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How a life-saving transplant transformed my life

| Annemarie Ward shares her journey of keeping hope alive amidst heart disease | NEARLY 15 YEARS AGO, Annemarie Ward was walking the family’s three dogs with her mother Polly and sister Emily when she collapsed. At age seven, Annemarie had suffered a heart attack. She was diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, or enlargement of the…
Pop Quiz: Maintaining optimal optical health

| Understanding the causes of low vision and taking precautions as you age | EYESIGHT is a precious thing, and unfortunately there are many threats to optimal optical health. One common eye problem is low vision, and it affects seniors the most. Low vision, in its simplest terms, is any vision loss that interferes with…
Celebrating Black History Month with a look at local African-Americans in medicine

ALEX ALEXANDER Registered Nurse Bartow Regional Medical Center As a black registered nurse from North Carolina, 56-year-old Alex Alexander has had his run-ins with prejudice. But he’s learned to remember who he is, treat others like his brothers and sisters, forgive, and … not believe everything he hears. “You earn things by your merit and…

Happy anniversary, Central Florida Health News!

One year ago this month, we launched the official consumer publication for the Polk County Medical Association (PCMA). Since then, Central Florida Health News magazine has been a local source of news, time-relevant stories, and health-related topics for readers all across the region. We have covered everything from autism awareness in the very first…
Medical Advice: Rosacea

3 Steps to Recognizing and Responding to Rosacea An extremely common skin disease that affects the faces of more than 16 million Americans is oftentimes left untreated or misdiagnosed. But, with an early diagnosis, lifestyle changes and proper care, rosacea can be managed. Rosacea creates red, acne-like effects usually on the faces of its…
When change is more familiar than constancy

If you are a medical professional in the industry today, then you’re here at a time when change is more familiar than constancy. With residents having new health insurance under the Affordable Care Act, ongoing local hospital and clinic mergers, as well as continued preparations for the ICD-10 medical coding / billing conversion (which…