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Health

Health News 10/30/2019

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Dr. Gaston Nyirigira, center left, and Dr. Jeffrey Huang, center right, stand with anesthesiology residents at Oak Hill Hospital. (Courtesy of Oak Hill Hospital)

International scholar visit
The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) has chosen the Oak Hill Hospital Anesthesiology Residency Program as an international scholar observation site.

Each year, the ASA sponsors three international scholars to participate at the ASA meeting, prior to which the scholars are assigned to different academic centers for clinical observation.

This year, Dr. Gaston Nyirigia was selected as a scholar to observe at Oak Hill with Program Director Dr. Jeffrey Huang.

Dr. Nyirigia is from Rwanda and was chosen to participate in several international training programs throughout North America and Africa, and has co-authored numerous reviews and abstracts.

Dr. Nyirigia received a bachelor’s degree in general medicine at the National University of Rwanda in 2009, and a Master of Medicine in Anesthesia, Critical Care and Emergency Medicine from the University of Rwanda in 2015.

Premier celebrates 40 years of care
Premier Community HealthCare commemorated 40 years of care at its inaugural Premier Community HealthCare Impact Breakfast with community members, policymakers and key leadership.

The celebration reaffirmed Premier’s commitment to providing high-quality, patient-centered and accessible health care services to the Pasco and Hernando communities.

The event paid homage to Premier’s 1979 inception, and showcased inspiring community partner sentiments, a resolution presented by Pasco County Commissioner Mike Wells, a keynote speech by CEO Joey Resnick, and a patient testimony by Christine Collins.

Brewfest raises $28,000
The Fall Brewfest for Hospice, an annual fundraising event to benefit Gulfside Hospice, raised a grand total of $28,000 to support hospice patients.

Gulfside Hospice serves patients in Pasco County as a nonprofit organization, which means that no patient is turned away from needed care due to financial reasons.

“The money raised allows our interdisciplinary team to ensure that everyone in Pasco County is able to receive the quality care they need,” said Linda Ward, president and CEO of Gulfside, in a release.

Approximately 1,000 people attended the event to sample beer and wine from 23 different local breweries and wineries, as well as visit other vendor and sponsor booths.

Entertainment was provided by Stonegrey. Activities included a “Cooler than Cash” cooler drawing, 50/50, and The Giving Wall.

Pasco and Pinellas join initiative
The Florida Department of Elder Affairs (DOEA) has announced that Pasco County and Pinellas County have joined the Dementia Care and Cure Initiative to create more dementia-sensitive communities.

According to a DOEA news release, there are more than 15,000 individuals living with probable Alzheimer’s disease in Pasco County, and more than 33,000 in Pinellas County. And, these figures do not include other forms of dementia, nor do they include the tens of thousands of families and caregivers dealing with the ramifications of the disease.

“The Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas is proud to establish a Dementia Care and Cure Initiative Task Force to educate the community about dementia and related disorders,” said Ann Marie Winter, executive director for the agency, in a release.

“This task force aims to create a more dementia-caring community, where those living with dementia, their families and caregivers are supported, and have access to help and local resources,” Winter said.

For information, visit ElderAffairs.org.

New medical staff
Access Health Care Physicians has welcomed Dr. Monica Esposito to its medical staff. She will join Dr. David Herndon’s practice at 5500 Little Road in New Port Richey.

Dr. Esposito is board certified in family medicine and osteopathic manipulative treatment.

She comes to Access Health from completing her family medicine residency at St. Petersburg General Hospital, where she was selected as chief resident in recognition of her leadership skills.

Also joining Access Health is Dr. Johanna Gilbreath Asquith, specializing in infectious diseases, at 14690 Spring Hill Drive in Spring Hill.

Dr. Asquith comes to Access Health from completing a fellowship in infectious diseases at the University of South Florida in Tampa.

She competed a residency in internal medicine at Mount Carmel Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, as well as two years of an anatomic and clinical pathology residency at Ohio State University.

At the intersection of law enforcement, mental health

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An ‘All hands on deck approach’ is needed to address the nation’s mental health crisis.

That means greater levels of state and federal funding, and enhanced collaboration between law enforcement and behavioral practitioners.

At least that was the message delivered by a group of experts during a recent criminal justice panel discussion titled “The Intersection of Law Enforcement and Mental Health.”

Speakers focused on the broad array of challenges facing today’s criminal justice professionals and the current trends, as well as future initiatives that shape law enforcement’s engagement when dealing with mental health issues.

Panelists underscored the significance of the problem on a national scale.

More than 100 students, faculty, law enforcement officials and community members gathered for the Oct. 7 discussion, hosted by Saint Leo University.

