The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Wesley Chapel/New Tampa News

Watch out Band-Aid: Wesley Chapel woman develops liquid bandage

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Kerriann Greenhalgh was studying at the University of South Florida when an idea struck her for a product that could plug a gap in the market.

That idea has since gone from concept to creation with the launch of Greenhalgh’s own company, KeriCure Inc.

The company uses a water-based polymer technology that was developed by University of South Florida scientists in 2003.

Kerriann Greenhalgh shows how easy it is to carry around her liquid bandage, which might give Band-Aids a run for their money.
Kerriann Greenhalgh shows how easy it is to carry around her liquid bandage, which might give Band-Aids a run for their money.

Greenhalgh’s product provides a sting-free, preservative-free, waterproof liquid bandage that blocks bacteria and fungi from invading minor cuts, scrapes and burns.

The woman-owned company has developed KeriCure Skin Protectant, KeriCure Natural Seal Skin Protectant and is in the process of developing KeriCure Advanced – Rx for Medical Use.

The skin protectant is a spray designed for people who are on the go. It is being sold at more than 200 Kroger grocery stores and is scheduled in September to hit the shelves at 616 Publix stores in Florida, and 239 more in Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama.

“Seeing it in Publix is going to be so fun,” said Greenhalgh, who grew up in New Tampa and graduated from Wharton High School before obtaining her bachelor’s degree and doctorate from USF.

Long before her wound care spray hit the shelves, Greenhalgh, who is chair and chief executive officer of her company, was busy raising funds, networking and learning what she needed to manufacture her product and get it to market.

It took research to find six companies that could manufacture the packaging and the product.

“I personally financed the whole operation for a year and a half,” said Greenhalgh, who taught chemistry at USF.

She came up with the idea for her product when she was a student.

“I was working with this technology and I noticed that the polymer that we were working with formed a film,” Greenhalgh said. “It’s really elastic and it stretched and moved and would go back to the normal shape. I looked at this, and I said, ‘You know, this would make a really cool second skin, like a liquid bandage.’”

Greenhalgh began using the product herself all the way through graduate school. “I always had it at my house for my pets, for myself, for my husband. I just always kept using it,” she said.

Greenhalgh didn’t pursue her idea right away, but she knew there was a need for it and she knew it worked, she said.

“I didn’t realize how well it worked until people started using it,” she said. Since it has been available, people have told her that they’ve used it as an after-care product for tattoos. Some have used it for psoriasis and others for acne, she said.

And since it’s waterproof, it’s good for those who want to be in the water, or who might be working up a sweat, Greenhalgh said.

She’s interested in seeking out other markets in the United States, including Winn-Dixie, CVS and Walgreens, as well as branching out to Central and South America.

Although initial marketing efforts are going well and the company now has four full-time and one part-time employee, Greenhalgh isn’t trying to build a huge company.

“We don’t want to be a powerhouse,” said the scientist, who lives with her husband, Daniel Opp and nine-month-old son, Nolan Opp, near Quail Hollow. “I don’t want to be running a nationwide company and selling product. It’s hard, dealing with the retail side of things. There are nuances to it. There are loopholes and pitfalls.”

Instead, she would like to get a lab facility and do what she does best: research and development.

“We have a lot of medical product ideas that are in the pipeline,” Greenhalgh said.

Being successful with this product is the first step, though, she said.

“We’ve got this up and running. We’ve got to get it going,” she said. “That way we can find people that are interested in licensing the products from us.

Honoring the 50th anniversary of The March on Washington

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If you were there when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous “I Have a Dream Speech,” Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Libraries would love to hear from you.

The library staff is looking for people like Bill McCloud, a resident of Odessa, who was there at the pivotal event on the mall in Washington, D.C.

“I was a private in the Army,” recalled McCloud, now 68. “I think there was all this concern that there was going to be a riot,” he said.

