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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

Health Impacts of Opioid Addiction on Patients

As a spine surgeon, I routinely see various life-threatening consequences of opioid addiction. These could include severe spinal instability and paralysis that develops from infection, that occurs due to intravenous injections of opioids — by patients who are addicted to opioids. These patients typically started by taking that single initial opioid tablet, and quickly developed…
COVID-19 and the Heart

COVID-19 (coronavirus SARS 2) is obviously an infection that primarily affects the lungs. As we know, this is a pandemic that has affected all our lives. Does it have any cardiac issues directly or indirectly? Direct Problems COVID-19 has been known to cause weakening of the heart in some cases. Thankfully this is rare, but…
Myopia Control in the COVID-19 Era

My weekends are admittedly different now. Before my weekends were filled with time spent with friends, in person, but now they are Zoom calls, Brady Bunch style. We hosted our game night online, and we chat while we bake or make dinner. Even at our practice, we are utilizing the ability to work remotely, and…