Health

Alzheimer’s fundraising stamp
The U.S. Postal Service will issue an Alzheimer’s Semipostal Fundraising stamp Nov. 30. The stamp will be sold for 60 cents. The price includes the first-class single-piece postage rate in effect at the time of purchase, plus an amount to fund Alzheimer’s research.

By law, revenue from the sales of the stamp (minus the postage paid and the reimbursement of reasonable costs incurred by the Postal Service) is to be distributed to the National Institutes of Health, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For information, visit tinyurl.com/y8nkuurt.

 

Access Health adds speech pathologist
Access Health Care Physicians welcomes Jeannine A. Lovell, a speech language pathologist to its staff at Access Physical Therapy, 5362B Spring Hill Drive in Spring Hill. Lovell also will be available, as needed, at 11463 Cortez Blvd., in Brooksville.

Lovell specializes in strokes, aphasia, apraxia, voice disorders, swallowing, accent reduction, traumatic brain injury, and sign language.

Patients of all ages from pediatrics through geriatrics can make appointments.

For information, call (352) 200-2192.

 

Aaron Preston named director of medical/surgical
Aaron Preston has been named director of medical/surgical at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point, 14000 Fivay Road in Hudson.

Preston was promoted from his position in Infection Control Management. He joined the hospital in 2010. He served as a nursing supervisor from 2014 to 2015.

Before beginning his nursing career, he served in the United States Marine Corps, where he helped oversee communications during two combat tours.

He has a Bachelor of Science in nursing degree from St. Petersburg College and an Associate in Science in nursing degree from Pasco-Hernando State College.

Dr. Majusri Vennamaneni receives national recognition

The Access Health Care Physicians LLL, office of Dr. Manjusri Vennamaneni recently was recognized for excellence in diabetes care by the National Committee for Quality Assurance. The certificate of recognition is valid until Feb. 15, 2020.

Vennamaneni is chief medical director for Access Health Care and practices at Access Health Care’s main office at 5350 Spring Hill Drive in Spring Hill.

Physicians recognized for quality care
Several Access Health Care physicians recently were honored for achieving high scores in quality care. These physicians were honored for receiving Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information Set (HEDIS) awards. Providers receiving recognition were: Hend Abdelmalek,     Michelle Arrieta, Shammi Bali, Dalton Benson, Luis Contreras, Christopher Coppola,         Dhammika Ekanayake, Robert Hartzell, Jr., David Herndon, Akila Iyer, Raghu Juvvadi, Brian Kroll,  Jennifer Laman, Oscar Lindo, Jose Lopez, Harish Madnani, Gaurav Malhotra, David Miller, Anthony Ngo, Anita Patel, Vakesh Rajani, Jagdeep Sandhu, Apurva Shah, Pariksith Singh, Veselin Stoyanov and Grigor Varlakov.

In addition, Dr. Manjusri Vennamaneni received a special award for her dedication to work with Freedom and Optimum, and the Access providers to improve quality score. The award was presented for “Leading your organization in the achievement of outstanding HEDIS® scores in recognition of your leadership, devotion, and commitment to our quality program.”

Corey D. Campbell named director of Medical Telemetry
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point, 14000 Fivay Road in Hudson, has appointed Corey D. Campbell to be the hospital’s director of medical telemetry.

Campbell joined the hospital in 2012 as a nurse intern. Most recently, he was the RN staff educator and co-manager of Medical Telemetry.

He has a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing from the University of Tampa, where he is a member of the Phi Tau Kappa Honor Society. He received his Associate of Arts degree from Pasco-Hernando State College, graduating with honors and also as a member of Phi Tau Kappa Honor Society.

Before attending nursing school, he served in the United States Army from 2001 to 2010.

New Care Management Center opens
Access Health Care Physicians had an informal ribbon-cutting on the day of the opening of its new Care Management Center, 10470 Spring Hill Drive in Spring Hill. The building will provide outreach, education and resources to AHCP patients who are in need of complex case management, disease management and utilization management services.

