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Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

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Florida Medical Clinic preparing new facility for Wesley Chapel

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An area Pasco County planners hoped would become an expansive medical park has moved a big step in that direction as Florida Medical Clinic prepares to start construction on an 85,000-square-foot facility near Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel.

Florida Medical Clinic’s Wesley Chapel location will be a three-story building with 85,000 square feet, and will be the group’s third-largest facility behind Zephyrhills and Land O’ Lakes. It’s expected to open next summer. (Courtesy of Florida Medical Clinic)
Florida Medical Clinic’s Wesley Chapel location will be a three-story building with 85,000 square feet, and will be the group’s third-largest facility behind Zephyrhills and Land O’ Lakes. It’s expected to open next summer.
(Courtesy of Florida Medical Clinic)

The new three-story building will offer a variety of medical services, the kind of one-stop shopping Florida Medical Clinic is known for in other parts of Pasco and Hillsborough counties. But this particular facility will have an extra emphasis on orthopedic care.

“We don’t have an orthopedic presence in Wesley Chapel right now,” said Gus Taylor, Florida Medical Clinic’s chief administrative officer. “We have some in Zephyrhills and Tampa, and some in the Carrollwood area, but this will help us bring all this to Wesley Chapel.”

The Wesley Chapel location will be built at 2352 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., just north of State Road 56 and the Wesley Chapel hospital. Florida Medical Clinic bought a little more than 10 acres of land there last October for $4 million, according to Pasco County property records. It was part of land owned by the Wiregrass Ranch development group since 1987.

This is the third major location Florida Medical Clinic has built in the past five years, beginning with its second-largest facility on State Road 54 in Land O’ Lakes opened in 2009, and its new Carrollwood facility in a building that once housed a Borders book store on North Dale Mabry Highway, that opened last year.

And 2013 was a busy year for Florida Medical Clinic as the company focused a bit on Zephyrhills. It expanded its main campus at Market Square to open a new urgent care facility, and built a 12,000-square-foot office on Eiland Boulevard it shares with DaVita Healthcare Partners Inc.

Putting doctors of various specialties under a single roof has been a successful formula for Florida Medical Clinic in Zephyrhills, Land O’ Lakes and Carrollwood, and Taylor says he expects more success with the new Wesley Chapel facility.

“We have a lot of physicians in the Seven Oaks area that are in independent buildings,” he said. “This helps us provide more services for our patients. It’s extremely convenient when you can go to one location and see all of your doctors and primary doctors.”

And its proximity to Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel will provide even more benefits, similar to what happens at its main campus, located just blocks from Florida Hospital Zephyrhills.

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. The Wesley Chapel facility might be the last one for a little while, at least.

“Currently, we don’t have that in any other locations in mind,” Taylor said. “But it wouldn’t surprise me if we didn’t put another building out there somewhere in the near future to create the same presence in that area, as we’re getting in some of our current ones.”

Florida Medical Clinic is still working on permits for its Wesley Chapel location as well as design, but the goal is to have the facility open by Summer 2015.

“It’s a great location,” Taylor said. “We all know the Wesley Chapel area is growing, and there are a lot of new neighborhoods and a lot of new businesses coming up there. With the new hospital there, this has become a great location for our patients.”

Published March 12, 2014

Wiregrass Ranch has impressive science fair results

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Ryan De Vroeg’s fascination with military weapons and armor began when he was just a little kid.

He recalls watching the Military History channel when he was quite small, and being drawn to stories about how weapons work and how they’ve evolved.

Wiregrass Ranch High School student Ryan De Vroeg has a new enthusiasm for competing in science fairs since his teacher, Branden Anglin, encouraged him to explore a topic of interest to him. (Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)
Wiregrass Ranch High School student Ryan De Vroeg has a new enthusiasm for competing in science fairs since his teacher, Branden Anglin, encouraged him to explore a topic of interest to him. (Courtesy of Pasco County Schools)

So, when his Wiregrass Ranch High School teacher encouraged students to do science fair entries based on their interest areas, De Vroeg decided to study the impact force of a composite material, in a quest to design safer armor to protect soldiers and law enforcement personnel.

De Vroeg, whose study involved carbon fiber, said he was inspired by a desire to improve protection for military personnel and law enforcement officers. His entry at the Pasco Regional STEM Fair — which focuses on science, technology, engineering and mathematics — won first place in the engineering category and was named the most outstanding exhibit in materials science by the ASM Materials Education Foundation.