Instead, the Aug. 28, 1963 event was a nonviolent demonstration, which attracted about 250,000 people to demonstrate their support for economic and racial equality.

“It was overwhelming for me to see such a number of people,” McCloud said.

“It was just a great event that really helped change some of the dynamics of America,” said McCloud, who noted that he had no idea at the time how significant it would be.

The library system is creating a video history of local residents, like McCloud, who participated in the historic 1963 March on Washington.

From now through Aug. 16, library personnel will be available to digitally record the memories of local residents who attended the event that drew 250,000 people to Washington, D.C. The system decided to collect the stories and to have a special event to share them because, as staff member Stacey Jurewicz put it, “we didn’t want to lose this opportunity.”

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his stirring ‘I Have a Dream’ speech during the 1963 March on Washington. (Photo courtesy of WEDU PBS)
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. gave his stirring ‘I Have a Dream’ speech during the 1963 March on Washington. (Photo courtesy of WEDU PBS)

The video histories will be featured along with an afternoon of freedom songs at the West Tampa Branch Library, 2312 Union St. in Tampa, on Aug. 24 at 2:30 p.m.

Those wishing to share their story are asked to call Jurewicz, so she can arrange a time and place for the recording. She can be reached at (813) 273-3652.

The library system isn’t the only local organization honoring the half-century anniversary of that historic day. West Central Florida’s primary PBS station, WEDU, is holding a film screening to honor the event.

The station is hosting a special preview event on Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Tampa Theatre, 711 N. Franklin St. in Tampa. Doors will open at 7 p.m.

Visitors will be able to view a gallery of photos from the 1963 march, meet local residents who took part and see a free preview screening of “The March.”

Seating is limited and reservations are requested. Reservations can be made online at www.wedu.org/themarch.

The program will also air on WEDU-TV on Aug. 27 at 9 p.m., with a block of related programming.

 

Clerk’s office warns residents of scam involving jury summons

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If the phone rings and someone on the other end of the call says it’s time for jury duty, beware.

The Pasco County Clerk & Comptroller’s office is reminding residents that notices of jury service and failure-to-appear notifications are still mailed, and not made over the telephone. The warning comes after the clerk’s office received word from their state association that these kinds of calls are going out, said Darcy Foster, director of strategic enterprise for the clerk’s office.

Some of these calls also seek sensitive personal information, which should never be provided to an unsolicited phone caller, the clerk’s office advises.

The fraudulent telephone calls generally follow the same lines, the clerk’s office notes, claiming it’s coming from the office of the court. The caller threatens to have a warrant issued for an arrest if that person does not report for jury duty.

When the person receiving the calls says they never received a notice or summons, they’re then prompted to give information like birthdate, Social Security number or even credit or bank account information, according to the clerk’s office.

When that happens, the person receiving the call should hang up the telephone and report the call to a local law enforcement agency, Foster said.

They can even take the additional step of reporting the fraud to the Federal Trade Commission at FTC.gov, or call (877) 382-4357.

Anyone with questions about jury duty notices or summons can call O’Neill’s office at (800) 368-2411, ext. 2200.

Land O’ Lakes woman gives personal touch to greetings

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In this age of Tweets and texts, Gloria Dale sticks with an old-fashioned method of sending holiday cheer to veterans and troops.

She writes each of her greeting cards by hand.

The 78-year-old spends much of the year preparing about 1,575 cards to hand out at local nursing homes and to mail to active military personnel overseas.

Gloria Dale works through the year, writing holiday greeting cards for area veterans and military troops overseas. (Photo by B.C. Manion)
Gloria Dale works through the year, writing holiday greeting cards for area veterans and military troops overseas. (Photo by B.C. Manion)

She’s a fixture at the Dunkin’ Donuts on SR 54 in Land O’ Lakes — where she plants herself at her favorite corner table on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays.

She sips coffee as she jots out cards. Sometimes she’ll indulge in a bagel or some oatmeal.