Help end breast cancer
During the month of October, the Florida Breast Cancer Foundation will be the featured charitable organization at the Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office.

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.

Customers can purchase a breast cancer tag for newly registered vehicles, or choose to trade in their regular license plate for a specialty tag with a renewal.

Cash donations also will be accepted for the foundation.

For information, call Greg Giordano at (727) 847-8179, or visit PascoTaxes.com.

Apply for basic eye care
The Zephyrhills Lions Club, 5827 Dean Dairy Road, accepts applications from Pasco County residents for basic eye care through its Sight Program, on the first Thursday of every month between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

To qualify, visit the list of required documents at e-clubhouse.org/sites/Zephyrhills, or by calling the clubhouse at (813) 788-1441 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Those interested must have the required documentation when applying to be considered for approval.

Al-Anon support group
The Al-Anon Family Groups are relatives and friends of alcoholics who share experiences, strength and hope in order to solve common problems.

There are local day and evening groups that meet weekly.

For meeting locations and times, and more information, visit the Pasco-Hernando-Citrus website at nfldistrict5.com.

For information, call (352) 697-0497.

Diabetic screenings
The Wesley Chapel Lions Club offers free monthly diabetic screenings at the Lexington Oaks Activity Center, 26304 Lexington Oaks Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p. m., prior to the club’s monthly meeting.

The club meets every fourth Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m.

Screenings are open to anyone in the community.

For information, visit Wesley Chapel Lions Club on Facebook.

Thrift shop volunteer wins national award

Courtney Urban, a volunteer at the Gulfside Hospice Thrift Shoppes since 2013, received an award at the National Hospice & Palliative Care Organization’s annual conference in San Diego, California. Urban was honored with the National Hospice Foundation’s 2017 Volunteers are the Foundation of Hospice Award in the category of Young Leader. From left: Tammy Johnson, director of thrift shops; Allison Maughn, CFO; Courtney Urban; and, Jennifer Mavor, Lutz Thrift Shoppe and volunteer manager.

 

Hospital receives two awards

St. Joseph’s Hospital-North received two awards for quality acute care from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

The hospital received the Mission: Lifeline STEMI Receiving Center Silver Achievement Award and the Get With the Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Quality Achievement Award.

Both honor the hospital’s efforts in implementing specific quality improvement measures for the treatment of severe heart attacks (ST elevation myocardial infarction, or STEMI) and stroke.

Award-winning volunteers

Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point announced the recipients of its second quarter volunteer Star Awards.

Sandra Heck, Five Star Award, began volunteering in October 2014, and has accumulated more than 2,100 life hours and more than 2,500 merit hours. Heck greets at Welcome A and assists in the Wound Care Center.

Barbara Mead, Five Star Award, has greeted visitors at Welcome A every Sunday morning for almost nine years. Mead also is a team leader for the couriers on Sunday morning. She has close to 4,800 life hours and 5,000 merit hours.

Roseann Santore, Five Star Award, has been volunteering since December 2014 at Welcome A. Santore and has more than 5,700 merit hours.

Luvon Crafton, One Star Award, started volunteering in May 2015 at Welcome D, also volunteers at Welcome A, and is a team leader for the couriers on Saturday night. Crafton has accumulated more than 2,500 merit hours.

Charlotte Craven, One Star Ward, is a courier who started in November 2014 and has accumulated more than 1,500 merit hours.

Jenna McClooney has been volunteering since 2012 and has more than 1,000 volunteer merit hours.

Apply for basic eye care

The Zephyrhills Lions Club, 5827 Dean Dairy Road, accepts applications from Pasco County residents for basic eye care through its Sight Program, on the first Thursday of every month between 9 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

To qualify, visit the list of required documents at e-clubhouse.org/sites/Zephyrhills, or by calling the clubhouse at (813) 788-1441 Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Those interested must have the required documentation when applying to be considered for approval.