De Vroeg now moves on to compete at the Florida State Science and Engineering Fair slated for April 8-10 at Lakeland Center in Lakeland. He is one of four Wiregrass Ranch High students who advanced beyond the regional fair. Other students with winning entries were Vasili Courialis, Tyler Glantz and John Pease.

Courialis, who now attends Sunlake High, designed an experiment to determine whether or not manipulating the center of gravity in an SUV could reduce the rollover rates of the vehicle. His entry was chosen to be one of two representatives for Pasco County at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in May.

Glantz looked at rocket design and which design would decrease fluid drag on a rocket in the atmosphere. Pease measured the impact force of a soccer ball, and looked at ways he could reduce that force to help protect soccer players at all levels.

“This the first time Wiregrass Ranch has sent students to both state competition and international competition as well,” said Branden Anglin, who teaches biology and biology honors, and coordinates the science fair for Wiregrass Ranch. “This is a tremendous achievement, considering that this the first year that Wiregrass Ranch sent a student to regional fair.”

This is also De Vroeg’s first science fair.

“I wasn’t really a fan of science fairs when I was younger because teachers just forced me to do something out of a book,” De Vroeg said. However, he changed his attitude because of Anglin’s approach.

The science fair, Anglin said, is not about a grade.

“All too often, we approach it as a requirement for the science classroom,” he said. “We assign the project, let the kids go, and expect them to come back with a decent project. That leads to students turning to the Internet and giving us canned projects in return.”

A science fair helps spark scientific interest in students, Anglin added.

“If I were to force students to do a science fair project only on a slim range of topics, I would get back less-than-exciting projects that were merely a copy of a project found online,” he said.

Giving students a range of options allows them to own the process, he said.

“I then help them to refine that project, and make it into a high-quality project that they can be proud of,” Anglin said.

He thinks teachers can use science fair projects to share their passion for understanding how the world works. And he shares that with students about their science fair projects as well.

“I tell them I want them to try to change the world, and not settle for anything less than their best,” Anglin said.

He believes this gives students an opportunity for an authentic way to experience science.

“They aren’t just reading a textbook or taking notes, they are actually doing science. They are being scientists,” Anglin said. “Many students, myself included, change their career path after advancing to state or international competition.”

De Vroeg’s new interest in scientific competitions may bode well for the young man, Anglin said.

“Ryan is one of my most enthusiastic students when it comes to scientific discovery,” he said. “He has a lot of great ideas, and, if he pursues those interests, he will make a dramatic impact on the world of material engineering.”

He’s particularly impressed by De Vroeg’s grasp of concepts, especially in light of his youth.

“To do this kind of work as a freshman in high school is almost unheard of,” Anglin said. “Ryan has positioned himself to be a competitor at the regional, state, and international level over the next three years if he stays dedicated to his craft and really focuses on generating unique and applicable projects.”

Published March 12, 2014

 

New academy will offer a head start for careers in agriculture

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The agricultural industry is big business in Florida, and a new academy starting next year aims to give Central Pasco County students a competitive edge in that sector.

(Courtesy of Land O' Lakes High School)
(Courtesy of Land O’ Lakes High School)

Florida’s agricultural industry employs approximately 2 million people and contributes more than $104 billion to the state’s economy, according to the “2013 Florida Agriculture by the Numbers” report published by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

With its 47,500 farms, the state ranks 18th in the nation. In 2012, Florida ranked first in the nation in the value of its production of oranges and grapefruits, according to the report.

But agriculture goes well with growing crops and tending cattle, said John Hagen, chairman and chief executive of Pasco Economic Development Council. It offers myriad opportunities in science and technology, as the industry seeks to find ways to get greater yields and prevent environmental damage.

Central Pasco students who are interested in the industry will have a new opportunity to prepare for career opportunities in agriculture as Land O’ Lakes High School launches its Academy of Agritechnology next fall. Land O’ Lakes High has had a strong chapter in the National FFA Organization ever since the school opened in 1975, said school principal Ric Mellin.

The academy will offer many of the same courses as the school has offered in the past, but also will begin providing opportunities for students to earn industry certifications while still in high school, Mellin said.

The program will be open through the Pasco County’s school choice option to students attending Central Pasco high schools, Mellin said. That means students who would normally attend Sunlake or Wiregrass Ranch high schools who have an interest in the program can apply to attend Land O’ Lakes High.

