The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Health

Health News 02/08/2017

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Dr. Eric James

Eric James joins BayCare Medical Group
Dr. Eric James, orthopedic surgeon, has joined BayCare Medical Group and will accept appointments at three locations: 4211 Van Dyke Road in Lutz; 2727 W. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., in Tampa; and, 10141 Big Bend Road in Riverview.

James specializes in orthopedic surgery, including foot and ankle reconstruction. His focus is on the nonsurgical and surgical management of foot and ankle conditions, including ankle arthroscopy, fusions and post-traumatic reconstruction.

James received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Pittsburgh, and completed his orthopedic surgery residency at Orlando Health. His foot and ankle surgery fellowship was at the Foundation for Orthopedic Athletic and Reconstruction Research in Houston, Texas.

For information, visit BayCareMedicalGroup.org.

NAMI members visit health fair
NAMI Pasco (National Alliance on Mental Illness) was represented by members Lt. Toni Roach, Pasco County Sheriff’s Office; Gloria Strother, vice president; and, Beth Piecora, Central Florida Behavorial Health, at the third annual Premiere Community Healthcare Women’s Health Fair in Hudson on Jan. 14.

NAMI Pasco is all-volunteer and offers support, education and advocacy for those living with mental illness and their families.

For information, call the NAMI info line at (727) 992-9653, or visit NAMIpasco.org.

Adult day center needs bridge volunteers
Jaime’s Adult Day Centers, 18950 N. Dale Mabry Highway in Lutz, is looking for volunteers to play with or teach the game of bridge to its senior members, preferably on Wednesdays and Fridays.

The center offers a variety of innovative activities for senior citizens throughout the day.

If interested, contact Jaime Goddard at (813) 263-6735 or .

Health department relocates
The Florida Department of Health in Zephyrhills and Land O’ Lakes will relocate to Wesley Chapel, at 33845 State Road 54.

Starting Feb. 15, these services will be available at the new location: family planning, immunizations, child health, adult health, immigration physicals, WIC nutrition services, Healthy Start services and more.

To contact clinical offices, call (813) 780-0740.

To contact the WIC offices, call (727) 619-0129.

Neuropathy education
CARE Tampa Bay offers free peripheral neuropathy education and support on the second Saturday of every month, by appointment.

Topics include symptom management, coping, maximizing physical function, and medications and nutritional supplements.

To make an appointment, contact Cindy Tofthagen at (813) 396-9441 or .

 

 

Health News 02/01/2017

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Wear Red Day
The staff and volunteers of The Heart Institute at Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point, 14000 Fivay Road in Hudson, will celebrate Heart Month by wearing red attire Feb. 3 for Wear Red Day. In addition, hospital employees can donate $5 to wear jeans on that day to raise funds for the American Heart Association.

Wear Red Day is a call to attention to the fact that women are at high risk for heart attack and stroke.

Any visitors to the hospital that day are also asked to wear red attire.

Throughout February, the hospital will offer free blood pressure screenings every Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., and every Thursday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., in the lobby of Entrance A.

For information, call (727) 869-5498.

(Courtesy of Medical Center of Trinity)

Medical Center of Trinity lights up for heart month
The Medical Center of Trinity, 9330 State Road 54, will celebrate February as National Heart Month by lighting the outside of its hospital, the Citrus Park ER, and its ER 24/7 in Palm Harbor red to promote heart disease awareness. The public is invited to stop by and check out the lighting from dusk to dawn through February.

Be healthier: Start with small steps, be consistent

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So, maybe you decided to start the New Year like you always do — with a resolution to be healthier.

If you did, you’d be like many of us who always have good intentions.

Sadly, many of us don’t follow through.

Just about everyone enjoys a sweet now and then. Fresh fruit offers a healthy option.
(Courtesy of Betsy Crisp)

Still, there’s no time like the present to begin making positive changes in your life, and most of us could stand to improve when it comes to our diet and exercise regimen.

So, this column is meant to encourage those of you who want to begin the journey of making the lifestyle changes you need to make to become a healthier you in 2017.

As we know, every year is filled with special occasions, milestone celebrations and other gatherings that make it tough to be disciplined about our diet.