There’s no question, the challenges are far-reaching.

Dr. Jeffrey D. Senese introduces an Oct. 7 criminal justice panel discussion at Saint Leo University. Panelists, from left: Dr. Christopher Cronin, professor of psychology; Dr. Moneque Walker-Pickett, associate department chair of criminal justice and professor of criminal justice; Michelle Allen, instructor of criminal justice; Kim Senger, social work professional; and, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco. (Courtesy of Mary McCoy, Saint Leo University)

Approximately 43.8 million adults in the United States experience mental illness each year, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

The organization also reports 46% of Americans will suffer a mental illness in their lifetime.

Panelist Dr. Christopher Cronin, a Saint Leo professor of psychology, cited an American Psychological Association report that shows there are now 42,000 suicides annually in the U.S. That marks the highest rate in 28 years, and is up 24% percent since 1999.

“This is clearly an epidemic,” Cronin said.

For law enforcement, it has made a tough job even tougher, as officers work the frontlines of the mental health crisis.

One study shows that a quarter of the people shot by police are in a mental health crisis at the time when the use of force occurred, Cronin said.

However, Cronin added, law enforcement is not necessarily to blame.

“They have been forced to do a job — become mental health professionals — for which they have not been trained,” the professor said. “Officers are trained to take control of a situation and to give lawful commands, however, a person in a mental health crisis cannot conform their behavior and a situation escalates.”

Some noted incidents have included “suicide by cop.”

This phrase refers to a situation in which an individual deliberately behaves in a threatening manner, with intent to provoke a lethal response from a public safety or law enforcement officer.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, another panelist, understands the challenges facing his deputies.

Law enforcement seeks to mitigate threat situations with bullhorns and less lethal devices, but encounters quickly can escalate, when a person who is suicidal attacks or threatens to attack police or citizens, Nocco said.

“Law enforcement officers are being put in a tough position,” the sheriff said. “We always say, ‘The safety of the citizens around that person and the deputy has to be paramount,’ because if they’re charging at you…the reality is — we have families, we want to go home, too.”

Michelle Allen, a Saint Leo criminal justice undergraduate instructor, reiterated points raised by her fellow panelists, Cronin and Nocco.

“How are you as an officer supposed to recognize that this person is suffering from mental illness? How can you look at somebody in the five seconds and say, ‘Oh, he’s mentally ill…’ He’s fighting you. What do you do, because you want to go home, too,” Allen said.

Before venturing into higher education, Allen spent two decades in Georgia, working for the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office and Smyrna Police Department, respectively.

Many arrests occur when people are in a mental health crisis or breakdown, and have either gone off their medications or have not yet been diagnosed, Allen said.

Pasco Sheriff’s Office estimates as many as 20% of its calls for service are mental health-related.

In an initiative to “get ahead of the curve,” the agency has established a specialized Mental Health and Threat Assessment Team (MHTAT). That team is trained to keep tabs on the county’s residents who have been referred on repeated occasions for involuntary evaluations, under the state’s Baker Act.

However, Allen noted, if a crime has been committed, the mentally ill still must be treated like other suspects, in the interest of officer and public safety.

“These people are not necessarily violent, not necessarily criminal,” she said, but she added,  “you want to definitely get that person in handcuffs…and then determine what’s going on with them.”

More frequent encounters between police and the mentally ill can be traced to the deinstitutionalization or closing of mental health hospitals in the last 60 years or so, according to Dr. Moneque Walker-Pickett, another panelist, who is the associate department chair of criminal justice and a criminal justice professor at Saint Leo.

The number of available psychiatric beds has plummeted, according to data cited by Walker-Pickett.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that today there is roughly one psychiatric bed for nearly 3,000 Americans, while in 1955, there was one bed for every 300 Americans, Walker-Pickett said.

Facility closures have resulted in an increase of people with mental illness winding up in America’s jail and prison systems, she added.

She explained: “It resulted in putting a lot of these people on the streets, it resulted in having people at home who weren’t getting the treatment that they needed, and as a result, sometimes there were interactions with law enforcement. You see that happening more and more — these interactions with law enforcement.”

Walker-Pickett also pointed out alternative treatment wasn’t appropriately provided in lieu of the closing of mental health facilities, particularly in low-income communities “who don’t have access to affordable or appropriate health care.”

Published October 16, 2019

Note: See more on this panel discussion in first story, below.

Panelists suggest solutions

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Panelists at a discussion at Saint Leo University had some thoughts for ways to divert some offenders from the criminal justice system to mental health courts, instead.

That way they could get treatment for their issues, rather than jail or prison time.

Dr. Moneque Walker-Pickett, a panelist during an Oct. 7 session called “The Intersection of Law Enforcement and Mental Health,” advocates increased federal spending to expand available mental health treatment options.