The application period for the coming school year has closed, but Mellin expects that the program will grow gradually in coming years.

About a half-dozen students from outside Land O’ Lakes High boundaries have expressed an interest, Mellin said. He also expects a large number of Pine View Middle School students who will attend Land O’ Lakes High next year, to enroll in the program. Pine View has a strong FFA program.

This program will give students an opportunity to prepare for careers in agriculture, as well as food and natural resources management. Students will learn about such things as animal and plant production and processing, marketing, agricultural mechanics, communications, human relations, and employability skills.

They also will have opportunities to do laboratory work, prepare student projects and take advantage of cooperative education opportunities.

One of the key strengths of having academies like this in high school is the opportunity it presents for a student to try out a career area before heading off to college, said Hagen, who chairs a committee that provides advice to the school district on its career academies. Students sometimes arrive at college thinking they want to pursue a particular career, but once they delve into it, they discover it’s not what they expected.

Career academies give students greater insight into what they may encounter, he said. They also can help students develop skills that give them a leg up on the competition when they enter the work force.

Published March 12, 2014

Planners gearing up for Memorial Day parade

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Plans are in the works for a Memorial Day parade in Land O’ Lakes that will snake past the Baldomero Lopez Memorial Veterans Nursing Home at 6919 Parkway Blvd.

The parade will be on May 26 beginning at 8 a.m.. It will start at Dupree Lakes Boulevard, off Collier Parkway, and end just past the nursing home.

The Knights of Columbus Assembly 2741 and Council 8104 are organizing the parade, which is in its inaugural year.

Bob Barbero, co-chairman of the parade, said he hopes there will be enough interest to have the parade annually. At this point, organizers are looking for individuals, groups and organizations that want to take part.

So far, there are two high school bands and a middle school band that have signed on, and a couple classic car clubs are interested. Some floats are planned, and politicians have been invited. Already, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco is expected to take part.

Barbero said it would be great if veteran organizations, school bands and other types of clubs and organizations want to join the parade. Anyone wishing to drive a vehicle in the parade will be asked to pay a nominal charge.

“Any monies that we raise over and above the cost of the parade will go to the homeless,” Barbero said, mentioning that those donations would be made through the sheriff’s office.

The parade is to honor men and women who have died while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, Barbero said. By staging it near the veterans’ nursing home, the hope is that residents there will be able to enjoy the parade.

The parade also will help raise awareness regarding the Knights of Columbus, Barbero said. The group is a Catholic fraternal benefit society that was founded in New Haven, Conn., in 1882. The organization’s founding principles are charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism.

There are currently 1.8 million members in more than 14,000 councils worldwide.

Barbero’s council is affiliated with Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church in Land O’ Lakes.

For additional information on the parade, call Barbero at (813) 995-2736, or email him at .

Published March 12, 2014

Political Agenda 03-12-14

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Wilson more than doubles campaign war chest
Pasco County Commissioner Henry Wilson has yet to draw a challenger for his seat, but it looks like he’ll be ready just in case.

Wilson raised $8,735 in January, more than the previous five months — with a haul of $5,750 — combined.

His biggest donors came from the Farrell companies — Farrell Rescue, Farrell Home Services, Farrell Roofing and Farrell Outdoors — in Port Richey, writing checks for $2,500.

Wilson has spent just $500 since July, and has a $14,000 head start over any potential opponents.

Moore gets conservative women endorsement
The West Florida Women’s Conservative Republican Network has endorsed Mike Moore for Pasco County Commissioner.

Moore is facing Ken Littlefield and Bob Robertson in the Republican primary for the seat currently held by the retiring Pat Mulieri.

“We know that Mike is a true public servant who, as a Pasco County commissioner, will be a constant, reliable advocate serving citizens of his district as well as Pasco County and the state of Florida,” said Ellouise Emke, president of the network, in a release.

Moore also has endorsements from Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco, Pasco County Schools superintendent Kurt Browning, and State Rep. Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, among others.

Pasco looks to streamline voter registration
Elections are just around the corner, and Pasco County is working to bring as many voters to the polls as possible.

For what both are calling the first time in county history, the supervisor of elections and the tax collector’s office are working together to implement the National Voter Registration Act of 1993 — better known as the Motor Voter law — with joint training on how to get people registered to vote.

Federal law requires offices that provide driver’s license services to also offer opportunities for voter registration. Once a potential voter completes the paperwork at the tax collector’s office, the information is then routed through Florida’s Department of State, and finally to the supervisor of elections office in the appropriate county.