When she’s not at the shop, she can be frequently found penning the cards at Winter Quarters Pasco RV Resort’s clubhouse, while watching NASCAR or her beloved Tampa Bay Rays.

Dale does the holiday card project every year, on behalf of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club.

She got involved about eight years ago, while helping other club members complete the task.

“Well, some of them write so small you can’t read it,” Dale said. So, she thought to herself: “I’ll just take that little chore on myself.”

She asked the group: “Can I take these cards home?”

They told her that’d be fine.

“So, I took those cards home on a Thursday, and the next Thursday I took them back, all done,” Dale said.

Since then, the project has become Dale’s little baby.

As soon as one holiday season is over, she’s out buying cards for the next one.

“After Christmas, I go to the store. They’ll come down — 75 percent and 80 percent off,” said Dale, who pays for the cards herself.

The woman’s club pays for the postage to send the cards overseas, said Rosie Heim, club president.

Heim said the club is lucky to have someone with Dale’s commitment.

“I’m loving that she does it. She gives a personal touch from the club, which we like,” Heim said. “We want people to know that we care. She has beautiful writing.”

Signing the cards is simple, Dale said.

“I could get a stamp that says ‘Merry Christmas’ or ‘Happy Holidays,’” Dale said, but she added, “That would look horrible.”

Instead, she carefully signs each card, places it in an envelope and then adorns the envelope with holiday stickers.

“This is what it looks like when it’s finished,” Dale said, holding a card that she’s finished. “It doesn’t look commercial.”

Dale says she enjoys the project. It’s a way she can honor people who have put their lives on the line for the nation.

“My dad was in the service,” she said. “I had an uncle who was in the service who got killed. I had brothers-in-law and my husband. They all served.

“My (late) husband (Harry), about the last thing he said to me was, if there’s anything to do to help a veteran, help them. So, I try my best.”

Not everyone who gets a card always knows they get it, especially in nursing homes where patients may not always be aware of what’s going on around them.

“But the family will know that they have a card, that we’re thinking of them,” Dale said.

The greetings may also bring a bit of cheer to troops overseas at the holidays, she said.

“I enjoy doing the cards. I can sit and write all day long,” Dale said. “It gives me something to do. It keeps my fingers limber.”

Anyone with new holiday cards they would like to contribute or who would like to help cover postage costs can reach Dale at (813) 215-1045.

 

Porter campus a possible early voting site

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It won’t open until January, and the midterm elections are even farther off, but the Pasco County Supervisor of Elections is already eyeing Pasco-Hernando Community College’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass as a possible early voting site.

Corley mentioned the idea during the monthly meeting of the Greater Wesley Chamber of Commerce’s monthly meeting of its economic development committee.

Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley
Supervisor of Elections Brian Corley

After the meeting, Corley said he hasn’t talked with PHCC officials about the potential early voting site, but he thinks it would be a convenient location.

The new satellite campus of PHCC is being built on Mansfield Boulevard, off SR 56, just east of The Shops at Wiregrass.

“It’s a great location, geographically,” Corley said.

New legislation passed during the last session of the Florida Legislature allows supervisors of election more flexibility than they had in the past on where to place early voting sites, Corley said. Before, those sites could only be located at election offices, city halls or libraries.

That meant that Wesley Chapel voters had to go seven miles east to New River Branch Library or almost as far in the other direction to the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library to vote, Corley said.

Corley wants to make it easier for people who live and work in Wesley Chapel to cast their early ballots.

Having an early polling site in Wesley Chapel would make it easier for people to vote before and after work, as well as during lunch, Corley said.

During his talk at the chamber, Corley also noted another change in state law that he thinks is beneficial.

In previous elections, anyone who voted by mail had to sign the outside of the envelope for the vote to be counted, Corley said. Some voters forgot to do so and the votes would not be counted. That affected 109 voters in Pasco during the last election.

