The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Health

Adventist Health System to buy Bayfront Health in Dade City

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Adventist Health System, which is the parent company of Florida Hospital, signed an agreement to buy the 120-bed Bayfront Health Dade City Hospital, according to a news release from Adventist Health System.

The deal is expected to close in early 2018.

Details on the sales price weren’t disclosed.

The sale will include the hospital, at 13100 Fort King Road, as well as physician clinic operations and outpatient services.

“Finding a partner to allow a seamless medical care experience for our patients is important,” said Linda Stockton, in the news release. “Florida Hospital can bring their experience to build on our history of service and success.”

Bayfront is owned by Community Health Systems.

The sale is the “best plan for the future of Bayfront Health Dade City, according to the news release.

“Bayfront Health is a valuable asset to Dade City and its residents, and we want to continue the long history of providing essential care in that facility,” Mike Schultz, chief executive officer of the Adventist Health System West Florida Division, said in the release.

In recent years, Community Health Systems has struggled financially, and has been selling its hospitals.

A new release from Community Health System issued in November previewed “additional planned divestures,” based on $110 million loss in the third quarter of 2017. That was an increase over losses last year.

According to a news release, Bayfront Health in Dade City was one of those divestures.

About $40 million in losses for 2017 resulted from complete or partial shutdowns of some hospitals in Texas and Florida during Hurricanes Harvey and Irma, according to the company press release.

Published December 20, 2017

Health News 12/20/2017

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(Courtesy of Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation)

Hearing on the go
Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida Inc., had a ribbon-cutting and a presentation of its new mobile audiology services van at the Amazing Kids Academy in Lake County. The van will provide pediatric hearing screenings and evaluations, along with fitting and dispensing hearing aids. The foundation’s focus is rural and underserved communities. For information, visit FamilyHearingHelp.org.

 

Hospital appoints nurse manager
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point has appointed Jessica Saunier, registered nurse Trauma Nurse Core Course, as nurse manager of its Med/Oncology 3 North unit.

Saunier was promoted from the Critical Care Unit where she worked for years.

She is completing her Bachelor of Nursing degree from Grand Canyon University.

Saunier began at the hospital in the Critical Care Unit after completing nursing school at Pasco-Hernando State College and was nominated to begin an internship in critical care.

She also has acted as a relief charge nurse.

New breathing clinic opens
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point has opened a Better Breathing Clinic to assist patients with managing disease processes that affect the patient’s ability to lead active and full lives, due to medical conditions that affect breathing.

A number of diseases impair the ability to breathe sufficiently, including COPD, congestive heart failure and heart valve disease.

The clinic opened Dec. 8, and is staffed by a practicing pulmonologist and cardiologist.

For information, call (727) 819-2945.

BayCare adds new doctor
BayCare Medical Group, 4211 Van Dyke Road, Suite 101B, in Lutz, has added Dr. Swasha D. Fields, who specializes in family medicine.

Fields is board-certified in family medicine, specializing in primary and preventive care. She earned a Doctor of Medicine from Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, Georgia, and completed a family medicine residency at the University of South Florida-Morton Plant Mease in Clearwater.

For information, visit BayCareMedicalGroup.com.

Crisis Center leaders honored
The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay serves as the community gateway to services related to crisis and trauma.

Katie Androff, vice president of talent management, won the Government/Nonprofit category for the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s People First Awards.

Androff has been in the human resources field for the past 15 years, with the most recent three years in her current position.

Barbara Curts, board member of the center and senior vice president commercial banker for Seacoast Bank, was recognized with the Gayle Sierens Volunteer of the Year Award for National Philanthropy Day.

Curts spends her days in the bank office downtown, and volunteers for four 15-hour night and weekend shifts a month as a victim advocate for the crisis center.

Hospital graduates ambassador class
Oak Hill Hospital’s ambassador program is designed to promote global understanding of hospital operations and enhances teamwork in cooperation across all internal departments. The program is modeled after the Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Hernando program.

Recent graduates include: Kristy Dubious, diagnostic imaging manager; Juan Rios, environmental services manager; Lanna Bartz, ambassador program liaison; Heather Murphy, practice manager; Barbie Gregory, cardiac cath lab registered nurse; Kaysee Brinkley, physical therapist; Peter Marmerstein, HCA West Florida Division president; and James Hudson, physical therapist.

For information, visit OakHillHospital.com/About/Newsroom.

