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Local Medical Academies Preparing Students for Health Careers

by CHERYL ROGERS Eighteen public schools in Polk County train students for future careers in healthcare through medical or health science programs. Here’s a look at how some of them have fared. Katya Viegas and Janet Hernandez are heading to medical school. Jesus Jimenez, or J.J., is glad he found an incentive to finish high…
Pop Quiz: Facts and Stats about Immunizations

by ERIKA ALDRICH August is National Immunization Awareness Month, and it’s a good time to explore the topic of immunizations around the globe. The efforts to immunize people against debilitating and life-threatening diseases is a global initiative that we are all a part of. Test your knowledge of facts and statistics about immunizations by taking…
Tips to Prepare for the New School Year

by Mary Toothman It’s that time of year again: School supply aisles will be flooded with parents and children, clutching lists of what is required. First-day-of-school outfits will be carefully selected by many students. Late-morning sleep-ins will be replaced by early wake-up calls. Back to school means many things to parents and students — some…

Pre-Diabetes and the Type 2 Diabetes Struggle is Real— You Don’t Have to Manage It Alone

By DAWN C. HILL, DNP, ARNP, CDE Central Florida Health Care IF YOU ARE wondering whether or not you should be screened for Type 2 diabetes, then ask yourself these questions: • Am I aged 40 years or older? • Am I overweight? • Do I have high blood pressure or cholesterol? • Do I have…
Fighting the Flu

The flu season is here again and with it concerns for protecting not only ourselves but our loved ones. The most susceptible to the flu are children under 6 months of age, those with chronic illnesses, pregnant women and the elderly. The flu virus can mainly be spread through ‘droplet’ infection that is in the…
Oral Hygiene Routines

Yahira Ferrer, Dental Assistant October is National Dental Hygiene Month, an effort to celebrate the work dental hygienists do and to help raise awareness on the importance of good oral health. This year, the awareness month is focusing on four routines that can help people maintain healthy smiles: brush, floss, rinse, and chew. The ADA…