The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Health

Health News 08-19-15

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(Courtesy of Florida Hospital Zephyrhills)
(Courtesy of Florida Hospital Zephyrhills)

Courtney Lehman honored for nursing skills
Florida Hospital Zephyrhills has recognized Courtney Lehman as its second DAISY award recipient. Lehman works in the Med Surg II Unit and was honored for her connection with patients and families, while showing empathy and demonstrating a caring attitude in nursing care. As the honoree, Lehman received a certificate and a sculpture called A Healer’s Touch, hand-carved by the Shona Tribe in Africa.

Get school immunizations early
The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County reminds parents to have their children immunized early to avoid the back-to-school rush. Parents of kindergartners and seventh-graders are encouraged to review their children’s immunization record to ensure readiness for the upcoming school year.

If parents do not have a copy of the child’s immunization record, they should ask their provider about Florida Shots, the database that records immunizations. Students entering college also are encouraged to ensure their immunizations are up to date.

The following vaccines are required for children entering preschool and kindergarten through grade 12: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, chickenpox and hepatitis B. Students entering college should check with health services at their respective college regarding requirements.

For information on upcoming back-to-school immunization events, visit Pasco.FloridaHealth.gov/.

Health News 08-12-15

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(Courtesy of Crisis Center of Tampa Bay)
(Courtesy of Crisis Center of Tampa Bay)

Sheriff’s office honors Mollie Rae Jerman
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office honored Crisis Center of Tampa Bay Nurse Examiner Mollie Rae Jerman with a citizen’s award for her ongoing assistance in helping sexual battery victims. The Crisis Center operates the rape crisis center for Hillsborough County. Jerman has served as a nurse examiner for the center for 16 years, conducting medical-forensic examinations of sexual assault survivors. At the presentation were, from left, Rita Hall, Kathleen Kempke, Jerman, Sandy Steblin and Amanda Brennan.

Get school immunizations early
The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County reminds parents to have their children immunized early to avoid the back-to-school rush. Parents of kindergartners and seventh-graders are encouraged to review their children’s immunization record to ensure readiness for the upcoming school year.

If parents do not have a copy of the child’s immunization record, they should ask their provider about Florida Shots, the database that records immunizations. Students entering college also are encouraged to ensure their immunizations are up to date.

The following vaccines are required for children entering preschool and kindergarten through grade 12: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, chickenpox and hepatitis B. Students entering college should check with health services at their respective college regarding requirements.

For information on upcoming back-to-school immunization events, visit Pasco.FloridaHealth.gov/.

Sertoma Foundation needs volunteers
The Sertoma Speech & Hearing Foundation of Florida screened more than 13,000 students at 55 schools last year and is looking for volunteers to help with the same this year. No previous training is required.

Volunteers can choose the schools where they prefer to volunteer. It generally takes two hours to three hours to complete a screening. All volunteers must pass the School Board background check.

Prospective volunteers can apply online at Pasco.k12.fl.us, and click on the Volunteer Application at the bottom of the page. Under Preferences, choose Sertoma Speech & Hearing.

For information, contact Courtney Boulding at (727) 834-5479, or email .

Health News 08-05-15

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(Courtesy of Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point)
(Courtesy of Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point)

Second class of new residents graduate
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point introduced the second class of its Graduate Medical Education Program internal medicine residents. The class of 2015 residents include Lauren Applehof, Trevor Applehof, Dan Bainbridge, Duat Bui, Rebecca Burt, Mallika Devarapalli, Michael Harris, Pornchai Kittivarakarn, Anna Marshall, Ricardo Navarro, Torrey Poholsky, Joseph Robbins, Brandon Rosenthal, Nicole Smith and Angela Spinelli.

Get school immunizations early
The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County reminds parents to have their children immunized early to avoid the back-to-school rush. Parents of kindergartners and seventh-graders are encouraged to review their children’s immunization record to ensure readiness for the upcoming school year.

If parents do not have a copy of the child’s immunization record, they should ask their provider about Florida Shots, the database that records immunizations. Students entering college also are encouraged to ensure their immunizations are up to date.

The following vaccines are required for children entering preschool and grades K through 12: diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, polio, chickenpox and hepatitis B. Students entering college should check with health services at their respective college regarding requirements.