Young women get hands-on science experience

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The Perry Initiative held a one-day program at Medical Center of Trinity to give young women a hands-on experience in science, and to broaden their exposure to opportunities in the fields of orthopedic surgery and engineering.

Erin Sinnott said participating in The Perry Initiative at Medical Center of Trinity was ‘an amazing experience,’ far exceeding her expectations. (Courtesy of Medical Center of Trinity)

The event, which was last month and was co-sponsored by the Medical Center of Trinity, involved 40 young women selected to attend from 16 local high schools.

The students had a chance to learn from prominent women surgeons, engineers and business women in the field of orthopedics.

Women currently make up 7 percent of the surgeon and engineer workforce in the field of orthopedics, according to a news release from The Perry Initiative. The event was intended to help give participants exposure to potential careers options.

The students had the chance to perform surgical simulations to correct scoliosis deformity, to fix a broken leg and to repair a rotator cuff, according to the news release.

The day included lectures on engineering and orthopedics, the simulations and a question-and-answer session.

Land O’ Lakes, Sunlake and Steinbrenner were among the participating high schools.

Dr. Jennifer Cook, orthopedic surgery, was instrumental in bringing the program to the medical center.

Kylie Siminiski, a student at Steinbrenner High School, works with Dr. Jennifer Cook during a one-day program at Medical Center of Trinity aimed at giving young women exposure to the fields of engineering and orthopedic surgery.

Alyssa Kovacs, a junior at Land O’ Lakes High School, was impressed by the one-day program.

“I thought the experience was great. It definitely changed my mind about what I want to do.

“I knew I wanted to be a doctor working in a hospital … but, I didn’t think I wanted to go into ortho surgery. I never really thought about ortho surgery until The Perry Initiative.

“I really don’t know to explain it: It clicked something inside,” the high school junior said, in an interview after completing the program.

“It was a great experience, and it definitely changes how you see things,” Kovacs added.

Erin Sinnott, a senior at Sunlake High School, also gave high marks to the program.

“It was amazing. I wasn’t really expecting so much when I walked in,” Sinnott said.

“At first they showed us what we were doing, then we broke off into small groups, and we got to do it all by ourselves,” she said.

The experience has inspired her to consider the possibility of becoming an orthopedics surgeon, she said.

Published December 13, 2017

Health News 12/13/2017

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From left: Kurt S. Browning, Pasco County superintendent of schools; Bruce Inverso, senior vice president Health Strategies, American Heart Association; Dr. Rao Musunuru, award recipient; Kathy Fenelon, regional vice president Quality & Systems Improvement, American Heart Association; and, Cynthia Armstrong, chairman Pasco County School Board. (Courtesy of Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point)

Cardiologist recognized for promoting CPR education
The Pasco County School Board recognized Dr. Rao Musunuru, a practicing cardiologist and chairman of the board at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point, and longtime American Heart Association volunteer, for his role in furthering CPR education in local high schools.

Musunuru made a donation to the American Heart Association to ensure every high school in Pasco County has the appropriate CPR training materials to continue CPR education through at least the year 2020.

The donation provided mannequins, replacement parts, AED simulators, teacher guides and other tools needed for proper hands-only CPR implementation.

 

Bayfront and Gulfside honor veterans
Thirty-two veterans received an American flag pin and a thank-you at the Veterans Day Celebration Breakfast and Pinning Ceremony hosted by Bayfront Health Dade City and Gulfside Hospice.

Each veteran in attendance was called by name and recognized for years of service in the various United States military branches.

The guest speakers included Dade City Mayor Camille Hernandez and Pasco County Commissioner Ron Oakley.

A fallen soldier table served as a reminder of those veterans who gave their lives to serve our country. Veterans observed a moment of silence before the pinning to pay respect to those represented by the table.

Military veterans and guests were encouraged to reach out to servicemen and servicewomen suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), or with other needs, by calling the Veterans Crisis Line at (800) 273-8255.

This is the fourth year the two organizations have partnered for the event.

Hospital receives ‘A’ for patient safety
The Medical Center of Trinity, 9330 State Road 54, was one of 832 hospitals nationwide awarded an “A” for its commitment to keeping patients safe and meeting the highest safety standards in the United States from The Leapfrog Group.

Developed under the guidance of a Blue Ribbon National Expert Panel, the Leapfrog Hospital Safety Grade uses 27 measures of publicly available hospital safety data to assign A, B, C, D and F grades to more than 2,600 U.S. hospitals twice a year.

To see Medical Center of Trinity’s full grade, and to access patient tips for staying safe in the hospital, visit HospitalSafetyGrade.org.

