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Davenport teacher named NFL Play 60 champion

Changing the way kids think about physical education and their health Susan Searls, a physical education teacher at Davenport School of the Arts (DSA), was recently named an NFL PLAY 60 FITNESSGRAM project champion along with 24 other teachers and faculty members from schools around the United States.
Pop Quiz: Are you a ‘good’ patient?

Find Out if You Make the Grade, and Learn Some Tips along the Way It’s not easy being hurt, sick or suffering from a long-term disease or condition, but achieving optimal health can be even more elusive if you believe in the erroneous Good Patient Syndrome. With this syndrome, you may think it’s bad manners…
Q & A: What it takes to work on the front lines of patient care

Paula Miller talks about the challenges and rewards of being a nurse There to get you settled when you arrive, and there to discharge you when you leave, nurses are an integral part of quality care in the field of medicine. We interviewed Paula Miller, director of quality at Bartow Regional Medical Center, about what it…

Editor’s Dose: A thank-you letter to nurses

FROM MID-FEBRUARY to about mid-April, my family was at the doctor’s office a lot. The late-spreading flu season (although none of us in our household ever actually caught the flu — thank goodness) must have carried with it many other viruses, because we’ve certainly experienced our fair share. In fact, a few nurses on staff…
Healthy Skin: May is Melanoma and Skin Cancer Awareness Month

“C’MON, DOC. What’s a little sunburn?” is a question I frequently hear from the public. The answer is, if you’re lucky, that’s all it is. But a little sunburn is one of the easiest skin cancer risk factors to avoid. If left untreated, skin cancer, or melanoma, can progress to the point that it’s disfiguring…
Cautions for two of your favorite summer activities

SPRING IS THE TIME OF YEAR in Florida when temperatures begin to warm and the weather is perfect outside. With the sun shining and a gentle breeze blowing, this beautiful weather also marks the beginning of swimming season for Polk’s residents. Swimming and boating are two of the most popular summer activities for people living…