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Decision Time: ER or Urgent Care?

Urgent Care Facilities Help to Ease the Burden on Emergency Rooms by TERESA SCHIFFER When patients are experiencing a medical emergency, whether it’s a serious injury or symptoms of severe illness, it’s important for them to get the right care. While an emergency room may be first to come to mind, sometimes a situation isn’t…
Mission Possible

Homeless Outreach Center Cares for Body, Mind story and photos by PAUL CATALA Jason Garland says he stops in at The Mission of Winter Haven daily just to get the basic necessities not found on the streets, namely food and a shower. As he relaxes on a couch inside, Garland reflects on how his life…
Community Care: Sponsored by Central Florida Health Care

Identifying Barriers to Mental Health Care for Minorities

What does Medicare mean to you?

For many Floridians, including our elderly and disabled citizens who depend on the program for care, Medicare is a lifeline. For Florida physicians, Medicare represents a cycle of uncertainty and an access-to-care crisis for some of our most vulnerable patients. Now, the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction has a chance to fix the…
Healthy Cook: Why dark chocolate is a healthier option

Ahhhh, hot fudge sundaes. Cocoa with whipped cream. Creamy chocolate milkshakes. If you’re concerned about health – or your waistline – they’re probably on your taboo list. Yet chocolate is actually good for you. “Chocolate contains Flavonoids, an antioxidant believed to help the body’s cells resist damage,” says Lisa Tomasiak, clinical nutrition manager at…
Signs & Symptoms: Understanding the warning signs of a stroke

A stroke requires immediate hospital care, but most Americans don’t recognize the symptoms of this potentially deadly “brain attack.” This widespread lack of awareness often results in preventable long-term disabilities. A survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 13 states and the District of Columbia revealed most people can’t identify the five…