Other panelists agreed more resources are need to provide mental health services.

Members of the law enforcement, social work, mental health, and education communities joined Saint Leo University students, faculty and staff for a panel discussion on the intersection of law enforcement and mental health. (Courtesy of Saint Leo University)

Florida’s mental health spending ranks 49th of 50 states, at approximately $40 per capita annually, said Dr. Christopher Cronin, a psychology professor at Saint Leo University.

“It’s hard to get a good dinner at a restaurant for $40,” Cronin said.

“So when you vote—and you should — find out what your candidate thinks about the mental health crisis and their record on funding for mental health.”

Cronin specifically called for an expansion in crisis intervention and de-escalation training, to better prepare law enforcement agencies to tackle mental health crises.

Some of these mental health training programs are offered by behavioral health volunteers pro bono, Cronin said.

“It’s a good start, but we need more funding,” he said.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, also a panelist, expressed confidence that the county could  receive more funding from an ongoing multibillion dollar civil lawsuit against five opioid manufacturers.

He suggested those dollars be used to help set up “mental health ERs,” or quasi walk-in clinics, to serve people facing a mental health crisis.

Nocco put it this way: “If you broke your arm or twisted your leg, you know where to go. If you have a mental health crisis, what do you do? You call 911, but that’s not providing help.”

The sheriff also called for increasing both awareness and resources regarding mental health issues in law enforcement circles. He thinks it should be similar to the way the military has brought about a more open dialogue regarding post-traumatic stress.

“Nobody ever talks about that in law enforcement,” Nocco said. “The law enforcement officers will not readily say, ‘Hey, I need help, I need to talk to somebody…’”

Panelist Kim Senger, a masters level social worker who’s worked as a therapist in both Canada and Florida, said law enforcement and social workers need to become more effective partners to help at-risk youth and troubled students in school systems.

He emphasized the need for more youth intervention and counseling, to deal “with issues before they get out of hand.”

“We have to look at is as a holistic approach,” he said. “If you can’t find them, if you can’t connect to them, there’s going to be trouble, they will be troubled.”

The experts also had ideas for how average people can play a role to help reduce the nation’s mental health crisis.

“You do not need to be a mental health professional to have a significant impact on someone,” Cronin said.

“Find someone who looks like they need a friend. The person having lunch alone, the classmate who never seemed to quite fit in, the colleague who doesn’t seem to blend.

“What I would tell you to do is befriend them, go out of your comfort zone, join them for lunch or ask them to join you. No one should eat alone if they don’t want to,” Cronin said.

Published October 16, 2019

Note: See more on this topic in the featured story, above.

Health News 10/16/2019

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Breast cancer awareness
In recognition of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Florida Department of Health  in Pasco County encourages all women to receive regular screenings to promote early detection and treatment of breast cancer.

Women should talk to their health care providers about their individual risk factors and the frequency of receiving mammograms, as well as complete any recommended mammography screenings.

Women can help lower their risk by:

  • Maintaining a healthy weight
  • Being physically active
  • Limiting or avoiding alcohol
  • Choosing to breast-feed
  • Quitting smoking and/or vaping

The Florida Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program provides access to the screenings doctors recommend.

The screenings are free or low-cost for those who meet the program eligibility requirements.

For information, call the Department of Health-Pasco at (727) 619-0369.

Screening mammograms
Tower Radiology wants to bring awareness to the importance of mammograms by offering women $50 screening mammograms. The promotion is for the month of October only.

The offer excludes 3D mammography. Patients must bring a prescription.

Also, for every new ‘like’ on Tower Radiology’s Facebook page in October, $2 will be donated to the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk.

For information, call (813) 379-2691, or visit TowerRadioloyCenters.com.

AdventHealth named partner
AdventHealth has been named an exclusive health partner of Metro Development Group, the developers behind Pasco County’s Connected City

The partnership is a three-phase plan to promote healthy living, including:

  • Tele-health services inside the home
  • A wellness district accessible from the Crystal Lagoon, an available to residents and destination patients
  • Plans for an offsite Emergency Room

Some pilot programs are underway from Philips, a health tech leader, that will design, test and launch new products for homeowners.

Donate to breast cancer foundation
The Florida Breast Cancer Foundation will be the featured charity at the Pasco County Tax Collector’s offices during October.

The foundation’s main objectives are to advocate on behalf of patients, educate the public on all aspects of breast cancer, and to provide funds for research seeking new treatments and, ultimately, a cure for breast cancer.

The End Breast Cancer specialty tag will be available, and cash donations also will be accepted.

For information, visit PascoTaxes.com.

