• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar
  • About Us
  • Videos
  • Online E-Editions
  • Social Media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
  • Advertising
  • Local Jobs
  • Puzzles & Games
  • Circulation Request

The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Lutz since 1964 and Pasco since 1981.
Proud to be independently owned.

  • Home
  • News
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills/East Pasco
    • Business Digest
    • Senior Parks
    • Nature Notes
    • Featured Stories
    • Photos of the Week
  • Sports
    • Land O’ Lakes
    • Lutz
    • Wesley Chapel/New Tampa
    • Zephyrhills and East Pasco
    • Check This Out
  • Education
  • Pets/Wildlife
  • Health
    • Health Events
    • Health News
  • What’s Happening
  • Closer Look
  • Homes
  • Obits

Michael Longley

Enjoy your summer: Avoid a trip to the ER

July 10, 2014 By B.C. Manion

If you’ve been outdoors lately, no doubt you’ve observed that Florida’s steamy days of summer have arrived with a vengeance.

You also may have noticed there are a lot more kids riding bicycles in the street, splashing around in pools, and hanging off equipment at the local playground.

Going to the beach is a fun summer pastime, but three local doctors want to make sure that trip doesn’t end up in the emergency room. (File Photo)
Going to the beach is a fun summer pastime, but three local doctors want to make sure that trip doesn’t end up in the emergency room.
(File Photo)

The roads are busier, too. Cars and trucks snake toward the beach, and families have packed up to hit the road for vacation. There are a lot more people firing up their backyard grills and having picnics at parks, too.

Summer and its pastimes can offer a pleasant break, but is also can lead to illnesses or injuries, prompting unwanted trips to the local emergency room. There are ways, though, to lower your risk of getting sick or injured.

Three physicians — from Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel and St. Joseph’s Hospital-North — shared their observations about the types of summer injuries that typically arrive at their emergency departments, and they offered suggestions to help people avoid the need for medical care.

On the road
“We see increased motor vehicle accidents,” said Dr. Javier Gonzalez, assistant medical director of the emergency department at the Zephyrhills hospital. Wear a seat belt, he added, because it reduces injuries and save lives.

It’s important to safeguard children, too. Be sure they have the appropriate type of protection, such as car seats or child-restraint chairs, he said. Head injuries tend to increase in the summer, too, because of greater use of bicycles, skateboards and in-line skates, Gonzalez said.

Be sure to wear helmets and make sure they fit properly, he said. Also, be sure the chinstrap is strapped beneath your chin to help protect the side of your head.

Use wrist guards to help prevent injuries, too.

“A lot of these people wear helmets, but when they fall, they put their hands down first, so they get a lot of wrist injuries,” Gonzalez said.

In the water
The importance of water safety cannot be overstated. “In Florida, a lot of people have pools. Make sure they have gates,” Gonzalez said.

Constant vigilance is required when children are in or around water, he added.

“Don’t take a break to get on the phone. I hear that all of the time, ‘I just went out for a second to speak to somebody or to pick up the phone.’ Before they know it, two minutes have passed by and the child is dead at the bottom of the pool.”

At public pools, be sure the child is within view of the lifeguard, Gonzalez said. Drownings at the beach often result from swimmers getting caught in riptides, so be sure to swim across the current, not against it.

“Always wear a life vest, as well, if you are doing activities like jet skiing,” he said. It’s also wise to do so when you’re cruising in a boat.

Besides the potential for drowning accidents, there are other risks associated with the water, Cordero said.

Diving accidents can cause serious neck injuries, she said.

When someone gets hurt diving, it’s important to get them out of the water to make sure they’re breathing, said Dr. Katrina Cordero, associate medical director of the emergency room at St. Joseph’s Hospital–North. Then, make sure they keep their neck still until help arrives.

Enjoying the outdoors
When you’re having a cookout or picnic, pay attention to how long the food has been sitting out, Gonzalez said. Some foods must be refrigerated, and if they are left out too long, it can cause people to become ill.

Store uncooked meats in separate coolers to avoid issues with cross contamination. Also, be sure to thoroughly cook meat and chicken, he said.

All three doctors said drinking water is important to avoid dehydration.

“There’s a misconception that you can actually keep up with your hydration once you’re outside, or once you’re doing the activity,” said Dr. Michael Longley, medical director of the emergency department at the Wesley Chapel hospital. “The reality is you really need to pre-hydrate. Drink a lot either the night before or a couple of hours before you’re going to be outside.