Holidays can be sorrowful for some

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Seasonal carols, tinsel-draped trees and jolly Old St. Nick convey a time of merriment and joy, but the holidays can be difficult for those grieving a significant loss.

To help people to cope with their sadness, Gulfside Hospice is offering free holiday grief support workshops on Dec. 7 in Zephyrhills and Dec. 12 in New Port Richey.

Kelly Cavagnetto, a bereavement counselor, will be conducting the sessions, which will last about 90 minutes and will be the same in both places. They aim to provide some strategies to help people trying to navigate what can become an especially challenging emotional time.

“The first holidays after somebody passes, there can be a lot of anxiety about the upcoming holiday,” Cavagnetto said. “There’s a lot of feeling unsure: ‘I don’t want to decorate, but do I have to decorate? Should I decorate?’”

Those who are grieving often worry whether familiar traditions or foods will trigger a greater sense of sadness for them, the counselor said. Someone might say: “I don’t know if I can cook the same meal they enjoyed eating.”

The grief session aims to give those grieving some tools, she said.

“Our main goal is to sort of brace them for that, and help give them some of the coping skills to kind of get through the day,” she said.

It’s a good idea to begin preparing, Cavagnetto said, because “Christmas, Hanukkah — those winter holidays are coming whether we want them to, or not. We can’t really avoid them.”

In her session, she talks about the importance of “self-care.”

Find ways to help reduce stress, she suggested, which can include listening to music, meditating, drawing or other techniques.

It’s a good idea to have a family meeting to talk about expectations and needs, she said.

The meeting can start something like this, she said: “We’ve had some big changes this year. This is how I’m feeling about it. What do you guys expect from me? What do you expect from the season? How can we pull this off? Can we pull this off?

“We really encourage our families to talk it out amongst themselves, because everyone has different expectations and different needs,” the counselor said.

“Maybe if there’s a young child in the home, they expect a tree to go up. But, maybe that’s not something we’re going to do. So, if they can come up to some type of a compromise where they have a small tree in their room, where somehow everyone’s needs are fulfilled, she said.

Consider creating new traditions, Cavagnetto said.

“Sometime we can’t do the same old thing, there’s too much emotion attached to it. So, if your family always cooked at home, and your spouse was a big part of cooking that meal, or your parent was a big part of cooking that meal, it’s OK to think about going out this year,” she said.

Another strategy involves finding a way to memorialize your loved one.

“Maybe there was a special decoration that mom always had to have out on the tree, or displayed somewhere special,” she said.

Or, maybe you want to make a new ornament, or set a place at the table for your loved one, or find another way to honor the loved one’s memory, she said.

Some people light a candle in the loved one’s favorite scent.

“You can even do that year-round, when you’re having a rough day, thinking of them,” she said.

It’s also important to realize that emotional triggers often occur unexpectedly, the counselor added.

For instance, lately she’s been hearing a lot about people being upset about memories popping up on Facebook.

“Those pictures are coming back up for people, and they might not expect them to be there,” she said.

People who are grieving often don’t know if they can handle attending a holiday gathering, Cavagnetto said.

“I tell my clients: ‘Always have an escape plan.’

“If you typically carpooled to a holiday party, maybe this year you want to drive by yourself.

“You always want to able to exit, when you’re ready to exit,” she said.

She also tells them to be aware of their emotional levels.

“It’s OK if you’re only there for 15 minutes, and you get your hellos and your happy holidays in, and make a break for it,” she said.

It’s also important for those who are grieving to identify where they can turn for support, whether it’s a counselor, or family member or friend.

For those wanting to show support to someone who is suffering a loss, it’s a good idea to check with them to be sure they’re OK.

“See if they have any holiday plans. If they say they don’t want to do anything this year, just let them know what you’re doing, and let them know that they’re invited. They might change their mind, day of. Or, they might get to that point where they’re really lonely, and they might need somebody to reach out, so it’s important to know who’s there,” Cavagnetto said.

“People can feel really alone. If it has been a few months, they feel that other people have settled back into their routine and don’t even talk about their loved one anymore, their spouse or their parent, or their child, whoever it was,” she said.

Sometimes, they’ll want to talk about their loved one, other times they won’t, she said. The important thing is to be willing to listen, to talk and to share memories, if they’d like to.

When it comes to grieving a loved one, Cavagnetto said, “there is no cookie-cutter answer.”