Al-Anon support group

The Al-Anon Family Groups are relatives and friends of alcoholics who share experiences, strength and hope in order to solve common problems.

There are local day and evening groups that meet weekly.

For meeting locations and times, and more information, visit the Pasco-Hernando-Citrus website at nfldistrict5.com.

For information, call (352) 697-0497.

Diabetic screenings

The Wesley Chapel Lions Club offers free monthly diabetic screenings at the Lexington Oaks Activity Center, 26304 Lexington Oaks Blvd., in Wesley Chapel, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p. m., prior to the club’s monthly meeting.

The club meets every fourth Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m.

Screenings are open to anyone in the community.

For information, visit Wesley Chapel Lions Club on Facebook.

New pregnancy center hours

Oasis Pregnancy Care Centers, 3632 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Suite 108, in Land O’ Lakes, has a new schedule of hours.

The center will be open Mondays from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m., Tuesdays and Wednesdays from noon to 4 p.m., and Thursdays from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Clients are seen by appointment, but walk-ins also are welcome.

NAMI support meetings

The Pasco County Chapter of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) offers two types of support group meetings every month.

The NAMI Connection Recovery Support Group is a structured closed group, open only to those with a mental illness diagnosis. The group is for individuals age 18 and older, who are interested in the recovery process, sharing coping skills and being with others who understand the daily challenges of living with a mental illness. Trained peers will facilitate the group.

The recovery group meets every second and fourth Friday of each month from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., at Atonement Lutheran Church, 29617 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel. Other locations are also available.

The NAMI Family Support Group is for family members and caregivers of an adult with a mental illness diagnosis.

The support meetings cover all brain disorders including, but not limited to, OCD, depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, multiple personalities and more.

The family group meets the first and third Tuesday of each month from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., at Atonement Lutheran Church, 29617 State Road 54 in Wesley Chapel. There also is a group available in New Port Richey.

For information, call (727) 992-9653, or visit NamiPasco.org.

Dr. Aaron Lozano has joined BayCare Medical Group, specializing in family medicine. Lozano will accept new patients at Oak View Family Care, 2044 Trinity Oaks Blvd., in Trinity. Lozano received an undergraduate degree from the University of South Florida, earned a Doctor of Medicine from USF Morsani College of Medicine, and completed his family medicine residency at Morton Plant Hospital in Clearwater. He is a former recipient of the University of South Florida’s Charles E. Aucremann Excellence in Family Medicine award. For information, call (727) 372-2501.

St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in Lutz has achieved the Pathway to Excellence designation, a national nursing recognition from the American Nurses Credentialing Center that identifies health care organizations for positive practice environments where nurses excel.

To qualify, organizations need to meet six practice standards essential to an ideal nursing environment: shared decision-making, leadership, safety, quality, well-being, and professional development.

Applicants must undergo a thorough review process that documents the integration of those standards in the organization’s practices, policies and culture.

Stitching for infants
The Knit & Crochet Group of Atria Evergreen Woods donated 50 knitted/crocheted hats to The Maternity Suites at Oak Hill Hospital, in Brooksville. The group meets on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. From left: Joan Quast, Jan Curren, Gloria Thonton, Jeannine LaRoche, Feeby Carreiro, Pat Stolberg, Ellen Corbett and Marg Kusnierczak.

 

 

 

New ambulance added
Pasco County Fire Rescue has added ambulance service to Pasco County Fire Rescue Station 37, 18015 State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes. The station is near the entrance of the Ballantrae neighborhood.

Rescue 37 went into service Sept. 1 and will provide coverage for the western area of Land O’ Lakes, Lutz and surrounding areas.

Six paramedics and EMTs also are being added to cover 24-hour shifts to staff the new truck.

For information, visit PascoCountyFL.net/firerescue.