“You’re losing water with every breath you take, you’re losing water with the heat itself. You’re losing water with sweating and you’re losing water with the activity that you’re doing. It’s compounded and there’s just no way to keep up if the tank isn’t full to begin with,” Longley said.

How much you need to drink varies based on your size. An adult should drink a liter or two before they go out. A child should drink about half of that, Longley said.

To help people drink enough water, Longley offers this piece of advice: “I tend to tell kids and adults, alike, to add a little extra salt to their meal. It drives the thirst. It helps the muscle function and it helps you to hold in a little of the water, as well.”

People who suffer from heat cramps, heat stroke and heat exhaustion haven’t hydrated before they go outside, Longley said. Often, people don’t realize how hot they are because they’ve been out in the sun for hours, take a dip and feel a cool breeze.

Sunburn is a problem, too, St. Joe’s Cordero said. People often underestimate the intensity of the sun here.

“They fall asleep on the beach,” she said, and when they wake up, they have painful sunburn.

The same thing can happen when people are out working in the yard and haven’t applied sunscreen, she said. They get busy and forget how much sun exposure they’ve had.

Cordero also offered this tip to avoid becoming dehydrated: Carry a bottle of water or Gatorade around with you, to remind yourself to drink. Some people like to quench their thirst with a beer or another alcoholic drink.

“Beer is OK,” Cordero said. But “don’t let it be your only means of hydration.”

Rockets’ red glare
The increased amount of recreation during summer months tends to result in more people visiting the ER with injuries, Longley said. “We see a lot more broken bones.”

It’s also a time of year when there’s an uptick in fireworks injuries, which are typically unique injuries that require expert medical attention.

“Explosions can cause all sorts of tissue damage locally,” Longley said. “Particles can be inhaled. They can be embedded in the eye.”

The injuries can get complicated quickly.

“Something that seems simple can be way more complex a few hours later,” Longley said.

Sometimes the steps taken immediately after a fireworks injury can make a big difference, Cordero said. If a fingertip is blown off, for example, it’s important to try to find the fingertip, she said. It should be placed in a cloth that has been dampened with water, placed in a plastic bag, and then all put into a larger bag that has some ice in it.

“You don’t want any direct contact with ice,” Cordero said. “That could cause some tissue damage.”

Tips for a safer summer
• Drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration. Start drinking water before you head out for the day, and keep drinking it throughout the day to stay hydrated.

• If you’re grilling, be sure to cook your meats thoroughly. Also, do not allow children to be near hot grills.

• If you’re having a gathering, be sure to keep foods that need refrigeration in coolers until shortly before you need them. Keep them away from direct sunlight and don’t leave them out for more than an hour.

• Wear helmets while riding bikes, skateboarding or rollerblading. Wear wrist guards, too.

• Be vigilant when there are children around water. A happy gathering can turn tragic within minutes.

• Wear sunscreen to avoid sunburn. Be sure to reapply it if you decided to take a dip in a pool or at the beach.

• Wear life jackets on boats and seat belts in cars.

Water Safety Tips
Ways to improve safety:

• Never leave a child unattended at a pool or a spa.

• Teach children basic water safety skills.

• Keep children away from pool drains, pipes and other openings.

• Have a telephone nearby to enable a quick call to emergency agencies.

• If a child is missing, check the pool or spa first.

• Learn CPR.

• Install a 4-foot fence around the perimeter of the pool with a self-closing, self-latching gate.

• Having life-saving equipment such as life rings or floats available and easily accessible.

For information, visit PoolSafely.gov.

Published July 9, 2014

See this story in print: Click Here

Filed Under: Health, Local News, Top Story Tagged With: Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, Javier Gonzalez, Katrina Cordero, Michael Longley, St. Joseph's Hospital-North

In Print: Don’t miss Fourth of July, we have pics

July 9, 2014 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

What did you do on the Fourth of July? Well, hopefully you didn’t stay home, because there were plenty of options, which as a regular reader of The Laker/Lutz News, you already knew about.

Bridget Richwine, second from right, helped her sons get into the Fourth of July spirit with hats she made for C.J., 11, at right, and Ben, 5. Grandmother Chloie Adkins, far left, looks on.  (Photo by Michael Hinman)
Bridget Richwine, second from right, helped her sons get into the Fourth of July spirit with hats she made for C.J., 11, at right, and Ben, 5. Grandmother Chloie Adkins, far left, looks on. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

The Shops at Wiregrass kicked things off with its annual Fourth of July celebration July 3, complete with bicycle decorating contests, watermelon eating and Miss and Mr. Firecracker. It continued Friday morning in Lutz with its annual Fourth of July parade, which had large crowds lined up along Lutz Lake Fern Road leading into the Lutz Depot.