Study on ER manuals
Oak Hill Hospital’s Dr. Wayne Simmons, first-year anesthesiology resident, and Dr. Jeffrey Huang, program director of the hospital’s anesthesiology residency, published a peer review manuscript entitled, “Operating Room Emergency Manuals Improve Patient Safety: A Systematic Review.”

The aim of the review was to highlight the latest movements surrounding emergency manual  implementation nationally and abroad within perioperative medicine, with a focus on studies linking the emergency manuals to patient safety.

An emergency manual is a tool made to command all resources at hand in order to provide an anesthesia delivery plan, in conjunction with members of the anesthesia care team and operating room personnel in the aid of decision-making.

Dr. Huang participated last year in an emergency manual simulation instructor-training course in China.

The basis of the training course was that optimal outcomes in crises require that critical steps are performed in a timely manner.

Simulation workshops, demonstrations and training competitions have been tested and proven as effective ways to promote multidisciplinary simulation training and implementation of operating room emergency manuals in China.

Cancer center’s new physicians
The Advanced Cancer Treatment Centers at 14535 Cortez Blvd., in Brooksville, now has these physicians on staff:

  • Dr. Clayton Elliott Alonso has joined the oncology staff
  • Dr. Aaron Denson is on the medical oncology and hematology staff
  • Dr. Peter Zavitsanos has joined the radiation oncology staff

For information, call (352) 596-3622.

Hospital names CEO
HCA West Florida has announced Regina (Gina) Temple as president and CEO for Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point.

Temple joins HCA Healthcare and Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point from San Antonio, Texas, where for the past three years she has had executive leadership roles with the Baptist Health System. Most recently, she was the president of Mission Trail Baptist Hospital.

Prior to that, Temple served as the Baptist Health System Texas Group chief operating officer, and chief operating officer of North Central Baptist Hospital.

Temple earned her doctorate from Walden University, a master’s degree in public administration from the University of West Florida, and a Bachelor of Nursing from the University of South Alabama.

Cannabis dispensaries coming to Dade City?

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The Dade City Commission during a workshop session directed city staff to draft an amendment to the city’s land development regulations that would allow medical marijuana dispensaries within one of the city’s zoning districts.

Commissioners, at their Sept. 24 workshop, indicated that the dispensaries should be allowed in the general commercial zoning district.

That zoning district generally spans U.S. 301/U.S. 98 south and north of town and certain pockets of the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) district, but avoids much of the city’s historic downtown main street and central business district.

The City of Dade City is considering an ordinance that would permit medical marijuana treatment centers in one of its business zoning districts. (File)

The amended ordinance would require any future standalone pharmacies and drug stores to locate within the general commercial district only, as Florida statutes prevent municipalities from enacting regulations that restrict dispensaries more so than traditional pharmacies.

However, existing pharmacies in other zoning districts would be grandfathered in and would be able to continue to operate as a legal non-conforming entity.

The workshop session set direction only.

Any drafted ordinance will come before the city’s planning board and have two public hearings before a formal commission vote.

The majority of commissioners concurred that limiting dispensaries and pharmacies to the general commercial district would offer convenient access for local residents facing debilitating conditions, and still preserve the historical integrity of the downtown area’s specialty shops and mom-and-pop businesses.

“The general commercial (district) seems to accomplish what we’re trying to do,” Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez said. “We’re trying to find places within our municipality limits that we can have these (medical marijuana) facilities without adversely affecting merchants’ concerns, but also be sensitive to the needs of folks that are in need.”

Commissioner Jim Shive agreed the general commercial district “seems to have less impact to the direct downtown around the merchants,” but noted he is concerned about some existing pharmacies being deemed legal nonconforming.

“I think we all want to be very compassionate people,” he said, “but we all want to do the right thing.”

Commissioner Scott Black was the lone commissioner who favored an outright ban medical on marijuana treatment centers within the municipality.

He said dispensaries are “readily available” throughout Pasco County and have become more accessible compared to a few years ago.

The county presently has three medical cannabis dispensaries in New Port Richey and another situated near the Land O’ Lakes-Lutz county line.

“It’s much more convenient to go 20 miles now than it was before (Amendment 2) was passed when you couldn’t get it at all,” Black said.

Black also had reservations about any dispensary ordinance that could prevent a locally owned pharmacy or drugstore from opening up somewhere downtown.

Black observed: “Keep in mind, what you have is a goal for a livable, workable downtown, in terms of if you want a pharmacy downtown or don’t.”

Since 2016, the city has enacted five six-month moratoriums, or temporary ban, on the sale of medical marijuana while staff researched its potential impacts on the community.