So, here are some tips that are intended to help navigate the minefield of unhealthy temptations:

  • Never go to a party when you are starving. Plan ahead, and eat a healthy snack and drink some water to help you fill up. This will help you avoid eating everything in sight when you arrive. If you asked to bring a dish, bring a healthier option that can enjoy and others can, too. Fruit salads, such as ambrosia, can provide sweetness, but not as many calories and no fat.
  • Focus on family and friends. Enjoy the company and the conversation instead of focusing on the food
  • Go slow! Rather than piling up a plate with food, try to just pace yourself and eat a little throughout the evening. Take time to chew your food well, and enjoy every bite.
  • Practice portion control. Be aware of what you are eating. Appetizers are small, so it is easy to eat more than you realize. Use a small plate, and don’t overload it. Be equally aware at the buffet line. Look for healthy choices, as you make your way down the line.
  • Don’t forget: desserts can be dangerous. They contain many calories from fat and sugar, so be careful here. Just pick one favorite and practice portion control. Dark chocolate is a healthier selection.
  • After eating, circulate around the party. Don’t just plop down on the couch — move around, instead, and burn off some calories.
  • Avoid drinking too much alcohol. The drinks add calories, but they also make it easier to be less disciplined about eating. To cut calories even more, just drink carbonated water or club soda, with a slice of lemon or lime.
Substituting ingredients when making brownies can reduce calories and still provide a tasty treat.

Here are some cooking tips that can help you be healthier, too.

  • When making fruit pies, cut the sugar in half, or more. The fruit contains natural sugar, so you won’t miss the added sugar. For every half-cup of sugar you don’t use, you cut your calories by 372.
  • Use 2 percent milk instead of heavy cream in puddings, cream pie fillings and soups. This will cut 350 calories for every 4-ounce serving. It will still taste creamy, but have a lot less fat.
  • Make cookies and crusts with half whole-wheat flour and half all-purpose flour, instead of all white all-purpose flour. That increases the fiber content. Whole wheat flour has 12 grams per cup.
  • Make a cheesecake using part-skim ricotta cheese, instead of cream cheese. That will increase protein by 60 grams per cup, and lower fat and calories. You can use strained Greek yogurt (as yogurt cheese) for a no-bake recipe, with similar rewards.
  • Bake brownies and quick breads using a pureed fruit such as apricot, pumpkin or prune, or applesauce, instead of oil, butter or margarine. For every half-cup, you will save more than 900 calories and 100 grams of fat, and your baked good will stay moist.
  • Substitute three tablespoons of cocoa powder for one ounce of baking chocolate in cakes and fudge. That will cut 85 calories and 13 grams of fat.

There are many more substitutions for general pantry ingredients, but these six will get you started.

Of course, everybody enjoys sweet treats from time to time. The key is moderation.

Here’s wishing you a healthier 2017!

Betsy Crisp is an Extension Family & Consumer Sciences agent and a licensed dietitian for the University of Florida/IFAS. She is based in Pasco County and can be reached at .

Published January 25, 2017

Health News 01/25/2017

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Volunteers donate to holiday basket program
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point volunteers donated $2,000 to the hospital’s holiday basket program for community members.

Each year, the staff, physicians and volunteers collaborate to provide the gift baskets, food and extras for challenged children and their families.

The referrals come from schools and social agencies. The hospital also helps some of its own, who are having difficulty.

Hospice needs volunteers
Gulfside Hospice is looking for volunteers and is scheduling orientation sessions.

Volunteer opportunities include sitting with patients, providing spiritual care and counseling, assisting with the Pet Peace of Mind program, and helping in administrative offices.

The thrift shops also need help with accepting and sorting donations, organizing shelves and window displays, greeting customers and running cash registers.

The Centers for Hospice Care need volunteers for serving meals, answering phones and greeting guests.

Volunteers must be at least 15 years old.

For information, call (800) 561-4883.

Brett Armstrong joins BayCare
Dr. Brett Armstrong has joined BayCare Medical Group and is now accepting patients at St. Joseph’s Hospital-North, 4211 Van Dyke Road, Suite 200, in Lutz.

(Courtesy of BayCare Medical Group)

Armstrong specializes in general surgery, with clinical interests in abdominal hernias and colorectal surgery.

Armstrong received his Doctor of Medicine from Florida State University School of Medicine in Tallahassee, and completed his general surgery residency at Memorial Health University Medical Center in Savannah, Georgia. He also is a member of the American College of Physicians and the Florida Medical Association.

He is fluent is English and Spanish.