And if that wasn’t enough, the fun continued Saturday in places like Avalon West and Connerton, with booths, games and fireworks.

Want to see some of the great images from those events? Well, you can find them right now in this week’s print edition of The Laker/Lutz News. If you don’t have a newspaper in front of you, you can see all the picture in our free e-edition by clicking here.

Also, a Lutz News reader, Tracy Gaschler, submitted some of her own pictures from the Lutz parade. You can check those out on our Facebook page by clicking here.

If you were at any of those Fourth of July events, then there’s no doubt in your mind that we’re in the middle of summer, and it can be hot. But how do you enjoy the sun and fun, without ending up in the emergency room?

Three local doctors from places like Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel and St. Joseph’s Hospital-North shared some advice on how to stay safe while celebrating summer whether it’s on the road, in the water, or in the outdoors.

But it’s not just about keeping yourself safe, but children, too. And they require constant vigilance, especially when they are in the water.

“Don’t take a break to get on the phone,” Dr. Javier Gonzalez, assistant medical director of the emergency department at the Zephyrhills hospital, told reporter B.C. Manion. “I hear that all the time, ‘I just went out for a second to speak to somebody or to  pick up the phone.’ Before they know it, two minutes have passed by and the child is dead at the bottom of the pool.”

Another key safety tip is to stay hydrated, and not just when you’re in the heat — but drinking plenty of water before you go out is essential too.

“You’re losing water with every breath you take, you’re losing water with the heat itself,” said Dr. Michael Longley, medical director of the emergency department at the Wesley Chapel hospital. “You’re losing water with sweating and you’re losing water with the activity that you’re doing. It’s compounded and there’s just no way to keep up if the tank isn’t full to being with.”

To see what else these doctors, along with Dr. Katrina Cordero, has to say about summertime protection, check out the print edition of this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, or you can read it for free in our e-edition by clicking here.

Finally, Pasco County sheriff Chris Nocco learned Tuesday that the first draft of the county’s budget for the next year will include more than $5 million he’s requested in additional funds to help stave off the departure of deputies to neighboring counties. But what is the long-term plan for the sheriff’s office?

Probably the biggest thing on the drawing board is creating a fourth district for deputies, based out of the Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel area.

“we are going to need many more deputies, and we’re going to need a fourth district in the (State Road) 54 corridor,” Nocco told reporter Michael Hinman. “We need to have a stronger presence in the Land O’ Lakes and Wesley Chapel area. Deputies who serve that area right now are based out of Dade City, and there has to be something much closer to serve those needs.”

However, many of those plans will require money — something Nocco believes Pasco County commissioners are supportive, since public safety is a key factor to continued growth and happy residents.

“We are not wasting taxpayer dollars,” Nocco said. “Instead, we are very efficient. I know our commissioners are being pulled in a thousand different directions, but I also think they realize that public safety is a priority.”

You can read more about Nocco’s plans in the print edition of The Laker, or you can read our free e-edition by clicking here.

All of these stories and more can be found in this week’s The Laker/Lutz News, available in newsstands throughout east and central Pasco County as well as northern Hillsborough County. Find out what has your community talking this week by getting your local news straight from the only source you need.

If The Laker/Lutz News is not coming to your door, call us to see where you can get your copy at (813) 909-2800, or read our free e-edition by clicking here.

Filed Under: Updates Tagged With: Avalon West, B.C. Manion, Chris Nocco, Connerton, Dade City, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel, Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, Hillsborough County, Javier Gonzalez, Katrina Cordero, Land O' Lakes, Lutz, Lutz Depot, Lutz Lake Fern Road, Michael Longley, Pasco County, St. Joseph's Hospital-North, The Shops at Wiregrass, Tracy Gaschler, Wesley Chapel, Zephyrhills

Primary Sidebar

All the Way Health and Acupuncture

Twisted Sprocket Cafe

Foodie Friday Gallery

Search

Sponsored Content

Art Lovers Invited To Join East Pasco Arts Committee

January 26, 2021 By Special to The Laker/Lutz News

Do you love art and also love your community? Do you live in Wesley Chapel, Land O’ Lakes, San Antonio, Zephyrhills or … [Read More...] about Art Lovers Invited To Join East Pasco Arts Committee

More Posts from this Category

Archives

What’s Happening

01/27/2021 – Into the Interstellar

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will present “Into the Interstellar Unknown” on Jan. 27 at 6:30 p.m. Natalia Guerreo will present the latest news from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). Guerrero works at the MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research on the MIT-led NASA TESS Mission. The program is for teens and adults. Registration is through the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 01/27/2021 – Into the Interstellar

