospital:

Emergency services for adults and children
Intensive care services
Obstetrical care services
Diagnostic lab imaging
Physical rehabilitation
Behavioral support services

Hospital officials previously said it typically takes about three years from the time a hospital is approved until the physical structure is operating.

At this point, it remains unclear, whether those plans will be pursued.

Published May 29, 2019

Moffitt Cancer to open Wesley Chapel treatment center

May 29, 2019 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Moffitt Cancer Center and AdventHealth have announced they are working together to open an outpatient cancer center on the campus of AdventHealth Wesley Chapel, located next to the hospital on Bruce B. Downs Boulevard. The outpatient center is expected to open in the fall of 2020.

Rendering of Moffitt Cancer’s planned treatment facility in Wesley Chapel. (Courtesy of AdventHealth West Florida Division)

“We strive to provide world-class cancer care close to where people live and work,” said Alan F. List, MD, president and chief executive officer of Moffitt Cancer Center. “Expanding Moffitt’s brand of oncology care, treatment and research in Pasco County helps us accomplish this goal. Moffitt also is responding to the growing incidence of cancer in Florida, as the state’s population continues to grow and age.”

The new Moffitt outpatient center at AdventHealth Wesley Chapel will provide medical and radiation oncology service. It is being designed to accommodate 20 exam rooms, 22 infusion stations and two linear accelerators. Cancer screenings and survivorship programs geared toward patients who are post-treatment and in remission will also be available.

“This is just the beginning of our partnership with Moffitt Cancer Center and our joint commitment to finding new ways to bring innovative cancer care to the Pasco community,” said Mike Schultz, president and chief executive officer of AdventHealth West Florida Division.

“Our partnership allows us to strengthen our network of care by expanding the type of health care services we can provide to our communities, and gives cancer patients greater access to the country’s leading-edge research, clinical trials and cancer treatments at Moffitt,” he said.

Moffitt Cancer Center is a Tampa-based facility and is one of only 50 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, a distinction that recognizes Moffitt’s scientific excellence, multidisciplinary research, and robust training and education.

AdventHealth is a faith-based, nonprofit health care system that uses leading edge technology and innovation to deliver its brand of whole-person care. Pasco facilities include AdventHealth Connerton, AdventHealth Dade City, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel and AdventHealth Central Pasco ER.

Published May 29, 2019

Hundreds walk for a meaningful cause

May 29, 2019 By Christine Holtzman

Hundreds gathered at The Shops at Wiregrass, 28211 Paseo Drive in Wesley Chapel, for the March of Dimes’ biggest annual fundraiser event on May 11. The Suncoast March for Babies, a 3-mile walk through The Shops at Wiregrass, raised more than $40,000 for the March of Dimes. This year’s ambassador was Chloe Rose Gray, a 4-year-old Tampa Bay girl who was born prematurely at 28 weeks, and spent 96 days in the neonatal intensive care unit. Funds raised from the walk help the March of Dimes on their mission to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.