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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…

Ask a Nurse: Andropause → Male Menopause

Yes guys, you too have hormones and will eventually go through “the change” unless you are proactive. Beginning as early as 30 years old testosterone levels steadily decline at a rate of about one to two percent per year (1)(3). Some studies have shown this decline to begin even earlier! Symptoms of Andropause include loss…
PCMA Letter: Men’s health reminders and your save-the-date

Every June, Men’s Health Month is celebrated across the country with screenings, health fairs, educational, and outreach events. Why, you ask? Well, first off, I think we all know that men are usually the last ones to admit when they need a checkup, or when they should go see a doctor for a routine screening. But,…
Does having a sense of purpose help you live longer?

Published in the journal Psychological Science, the research from Patrick Hill of Carleton University in Canada and Nicholas Turiano of the University of Rochester Medical Center is reinforcing the idea that a sense of purpose reduces mortality risks. From PsychologicalScience.org: “Our findings point to the fact that finding a direction for life, and setting overarching…