The tax collector’s and elections supervisor’s offices held a series of joint classes, updating on what’s required of each, and how they can streamline the process. Customer service representatives also were trained on the proper way of handling voter registration requests.

The deadline has passed to register to vote for upcoming municipal elections. However, there is still time to register for later elections this year. Deadlines are July 28 for the August primaries, and Oct. 6 for the general November election.

To get more information, visit PascoVotes.com.

Wells, Pilon endorse Burgess
State Rep. Ray Pilon, R-Sarasota, and Pasco County Property Appraiser Mike Wells, have endorsed Danny Burgess’ bid to replace Will Weatherford, R-Wesley Chapel, in Tallahassee.

Pilon was first elected in 2010, and is a retired law enforcement officer.

Burgess is in a primary against Minerva Diaz that will be decided in August. The winner will face Beverly Anne Ledbetter, or the winner of a Democratic primary if one is needed, in November.

Wells was first elected to his position in 1984, the same year Ronald Reagan won his second term in office.

Business Digest 03-12-14

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Red Hydrant joins Dog Gurus
Red Hydrant Pet Spa, Boutique and Doggie Day Care has joined The Dog Gurus community, offering ongoing education and tools for professional pet care centers for off-leash play.

The Gurus’ goal is to keep dogs and staff safe while dogs are off-leash, looking at more than just whether a dog is getting exhausted.

“We are proud of our focus on safety in our off-leash dog play program, and felt membership with The Dog Gurus would allow us to share in the best practices available to the industry,” said Martin Ellis, owner of Red Hydrant, in a release.

Red Hydrant is located at 21780 State Road 54 in Lutz, and can be found online at TheRedHydrant.com.

Corporation filing fees could drop
A new bill from State Sen. Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, would reduce the annual fees small businesses pay to the state.

S.B. 776 would reduce annual filing fees with the Florida Department of State’s Division of Corporations by $25 for corporations and limited partnerships, Simpson said in his regular newsletter. It also would break down late fees into a tiered system beginning with a $125 penalty for business filings made after May 1, gradually increasing to $400 after July 31.

Currently, anyone filing after May 1 would incur a $400 penalty.

The bill also would create a flat fee for corporate document filings from a range of $35 to $87.50, instead to $25.

Simpson’s bill has made it through its first committee, and is still working its way to the Senate floor in Tallahassee.

Community Business Expo March 14-15
The Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce will host its 2014 Community Business Expo March 14 and March 15 at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, 3032 Collier Parkway in Land O’ Lakes.

The event runs from 4 p.m. to 7 pm., March 14, and from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., on March 15, with the theme “The Price is Right – Shop Local.”

Sponsorships and booth space remain available, but are limited.

For more information, visit CentralPascoChamber.com, or call (813) 909-2722.

Williams Automotive buys Tampa Honda Land
Williams Automotive Group, the owner of Wesley Chapel Toyota and Wesley Chapel Honda, completed its purchase last week of Tampa Honda Land. Terms of the sale were not disclosed.

The dealership at 11000 N. Florida Ave., was owned by the Scott-McRae Group of Jacksonville, and will be renamed Tampa Honda.

“Because of all of our collective hard work and dedication the past five years, we have made the strategic decision to grow,” spokeswoman Therese Bottino said in an email.

Williams Automotive was founded as Southeast Automotive Group in 2000, and once owned several dealerships in Georgia selling Toyota, Kia, Mitsubishi and Hyundai, according to the company’s website.

Wesley Chapel Toyota is located at 5300 Eagleston Blvd., and Wesley Chapel Honda is at 27550 Wesley Chapel Blvd.

Holistic center opens in Lutz area
Suzanne Margolis Gray, a massage therapist who first opened a wellness center in the South Tampa area 20 years ago, has brought her colon hydrotherapy services to Lutz.

Gray recently hosted a grand reopening for ReNew Life Wellness Center at 15511 N. Florida Ave., Suite 2.

The staff includes acupuncturist Dr. Dana Clark McGrady, medical aesthetician Rose D’Amico, wellness coach Tom Stewart, massage therapist Peter Lowden, analyst Brandi Stewart, and kinesiologist Elizabeth O’Neill.

For more information, visit ReNewLifeWellness.com, or call (813) 871-3200.