01/27/2021 – Zentangles

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will host “Stroke of Genius” on Jan. 27. This virtual craft includes an instructional slide show on how to draw Zentangles. View the post, available all day, on the South Holiday Library’s Facebook page. … [Read More...] about 01/27/2021 – Zentangles

01/29/2021 – One Book, One Night

The Hillsborough County Public Library Cooperative will host “One Book, One Night” on Jan. 29 at 6:30 p.m., for teens and adults. Participants can start online as the beginning excerpt of the book “The Necklace” by Guy de Maupassant, is read in English, Spanish and French. For information and to register, visit the calendar feature at HCPLC.org. … [Read More...] about 01/29/2021 – One Book, One Night

01/30/2021 – Toddler craft

The Pasco County Library Cooperative will host a virtual craft for toddlers on Jan. 30 at 2 p.m. Participants can learn how to make a paper plate shark. To view the video, visit Facebook.com/cplib. … [Read More...] about 01/30/2021 – Toddler craft

01/31/2021 – Nova Era performs

The Pioneer Florida Museum and Village, 15602 Pioneer Museum Road in Dade City, will host a live performance by the classical music group Nova Era on Jan. 31 from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. The ensemble performs in handcrafted 18th-century costumes and ornate, powdered wigs. Gates open at 2 p.m. There will be heavy hors d’oeuvres and a cash bar. This is an outdoor event. Guests should bring lawn chairs. No cooler or pets. Masks are required inside the buildings. Social distancing will be in place. Advance tickets are $25, or $30 at the door (if available). For information and tickets, visit PioneerFloridaMuseum.org. … [Read More...] about 01/31/2021 – Nova Era performs

02/01/2021 – Yarn hearts

The Hugh Embry Library, 14215 Fourth St., in Dade City, will offer a craft kit for adults on Feb. 1, all day. Pick up a kit, while supplies last, to learn to make a yarn heart. For information, call 352-567-3576. … [Read More...] about 02/01/2021 – Yarn hearts

More of What's Happening

Follow us on Twitter

The Laker/Lutz NewsFollow

The Laker/Lutz News
LakerLutzNewsThe Laker/Lutz News@LakerLutzNews·
7h

"It’s Not Wednesday Until You Read The Laker!" This week's papers are out in print & online https://buff.ly/2UTt6EA

Reply on Twitter 1354474585849290754Retweet on Twitter 1354474585849290754Like on Twitter 1354474585849290754Twitter 1354474585849290754
LakerLutzNewsThe Laker/Lutz News@LakerLutzNews·
26 Jan

Burgess discusses pandemic response. https://buff.ly/2MbZu3U

Reply on Twitter 1354111896732000257Retweet on Twitter 1354111896732000257Like on Twitter 1354111896732000257Twitter 1354111896732000257
LakerLutzNewsThe Laker/Lutz News@LakerLutzNews·
25 Jan

Pasco commissioners clash on apartment request. https://buff.ly/362w8fp

Reply on Twitter 1353749764500815872Retweet on Twitter 1353749764500815872Like on Twitter 1353749764500815872Twitter 1353749764500815872
Load More...

 

 

Where to pick up The Laker and Lutz News

Top Stories

Tampa prepares for Super Bowl

74th annual Pasco County Fair is a go

Keeping community life alive, despite COVID-19

Zephyrhills plans to seek state funds for three projects

Extra help to be provided for struggling students

Shedding light on human trafficking

Parent questions school quarantine policy

The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., lives on

Strong housing outlook predicted through 2021

This tiny, tangy fruit tastes great in pie

NAMI/Pasco addresses growing need for its services

Pasco commissioners clash on apartment request

Burgess discusses pandemic response

Secondary Sidebar

More Stories

Check out our other stories for the week

Tampa prepares for Super Bowl

74th annual Pasco County Fair is a go

Keeping community life alive, despite COVID-19

Zephyrhills plans to seek state funds for three projects

Extra help to be provided for struggling students

Shedding light on human trafficking

Parent questions school quarantine policy

The legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., lives on

Strong housing outlook predicted through 2021

This tiny, tangy fruit tastes great in pie

NAMI/Pasco addresses growing need for its services

Pasco commissioners clash on apartment request

Burgess discusses pandemic response

Sports Stories

Locals make impact during 2020 college football season

All-Pasco County girls fall awards announced

Banner soccer season

Local runner claims national title

Pasco County athletes compete in 2020 Florida Senior Games

Copyright © 2021 Community News Publications Inc.

   