The latest six-month moratorium expired Sept. 21. If no action is taken, dispensaries could theoretically locate in multiple zoning districts, including the historic downtown area.

It’s not the first time commissioners have sought to allow dispensaries in designated areas.

The commission earlier this year directed staffers to draft an ordinance that would have permitted dispensaries in all zoning districts where the city allows pharmacies, except in the CRA district.

However, the city’s planning board recommended denial of the drafted ordinance, primarily due to language that makes existing pharmacies and drugstores in the district legal nonconforming uses.

The planning board subsequently recommended the commission to extend the moratorium, which they did.

At the latest workshop, new Dade City Senior Planner Melanie Romagnoli pointed out the previously drafted ordinance wasn’t exactly kosher, because the CRA district isn’t truly a business zoning district. “We would have to rezone everybody in the downtown to a certain district and then ban it from that certain district to practice zoning law,” she explained.

When asked by the commission for a recommendation, Romagnoli all but endorsed allowing dispensaries within city limits in some form or another.

“Coming from a pure zoning standpoint, I don’t view medical marijuana as the recreational pot that a lot of people are concerned about,” the city planner said. “It’s heavily controlled, it’s heavily regulated, and you have to have a prescription to get, so I view that particular product as going to get your prescription antibiotics, and my personal opinion is we should not regulate what is sold inside of a pharmacy if it’s already regulated at the state and federal levels. I don’t want to deny medical access to those who may need it.”

The mayor followed that sentiment, saying dispensaries should to be examined in a “medical context” to serve local residents stricken with illnesses like cancer, glaucoma and so forth.

Said Hernandez: “My heart just can’t do anything but go, ‘Hey, wow, there’s a condition and a need that needs to be addressed that we can provide access to.’ You can argue about the location of it and all that, but still having access to it is very important.”

Published October 2, 2019

Health News 10/02/19

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(Courtesy of Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point)

Jennifer Williams receives DAISY award
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point (RMCBP) has recognized Jennifer Williams as the recipient of its September DAISY award. Williams is a registered nurse in the Cardiopulmonary Recovery Unit and was recommended for the award by a patient who was in her care, as well as the patient’s family member. DAISY is an acronym for Diseases Attacking the Immune System, and honors the family of Patrick Barnes who succumbed to complications of an autoimmune disease. From left: DAISY Award Committee members Jeanine Baggott and Danielle Montanez Calabrese; Melanie Wetmore, RMCBP CNO; award winner Jennifer Williams; and, Daisy Award Committee member Aida Guardiani.

Two of the ‘star’ volunteers: Luvon Crafton, left, and Juli Ormsby
(Courtesy of Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point)

Hospital honors volunteers
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point recognized its volunteers with the second quarter Star Awards.

Luvon Crafton has been volunteering at the hospital since May 2015, and has already accumulated 3,540 life hours and 4,567 merit hours. Crafton can be found at Welcome Center A and Welcome Center D.

Al Herrick has been regarded as a loyal and professional courtesy cart driver, volunteering since 2014, and has accumulated more than 1,250 life hours of service. He has a reputation for treating everyone with respect and dignity.

Juli Ormsby began volunteering in 2016 as a chaplain’s aide and has since become a licensed chaplain. In her three years at Regional Medical, Ormsby has accumulated more than 1,350 life hours and 1,500 merit hours.


Advocate positions available
Florida’s Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program has advocate positions available in Hillsborough County.

Volunteers visit with residents of nursing homes, assisted living facilities and adult family care homes to ensure they are treated with dignity and respect.

Training and certification are provided, and volunteers participate in council meetings, administrative assessments and complaint resolution in facilities.

Those interested need to:

  • Enjoy working with seniors and those with disabilities
  • Plan to volunteer 20 hours a month
  • Pass a background check (paid for by the program)
  • Complete certification training
  • Communicate well
  • Attend a monthly meeting

Applicants can visit Ombudsman.myflorida.com or call (888) 831-0404 for information.

Recognitions for Oak Hill
Oak Hill Hospital has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval for the Treatment of Sepsis Certification by demonstrating continuous compliance with its performance standards.

The certification recognizes health care organizations that provide clinical programs across the continuum of care for treatment of sepsis.

The certification evaluates how organizations use clinical outcomes and performance measures to identify opportunities to improve care, as well as to educate and prepare patients and their caregivers for discharge.

For information, visit JointCommission.org.

Also, Oak Hill’s Transitional Year Program has received continued accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

The Transitional program is a one-year post-graduate program for residents to have a variety of training experiences before further subspecialty training.

Some of the fields requiring Transitional Year before beginning a specialty residency include anesthesiology, radiology, neurology, dermatology and ophthalmology.