For information on upcoming back-to-school immunization events, visit Pasco.FloridaHealth.gov/.

Gulfside Hospice names health information director
Gulfside Hospice & Pasco Palliative Care has appointed Cristoval Jiminez as its new health information systems director.

Jiminez will be responsible for privacy, security and integrity of electronic patient data, tools and training used for electronic medical records, and all aspects of Informatics and Health Information Management.

Jiminez started working at Gulfside in 2006 as a certified nursing assistant, and was promoted to CNA mentor. In 2009, he transferred into the informatics department, where he worked as a clinical systems coordinator before being promoted to informatics manager in 2012.

Health care reforms pass House, onto Senate next

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The House of Representatives has passed legislation that could pave the way for more treatment options for people who are ill, and the bill’s bipartisan support bodes well for its passage in the Senate, said Congressman Gus Bilirakis, who has taken a leadership role on this issue.

The 21st Century Cures Act passed the House by a vote of 344-77 on July 10.

Ashleigh Pike, left, looks on as her mother, Beth Pike, describes the impacts that Ashleigh’s illness has had on the young woman’s life. (File Photo)
Ashleigh Pike, left, looks on as her mother, Beth Pike, describes the impacts that Ashleigh’s illness has had on the young woman’s life.
(File Photos)

“Now, we’re waiting on the Senate to pass a bill,” Bilirakis said, and he’s confident that will happen, perhaps by the end of the year.

Passage can’t come soon enough, Bilirakis said, noting the legislation offers hope to people who are desperate for new treatment options.

The Senate’s version of the bill will likely have fewer provisions, Bilirakis said.

To help protect provisions he believes are important, Bilirakis has sponsored stand-alone bills, as well.

One of the stand-alone bills he has introduced is called the Orphan Product Extensions Now Accelerating Cures & Treatments Act (OPEN ACT). That calls for giving drug makers and innovators incentives to “repurpose” major market drugs for life-threatening rare diseases and pediatric cancers.

The aim is to open the door to the development of hundreds of safe, effective and affordable treatments for rare disease patients, Bilirakis said.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, of Utah, has co-sponsored that bill in the Senate.

Bilirakis said he doesn’t care whether these provisions are adopted in the overall legislation or his stand-alone bill. He just wants action on these issues.

A panel of health care providers discusses ways to improve health care delivery to patients. Reducing bureaucracy, increasing funding and encouraging innovation are some of their suggestions.
A panel of health care providers discusses ways to improve health care delivery to patients. Reducing bureaucracy, increasing funding and encouraging innovation are some of their suggestions.

While legislators were drafting the 21st Century Cures Act, roundtables were held around the country to give stakeholders a chance to discuss issues being faced by patients and providers.

Bilirakis convened roundtables in Lutz, Land O’ Lakes and Carrollwood, where he listened to hours of testimony from patients, patient advocates, doctors, researchers, makers of medical devices and other stakeholders.

The settings for the sessions were comfortable meeting rooms, but the testimony delivered dealt with issues of life and death, and was often poignant and dramatic.

At a session in Lutz, patients told Bilirakis about difficulties in getting a proper diagnosis and finding effective treatments.

Ashleigh Pike was one of those patients.

Before she became ill, she was a vibrant young woman who delighted in teaching elementary school children. Now, she lives life from a wheelchair and requires full-time care.

“On the outside, I look fine,” the former teacher told Bilirakis. But, she added: “My quality of life has been greatly compromised.”

Pike suffers from a form of dysautonomia, a malfunction of the autonomic nervous system. That system controls automatic functions of the body, such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, kidney function, temperature control, and dilation and constriction of the pupils, according to Dysautonomia International’s website.

At another session, health care providers told Bilirakis about a variety of roadblocks that frustrate their work.

Dr. David Morgan, the chief executive of the University of South Florida’s Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute, told Bilirakis the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s patients must improve. About one in five people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s do not have the disease, Morgan said.

The disease can be accurately diagnosed with PET — positron emission tomography — scans, but those are expensive and generally not covered by insurance, Morgan said.

Proper diagnosis is important not only for treatment of patients, but also to ensure that clinical trial results are not skewed by including patients in the trials who do not have the disease.

Reforms also are needed in the way clinical trials are conducted, Morgan said, noting the current approach takes too long and costs too much.