For information, visit BayCareMedicalGroup.org.

For appointments, call (813) 264-6490.

Health services relocating to Wesley Chapel

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Pasco County health clinics in Zephyrhills and Land O’ Lakes will close and their services moved to a professional office building in Wesley Chapel.

The Pasco County Tax Collector’s office is expected to take over the former building used by the Land O’ Lakes clinic.

County officials then plan to use the tax collector’s old space for County Development Services, which includes its permitting office.

Staff of the Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office will move from the David ‘Hap’ Clark Jr. building into the vacated Land O’ Lakes health clinic, which closes in February. (File)

The new consolidated clinic in Wesley Chapel, at 33845 State Road 54, will open as of Feb. 15, according to a news release from the Florida Department of Health in Pasco County.

“The move will provide a broader range of services in the community,” according to the news release.

Services provided by the county health department clinics include family planning, testing for sexually transmitted diseases, immunizations, child and adult health services, and a nutrition program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC).

The Zephyrhills clinic currently operates in a trailer at 4717 Airport Road. The Land O’ Lakes clinic, at 4135 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., discontinued most of its health care services in late 2015.

The only program still operating at the site is WIC. County officials reassigned staff members to other clinics in New Port Richey, Dade City and Zephyrhills.

No jobs will be lost in the current consolidation, said Angela Babson, spokeswoman for the Pasco County health department.

The new clinic will be an upgrade to a better facility, she added.

It also is located on a bus line, and is near U.S. 301 and Interstate 75.

Health department data showed that about 1,600 people received clinical services from the Zephyrhills’ location in the past year. About 5,400 participated in WIC.

In Land O’ Lakes, about 5,600 people received WIC services.

Pasco County commissioners approved the purchase of the new clinic site – the Brookfield Professional Center – from Pilot Bank in October 2016, at a cost of about $422,000. They also agreed to spend about $235,000 to remodel the building, which has three lobbies, four bathrooms, three break rooms and multiple offices, according to county records.

According to information given to county commissioners, the majority of clients seen at the Zephyrhills and Land O’ Lakes clinics were from Lutz and the Wesley Chapel area.

The vacated Land O’ Lakes clinic won’t go unused.

Within the year, employees at the tax collector’s office anticipate moving one door over from their current office in the David “Hap” Clark Jr. building, at 4111 Land O’ Lakes Blvd.

Pasco County Tax Collector Mike Fasano said the clinic building will be gutted and remodeled for about $1.2 million. Funding will come from the tax collector’s budget, not the county, Fasano said.

Renovations are expected to take about seven months, with an opening in October or November.

“It is very much needed,” Fasano said. “Our Land O’ Lakes office continues to see more clients from one month to the other, as the area grows.”

New homes, new buildings and new businesses are all in the mix, he said.

The Land O’Lakes’ office is the second busiest in Pasco after the New Port Richey office at 4720 U.S. 19.

According to data from the tax collector’s office, hundreds of customers are served daily at the Land O’ Lakes office. At times, people wait in long lines, spilling onto the sidewalk outside.

Fasano cited data showing that on Jan. 3, the office had 763 customers. On other dates in early January, customers ranged from more than 560 to more than 600 on a single day.

Fasano said Pasco is the only county in the state to open its tax collector’s offices for business half a day on Saturdays. On Jan. 7, records showed that 275 people stopped by the Land O’ Lakes office.

“We definitely need a bigger office to accommodate our Land O’ Lakes service area,” Fasano said. “This will do that.”

Published January 18, 2017

 

Health News 01/18/2017

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(Courtesy of Peter Castellani)

Pregnancy center announces staff

Oasis Pregnancy Care Centers, 3632 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Suite 108, in Land O’ Lakes, has announced staffing appointments for 2017. With Peter Castellani, Oasis founder and executive director, are from left: Jacqueline Quinones, center director; Princess Roshell, Wesley Chapel center director; Anita Albert-Watson, client services director; Debbie Hamby, post-abortion recovery director in a volunteer position; and, Mardee Harvey, executive assistant and event coordinator.

New pregnancy center hours
Oasis Pregnancy Care Centers will now operate with new hours.

The Land O’ Lakes center at 3632 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Suite 108, will be open Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The Wesley Chapel center at 5854 Argerian Drive, Suite 102, will be open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

For information, visit OasisPregnancyCenter.org.

