New staff at BayCare Medical Group
Dr. Jonathon Tsai, general surgeon, has joined the BayCare Medical Group, 4211 Van Dyke Road, Suite 200, in Lutz, in the Physician Office Building on the St. Joseph’s Hospital-North campus. The surgeon earned his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Florida College of Medicine, Gainesville, and completed a general surgery residency at Charleston Area Medical Center in West Virginia. Dr. Tsai prioritizes minimally invasive robotic surgery.
Strokes on the rise among young people
Research from the American Heart Association shows the rate of stroke has been steadily rising for the past 30 years among Americans younger than age 49, particularly among people living in the South and Midwest regions of the United States, according to an AdventHealth news release.
The findings came from the Global Burden of Disease 2019 study, which is a peer-reviewed, large-scale assessment of global health trends. It also found the stroke rate is declining in adults ages 75 and older in the U.S.
The most recent data from the Florida Department of Health shows stroke was the fourth leading cause of death in Florida. Since 2010, the number of Floridians who died from stroke has increased. Each year there are approximately 65,000 to 75,000 hospitalizations from stroke. Stroke is also a leading cause of long-term disability, the release says.
Most risk factors for stroke in young adults are similar to those in older adults, like high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol and obesity. Other risk factors include excessive alcohol use, physical inactivity, smoking and heart disease.
Health experts encourage people to remember the acronym “BE FAST” to look for symptoms:
B – Balance: look for loss of balance
E – Eyes: check for vision loss
F – Face: look for an uneven smile
A – Arms: check to see if one arm is weak
S – Speech: listen for slurred speech
T – Time: it is time to call 911 if any of these signs are present
To learn more about stroke prevention and treatment, visit AdventHealth.com.
States ranked for tick-borne illnesses
To mark National Lyme Disease Awareness Month, Pest Gnome has ranked 2024’s Worst States for Tick-Borne Illnesses, according to a news release.
Pest Gnome is part of the Home Gnome family of home services sites that make it easy to find home services professionals, its website says.
Fifty states were compared in six categories for the annual rates of tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease, ehrlichiosis, and Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF).
Environmental factors such as forest area, hiking trails, and length of tick and flea season were also considered among 25 total metrics.
The most vulnerable states for tick-borne illnesses are: 1) New York, 2) Pennsylvania, 3) Texas, 4) California and 5) Wisconsin.
The least vulnerable states: 1) Hawaii, 2) Arizona, 3) Utah, 4) Idaho and 5) New Mexico.
To read the full story, visit PestGnome.com/blog/studies/worst-states-tick-borne-illnesses/.
Grantee spotlight
The Special Hearts Farm “Special Animals for Special Hearts,” in Winter Garden, serves individuals with disabilities and unique abilities by providing adult day training, supported employment, and entrepreneur business opportunities related to farming and gardening experiences.
The farm received $10,000 from the Autism License Plate grant and used the funds to support the farm, according to a news release.
Participants are trained to perform jobs including livestock care, woodworking, gardening and making goat milk soap. Products that are created, marketed and sold (goat milk, rustic signs, farm parties, goat yoga) provide an opportunity to promote community health and awareness.
The next Autism License Plate grant application cycle will open on July 1. All nonprofit organizations with an Internal Revenue Service designation as a 501(c)(3) exempt organization and State of Florida Charitable Solicitation Registration number that are providing services to individuals with autism and related disabilities in Florida are eligible to apply.
