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Pattie Johnson, LVIM’s 2018 Volunteer of the Year

When a patient makes an appointment at the Lakeland Volunteers in Medicine clinic in Lakeland, there’s a good chance that someone along the way, they will be in contact with Pattie Johnson. And if that’s the case, they are in good hands. Johnson, who has volunteered for the organization for 15 years, was named LVIM’s…
Keeping Seniors Safe: New Senior Protection Team Looks to Stop Elder Crime & Abuse

By MATT NORMAN Most seniors today live active, vibrant lives. Still, there are many factors that make them vulnerable to all sorts of abuse, neglect, and especially scams and fraud. Due to its moderate winters and frequent sunny days, Florida is a popular retirement or winter location for over five million seniors from all over…
Breath of Life: Local Nurses Provide Community with Valuable CPR Training

by TERESA SCHIFFER It is estimated that more than 359,000 cardiac arrests take place outside of a hospital setting in the U.S. each year, and only 32 percent of victims receive CPR from a bystander. Unfortunately, 70 percent of Americans either don’t know CPR or their certification has significantly lapsed. Thankfully, Citizen CPR is working…

Antiplatelet and Anticoagulation Therapy

With the increase in longevity and improvement in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases, a sizable proportion of Americans are on either an antiplatelet agent or full anticoagulation. These are commonly known as blood thinners. In the next two columns, I’ll talk about the most commonly used blood thinners. Common indications for requiring antiplatelet agents are…
Celebrating Glaucoma Awareness Month

January is Glaucoma Awareness Month. What is Glaucoma? Glaucoma is a disease where the optic nerve in the eye becomes damaged over time. Each eye has an optic nerve. This nerve acts like a cable sending information about what you see to the brain. This is just like a cable to your television. Without treatment,…
Smoking Hurts More Than Your Lungs

I cannot really believe that the holidays are upon us already. This year has been like no other with its usual mix of pain and pleasure. I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize the role of lifestyle in the management of vascular disease that can lend a sense of control in its otherwise…