Volunteers of the year
Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point has selected its 2019 Female and Male Volunteer of the Year.
Pat Edington has been a volunteer in the Emergency Department for 23 years, providing comfort to patients and families while assisting staff in a positive, professional manner. For the past year, she also has served as a member of the hospital’s Board of Directors.
Gene Hausladen has been one of the most active volunteers since he began five years ago. He has been a courier, worked in the CPRU (Cardiac Procedures Recovery Unit), was one of the hospital’s first ER concierge volunteers, and also has worked in the lab organizing and filing slides, and performing other duties assigned by the staff.
Charity of the month
All five locations of the Pasco County Tax Collector’s Office will offer opportunities for customers to donate to AdventHealth’s Care 360 Transportation Fund, during the month of June.
The Care 360 fund provides the cost of transportation services that helps seniors and other patients in need get to and from the hospital for appointments and treatments, and when they need a ride home upon discharge from the hospital.
For information about the AdventHealth Foundation and the transportation fund, call Connie Bladon at (813) 929-5497.
For information about the charitable giving programs at the tax collector’s office, call Greg Giordano, assistant tax collector, at (727) 847-8179, or visit PascoTaxes.com.
Drive-thru COVID-19 testing
Premier Community HealthCare has expanded its COVID-19 testing capabilities with drive-thru testing, to provide a safe and efficient option for community members.
The drive-thru testing is done by appointment only, and is available at no cost to all Pasco and Hernando county residents, regardless of age or symptoms.
The Pasco site is at 14105 Fifth St., in Dade City, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
The Hernando site is at the Brooksville Family Health Center, 300 S. Main St., on Thursdays and Fridays, starting June 11, from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
To request an appointment, call (352) 518-2000, or visit PremierHC.org.
Testing results should be available within three days to five days via telephone and Premier’s patient portal.
All patients are advised to self-quarantine until results are confirmed.
Access health Care triage
In an effort to prevent the spread of infection, Access Health Care has established several locations throughout the Tampa Bay area as triage locations for those with symptoms of COVID-19.
If you are coughing, sneezing, feverish or have any other respiratory symptoms, and/or have traveled extensively in the last 14 days, call your doctor/primary care physician if you believe that you have symptoms, or go to one of the triage centers.
In Hillsborough County, visit the office of Dr. Brunel Joseph, 2137 W. Martin Luther King Blvd., in Tampa.
In Pasco County, go to the office of Dr. Jennifer Laman, 13235 State Road 52, Suite 108, in Hudson.
For information and other locations, call (352) 688-8116.
Tips for better sleep
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), about one in three American adults do not get healthy amounts of sleep. Stress can make the problem even worse, too.
The NIH says adults need seven hours to eight hours of sleep each night, to stay in good mental and physical health, promote quality of life, and avoid an increased risk of injury.
The institute offers these tips to get a good night’s sleep:
- Go to sleep at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning, even on weekends.
- Don’t take naps after 3 p.m., and don’t nap longer than 20 minutes.
- Stay away from caffeine and alcohol late in the day.
- Avoid nicotine completely.
- Get regular exercise, but not within two hours to three hours of bedtime.
- Don’t eat a heavy meal late in the day. A light snack before bedtime is OK.
- Make your bedroom comfortable, dark, quiet, and not too warm or too cold.
- Follow a routine to help you relax before sleep, such as reading or listening to music. Turn off the TV and other screens at least an hour before bedtime.
- Don’t lie in bed awake. If you can’t fall asleep after 20 minutes, do something calming until you feel sleepy, like reading or listening to soft music.
- Talk with a doctor if sleep troubles continue.
