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Getting You On the Right Path

Behavioral Health Navigators Steer Polk Residents to the Right Resources by TERESA SCHIFFER The first step toward overcoming a mental health or behavioral problem is acknowledging the problem and seeking treatment. Unfortunately, finding the right resources that can provide that help can be challenging. Peace River Center has introduced a new program providing guidance for…
Paving the Way for the Future

BayCare Polk Teaming Up With Local Colleges to Provide Immersive Experience by TERESA SCHIFFER Aspiring nurses must be dedicated to their education before they enter the field professionally, but classroom instruction alone will not prepare them for the daily duties of nursing. That’s why BayCare Health System’s Polk Region is now partnering with several local…
The Power of the PSA Test

Prostate Cancer Survivors Emphasize Importance of Crucial Screening Tool by TERESA SCHIFFER Among men in the U.S., prostate cancer is the second most common cancer. When it was first discovered by surgeon J. Adams at The London Hospital in 1853, it was considered “a very rare disease.” It took about 50 years for doctors to…

Medical Advice: Your flu prevention to-do list

AS YOU GATHER your “to-do” lists and prepare for the holiday season ahead, the Florida Department of Health in Polk County recommends you add one more important step — get a flu shot! The flu shot is the best way to protect our families and communities against the spread of influenza. When you make it…
Family Health: Flu shots for seniors

HE FLU is nothing to sneeze at. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 200,000 people will be hospitalized this year with the influenza virus, and it has been estimated that 50 to 70 percent of those hospitalized are people age 65 and older.
Word of Mouth: Your dentist is key to early cancer detection

IT SEEMS LIKE you hear about many different kinds of cancers these days, but one that isn’t being talked about enough is oral cancer. Cancer in the mouth and throat are diagnosed in nearly 50,000 Americans a year, and statistics show that only 57 percent of those diagnosed still will be living in five years.