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A Growing Healthcare Challenge

Nurse Staffing Study Provides Insight Into Shortage Across U.S. and Florida by HEATHER MACHOVINA The Avant Healthcare Professionals 2021 Trends in Nurse Staffing Study analyzes the status of registered nurse (RN) job vacancies in the U.S. and the overall welfare of RN staff. It evaluates the training of new nurses, compares the costs of outsourcing…
Pop Quiz: With COVID-19 Vaccines Now Widely Available, Don’t Let Myths Deter You

COVID vaccines are being administered all over the country and the world as quickly as possible in an effort to halt the COVID-19 pandemic in its tracks. While vaccinations are our best bet to allow us to “get back to normal” as soon as possible, there are many myths and a lot of misinformation about…
Sharing Is Caring

Central Florida Health Care Explains the Importance of the Health Information Exchange by TERESA SCHIFFER We are living in an age of miracles when it comes to medical science. Modern healthcare professionals have a wealth of tools at their disposal to help patients recover from diseases that were once almost always fatal and improve the…

Editor’s Dose: Tips for minimizing back-to-school stress

IF YOU ARE LIKE ME, then come early July you were already thinking about preparations for the new school year. Parents and children in the community this year are getting ready extra early because Polk County public schools moved up their calendar by one week — day one of school is August 15.
Making the choice to breastfeed

THE FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH in Polk County (DOH-Polk) and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) recognize August as Breastfeeding Awareness Month. This is a wonderful time of year to promote breastfeeding as a vital health activity and discuss the health benefits breastfeeding provides. Although every woman has their own…
Editor’s Dose: Keeping kids’ bodies and minds active this summer

WHEN I FIRST had the twins, my mom would say, “Have a schedule for them, or they’ll have a schedule for you.” Basically, she was cautioning that I’d better keep those little minds and bodies active, or chaos would inevitably ensue. Being a mother of eight children, I think she was speaking from personal experience.…