Now, thanks to legislation championed by House Speaker Will Weatherford, “they can send an affidavit in affirming they only voted once,” Corley said. “Their vote will count.”

He’s glad the law changed because he thinks every vote is important.

Only 537 votes separated Al Gore and George Bush in 2000, Corley said.

He cited two much closer votes in Zephyrhills.

“We had two annexation elections in Zephyrhills. One where a one-vote difference for won and the other one, one-vote difference against won,” Corley said.

Corley said he thinks it’s interesting to compare voter turnout for presidential elections and midterms.

The midterm election has the governor on the ballot, the entire Cabinet, state representatives, state senate, two county commission seats and three school board seats.

“The county commission and the school board, to me, have more impact on our lives as citizens, than the president,” Corley said.

“Then, why is it when the president is on the ballot, it’s 75 percent and when it’s a midterm – we had 46 percent in 2010. It should almost be the opposite,” Corley said.

The Laker welcomes news editor

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Michael Hinman has joined The Laker and Lutz News as news editor, ready to share stories for and about the great residents of the area, ensuring that everyone gets a voice.

“I’ve known Michael for many years and have always respected his journalistic ethics and enthusiasm,” said Publisher Diane Kortus. “It is great to finally have Michael on our team and look forward to his contributions, which I expect will make The Laker an even better paper than it is today.”

Hinman started his journalism career 20 years ago in northwestern Pennsylvania where he was a sports correspondent for a local weekly, and also broadcast news on a radio station there. He later moved to upstate New York where he worked as a sports editor for the Steuben Courier-Advocate and the weekend editor for the Hornell Evening Tribune.

Hinman moved to Florida in 1996, where he became editor of the Zephyrhills News, and later a deputy editor for the now-defunct Zephyrhills Sun. In 1999, he joined The Tampa Tribune’s Sunbelt Newspaper division, starting as a reporter with its papers in Northwest Hillsborough County, and later becoming editor of the Temple Terrace News.

In 2005, he took a different route in his journalism career and became a staff writer with the Tampa Bay Business Journal, where he covered seven counties and some of the area’s biggest commercial stories. His ongoing coverage of the failed Trump Tower Tampa project in downtown Tampa earned him the Society of Professional Journalists’ top prize for business journalism in 2008. The Florida Press Association, the Florida Press Club and Community Papers of Florida also have recognized Hinman’s work over the years.

Hinman welcomes story ideas and suggestions for topics you would like to see in The Laker/Lutz News. Please reach out to Hinman at (813) 909-2800, or email him at .

 

Pasco conference proves education is worldwide concern

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Dominic Mukwaya arrived in Pasco County ready to learn. When he left his village in Uganda a month ago, more than 30 members of his extended family joined him at the airport — nearly all of them watching a plane take off for the very first time in their lives.

Not only was it his first plane ride and his first trip to America, but it was also the first time Mukwaya has ever left the Kyotera region of his country, where running water was just introduced last spring, and electricity is still a future goal.

Mark Xing, center, of the Nanshan School District in Shenzhen, China, works with Susan Sanger-Miller from Connerton Elementary, left, and Alissa Lamorand from Anclote Elementary, on some administrative exercises at the International Leadership Fellows Institute in Land O’ Lakes last week. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
Mark Xing, center, of the Nanshan School District in Shenzhen, China, works with Susan Sanger-Miller from Connerton Elementary, left, and Alissa Lamorand from Anclote Elementary, on some administrative exercises at the International Leadership Fellows Institute in Land O’ Lakes last week. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

Despite that, Mukwaya has schooled more than 650 orphans whose families were ravaged by the HIV epidemic there. He has pushed for more adult education as well — especially for women, who traditionally did not go to school when they were younger.

“Some of the people in my district went to school and were not doing good, and others could not afford to pay for the school fees,” Mukwaya said. “We started a sustainability project where, in the long term, we can help those who might not be able to learn otherwise.”