Holiday Grief Support Workshops
Where: Gulfside Center for Hospice Care, 5760 Dean Dairy Road, Zephyrhills
When: Dec. 7 at 4 p.m.
Or: Gulfside Bereavement and Community Outreach Center, 6230 Lafayette St., Dec. 12 at 4 p.m.
Both of these sessions will be free, and those attending will talk about techniques to help them cope with their grief during the holidays. Both sessions are expected to last about 90 minutes and will cover the same content.

Information: Call Kelly Cavagnetto at (727) 845-5707.

Published December 6, 2017

Bringing smiles to others

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(Courtesy of Oak Hill Hospital)

Oak Hill Hospital’s Pediatric Emergency Room received a visit from Notre Dame Catholic School students, who presented the hospital with five boxes of books to be distributed to the sick children. Teacher Elise Buckner and the children planned the project to bring smiles to others and encourage a love of reading. Notre Dame students stand in front of the donated books with Director of Emergency Services Kim Loucks.

Joint celebration

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(Courtesy of Crisis Center of Tampa Bay)

The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay and Hillsborough County hosted a joint celebration with a ribbon cutting for the Crisis Center’s renovated facility, and to recognize the 25th anniversary of the county’s health care plan. A 10-foot tall heart, a work of art donated by Dominque Martinez and Rustic Steel Creations, also was unveiled. From left: Mary Ellen Gillette, anniversary committee chair; Hillsborough County Commissioner Sandy Murman; Dr. John Curran, Hillsborough County Health Advisory Board; Clara Reynolds, president and CEO, Crisis Center; Dominique Martinez; Gene Earley, director Health Care Services Department; and, Jamie Klingman, Crisis Center board chair.

Caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients don’t have to go it alone

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When someone learns that a loved one is afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease, it can seem overwhelming.

Phyllis Bross, a retired attorney from Land O’ Lakes, understands the feeling. Her mother and aunt were both Alzheimer’s patients, and she now runs the Alzheimer’s Association/Caregiver Support Group that meets monthly at the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library, 2818 Collier Parkway.

Based on her own experiences, Bross said, generally, when a caregiver learns about the diagnosis, he or she feels lost.

Phyllis Bross, a retired attorney, runs a monthly Alzheimer’s Association support group at the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library. It’s a monumental challenge for caregivers, she said. In short, she recommends: ‘Try to get as much information as you can. Try to get as much support as you can. Try to get things rolling.’ (B.C. Manion)

“You’re worried about your future finances, and providing medication, and other kinds of support and help for your loved one.

“You know you don’t have a medical background, so you’re wondering: Should someone else be taking care of him or her? Or, should I do it because of the familiarity and the love for the person?” Bross said.

Because they don’t know what to do, most people begin sorting things out by turning to a support group for help.

“I think that’s a great place to start,” said Bross, who, in addition to her legal experience, has an undergraduate degree in social work. There are all kinds of support groups available, offered by the Alzheimer’s Association and other groups, she added.

There are definite steps that caregivers can take to help themselves, Bross added.

While the loved one is competent, it’s important to ask: “Do you believe you can trust me … to take care of you, to take care of your money/the family money, to take care of your health, to make end-of-life decisions for you?” Bross said.

If the answer is yes, the next question would be: “Can we go to an attorney, an elder law attorney and discuss you’re possibly providing me with a durable power of attorney?” Bross said.

Taking that action will simplify later decisions that will need to be made, she said.

She also suggests organizing a family meeting, so you can find out their level of support and if they can help you make decisions.

It’s also important to start asking questions early, Bross said.

For instance, when visiting an elder law attorney, ask about the possibility of your loved one qualifying for Medicaid, in case the family ends up not being able to afford all of this care that’s going to be needed.

It’s also important to become aware of long-term care facilities that may become necessary at some point.

“Look at facilities. Even if you’ve promised your loved one you won’t put them in a facility, you don’t really know how sick they’re going to get,” Bross said.

Sometimes, no matter how much a caregiver wants to keep his or her loved one at home, it becomes impossible.

In short, Bross recommends: “Try to get as much information as you can. Try to get as much support as you can. Try to get things rolling.”

Beyond needing help with feeding, bathing and other physical needs, Alzheimer’s patients sometimes become difficult to handle.

“Their temperament changes very often. They might become abusive,” Bross said.

She advises to prepare for “the worst-case scenario.”

Bross also recommends a book called, “The 36-Hour Day: A Family Guide to Caring for People Who Have Alzheimer Disease, Related Dementias, and Memory Loss,” by Nancy L. Mace and Peter V. Rabins.