East Pasco Networking Group
The East Pasco Networking Group has scheduled several speakers for the coming months. The group meets every other week at the Village Inn at 5214 Gall Blvd., in Zephyrhills. Networking begins at 8 a.m., with the meeting starting at 8:30 a.m.

Here’s the group’s slate of upcoming speakers:

• March 25: Cathy Bickham, honorary mayor of Wesley Chapel

• April 8: Danny Burgess, Zephyrhills mayor, candidate for State House District 38

• May 27: Mike Moore, candidate for Pasco County Commission, owner of VR Business Sales

More than 125 years of Benedictine service began with just four nuns

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Construction crews from Creative Contractors Inc., are busily erecting the future home of the Benedictine Sisters of Florida. They are building the new Holy Name Monastery on the south side of State Road 52 near Wichers Road. The project includes a chapel, private living quarters with 20 bedrooms, a library to house archives and spiritual books, and meeting spaces for large and small groups.

The Benedictine Sisters of Florida lived in a three-story, wood-frame hotel building from the time they arrived until a more modern monastery was built in 1960. A team of oxen moved the hotel building on 1911 from San Antonio to the current monastery’s site, west of Saint Leo University. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
The Benedictine Sisters of Florida lived in a three-story, wood-frame hotel building from the time they arrived until a more modern monastery was built in 1960. A team of oxen moved the hotel building on 1911 from San Antonio to the current monastery’s site, west of Saint Leo University. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

The funds for the new monastery are coming from $3.4 million in proceeds from the sale of the current monastery and land to Saint Leo University, as well as a $500,000 capital campaign. So far, the capital campaign has raised slightly less than $175,000, which includes a $100,000 one-to-one match challenge grant. The sisters must raise $100,000 by June 30 to receive that grant.

The building, which was designed by Klar & Klar Architects, is well under way.

It’s possible that the sisters may move in as early as this summer, said Sister Roberta Bailey, prioress of the Benedictine Sisters of Florida.

The sisters are leaving a massive multi-story structure where they have lived since 1960. That structure has become too large for the sisters and too expensive to operate, maintain and renovate.

The sisters are celebrating their 125th anniversary of living and working in Pasco County.

The original quartet of sisters traveled from Elk County, Pa., to San Antonio, arriving there on Feb. 28, 1889. Another sister joined them a few months later.

“They were called down to be teachers of the children of the German immigrants,” Bailey said.

When they arrived in San Antonio, they lived in a three-story wooden hotel. A team of oxen moved that building in 1911 to the current monastery’s site, west of Saint Leo University.

After arriving, the sisters went straight to work.

By March 11, 1889, the sisters had assumed the administration and staffing of Saint Anthony School. A short time later they began to staff the school in St. Joseph and also opened Holy Name Academy.

The sisters opened St. Benedict’s Preparatory School for young boys in 1920, and that school operated until 1959. Holy Name Academy closed five years later. Both were boarding schools.

After they closed, the sisters directed their energies toward providing services for nearby Saint Leo College.

Over the years, the sisters have had a hand in many organizations.

They have served on boards for such charitable organizations as Sunrise Spouse Abuse Shelter, Saint Leo University Haitian Mission Project, Florida Association for the Education of Young Children, Catholic Charities, Coalition for the Homeless, Hospice, Habitat for Humanity and DayStar Hope Thrift Store and Food Pantry.

They have been town mayors and commissioners. And, they continue to have a hand in a variety of good works.

For instance, they provide a Thanksgiving meal to more than 200 people each year. They also give annual scholarship assistance to a few Saint Leo University students. They open their home to provide lodging and meals for religious women from developing countries who are pursuing their degrees.

The size of the religious community has gone from more than 60 sisters at one point to 13 sisters now, but they continue to play an active role, both in community life and spiritual support.

“We try to respond to what the needs are in the local area. It’s just that right now we’re so few that everyone wears many hats,” Bailey said.

They also call upon the power of prayer to help others in need. Anyone can call with any kind of prayer request, Bailey said, noting the requests often mirror what’s happening in society at large.

A parent might call with a prayer request for a child, or someone who is ill or injured may call in with a request, Bailey said. There are others who are going through a crisis of faith and ask for prayer to help them through it.

Sometimes, it’s a practical request, she said.

“Someone may call in, ‘I have a big test this afternoon, can you pray?’” Bailey said. “We have a book of prayer intentions that sits outside the chapel doors.” Whenever a sister passes by, she looks at the book and says a prayer for the people who have called in their intentions.