Mukwaya returned home last weekend after his two-week trip to Land O’ Lakes, participating in the annual International Leadership Fellows Institute from the National Educator Program. That program, based in Denver, chose the Pasco County Schools out of more than a dozen national applicants to host this institute. It’s designed to empower teachers to become strong leaders, and give students equal access to success.

The seminar itself, which also included 20 hand-picked Pasco educators, lasted two weeks. It’s part of the overall institute program designed to operate for the next year, connecting participants not only with face-to-face visits, but also technologically through online communication services like Skype. It’s meant to be a give and take, where these administrators learn from each other, and take all of it back to incorporate into their own classrooms.

“What we have found so far that whether you’re teaching in a major metropolitan area or the jungle by the lake, it’s remarkable the similarities on how schools and classrooms operate,” said Mark Thompson, executive director of NEP. “We found much more in common than we thought.”

The recent conference in Land O’ Lakes was led by Diane Varano, principal of the Cultural Academy for the Arts and Sciences in Brooklyn. She makes the trip each year to help form new bonds among the education leaders, giving them tools to reinvigorate classrooms.

It’s a much-needed wakeup call for many teachers, who in recent years have complained about being forced to teach to state-mandated tests like the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test. Instead, the learning process must be more experiential, said Mark Xing, who is the director of teaching affairs for a 2,000-student school system in Shenzhen, China. Located just north of Hong Kong, Shenzhen is a city of more than 10 million people that was an early adopter of capitalism in the traditionally communist country. Because of that, the school there has been working to include both Chinese and American curriculums.

“In China, a lot of parents would like to send their children to study in the United States,” Xing said. “They want their children to know more about American culture, and we actually started this program to meet the parents’ needs.”

There was some concern that requiring both Chinese and American studies for elementary school-aged students might be too much. Instead, Xing has found his students embracing both equally, and that will give them an edge as technology continues to shrink the world and China plays an ever-expanding role in world economics.

Mukwaya’s curriculum also is experience-based, but not quite the same way. In his region, English is being taught as a third language — behind the local Luganda and the regional Swahili. But while math and reading are essential in the learning process for both children and adults, so are vocational skills that will help not only make money for his students, but save money as well.

“We started with writing and reading, and now they are going up to do more functional things like how to weave mats from palm leaves and make bags from banana fibers,” Mukwaya said. “We’re also teaching many of our women how they can save money, and how they can be sustainable financially.”

Both Mukwaya and Xing will return to Land O’ Lakes next year to share progress on changes they’ve instituted because of the program and report back on how well they have worked, with the goal of helping the district’s program to grow and evolve.

“This isn’t just about someone coming here and learning things. We are learning a great deal from them,” Thompson said. “We can teach them some of our best practices when it comes to education, but they are not just learning ours, they are teaching us theirs, too, and that’s the kind of dialogue we want to have.”

Business Digest

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Krista Covey to lead business incubator
Krista Covey is the new economic development manager of SMARTstart, Pasco County’s first business incubator.

The incubator, at the Dade City Business Center and Dade City Office Plaza, will help small companies and startup businesses.

The Dade City location was selected because it is at an industrial park and has office space onsite. It is also near expert help from Saint Leo University, the Small Business Development Center and business leaders who are active with the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce.

Covey said she will divide her time between the Dade City location and her office at the Pasco Economic Development Council in Lutz.

The business incubator has begun accepting applications. Anyone interested in knowing more should contact Covey at (813) 926-0827, ext. 227.

 

Grow Financial set to open Wesley Chapel branch
Grow Financial is opening its 21st branch at 2579 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. in Wesley Chapel. The 3,805-square-foot branch has a modern retail design and a contemporary color scheme. It is expected to debut an interactive teller machine in October at a community grand opening event.

The Wesley Chapel branch will also have an art room, which will display art by local artists and by students from area schools on a rotating basis throughout the year.

The opening exhibit is titled Within the Artists’ Eye featuring art by some of the faculty of the Pasco Arts Council, Inc.