“People in my Alzheimer’s care group call it their Bible,” she said.

It is important to provide support to caregivers, Bross said. In addition to the physical, medical and financial challenges they encounter, there’s an emotional toll, as well, Bross said. “It’s a terrible disease.”

It’s important to provide support to help caregivers through “their sadness and depression,” Bross said.

“It’s such a hard job,” she said.

Alzheimer’s disease
Memory loss and confusion are the main symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease, but those also can be symptoms of other health conditions. A medical diagnosis is necessary to pursue appropriate treatment and to rule out other possible, sometimes reversible, conditions.

People with Alzheimer’s may experience these types of symptoms:

Cognitive: mental decline, difficulty thinking and understanding, confusion in the evening hours, delusion, disorientation, forgetfulness, making things up, mental confusion, difficulty concentrating, inability to create new memories, inability to do simple math, or inability to recognize common things

Behavioral: aggression, agitation, difficulty with self-care, irritability, meaningless repetition of own words, personality changes, restlessness, lack of restraint, or wandering and getting lost

Mood: anger, apathy, general discontent, loneliness, or mood swings

Psychological: depression, hallucination, or paranoia

Other common symptoms: inability to combine muscle movements, jumbled speech, or loss of appetite

Source: Google fact sheet

Practical tips for caregivers:

  • Join a support group.
  • Attend summits and seminars to learn about financial resources and research studies.
  • Create a binder to keep track of medical information, financial information, legal information and questions.
  • Be aware there are all sorts of potential sources for funding and research, including federal, state, county, local, universities and nonprofits.
  • Ask family members how they would like to help and divvy up the tasks, accordingly. Someone may be willing to handle providing transportation, while another provides financial support. Someone else may be able to do practical chores, such as cooking, cleaning, yard work and so on.
  • Observe the patient’s status and record it in a journal — to help keep track of the patient’s changing condition.

Practical ways to help caregivers:
If you’d like to help a caregiver of someone afflicted by Alzheimer’s disease, here are some ways you can help:

  • Offer to give them a break by volunteering to watch over the patient, while the caregiver does shopping, goes to a hair appointment or does errands. (This may not be possible based on the patient’s condition or willingness to accept your care. If that won’t work, another option would be to provide a gift of paid-for respite care.)
  • Bring over dinner or provide gift certificates for meals.
  • Watch a movie at the caregiver’s house.
  • Take some nice photographs of the caregiver and their loved one, so the caregiver will have them later.
  • Provide emotional support, through a poem or a loving letter.
  • Step in to help in practical ways, such as yard work, house work or other chores.

Source: Phyllis Bross, facilitator of the monthly Alzheimer’s support group that meets at Land O’ Lakes Branch Library

 

Other sources of help include:

  • The Alzheimer’s Association: 24-hour hotline: (800) 272-3900; or visit ALZ.org
  • The Florida Department of Elder Affairs: (800) 963-5337; or visit ElderAffairs.state.fl.us

Published November 29, 2017

Seeking volunteers to help hospice patients’ pets

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Gulfside Hospice & Pasco Palliative Care provides compassionate care for patients on the end-of-life journey. Increasingly, that care means giving people peace of mind when it comes to decisions about their pets.

Since 2014, the nonprofit’s Pet Peace of Mind program has taken stress away from patients worried about who will care for their furry companions.

Gulfside Hospice & Pasco Palliative Care helped hospice patient Alberta Beyer, and her furry companion, Rocky, through its Pet Peace of Mind program. (Courtesy of Gulfside Hospice & Pasco Palliative Care)

In many cases, volunteers have helped patients stay in their homes, with their cat or dog.

“Especially as people get older, we find people have a closer relationship with their pets,” said Kirsty Churchill, Gulfside Hospice’s community relations manager. “Their pet is their child. When you’re faced with going into a nursing home or hospice care center, it’s tough. A lot of times they wouldn’t want to leave them.”

Gulfside Hospice currently is seeking volunteers to help with Pet Peace of Mind.

The program can provide free veterinary care, pet food, flea and tick treatment, boarding and pet sitting services.

The program also helps to find a new home or foster family for pets, if family members are unable to adopt them.

Volunteers mostly help with picking up pets and taking them to veterinary appointments or to a groomer. They also stop by to take a dog for a walk and generally do the services a pet sitter would provide.

“It means the world to them,” said Rabbi Aaron Lever, a chaplain at Gulfside Hospice and the patient care volunteer manager. “They are too sick to take the dog to the veterinarian or groomer. They can’t drive. We’re trying to give peace of mind to patients, so they can continue to stay with their pets.”

