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Prepare Your Kids for a Happy, Healthy School Year

by RYAN MILEJCZAK Sponsored by Central Florida Health Care Soon, kids across Central Florida will be going back to school, and that means it’s time to start preparing. In addition to loading up on school supplies, it’s also important to make sure kids are prepared to stay healthy so they can get the most out…
Pop Quiz! How Serotonin Savvy Are You?

From Mood to Memory, This Chemical Is a Mighty Messenger If you were told that there is a chemical in your body that plays a role in nearly every part of your life, would you believe it? It’s serotonin, and while you may have heard of it in relation to feeling happy, it actually plays…
Bartow Regional Plans $110 Million Expansion

Hospital President Sites Booming Population as Driving Force by PAUL CATALA On June 4, the BayCare Board of Trustees approved a $110 million plan to expand the hospital from 72 to 90 beds and enhance its emergency, catheterization lab and surgical services departments. “I think that’s amazing,” says Bailey Caustic, a Bartow native who was…

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…