Breast cancer awareness
The Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office is set to team up with the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation during October. In their sixth year of collaboration, the agencies will once again strive to raise funds and bring awareness in combating breast cancer. Those purchasing first-time or renewed automobile registrations in October, may trade their plate for the End of Breast Cancer specialty tag at their local Pasco tax office. Proceeds from the tag promotion will go toward the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation. Cash donations also will be accepted. For information, call Greg Giordano at (727) 847-8179 or visit PascoTaxes.com.

School district expands mental health services

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The Pasco County school district has been ramping up training and tapping into outside sources, in its quest to build a better mental health support network for students.

Statistics from across the school district underscore a compelling need for increased services.

District figures show that more than 1,200 suicide assessments were done last year of students in elementary, middle and high schools.

The breakdown showed that 463 suicide assessments were reported at the elementary school level; 408 at the middle school level; and, 308 at the high school level.

There also were nearly 600 threat assessments across the district, with 278 reported at the elementary level; 134 at the middle school level; and, 186 at the high school level.

Jeannine Welch, Melissa Musselwhite and Vicki Papaemanuel are leading up efforts to expand mental health services within Pasco County Schools. (B.C. Manion)

District data regarding Baker Act cases reported 171 at the elementary level; 211 at the middle school level; and, 207 at the high school level.

Baker Act cases involve individuals who are deemed to be a threat to themselves or others who are referred for mental evaluation.

“We obviously have many students that need significant support from us, relating to mental health,” said Melissa Musselwhite, the district’s director of student support programs, during a school board session on mental health held this summer.

Pasco Schools Superintendent Kurt Browning pointed to the suicide assessments.

“Twelve hundred and sixty — 463 just in elementary school alone,” Browning noted.

He also observed there were more suicide assessments at elementary level, than in high school.

“The same with threats,” noted School Board Chairwoman Alison Crumbley. “It’s (threats) higher at elementary.”

Jeannine Welch, senior supervisor for student support services, told board members that it’s  difficult to pinpoint what the statistics mean. For instance, a suicide assessment could refer to a student who was assessed, but not in any danger.

Musselwhite also said more information is needed: “Do we have the same standard for kids we are referring, let’s say for suicide assessment?

“If the kid has scissors and says, ‘I’m going to stab you,’ or ‘I’m going to stab myself,’ do we have a common practice across the district how we respond to that?

“Those are questions. I don’t know. We really need to analyze the data more deeply,” Musselwhite said.

Assistant Superintendent of Elementary Schools David Scanga said the statistics are telling.

“It does reflect the stress level of elementary that probably 10 years ago we didn’t see,” he said. “So, the stress on the families, the stress on the communities, the stress within the building. I hear what Melissa is saying, but we also know and agree that there are things in elementary that we’re dealing with that are more frequent — not that they were never there — but they are more frequent than they were in the past.”

To help address the needs, the district has been collaborating with Central Florida Behavioral Health Network, which has allowed the district to expand its services.

Central Florida has worked out a memorandum of understanding with all of the providers, so the district doesn’t have to obtain a separate contract for a specialized service, Welch said.

Students receiving services are run through a voucher system.

That helps stretch the district’s spending capacity because if a child is eligible for Medicaid, or would be potentially eligible, those dollars are used first, Welch said.

The district has added key personnel and has expanded training efforts.

It has added mental health coaches to coach school-based student services staff regarding mental health initiatives.

The mental health liaison has been able to help analyze data, and also has provided “literally, someone to call instantly in order to be able to problem-solve with some of the situations we have within schools,” Musselwhite said.

The district is working to improve its supports for students.

When a student has been Baker-acted, for instance, the district wants to be sure it supports that student when he or sure returns to school.

“We want to make sure that it’s truly done as a safety net for them,” Welch said.

“We’ve had kids that have been gone for a week and come back, and said they’ve been on a Disney cruise. They weren’t on the Disney cruise,” Welch said.

The district has ramped up training.

“We are required to train staff and make sure they have first-aiders at schools. When this first came out, we had zero trainers,” Welch said. “This summer we’ve trained 688 staff members.”

The district continues to build on its capacity, she said.

“We spent this year building up trainers,” she said.

“It shouldn’t just be the administrator. It should be others that, these are embedded practices that live on, regardless of the leadership,” she said.

“The state has rolled out a new threat assessment  protocol that we’ll be training all student services and administrative staff, in the next month (by Oct. 1),” Musselwhite said.

“The majority of the day will be around the threat assessment, behavioral threat assessment that the state mandated, using a specific  tool and a training platform,” said Vicki Papaemanuel, who will be overseeing the training for the district.

“The second half of the day will be around threat to self or suicide assessment,” she said.