At that same session, Dr. Richard Finkel, chief neurologist at Nemours Children’s Hospital of Orlando, told Bilirakis that the focus must be greater on patient-centered cures.

“Patients are willing to accept different levels of risk. But the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) doesn’t look at it that way,” he said. “They are very risk averse.”

Medical device makers face other obstacles, Lisa Novorska, chief financial officer for Rochester Electro Medical Inc., told Bilirakis.

Her company can know how to improve a device, but can’t pursue those improvements because of the costs to comply with FDA requirements. The FDA plays a valuable role in protecting the public, but it also creates paperwork nightmares for small businesses, she said.

Bilirakis said The 21st Century Cures Act addresses many concerns raised during the roundtable sessions, and provides an $8.5 billion increase for the National Institutes for Health.

Published July 29, 2015

Health News 07-29-15

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Dr. Joseph Nystrom (Courtesy of Bayfront Health Dade City)
Dr. Joseph Nystrom
(Courtesy of Bayfront Health Dade City)

Joseph Nystrom joins Bayfront Health Medical Group
Dr. Joseph Nystrom, family practitioner, will join Bayfront Health Medical Group starting Aug. 31.

Nystrom has more than 25 years’ experience in Pasco County and is a recipient of the Vitals Patient Choice Award.

He is a graduate of Tulane University in New Orleans, received his medical degree from the University of Xochicalco in Baja California, Mexico, and completed his family medicine residency at Lutheran Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Nystrom is board certified, fluent in English and Spanish, and provides care for children ages five and older, teens, adults and senior citizens.

Bayfront Health Medical Group is located at 13933 17th St., in Dade City.

Bayfront gets elder care designation
Bayfront Health Dade City received designation as a NICHE (Nurses Improving Care for Healthsystem Elders) Hospital, indicating the hospital’s commitment to elder care excellence.

The hospital pursued the NICHE program because it is designed to strengthen the quality of care for older adult patients by increasing awareness of geriatric issues, improving staff competence in nursing care of the elderly, and supporting the implementation of hospital geriatric protocols.

Bayfront Health Dade City is the first hospital in Pasco County to receive the NICHE designation.

Long-term care center earns national recognition
Heritage Park Health & Rehabilitation in Dade City was one of 29 long-term care centers that are members of the Florida Health Care Association to earn national recognition for their commitment to improving the lives of residents through quality care.

The 2015 Silver Achievement in Quality Award from the American Health Care Association and the National Center for Assisted Living spotlights centers that have demonstrated a commitment to delivering quality care for seniors and individuals with disabilities.

Award recipients will be honored during the FHCA 2015 Annual Conference in Orlando in August.

Health News 07-22-15

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(Courtesy of Florida Hospital Zephyrhills)
(Courtesy of Florida Hospital Zephyrhills)

Marie Stewart is employee of the year
Florida Hospital Zephyrhills has named Marie Stewart at Employee of the Year for 2014. Stewart works in environmental services for the hospital. She is responsible for the operating room and pre-op areas within the hospital, and was recognized for her reliability, quality of work, initiative and professionalism.

Gulfside Hospice receives award for spiritual care
Gulfside Hospice was recognized at the Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association’s Awards of Excellence luncheon in Orlando with an award for its Spiritual Care Volunteer Program.

Gulfside received the Excellence in Program Innovation in Clinical Practice award, which recognizes services and programs provided by a hospice organization that demonstrate the power of creativity and ingenuity to impact clinical practice and the community.

Gulfside began the program in 2013 to help the chaplains spend more time with complex spiritual cases while developing different resources for patients with less acute spiritual needs.

In 2014, Gulfside added to the program with the introduction of volunteer spiritual care counselors to visit home patients. The volunteers and counselors collectively visited 279 patients, for a total of 1,765 visits and 1,303 hours.

For information about the Spiritual Care Volunteer Program or to become a volunteer with the program, call Aaron Lever at (727) 992-7969.

Penny Heinrich joins Florida Cancer Affiliates
Florida Cancer Affiliates announced the addition of Dr. Penny Heinrich at its Trinity location, 3611 Little Road.

Heinrich comes from the Lewis Hall Singletary Oncology Center, affiliated with Archbold Medical Center in Thomasville, Georgia.