 

WestBay opens Key Largo II model in Connerton
Homes by WestBay has opened the Key Largo II in Connerton, a 4,800-acre planned community in Land O’ Lakes.

The Key Largo II model has 3,900 square feet of space, five bedrooms, four bathrooms and a three-car garage.

It’s located in the Jasmine Abbey neighborhood of Connerton, which boasts parks, restaurants, shopping, schools and an award-winning amenity complex. Homes in Jasmine Abbey are priced from the upper $200,000 range.

Model home hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 6 p.m. on Sunday.

For more information on Homes by WestBay, call (813) 285-1444, or visit HomesbyWestBay.com.

 

Jeff Huebner new VP of construction for Avex Homes
Jeff Huebner is the new vice president of construction for Avex Homes, an Orlando-based builder that is constructing homes at Cypress Village at Avalon Park West on SR 54 in Wesley Chapel.

Huebner has more than 25 years of experience in the homebuilding industry and significant vendor relationships. He was most recently Orlando division vice president of construction for Maronda Homes.

The Avalon Park Group development will eventually accommodate as many as 4,400 homes and more than 700,000 square feet of commercial space in its Town Center.

 

PEDC board gets new member
All Children’s Hospital/Johns Hopkins Medicine has joined the Pasco Economic Development Council Inc.’s board of directors.

“All Children’s Hospital has been looking forward to an active role on Pasco EDC’s board of directors,” said Kuhns, vice president of human resources, in a news release.  “Pasco County continues to grow at a rapid pace, and we are excited to work with other business and community leaders to make Pasco a better place for both families and employers.”

All Children’s Hospital operates a 20,000-square-foot outpatient care facility on Rowan Road in New Port Richey.

Kuhns has served in his current role since 2008. Before that, he spent seven years with HCA in the Tampa Bay area. He lives in New Port Richey with his wife and family.

 

East Pasco Networking Group meetings
The East Pasco Networking Group has scheduled several future speakers. The group meets at the Village Inn, 5214 Gall Blvd. in Zephyrhills. Networking starts at 8 a.m. and the meeting begins at 8:30 a.m.

Here’s a schedule of upcoming speakers:

–Aug. 13: Jennifer Samuel-Choice, speaker coach and professional storyteller

–Aug. 27: Brian Corley, Pasco County Supervisor of Elections and Randy Stovall, PHCC, Provost Dean, East Campus

–Sept. 10: Faith Knight, chief operations officer of Apollo Group

–Sept. 24: Maureen Moore, director of communications at Saint Leo University

–Oct. 8: Danny Burgess, mayor of Zephyrhills

–Oct. 22: Paul Stonebridge, Pasco County Library System

–Nov. 12: Gary Loman, professional education manager, Rasmussen College

–Nov. 26: Tom Jackson, columnist for The Tampa Tribune

 

Christian Business Connection makes donations
Christian Business Connections donated $250 to Impact, a group of high school teens committed to saying yes to healthy relationships and saying no to premarital sex, drugs, tobacco and alcohol.

The business connections group also donated $250 to Overflow Magazine, a nonprofit Christian magazine distributed at churches, Salvation Army stores, supermarkets and other locations in Tampa Bay.

Christian Business Connections focuses on helping businesses prosper by networking and sharing ideas and business practices. The group meets at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays at Myrtle Lake Baptist Church, 2017 Reigler Road in Land O’ Lakes.

For more info, visit www.cbccentralpasco.com.

 

North Tampa Chamber meetings
Here’s the slate of upcoming meetings of the North Tampa Chamber of Commerce

–Aug. 8: General meeting at the Clarion Hotel & Conference Center, 2701 E. Fowler Ave. in Tampa. For more information, email the chamber office at , or call (813) 961-2420. Doors open at 11 a.m., with networking until a buffet lunch begins at 11:30 a.m.