Threat assessments
Elementary: 278
Middle: 134
High School: 186
Total: 598

Suicide assessments
Elementary: 463
Middle: 408
High School: 308
Total: 1,260

2018-2019 Baker Act Data
Elementary: 171
Middle: 211
High school: 207

Source: Pasco County Schools

Published September 18, 2019

Dade City sets workshop on medical marijuana dispensaries

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The Dade City City Commission again will consider whether or not to allow medical marijuana treatment centers within city limits.

This city’s six-month moratorium, or temporary ban, on such dispensaries expires Sept. 21.

Commissioners will have a workshop on the matter Sept. 24 at 4 p.m., at City Hall, 38020 Meridian Ave., in Dade City.

In March, city leaders voted to extend its moratorium relating to the operation of cannabis dispensing organizations and the issuance of business tax licenses for such facilities.

It marked the fourth time commissioners passed a six-month extension of the moratorium. The original moratorium was enacted in 2016, to continue to study the potential impacts of such facilities on the municipality.

According to Florida Statutes, medical marijuana dispensaries and treatment centers are permitted in zoning districts where pharmacies are also allowed.

City leaders previously have expressed an interest to allow dispensaries, so long as they’re limited to commercial highways or the outskirts of town.

The commission earlier in the year directed city staff to draft an ordinance that would have allowed for medical marijuana in all zoning districts where the city allows pharmacies, except in the CRA downtown corridor and within 500 feet from any school.

However, the city’s planning board recommended denial of the drafted ordinance, with concerns about language ultimately limiting pharmacies or drugstores in the downtown area, in making them legal nonconforming use. The planning board then recommended the commission to extend the moratorium, with a time frame to be determined by the commission.

Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez emphasized the city needs to find a long-term solution to the matter, one way or another. “We can’t drag feet; we’ve got to do something,” she said.

Regarding medical marijuana facilities, City attorney Thomas Thanas said other Florida municipalities “are trying to get out in front of this with an ordinance one way or the other.”

“Quite a few communities have passed ordinances that ban dispensaries and quite a few have done just the opposite where they’ve allowed them,” he said.

Published September 18, 2019

Health News 09/18/2019

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(Courtesy of Area Agency on Aging)

Agency’s work on fall prevention garners honor
The Area Agency on Aging of Pasco-Pinellas (AAAPP) has been honored with the 2019 Aging Achievement Award by the National Association of Area Agencies on Aging (n4a), for its Better Living for Seniors Pinellas Falls Prevention Coalition. The Better Living program works to engage local aging business partners and drives community-wide work to reduce the prevalence of falls through a Fall Prevention Coalition. The initiatives include Denying Gravity, a comedic play; a series of quarterly community provider symposiums; and a pilot program at two assisted living facilities to reduce unnecessary calls for falls assistance. The AAAPP received the award at the n4a annual Conference & Trade Show in New Orleans.

Give blood, see a movie
The Big Red Bus is offering a free movie ticket and a Red Robin partner card in exchange for blood donations.

Generally healthy people age 16 and older, who weight at least 110 pounds, can donate. A photo ID is required.

For hours, locations and to make an appointment for the upcoming blood drive Sept. 20 to Sept. 22, visit OneBlood.org/redrobin, or call (888) 936-6283.

AdventHealth Zephyrhills recognized
AdventHealth Zephyrhills has been recognized as a High Performing Hospital for 2019-2020 by U.S. News & World Report.

The hospital earned high-performance ratings for heart failure and COPD, in recognition of care that was significantly better than the national average, as measured by factors such as patient outcomes.

U.S. News evaluated more than 4,500 medical centers nationwide in nine procedures and conditions.

The annual Procedures & Conditions ratings are designed to assist patients and their doctors in making informed decisions about where to receive care for common conditions, and elective procedures.

“This recognition is a testament to the commitment of our dedicated care teams and leaders to provide our patients with the highest quality of care,” said Amanda Maggard, president and CEO of AdventHealth Zephyrhills, in a release.

“We are honored to provide these services to make it easy for our community to get the best care every time they need us,” she added.

Executive director named
NAMI Pasco County (National Alliance on Mental Illness) has named Debbie L. Proulx as its first executive director in NAMI Pasco’s history.

Proulx will provide leadership and support to the management of all programs and activities.

She also will help to expand NAMI’s role in the community to better promote recovery, aid caregivers, and increase public awareness and understanding.

These measures will be taken to help eradicate mental health stigma and propagate improved services and research for those affected by mental health conditions.

Proulx brings with her expertise in fundraising and marketing, and has spent 20 years in the nonprofit sector as both a professional and a volunteer.