Sertoma Foundation gets fundraiser check
The Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida benefited from the second annual Tom McCormick Memorial Fund Beach Bash at Sun West Park in Hudson to the tune of nearly $16,000.

The proceeds from the event will benefit the Foundation’s Children’s Hearing Help Fund. The fund was created to help hard of hearing children with services and equipment.

Health News 01/11/2017

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(Courtesy of Oak Hill Hospital)

Twins born in two different years
The Maternity Suites at Oak Hill Hospital announced the delivery of twins born in both 2016 and 2017. On Dec. 31, 2016 at 11:43 p.m., baby girl Yulliana came into the world. She was followed by her twin brother, Zane, on Jan. 1 at one minute after midnight. Both children were delivered by Dr. Mohammed Tabbaa. Cheryl Collito was the attending midwife. Mother, Geraldine Alexander, holds both her infants soon after their delivery.

 

 

 

New pregnancy center hours
Oasis Pregnancy Care Centers will now operate with new hours.

The Land O’ Lakes center at 3632 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., Suite 108, will be open Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m.

The Wesley Chapel center at 5854 Argerian Drive, Suite 102, will be open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., and Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

For information, visit OasisPregnancyCenter.org.

Access Health Care recognizes employees
Access Health Care, with offices in Pasco, Hillsborough, Hernando, Citrus and Pinellas counties, recognized its employees at its ACES Event (Access celebrates excellent service) at a gala on Dec. 9.

The winners of the ACES awards were nominated by fellow team members. Each winner received a certificate, a trophy and eight hours of paid time off.

The honored employees were: Leslie Lawler, best attitude; Julie Erickson, best co-worker; Yarelys Rodriguez, best skills; Alyson Johnson, dirty job; Bethann Hunt, HIPAA hero; Catherine Kohl, integrity; Deborah Haney, most dependable; Doreen Ruggiero, most hospitable; Sandra McMurchie, most humble; Debra Ludlow, most tactful; Nathan Glass, most teachable; Rose Fiore, participation; Tony Miranda, ray of sunshine; Joeline Watson, team player; and, Diane Dearing, unsung hero.

State college clears the air – of smoke

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The campuses of Pasco-Hernando State College will become smoke-free and tobacco-free zones effective Aug. 14, 2017.

The college’s District Board of Trustees voted unanimously on Nov. 15 to expand an existing policy that prohibits smoking in college buildings and “workplace” areas, but allows smoking in designated areas.

That means smoking and other forms of tobacco will be banned entirely on the college’s campuses, said Courtney Boettcher, assistant director of marketing and communications at PHSC.

The no-smoking, no-tobacco rule will apply to cigarettes, cigars, pipes, E-cigarettes and any vaporizing devices, such as hookah pipes. Snuff and chewing tobacco also will be prohibited. The rule applies to students, faculty, visitors, vendors and others who come on campus.

Trustees approved the campus-wide ban “to promote the health and wellness of its students and employees, as well as a safe, comfortable environment for all who work, study, conduct business, or visit the college,” according to college documents.

The coverage area includes all properties leased and owned by the college. The college’s fleet of vehicles also will be smoke-free and tobacco-free, whether on or off campus.

The ban goes along with a national trend among colleges and universities to create smoke-free and tobacco-free campuses.

Hillsborough Community College also has such a policy, and the University of South Florida adopted a no smoking policy in January 2016.

In 2011, there were more than 580 smoke-free colleges and universities in the nation, according to the Association for Nonsmokers Rights.

As of October 2016, the nonprofit reported more than 1,700 schools with smoking and tobacco bans.

About 1,400 of that total includes schools that also ban tobacco use of any kind, and more than 1,200 that ban E-cigarettes.

Officials at PHSC will help ease people into the new policy.

During the transition, an ad hoc committee of students, faculty, staff and administrators will help spread the word on the tougher policy.

Free smoking cessation programs also will be available before and after the transition for students, faculty, staff members and other employees.

Published January 4, 2017

Giving the gift of life

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A donor gives blood during an outreach blood donation camp in Jaipur, India.
(Courtesy of Access Healthcare)

Auroveda Integral Foundation in Jaipur, India, organized a blood donation camp on Dec. 3, during which camp youths donated 120 units of blood to be used cost-free in accidental, catastrophic and other medical cases. Auroveda Integral is a sister foundation of the Auroveda Foundation in the north Suncoast area and is funded by Access Healthcare, as well as global outreach by the local Auroveda Foundation.