Despite their long history in Pasco County, the sisters’ work is not yet done, Bailey said.

“We’ve been here a good long time and we’re here to stay,” Bailey said.

To learn more about the Benedictine Sisters of Florida, visit BenedictineSistersOfFl.org, or call (352) 588-8320.

Published March 5, 2014

Young girl’s cancer touches community’s heart

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Before Natalia Sofia Ricabal began attending Lutz Preparatory School last fall, she worried about how she would fit in with her classmates.

Natalia Ricabal, front, her mom Amy Ricabal, and her grandmother Nydia Torres visit Lutz Preparatory School, discussing the challenges that Ewing’s sarcoma has posed for the 8-year-old and her family. The girl’s grandmother left her missionary work in the Dominican Republic so she could help the family. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
Natalia Ricabal, front, her mom Amy Ricabal, and her grandmother Nydia Torres visit Lutz Preparatory School, discussing the challenges that Ewing’s sarcoma has posed for the 8-year-old and her family. The girl’s grandmother left her missionary work in the Dominican Republic so she could help the family.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

It was her first year at the school, and naturally, she wanted to feel welcome.

Now, the 8-year-old’s concerns have become more serious: She’s not sure when she will walk again. She was diagnosed in August with Ewing’s sarcoma, a form of bone cancer.

Her illness came with little warning, Natalia’s Mom, Amy Ricabal, said.

The grade-schooler had been experiencing some leg pain, off and on, then a few days later a huge red bump appeared on her left leg, which came out of her femur and protruded into the soft tissue, Amy said.

Natalia required surgery, and the surgeon had a choice: Amputate the young girl’s leg or do a limb salvage surgery, Amy said. He did the limb salvage surgery, replacing Natalia’s femur bone with a cadaver bone.

“Thank God they were able to keep the growth plates,” Amy said.

Natalia started chemotherapy at the end of August and began radiation treatments in early February. She has lost her hair, has been nauseated and lethargic, has had low white blood counts, and has had blood transfusions, Amy said. She will require substantial physical therapy and it is unclear when she’ll be able to walk.

It has been difficult to see Natalia in pain, and to recall how only months ago she was doing cartwheels and chasing after her 10-year-old brother Gabriel, Amy said. But Natalia’s story isn’t just about illness. It’s also about faith and the community’s outpouring of love and kindness.

The Lutz Citizens Coalition, Lutz Preparatory School and Tampa Bay Food Trucks are combining to host a fundraiser for Natalia at this month’s First Friday Food Truck Rally. It will take place at Lutz Prep, 17951 N. U.S. 41, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., March 7 and will feature a band that has written a song for Natalia.

The Lutz Citizens Coalition is happy to help the Ricabals, said Sam Calco, the coalition’s vice president.

“It’s what Lutz is all about,” he said. “You think about what that family is going through.”

Lutz Prep has demonstrated generosity and warmth at every level, Amy said.

“We’re first-time parents here at the school, and I’m never here because it (Natalia’s health battle) started with the first day of meet and greet,” Amy said. “So, I’m a pretty invisible person.”

The school has embraced the family anyway, and has gone out of its way to support them, using the online voice and video communication service Skype, for instance, to stay in touch when Natalia can’t be in school.

Several students and a teacher also demonstrated their compassion by shaving their heads so Natalia wouldn’t feel conspicuous when returning to school.

The Ricabals have experienced financial challenges, too, as Amy had to step away from her job as an ultrasound sonographer to provide care for Natalia. The family always has relied on both her paycheck and her husband Isaias’s paycheck, Amy said. Her husband is a coach at a charter school.

Amy is not afraid because she knows God will see the family through.

“I just have to focus on my daughter. I can’t worry,” she said. “God is teaching me to just let it go and to rely completely on him, in him — not on my own understanding.”

God’s help has come in many forms, Amy said, like from her mother, who left her missionary work in the Dominican Republic to come help the family.

Natalia’s American Heritage Girl Scouts troop has been an enormous help as well. It was through the troop’s church, Christ Church of Lutz, that Seal Swim School adopted the family for Christmas. The church also provided 40 frozen meals for the family, and bought them a freezer.

Members of the Ricabals’ church — Exciting Idlewild Baptist Church — have stepped up, too. A group of church friends did a makeover on the family’s yard. They also pressure washed the driveway. When they heard the family’s water heater was giving out, they got them a new one.