Heinrich received a bachelor of business administration degree from the University of South Florida, where she completed post-baccalaureate studies in science. Her residency and internship in internal medicine was completed at Louisiana State University in New Orleans.

Health News 06-24-15

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Health department services relocating
The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County, Environmental Health Services’ Office, located at 11611 Denton Ave., in Hudson, and 4135 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes, will be relocating.

Both Environmental Health offices will be closed June 25 at 12:30 p.m., and reopen on June 29 at 8 a.m., at the new location at 5640 Main St., in New Port Richey.

Services will be available at the Dade City office, 13941 Fifth St., during the transition.

For information, call (727) 861-5661.

Students learn about medical careers
Florida Hospital Zephyrhills has chosen 20 students from various Pasco high schools to participate it its 2015 B.E.S.T. Academy Camp Program. The program gives students with high academic standing the opportunity to work side-by-side with experienced health care professionals.

The program also provides hands-on experience in real life situations to help students understand the function of each department. Activities include hospital rotations, workshops on health careers and health issues, guest speakers and more.

The two-week program began June 15 and will end with an award ceremony June 26.

Three hospitals earn an ‘A’ for patient safety
The Medical Center of Trinity, Oak Hill Hospital and Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point have been recognized with an “A” safety score by The Leapfrog Group.

The hospital safety score was compiled based on preventable medical errors, injuries, accidents and infections.

To see the hospitals’ scores compared nationally, visit HospitalSafetyScore.org.

Citrus Park ER ready for patients
The Medical Center of Trinity has opened the Citrus Park ER, a full-service, 24/7 freestanding emergency department at 12922 Sheldon Road in Tampa.

The ER offers private treatment rooms, board-certified emergency room physicians, on-site diagnostic services, telemedicine capabilities, paramedics and more.

The ER is able to care for asthma, respiratory disorders, bone fractures, concussions, digestive disorders, heart and vascular condition, urinary tract infections and more.

For information, call (813) 282-2850, or visit MedicalCenterTrinity.com.

Britten receives Lifetime Achievement Award
The Hillsborough County Dental Association has recognized Dr. Leonard L. Britten with its 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award, for his outstanding leadership, dedication and devoted service to the dental profession and the association.

Britten has served as president of HCDA, chaired its Peer Review Committee, and has spent 27 years as a Florida Dental Association delegate from Hillsborough County. He is also past president of the Hillsborough County Dental Research Clinic.

Britten holds active memberships in various professional organizations and currently serves as vice chair of the Florida Board of Dentistry, assistant dental exam supervisor for the Florida Department of Health, and team dentist for the University of South Florida Athletic Department.

He is a Tampa native, graduated from USF and received a degree from Emory University.

 

Florida Medical Clinic’s expansion story continues

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Florida Medical Clinic is continuing to expand at a brisk pace, with an 85,000-square-foot facility expected to open near Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel in March 2016, and a 15,000-square-foot expansion at its facility on State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes now under way.

The new projects are part of a story that dates back to 1993, when four practices in Zephyrhills decided to merge to gain advantages they could not secure independently, said Chris Alvarez, the health care provider’s chief financial officer.

Florida Medical Clinic’s new 85,000-square-foot location in Wesley Chapel will be a three-story building. It is expected to open in March 2016. (Courtesy of Florida Medical Clinic)
Florida Medical Clinic’s new 85,000-square-foot location in Wesley Chapel will be a three-story building. It is expected to open in March 2016.
(Courtesy of Florida Medical Clinic)

Since then, Florida Medical Clinic has grown to have 43 locations totaling 550,000 square feet, with 750,000 patient encounters each year. It has 235 providers, representing 33 medical specialties, Alvarez said.

It also has ambitious plans.,

The five-year vision is to have 70 locations, with 1.3 million patient visits a year, Alvarez told those gathered at an economic development briefing organized by the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce. Alvarez spoke at a luncheon meeting at Hoosiers Grille at the Heritage Isles Golf and Country Club on April 23.

Florida Medical Clinic will be building the new 85,000-square-foot structure in Wesley Chapel at 2352 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., north of State Road 56.

“Obviously, the location is perfect for us. It’s very close to the hospital,” Alvarez said. “It’s a great location from a visibility standpoint.”

There will be 60 physicians and 200 employees in that building, Alvarez said.