The Auroveda Foundation is a charitable trust and is involved in a wide range of activities including The Auro Community Garden, The Kid’s Garden at Pine Grove Elementary School, and the Auroveda Community Outreach center.

For information, call (352) 593-5920, or visit Auroveda.org.

Inspiring hope through origami cranes

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Tina So and Mia Thielbar were pre-International Baccalaureate freshman at Land O’ Lakes High School when they began a project they call “Cranes for Cancer.”

Now, more than three years later, they are seniors — and they are still involved with the project to handcraft paper origami cranes for people afflicted with cancer.

The goal is to instill hope, and the idea was spawned in August 2013.

Mia Thielbar, left, and Tina So handcraft origami paper cranes for cancer patients. The initiative, which began in 2013, seeks to inspire hope for those battling cancer.
(Kevin Weiss/Staff Photo)

At the time, Marilyn Ling, a reading teacher at the high school, was battling ovarian cancer. As a show of empathy, So and Thielbar together assembled 1,000 paper cranes after their Inquiry Skills teacher, Angelle Damalos, relayed the gesture’s significance in class one day.

In Japanese culture, cranes are a traditional sign of long life and good fortune. Other cultures, meanwhile, fold 1,000 paper stars to make a wish.

The ambitious crane project took four months to complete.

They first used post-it notes, then progressed to traditional origami paper.

Cranes were also sculpted in an assortment of colors — pink, gold and blue.

“We had one that would flap,” So said, “and, we had one that just looks prettier because it has a stomach to it.”

It required some trial and error.

“At first, it took us a while,” So said. “Initially, we were not very good at it.”

Eventually, they improved.

“We worked consistently,” Thielbar said. “We did it everyday; whenever there was free time in class, we’d work on it.”

The pair never actually met Ling.

“(Ling) was sick, and she didn’t want us to see her in her condition,” So said.

Damalos, instead, presented the 1,000 cranes to her that December.

Ling passed away in April 2014.

The students, however, have continued their efforts.

They’ve since volunteered at Shriner’s Hospital in Tampa, where they distributed over 500 cranes to children surgical patients.

In multiple hospital visits, So and Thielbar taught patients the origami art form, and assisted them with crane decorations.

“It’s sort of a distraction for them,” Thielbar said, “so that they’re not as worried to…see the doctor.”

The pair, too, sold cranes at various Relay for Life events, helping to raise money for cancer-afflicted patients.

“We always have wanted to share cranes with people,” Thielbar said. “We make them whenever we can.”

The cranes, they believe, help cancer sufferers hold onto their faith during personal struggles.

“Positivity can change everything,” So said. “Even if it can’t cure you, it can prolong your life; you can enjoy that prolonged time.

“Without hope, it’s a losing battle.”

The philanthropic journey has been fulfilling — for both.

“I really enjoy reaching out to people like that,” So said, “and it has inspired me to be a better person, like evaluate my actions and values. Overall, it just really makes me feel really good to help people.”

“We just want to serve as more of an inspiration to our peers — to be more kind toward other people,” said Thielbar, “and respectful of the things they might be going through.”

In other words, expressing sympathy.

“That’s one of the values that I feel is being lost in our culture,” Thielbar said.

“A lot of people are losing empathy and compassion, and generosity towards other people.”

Besides “Cranes for Cancer,” the duo has other grandiose plans on the horizon.

“We still want to continue the efforts of helping people,” Thielbar said, “but, we want to make a bigger impact. We’re still working on what would that impact be — how to affect more people.”

That may include additional fundraising efforts for cancer patients.

“I feel like that would make a bigger impact financially for a lot of people, because I know that’s a big struggle,” said Thielbar.

“But, we also want to be like an inspiration to other people.”

They’ve already inspired Jeff Morgenstein, an assistant principal.

“Seeing Mia and Tina use their creativity and compassion in order to improve the lives of others is greatly in tune with our (school) mission statement,” Morgenstein said, via email.

He continued: “To say that I’m proud of them is an understatement. It is through these meaningful actions here in the community that they are truly changing the world.”

Beyond high school, Thielbar plans to study educational administration at the University of South Florida, and aspires to become a school principal, someday.

So is considering the University of Florida, where she would like to study psychology.

Published December 28, 2016