People have provided gift cards for groceries and have shopped for them, too, Amy said.

One recent day, Natalia was at Lutz Prep with her mom, grandmother Nydia Torres and her Chihuahua, Beatrice. The child was sitting in a wheelchair with a big cast on her leg, but she was smiling and talking about how special she feels because of the kindness of classmates and friends.

Amy said she’s been trying to teach her daughter to see the blessings that are hidden within the challenges they face.

“I tell her, ‘Look, Praise God that we still have a leg. Period,’” she said.

Amy also reminds herself to remain positive, telling herself, “This is something you’re going through. You’re going through the valley right now.”

But with God, she added, “there’s always a purpose and there’s also a plan.”

WHAT: First Friday Food Truck Rally fundraiser for Natalia Sofia Ricabal
WHO: Lutz Preparatory School, Lutz Citizens Coalition, Tampa Bay Food Trucks
First Friday Food Truck Rally
WHEN: March 7, 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
WHERE: Lutz Prep, 17951 N. U.S. 41
Lutz Preparatory School, the Lutz Citizens Coalition and Tampa Bay Food Trucks are sponsoring a fundraiser for Natalia Sofia Ricabal on Friday, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the school, 17951 N. U.S. 41.

Published March 5, 2014

Special Olympics athletes shine in Wesley Chapel

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Before any ribbons were handed out. Before any competitions. Before the Special Olympics Summer Games began at Wesley Chapel High School on March 1, every athlete enjoyed rousing cheers and applause.

Athletes at the Special Olympics Summer Games at Wesley Chapel High School wave to the crowd as they take an introductory lap during opening ceremonies. (Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)
Athletes at the Special Olympics Summer Games at Wesley Chapel High School wave to the crowd as they take an introductory lap during opening ceremonies.
(Michael Murillo/Staff Photo)

The opening ceremonies included a lap around the track for the approximately 475 athletes who participated — walking, waving and proudly representing their respective schools. The actual attendance was much higher, with parking filled to overflow, families and friends in the stands and volunteers helping everyone get organized for the day’s activities.

But it was the athletes who were soaking up the fun and support.

“It feels amazing,” said Carlos Ortiz, who has participated in the Special Olympics since 2008. “You get to have fun and talk to your friends.”

Ortiz also serves as a global messenger for the organization, which enables him to speak to groups and individuals about the benefits of the Special Olympics.

While the athletes were socializing and preparing for their events, their parents were enjoying the moment as well. Denise Peeks, whose daughter Tiffany competes in cycling, said the community support means a lot.

“I’m just glad to know that, not only are the parents supporting them, but they are embraced by the community,” she said. “The business community and the volunteers come out and they get so much support that they so desperately need. I think it’s fantastic.”

Tiffany is a previous gold-medal winner in her event and looks forward to competing and having fun, Peeks added.

Jennifer Lynch agrees about the importance of community support. Her son, Alex, also has won gold in cycling, and said that the Special Olympics is a much-needed day of inclusion for students and parents dealing with intellectual disabilities.

“I think it helps him to feel like he’s part of a community,” she said. “There are so many things he is excluded from and so many activities he can’t do. But this is one that he can, and everyone can rally around and support him.”

In addition to cycling, Lynch said that Alex also participates in basketball when it’s a designated sport. At the Summer Games, athletes compete in cycling, bocce, track and field, soccer skills and tennis.

The volunteers also enjoyed themselves, including Wesley Chapel High freshman John Margetis. A special-needs student himself, Margetis is a high-functioning participant and thought it would be best to volunteer and let others have their moment at the games. He also participates in the school’s Wildcat Wings club, which is a social inclusion group designed to help special needs students interact with other students.

Margetis relates to the athletes and their needs.

“I felt like I should be a part of this,” he said. “I feel like they feel.”

The winners at the events earned ribbons, and many will continue competing in the area games for a chance to participate in the state games. But the goal was for everyone involved to have a good time and give proud parents like Peeks and Lynch an opportunity to cheer while their children show what they can accomplish with some guidance and support.

“It gives us an opportunity to allow our babies to showcase their skills and their talents,” Peeks said.

Published March 5, 2014

Bayonet Point trauma center still fighting for life

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More than two years ago, Pasco County got its first trauma center when Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point expanded its emergency care operations. But how long it will stay is completely up to government officials from the courts, to the Legislature, and especially the Florida Department of Health.