–Aug. 15: Chamber networking luncheon, at Beef O’ Brady’s, 8810 N. Himes Ave., Tampa. RSVP by Aug 13 to Kelly Winterling at , or call Horizon Bay at Lutz (Brookdale Senior Living) at (813) 909-9679. Need directions? Call (813) 936-2058.

–Aug. 22: Chamber networking luncheon, 11:30 a.m., at Embassy Suites USF/near Busch Gardens, 3705 Spectrum Blvd. in Tampa. RSVP by Aug. 20 to Jenn Beaumont at , or call her at AGLA-American General Life at (813) 334-8998. Directions? Call (813) 977-7066.

–Aug. 27: Chamber “Coffee Connection,” 7:30 a.m., hosted by Horizon Bay at Lutz, 414 Chapman Road E. in Lutz. RSVP no later than Aug. 26 to Kelly at (813) 909-9679 or . Refreshments will be provided.

–Sept. 3: Grand opening and ribbon cutting from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Hair Cuttery, North Point Plaza, 15207 N. Dale Mabry Highway in Tampa. RSVP to Shelia Jarrett at (813) 960-3871 . Light refreshments will be served.

Please RSVP if you plan to attend these chamber events. For more information about the North Tampa Chamber, call (813) 961-2420, or send an email to: or visit northtampachamber.com.

 

Wesley Chapel’s newest surgeon is a robot named da Vinci

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Adventist Health System has always stayed on the cutting edge of medicine, dating back to the 19th century when doctors employed by the company championed the dangers of smoking and the health benefits of a little fresh air.

Now the company’s newest facility, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, is staying ahead of the curve once again with an advanced robotic surgery system that is expected to reduce recovery times with the most precise surgeries available.

The da Vinci Surgical System SI takes over the work on the operating table at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel with a surgeon nearby controlling every aspect of it. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
The da Vinci Surgical System SI takes over the work on the operating table at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel with a surgeon nearby controlling every aspect of it. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

It’s called the da Vinci Surgical System SI, and the hospital at 2600 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. was expected to use it for the first time Monday. When it’s fully activated, it almost looks like a menacing mechanical spider in the operating room. But the da Vinci has the agility and dexterity beyond any human surgeon that will reduce blood loss, pain, scars and complications from all kinds of surgery ranging from prostate operations to intestinal resections.

“Basically, it does a much more exact surgery,” said Gill Green, director of surgical services at Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel. “And with it, you avoid the complications.”

Surgery teams at the 83-bed hospital spent weeks training on the system ahead of their first operation on Monday. They learned not only how to prep a patient for the da Vinci, but also how to use its 3-D remote control that gives the surgeon a view he would struggle to see in a traditional operation. It takes laparoscopic surgery to a whole new level, said Mary Brady, Wesley Chapel’s chief nursing officer.

“Being a robot, the arm pieces are much smaller, and have much more room to work,” she said. “When the surgeon looks into the controller, his screen magnifies everything 10 times. And even if his hands are trembling a bit when he’s working the system, the robot arms are always working in a smooth motion.”

Some patients fear robotic surgery because they think a robot is doing the work.

Like many robotic systems, a surgeon directs the da Vinci controls, using its tools to make surgery less invasive.

“It works for many different types of surgery, but we don’t have to use it if someone doesn’t want it,” Brady said. “There are other alternatives as well, and that’s something that is discussed between the physician and the patient on how they want to proceed.”

Few hospitals are using the da Vinci system in the Tampa Bay area, but they do include Pasco Regional Medical Center in Dade City and St. Joseph’s Hospital-North in northern Hillsborough County.

But it is a steep investment. Florida Hospital wouldn’t say what they paid for the device, but prices can run as high as $1.75 million, according to the undergraduate science journal, the Journal of Young Investigators.

Yet, it’s an investment worth making if it can reduce the complications involved in various types of surgery.