Volunteers also donate and sell handcrafted gift items at community events, and arts and crafts fairs.

Gulfside Hospice was founded in 1988 by a registered nurse, an oncologist and a physician assistant who wanted to serve patients with chronic or life-limiting illnesses.

Pet Peace of Mind at Gulfside Hospice began in May 2014, with seed money from the Banfield Charitable Trust. Since then, donations, fund raisers and volunteers have sustained the program.

Former employee Shelley Schneider got the program started.

“She had a strong love of animals,” Lever said. “She thought this would be a wonderful program to help our patients in this way.”

There are Pet Peace of Mind programs nationwide. The national program is based in Oregon.

At Gulfside, Lever said Pet Peace of Mind has helped about 115 patients and 150 pets.

Most were cats and dogs, but Lever said, “We did have a 55-year-old parrot once.”

While many volunteers take on pet-sitting chores, Lever said they also help with donations and fundraising events.

They sometimes knit pet sweaters or sell beanie babies at arts and crafts events in the area.

Volunteers also provide quilts, handmade jewelry, paintings or other hand-crafted gift items.

“All the money from sales goes to Pet Peace of Mind,” Lever said.  “There is always need for funds.”

For information about volunteering or to make a donation, call Gulfside Hospice at (800) 561-4883, visit GHPPC.org.

The website for Pet Peace of Mind is PetPeaceOfMind.org.

Published November 29, 2017

Health News 11/29/2017

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Florida Cancer fundraiser a success
Dr. Christopher George and Dr. Julio Lautersctain, of The Florida Cancer Specialists Foundation, co-hosted “50 Shades of Pink” at the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay.

This year’s theme was “The Great Gatsby” and featured flappers, a covert speakeasy, casino games, and live jazz and swing music.

The fundraiser grossed $200,000, with all proceeds going to patient grants. The FCS Foundation provides financial assistance for non-medical living expenses to qualified cancer patients who are currently undergoing treatment in Florida.

For information, contact Terri Gagliardi at or (941) 677-7192.

Hospital receives baby award
The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County presented Florida Hospital Zephyrhills with the Baby Steps to Baby Friendly award for enhancing its maternity care practices in support of breast-feeding.

The Baby Steps to Baby Friendly project is a Healthiest Weight Florida Initiative that encourages and recognizes hospitals that offer optimal promotion and support for breast-feeding, including supportive hospital policies and practices, staff education and post-discharge community referrals.

The hospital follows guidelines set in place by the Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative, a global program launched by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund, and the Florida Breastfeeding Coalition’s Quest for Quality Maternity Care Award.

Arrhythmia Center opens
The Heart Institute at Oak Hill Hospital announced the opening of its Arrhythmia Center on its campus at 11375 Cortez Blvd., in Brooksville.

The center will offer patients who are struggling with cardiac arrhythmias an opportunity to receive specialized care, from diagnosis to treatment to education, to help them overcome irregular heartbeats.

Symptoms of arrhythmias can include fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, fainting, dizziness, heart palpitations, weakness, and sensation of a missed or extra heartbeat.

Volunteer awards
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point announced the recipients of its third quarter volunteer Star Awards.

Eugene Hausladen, Five Star Award, has accumulated more than 5,000 actual hours and 6,000 merit hours since becoming a volunteer in December 2014. Hausladen volunteers five days a week, for eight hours each day. He has worked in the ER as a concierge, in the lab making up kits or filing pathology slides, and as a courier.

Debbie Hennessy, Five Star, began volunteering in February 2015 at Welcome Center A. She has accumulated more than 2,000 actual life hours and more than 2,700 merit hours. Hennessy also has been the recording secretary of the Volunteer Association, chairperson of the by-laws committee and scheduling chairperson of the courtesy cart drivers.

Rose Santise, Five Star, has been volunteering at Welcome Center A since 2010. She has accumulated more than 2,300 life hours and 3,700 merit hours.

Amanda Stewart, One Star, is a courier with more than five years of service. She has accumulated 935 actual hours and 978 merit hours by running errands in the hospital, and discharging and admitting patients.

Lions Club sight program
The Zephyrhills Lions Club Sight Program will accept applications at 5827 Dean Dairy Road from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

The program is open to all Pasco County residents in need of basic eye care. Applicants must bring required documents found online at E-clubhouse.org/sites/zephyrhills/.

For information, call (813) 788-1444.