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Pop Quiz: Germs 101—A Crash Course for Parents

Back-to-school season is upon us, and that means your child’s chances of coming down with an illness is greatly increased. While schools are centers of learning, they are also breeding grounds for all manner of germs. However, there are ways to lessen your child’s chances of coming down with something, having to miss school due…
Tackling Mental Health Together

Establishing the West Central Florida Mental Wellness Coalition Recognizing the record number of suicide rates, substance use and opioid deaths, nearly 30 local organizations have joined forces to develop a regional mental health initiative. On June 20, BayCare CEO and President Tommy Inzina and participating leaders from other hospitals, behavioral health providers, law enforcement, government…
Working Like a Dog

Reading with Bonnie the Therapy Dog by RACHEL CHRISTIAN Cassandra Banning and Bonnie, her 10-year-old shih tzu therapy dog, have been bringing joy and happiness to people in the Plant City area for almost six years. The pair can be spotted across town visiting nursing homes, hospitals, and even Bruton Memorial Library. Unlike service animals…

Get health STAT

Weighing In On National Statistics A Taxing Diet 52 Percent of U.S. adults say it’s easier to do their own taxes than it is to figure out how to eat healthy. Source: International Food Information Council Foundation’s 2012 Food & Health online survey of 1,000 adults This speaks true close to home as…
Eating in or dining out: Realistic steps to keep your diet resolution

Someone long ago said half a loaf is better than none. Half a loaf instead of a whole loaf is better for your waistline. By now, some of us have made the well-intended (but weak) resolutions for eating better, and either broken or forgotten them. But some forethought can make weak resolutions strong enough…
Healthcare report

Three Things You Need to Consider About the Affordable Care Act The next phase of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act—PPACA—is soon to begin, and some people are understandably puzzled. One of the biggest issues is that even those in the insurance industry are not quite sure how everything will play out. However, the…