“Everything we’re going to do at Wiregrass is going to be practices that already exist in the Wiregrass area or new providers that we’re going to bring in, or have already brought in, in anticipation of that opening,” Alvarez said.

The new facility will provide a convenient one-stop shop for patients, as patients will be able to see their doctor and pick up prescriptions at the same location, he added.

In Land O’ Lakes, Florida Medical Clinic is building a 15,000-square-foot addition, at a location it opened in 2009.

There’s room for another building there, which the clinic may construct sometime relatively soon, Alvarez said. When that occurs, Florida Medical Clinic’s total presence at that site will be 75,000 square feet.

Just two years ago, Florida Medical Clinic expanded its main campus in Zephyrhills at Market Square to open a new urgent care facility. It also built a 12,000-square-foot office on Eiland Boulevard that it shares with DaVita Healthcare Partners Inc.

Deciding when and where to build and consolidate is an organic process for Florida Medical Clinic, usually based on the number of doctors and specialists the company has partnered with, and where they are located, according to Alvarez.

“We’re always looking for opportunities to grow,” Alvarez added.

“We don’t really grow through acquisition,” Alvarez said. Instead, it grows as medical practices approach them with an interest to join.

“We just kind of merge their practice in. If you bring a practice, you become a shareholder.

“In a perfect world, we build one large building, based on primary care. We have some some specialists that are based and fixed at that building, others that rotate through a couple of days, as necessary, to provide support. And then we have the ancillary services, diagnostic imaging, potentially pharmacy, things of that nature.”

Florida Medical Clinic’s model for growth seems to be effective, Alvarez said.

“It’s been, obviously, quite successful,” he said.

Published April 29, 2015

Hospital CEO details expansion plans

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It’s less than three years old, but Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is already experiencing growing pains.

Denyse Bales-Chubb, president/CEO of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel shared details of the hospital’s $78 million expansion plans at the April 7 breakfast of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce meeting.

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is expanding to meet the needs of a growing community. This rendering shows what the hospital will look like, after expansion. (Courtesy of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel)
Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is expanding to meet the needs of a growing community. This rendering shows what the hospital will look like, after expansion.
(Courtesy of Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel)

Wesley Chapel’s growth is fueling the need for the hospital’s expansion, Bales-Chubb told the gathering at the conference center at Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch. About 90 people were registered for the breakfast.

The hospital executive cited six new housing developments going in, totaling more than 5,000 houses.

“I’m hearing that Raymond James is going to be building here,” she added.

She continued ticking down the list.

“We had the Super Walmart that went in, since I’ve been here. The outlet mall is coming. The ice and sports complex — which we are a part of — the Mercedes Benz dealer, several hotels, some assisted living (facilities) that are coming in; there’s tremendous growth in the community.

“We need to make sure that we are growing and meeting the needs of this community,” Bales-Chubb added.

To prepare for increased demand, the hospital began last November to start developing plans for expansion.

The project that is set to begin construction in August will add 62 new private patient rooms, 17 emergency rooms, four surgical suites, 16 prep and observation rooms, and ancillary services to support patient care.

The hospital’s current three-story center wing will grow taller — becoming a six-floor building when the expansion work is done. A new three-story building will be constructed, to connect the hospital’s two existing wings.

When finished, the expansion will add nearly 112,000 square feet of new construction and nearly 11,000 square feet of renovated space to the hospital at 2600 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., in Wesley Chapel.

“We expect to have actual ground crews here in August, and we will be doing a groundbreaking Aug. 5,” Bales-Chubb said. “We hope to get their certificate of occupancy in November 2016, with a grand opening of December 2016,” she said.

The hospital also plans to add 160 parking spaces for employees and staff.

The larger hospital will need more staff, too. Bales-Chubb predicts the hospital will hire the equivalent of 300 full-time employees.

The larger quarters and increased staff will enable the hospital to handle the growing demand for hospital beds and increased emergency visits.

Even with the current demand, “if you came and tried to find a bed, you’re going to have a wait before that bed is available,” Bales-Chubb said.

“We really do have patients that are literally waiting in our ED (emergency department) to get into an inpatient bed, because not everybody checks out at 11 o’clock, like you do at a hotel. It is a constant moving of patients, in and out,” she said.

The hospital’s emergency room is busy, too.