“It’s a continuation of our vision from the very beginning that we would have state-of-the-art technology in this hospital,” said Tracy Clouser, director of marketing for the Wesley Chapel hospital. “We make sure we have only the best in all areas where it provides patient benefits, and better patient care.”

Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel opened last October, becoming Adventist’s 22nd hospital in the state.

Woman vs. gator: A sport and food source going mainstream

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She arrived to the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce mixer last week at the recently reopened Beef O’ Brady’s at the Village Lakes Shopping Center with long blonde hair, perfectly manicured nails and an inviting smile – to represent her family’s heating and cooling company.

The trophy table is lined with heads and skins of what were once fierce reptiles in Florida’s waters. The gators are hunted, but are then used for not only their hides, but for food as well.
The trophy table is lined with heads and skins of what were once fierce reptiles in Florida’s waters. The gators are hunted, but are then used for not only their hides, but for food as well.

But that’s just touching the surface. Charlene Ierna might help service and sell air-conditioning units during the day, but her off time is filled with a much different passion: gator hunting.

While it might not be the most common form of game hunting in Florida, alligator hunting attracts many adventure-seekers looking to come face-to-face with the state’s largest native reptile. And these hunters don’t use guns. Instead, they stalk their prey with weapons like spear guns or crossbows.

“A lot of people still do consider it a little dangerous,” said Ierna, who is vice president of Ierna’s Heating & Cooling in Lutz. “Having been around them my whole life when I would hunt them with my dad as a kid, I’m still not going to say that I’m comfortable with them. You can never be comfortable with something that is more powerful than you are.”

Ierna captured her first gator this past Easter during a professionally guided hunt just south of Bartow. Her gator measured 13 feet and 4 inches, and weighed 800 pounds. She lured it close to her with an alligator call, and then while it was still in the water, hit it with her crossbow.

A giant bobber, that was part of the arrow she shot, kept the alligator afloat. She finished it off later with a second arrow.

“They’re dinosaurs essentially,” Ierna said. “One bow and arrow is not going to do the job, unless it’s a perfect shot hit in the perfect place.”

But hunting an alligator is not just for the trophy head. Fully processed gator hides can run for as much as $100 a foot, according to Shane Smith, a Lutz resident who owns The Hungry Gator Meat Market in Plant City.

Alligator meat, while not quite ready to replace beef or chicken in most people’s diets, is still quite popular with various eateries, including Hungry Harry’s on US 41, which serves a popular gator sausage sandwich.

“Alligators, especially wild alligators, are found only in the Southeast, and there are few other alligator farms outside of there,” Smith said.

The alligator meat industry as a whole has grown 500 percent in the past year alone, Smith said. That’s due in large part to cable television shows like “Swamp People” and “Gator Boys” that have whet the nation’s taste buds to alligator steaks and alligator sausage.

“Trappers in Florida used to only sell to local restaurants. Now they’re shipping to restaurants all over the country,” Smith said. His meat processing company, open only a year, already is distributing more than 450 pounds of gator meat a week to restaurants, including Charley’s Steak House and Market Fresh Fish in Tampa.

For the uninitiated, gator meat tastes a bit like chicken, believe it or not, and has a texture probably best described as those found in certain types of fish. But it does have some significant health benefits.

“It’s a very lean meat, low in cholesterol and high in protein,” Smith said. “It has a higher protein count than in chicken or tuna.”

Ierna, in the meantime, is already gearing up for her next alligator hunt. She’s heading to St. John’s River in September with the hopes of picking up two more gators to add to her collection.

This time, Ierna will be without a professional guide. She’ll be hunting an animal with heightened senses of smell and sight that could turn the tables on a hunter in an instant.

“My personal opinion, and I even tell my kids this,” Ierna said. “They are far more intimidated by you than what you think. They don’t want anything to do with us.”

But still: “You have to be wise and be alert, and you certainly can’t be relaxed. You can’t just sit and look and just hope everything goes well. You have to be attentive to what’s going on.”