The Bayonet Point hospital, owned by HCA’s West Florida Division, is fighting to keep its trauma center despite the objections of nearby facilities like Tampa General Hospital and BayCare Health System’s St. Joseph’s Hospital. Both already have trauma centers, and believe adding more will dilute a costly service to one that no longer can be sustained financially.

Dr. Scott Norwood, the trauma medical director at Bayonet Point, believes in the exact opposite. To him, it’s not that Florida has too many trauma centers. In fact, it doesn’t have enough — and dealing with traumatic injuries comes down to how quickly a victim can get to a hospital that can treat it.

“Trauma is a time-sensitive disease,” Norwood recently told members of the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce. “It’s just like heart disease or a heart attack, the quicker you can get to a facility to deal with the problem, the more likely you are to survive. And that’s reflective of what’s happening in Florida right now.”

Before the trauma center opened at Bayonet Point, anyone hurt in a fall or accident would have to be transported south to Hillsborough or Pinellas counties, a distance that could exceed 100 miles and tick precious time off the clock.

“We call it the ‘golden hour of trauma,’ that if you can get into a trauma center or to a facility that can manage your problem within 60 minutes of your injury, your likelihood of survival goes way up,” Norwood said. “If you get in a wreck and are out in the middle of nowhere, your odds of surviving are not really good already.”

Since 2011, when Bayonet Point opened its trauma center, mortality rates have dropped across the state — especially in Pasco and Hernando counties, which saw rates plummet 21 percent and 15 percent respectively, Norwood said.

Yet, the more trauma centers there are in the state, the larger the strain on existing resources to serve those people, say representatives from other hospitals with older trauma centers. The more centers there are, the harder it will be to find the best doctors and medical teams trained in trauma.

At the same time, available money for these trauma centers would be spread out, making it difficult for any of them to stay open, opponents said. Although insurance carriers and patients themselves typically fund trauma centers, there are public pools of money available. They include $2 million from a vehicle registration tax, more than $12 million from red-light cameras, and $46 million in federal funds, according to a report last year by the American College of Surgeons.

Lawsuits have flown back and forth, and judges have sided against the new trauma centers like Bayonet Point’s, saying the Department of Health used an invalid rule to green light them, according to published reports. Since then, state health officials have been working around the clock to streamline department rules, and find common ground between the older trauma centers and the new ones.

State health officials started hearings in January and February to work out the trauma center issues, and have developed a plan that would allow at least one trauma center in each of the state’s 19 designated trauma areas, according to published reports. If the rule moves forward as planned, it would keep all of the new trauma centers, including Bayonet Point, in place.

This rule, however, would most likely end up in the courts as well. That’s been made clear by increased lobbying efforts by both sides, including bringing in the conservative-leaning 60 Plus Association to spend $250,000 on television advertising supporting the efforts of hospitals like Bayonet Point.

And now the Florida Legislature is looking to weigh in. State Sen. Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring — and a registered nurse — filed S.B. 1276 last week that, among other things, would limit the number of trauma centers in each of the 19 regions.

However, it’s a limit that would be in favor of hospitals like Bayonet Point, since Grimsley is asking that Pasco and Pinellas counties be limited to three centers, while Hillsborough would get only two. It also removes the ability for other hospitals to protest the addition of more trauma centers.

Including pediatrics at All Children’s Hospital, the Pasco and Pinellas region would have three trauma centers, Bayonet Point joining Bayfront Medical Center on the list.

Still, the entire trauma center system would be reviewed each year under the bill, with a final report heading to state officials at the beginning of February. It also sets expectations that trauma centers like Bayonet Point would be able to treat a minimum of up to 1,000 patients each year.

That’s something the hospital already is doing, Norwood said.

“When we started this thing, we thought we would probably get 800 patients each year,” Norwood said. “In my first year, we had 1,456 patients. In our second year, we got 1,685 patients.”

And 65 percent of those patients come right from Pasco County, he said, and nearly 90 percent come from Pasco or points north of Pasco.

“We are not stealing patients from anywhere,” Norwood said. “This is not happening.”

State health officials said they could move the department’s new rule forward later this spring.

By the Numbers
94.66 — Florida’s trauma center survival rate

95.56 — Survival rate of Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point’s trauma center

27 — Number of trauma centers in Florida

715,500 — Average population each Florida trauma center serves

$2.2 million — Average local, state, federal funding for each trauma center

Published March 5, 2014