The emergency room has 18 beds, and as of December, year to date, each of those beds had 1,880 visits.

“So, that’s busy,” Bales-Chubb said. “We have a lot of patients going through our ED.”

Stan Giannet, provost at the Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, said the college already enjoys a solid relationship with the hospital, and the expansion will likely provide even more opportunities for students at his campus.

The hospital donates to the college’s scholarship fund for students in health occupations, he said. It also provides opportunities for clinical placements.

“Clinical placements are incredibly important for our students to apply the theoretical classroom knowledge to the real world,” Giannet said. “Having clinical placements already at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel has been very fruitful for students, and we’re grateful for that.”

The hospital’s expansion bodes well for graduates from Porter Campus, Giannet added, because it creates more employment opportunities for students graduating from its nursing, surgical technology and pharmacy technician programs.

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel is part of the Adventist Health System, a nonprofit health network that has 23 hospitals throughout the state.

Published April 15, 2015

Wesley Chapel prepares to ‘March for Babies’

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It’s April, but the march goes on.

“March” as in March of Dimes, the nonprofit organization that provides funds for research and services to prevent premature birth, defects and infant mortality. And also March for Babies, an event on April 25 at The Shops at Wiregrass, 28211 Paseo Drive in Wesley Chapel. Teams and individuals will walk while raising money for research.

Jen Cofini's son, Dylan, was born after 32 weeks and weighed just 4 pounds. Now he is a happy and healthy 8-year-old. The Cofinis are the ambassador family for the March for Babies event April 25 at The Shops at Wiregrass. (Courtey of Jen Cofini)
Jen Cofini’s son, Dylan, was born after 32 weeks and weighed just 4 pounds. Now he is a happy and healthy 8-year-old. The Cofinis are the ambassador family for the March for Babies event April 25 at The Shops at Wiregrass.
(Courtey of Jen Cofini)

This is the first year the event will be at The Shops at Wiregrass after several years in West Pasco.

The shopping center is happy to be a part of it.

“It just was something that we felt passionate about,” said Debbie Detweiler, the regional shopping mall’s marketing director. “With all of the families in the Wesley Chapel area and families that shop at Wiregrass, it was something we could be a part of in creating that awareness for March of Dimes.”

The March of Dimes has set an ambitious goal of $240,000 after having to cancel last year’s event due to weather. More than 1,000 people are expected to take part.

Wesley Chapel resident Jen Cofini and her family have been selected to be the ambassador family for Pasco County March for Babies since they have firsthand experience in dealing with premature births.

Cofini’s son, Dylan, was born eight years ago after a 32-week pregnancy. He weighed just 4 pounds. He spent a month in the hospital, and there were many challenging moments.

“When you have a premature baby, you don’t know what to expect,” Cofini said. “The resources that the March of Dimes provide for the parents of premature babies are incredible.”

Cofini found comfort through the organization’s website, too. It put her in touch with other mothers who were going through the same issues. Families can share stories, ask questions and connect with others going through a similar situation.

Though Cofini had Dylan in New York, premature births are common in Florida. According to the March of Dimes Premature Birth Report Card for 2014, 13.6 percent of Florida births are premature. That’s good for just a “D” grade from the organization.

And while Dylan was born premature, he’s healthy today.

Many other children aren’t as lucky, and have significant defects and disabilities to deal with for years, or even a lifetime.

Those families especially benefit from the research and support from the March of Dimes, Cofini explained.

On April 25, Cofini will be there with her husband, Jeff, Dylan and his little sister, Madison.

And, as community relations manager of Parks Ford Wesley Chapel, she’s recruited support from work as well. They’re sponsoring the event and have a team raising money to walk.

While Cofini is accustomed to supporting the community at her job, the March for Babies is special to her and her family.

“When something touches you personally, it makes you more aware, and that’s why I’m such a huge supporter of the March of Dimes, because they do such great work,” Cofini said. “They support the parents, they’re doing the research and they’re raising the money to give every baby a fighting chance at being born healthy.”

Registration begins at 7:30 a.m., with the 3-mile walk beginning at 8:30 a.m. A Kids Zone will have face painting and other activities.

For more information, visit MarchForBabies.org/event/Suncoast, or contact Bethany Carlson at (813) 898-4954 or .

Published April 8, 2015