Pharmacists awarded certification
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point announced that, from left: Brittany Petrosky, Pharm.D., BCCCP; Nicholas K. Rigopoulous, Pharm.D., BCPS, BCGP; Kris Miley, Pharm.D., BCPS; and Erika Mooney, Pharm.D., BCPS and have received National Board Certifications by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS). All four passed a rigorous certification exam by the board.
Hospital receives award for organ donation awareness
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point has been recognized by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services with a Platinum Award for its activities to increase enrollment in the state registry as organ, eye and tissue donors.
Regional Medical was informed by LifeLink of Florida that the award was in recognition of Bayonet Point’s organ donor registration efforts between Oct. 1, 2017 and April 30, 2018.
The hospital hosted various donor registry events in high traffic areas of the hospital, had a donation flag raising ceremony for its staff and the community, and ran a campaign of hospital public service announcements on its internal cable channel.
Presentations about organ, eye and tissue donations also were made, and posters were displayed throughout the facility.
The hospital even joined with an organ recipient who showed appreciation for staff efforts regarding the donation process.
Bilirakis bill to help heart patients
The Congenital Heart Future Reauthorization Act sponsored by Congressman Gus Bilirakis has been signed into law.
This legislation addresses the need to invest in continued research to assist the millions of Americans living with congenital heart disease (CHD).
The legislation seeks to build upon the success by ensuring continued investment in surveillance research to assess the lifelong needs of individuals with CHD.
Emphasis also is placed upon the need for continued biomedical research at the National Institutes of Health on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of CHD.
This is the 26th bill authored by Bilirakis to become law since 2015.
Robotic breast reconstruction
Women who undergo a mastectomy to remove cancerous tissue or as a preventive measure because of a heightened genetic risk of breast cancer may choose reconstructive surgery.
One option is to use their own tissue for the reconstruction, which can achieve a more natural appearance and is a more permanent solution, compared with implant-based reconstructive surgeries.
According to a news release, surgeons from the University of Pennsylvania are the first in the world to use a surgical robot to assist with a bilateral free flap breast reconstruction, a procedure in which tissue is taken from the lower abdomen (similar to a tummy tuck), and used to rebuild the breast.
The technique enables surgeons to make a much smaller incision into the abdominal wall muscles, allowing patients to recover and to be discharged quicker, without the use of addictive narcotic painkillers.
For information, visit PennToday.upenn.edu, and click on the Health Sciences link.