Quicker ER care
When an emergency happens, AdventHealth hospitals offer a way to get care fast. Through the website, GetInQuickER.com, a treatment time can be reserved. Users complete a brief, secure form, and get a confirmation with directions and details in return.

New medical staff
Access Health Care Physicians has welcomed Dr. Angie E. Layme to its medical staff.

Layme comes from the Tampa Bay Family Clinic, where she performed outpatient primary care and preventative medicine in the area of critical need for the geriatric population.

She is bilingual, fluent in English and Spanish, and is licensed in Florida and Puerto Rico.

Layme practices at 5350 Spring Hill Drive and 2173 Mariner Blvd., in Spring Hill.

Pasco Sheriff beefs up mental health services

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Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco is ramping up efforts to address mental health issues, in his agency’s daily work.

The sheriff explained his team’s approach to those attending the September breakfast meeting of The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce.

Nocco said mental health issues are expanding in a way that affects public safety, during remarks to dozens of chamber members at the Golden Corral in Zephyrhills.

Pasco Sheriff Chris Nocco was the featured guest speaker at The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce September breakfast meeting at the Golden Corral in Zephyrhills. (Kevin Weiss)

About 11 percent of the Pasco Sheriff’s Office’s calls for service last year were mental-health related, which equates to approximately 19,000 calls.

But, Nocco estimates the figure is even higher because the agency data doesn’t take into account calls that are related to overdoses, runaways, domestic violence linked to addiction and substance abuse, and other incidents possibly rooted in mental illness.

“I can tell you,” Nocco said, “roughly 20 percent of our calls for service are mental-health related.

“The meat of what we deal with is mental health and substance abuse issues,” Nocco said, “so what we’re doing is identifying the highest usage of individuals that have mental health issues and are consistently calling us.”

In an attempt “to get ahead of the curve,” the sheriff’s office has implemented some new approaches, Nocco said.

Foremost among them is the agency’s new Mental Health and Threat Assessment Team (MHTAT), he said. The unit consists of 15 sworn personnel and Baycare Behavioral Health case managers, aimed to better serve the needs of people facing significant mental health issues.

The team’s primary task is to keep tabs on individuals who have been held involuntarily in a mental health treatment facility for up to 72 hours, through a state law known as the Baker Act. They focus on approximately 500 people who are Baker Act repeats.

The team uses a proactive approach that includes frequent visitations, welfare checks, expedited behavioral health resources and criminal justice diversion programs.

By getting to the “root issues” of problems and offering resources, the unit will help reduce the number of calls to 911 — thereby enabling patrol deputies to respond more quickly to urgent or violent calls, Nocco said.

Another unit component includes threat assessments and interventions for troubled students in the school system  —  as a measure to prevent school violence acts, or school shootings.

The county’s most at-risk kids are identified with assistance from school resource officers and the agency’s Child Protective Investigations Divisions, the sheriff said.

The at-risk kids typically include runaways, students with frequent school changes, those with prior run-ins with law enforcement or those with parents under child welfare investigations, he said.

The idea is to provide early intervention to help prevent future problems, Nocco said.

“I’m not saying we’re going to be perfect. There’s always that lone wolf, that one individual that just decides to do something, but, for the majority of people, if we can be smart about how we operate, we’re going to be way more successful.”

In Nocco’s opinion, the general rise of mental illness is tied to the proliferation of the digital age and the rise of social media. He displayed his own smartphone and said: “These are destroying us.”

The sheriff also noted that his agency is working to reduce the recidivism rate for inmates at the Land O’ Lakes detention center.

To that end, the jail has various inmate labor programs and vocational programs, including a welding program that allows inmates to get certified skills, with the aim of equipping them for jobs upon their release.

Said Nocco: “There are people that have addictions or people that have gone through problems  that made bad decisions, but now this is the first time in the jail that they actually get up at 4 o’clock in the morning, they’re actually doing work, they’re actually going, ‘Huh, if I do this I can succeed.’”

The sheriff also shared some other information about his department, including:

  • A memorandum of understanding his agency has with the City of Zephyrhills to operate a portion of the Zephyrhills Municipal Airport in emergencies and natural disasters, such as hurricanes. The agency will use the location to distribute various resources (food, water, first aid supplies, etc.) throughout the county.
  • The K9 Tactical Center/Florida’s Forensic Institute for Research, Security and Tactics (F.I.R.S.T.) is expected to have some of its first operations up and running by next spring. Construction on Land O’ Lakes-based forensics research and training center campus began in September 2018. The $4.3 million state-funded project is designed to provide “a holistic approach” to crime scene operations and investigations, as a collaborative resource for universities, forensic scientists and law enforcement.

Published September 11, 2019