AdventHealth hosts free wellness events
SEBRING – Hundreds of residents across Highlands and Hardee counties participated in AdventHealth’s Day of Wholeness on Oct. 17, featuring free health resources and family activities.
Events were held at Sebring Circle Park, Ridge Area Seventh-day Adventist Church in Avon Park, AdventHealth Lake Placid and AdventHealth Wauchula.
Participants received nutrition information, wellness resources and opportunities to speak with health care professionals. Those completing a Wellness Passport received free produce from local farms.
A related food distribution at Hands for Hope in Avon Park provided nearly 8,000 pounds of food to more than 620 people through partnerships with Feeding Tampa Bay, United Way of Central Florida and other organizations.
The events were organized by AdventHealth in partnership with local Seventh-day Adventist churches.
Autism license plates generate nearly $170,000 in grants
SUNRISE – The Autism Services Grants Council is awarding nearly $170,000 to 18 Florida nonprofits through proceeds from the state’s Support Autism Programs specialty license plate.
About 16,000 Florida vehicle owners selected the plate this year, generating funding expected to benefit more than 4,500 individuals and families affected by autism and related disabilities.
Grant recipients from Central Florida were Believe and Achieve, Central Florida Community Arts, GiFT for Educators, Removing the Barriers Initiative and The Florida Institute for Community Inclusion.
The grant program is administered by Arc Broward, which distributes funding annually to nonprofits serving people with autism and related disabilities.
Resident explores health topic on Substack
WESLEY CHAPEL – Robert Rush, of Wesley Chapel, has launched The Human Health Review, a Substack publication exploring nutrition and chronic disease.
“I previously worked in law enforcement, and learning about health has become a new passion and purpose for me,” Rush said.
He draws on research, personal experience and an interview to flesh out his first article, “Heart Disease Doesn’t Start With A Heart Attack. It Starts Years Before.” It explains how heart disease can affect those who may feel healthy.
Read more at substack.com/@thehumanhealthreview.
BayCare earns national workplace recognition
CLEARWATER – BayCare Health System has been named to Fortune’s 2026 Best Workplaces in Health Care list for the 10th consecutive year.
The annual list, developed by Great Place to Work and Fortune magazine, is based on confidential employee feedback from health care organizations.
“Our team members and providers bring extraordinary skill and compassionate care to our patients and the communities of West Central Florida,” said Stephanie Conners, president and CEO. “I’m proud BayCare continues to be the best place to work, receive and provide care.”
BayCare also ranked No. 21 on the 2026 PEOPLE Companies that Care list and received eight National Culture Excellence & Industry Awards from Energage and Top Workplaces.
Additional honors include recognition as a Woman-Led Top Workplace and a USA Today Top Workplace for the third consecutive year.
AdventHealth runs mobile mammography program
TAMPA – AdventHealth has been taking its mobile mammography bus, Dottie, on the road during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
The mobile mammography program serves thousands of women across Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk counties.
The buses feature 3D mammography, private changing rooms and a mammography suite. AdventHealth also provides patient navigators to coordinate follow-up care when needed.
The program offers screenings to eligible women ages 40 and older and women ages 35 to 39 with a physician’s prescription.
On the web: adventhealth.com/adventhealth-mobile-mammography
Bay Pines VA receives funding for facility improvements
BAY PINES – Bay Pines VA Healthcare System has received fourth-quarter funding for facility improvements as part of a record $4.8 billion nationwide investment in Veterans Affairs health care infrastructure during fiscal year 2026.
Projects include construction of a dental clinic, kitchen renovations, structural repairs, mold prevention, electronic health record infrastructure upgrades and preparations for new CT and PET/CT scanners.
Improvements at the Lee County Health Care Center include upgrades to its IV mixing room and utility connections.
“This funding represents an important investment in our ability to provide veterans with the exceptional care they have earned and deserve,” Bay Pines VA Director David J. VanMeter said.
The projects are funded through the Veterans Health Administration’s Non-recurring Maintenance program.
Sleep specialist offers tips for time change
NEW YORK – Neurologist and sleep medicine specialist Dr. Pedram Navab is offering advice to help people adjust when daylight saving time ends Nov. 1.
Navab recommends maintaining a consistent wake-up time rather than sleeping late to compensate for the change.
He also suggests getting sunlight after waking, spending time outdoors in the afternoon and reducing exposure to bright lights and screens before bedtime.
People sensitive to schedule changes can gradually shift their sleep and mealtimes by 15 to 20 minutes over several days.
Navab also encourages motorists and pedestrians to exercise caution as evening darkness arrives earlier.
“The clock gives you an extra hour, but your brain doesn’t read the clock,” Navab said. “Light, wake time and daily habits tell your body when it’s time to sleep.”
His book, “The Alchemy of Sleep: The Science, Mystery & Magic of a Good Night’s Rest,” will be published in November via Shambhala Publications.
Author shares journey through grief in new memoir
ORLANDO – Author Nadine Walker explores grief in her memoir, “Shattered but Unbreakable: How Love and Faith Survived.”
Walker recounts surviving a 2003 accident that killed her 37-year-old husband, Paul, and their 7-year-old daughter, Cassie. She was left to recover from her injuries while raising her surviving children.
Walker found inspiration at a women’s retreat in 2021 and began writing about her experiences. In 2023, Walker experienced another devastating loss when her 21-year-old daughter, Aria, died by suicide.
“I want readers to know that a life can be shattered without being destroyed,” Walker said.
Rather than presenting grief as something to conquer, “Shattered but Unbreakable” explores what it means to carry love and loss forward.
“Grief is not something to get over,” Walker said. “It is something we learn to carry — with tenderness, with courage, and over time, with grace.”
The book was released in August by Halo Publishing International.
Quick Hits
The fourth annual Gulf Coast Bike Trek raised more than $125,000 on Oct. 17 in Dunedin, according to The American Lung Association. The event featured courses of 10, 25, 40 and 62 miles.
