During the month of August, LifeLink of Florida will celebrate National Minority Donor Awareness Month (NMDAM) to bring heightened awareness to organ and tissue donation and transplantation in minority communities. Minorities often experience higher rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease which can contribute to organ failure, especiallyContinue Reading
Twenty percent of Floridians, more than 4.3 million people, are 65 and older, making Florida one of the ‘grayest states’ in the nation. Consequently, it has one of the largest populations of people with Alzheimer’s disease—a projected 580,000. This number is expected to skyrocket by 24 percent to 720,000 peopleContinue Reading
The Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County has reported the second confirmed case of rabies for 2020. According to health officials, a woman in Carrollwood was walking around her neighborhood at night saw a bat on the sidewalk and decided to pick it up. The bat bit her fingerContinue Reading
A new study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings by University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers shows that, in a nationwide survey of young American adults age 18-44 years, nearly a third of non-Hispanic Blacks and a fifth of non-Hispanic whites and Mexican Americans have hypertension. Vibhu Parcha, M.D., a clinical research fellow inContinue Reading
COVID-19 update The Florida Department of Health (DOH) reported 216 COVID-19 related fatalities for Tuesday, a one day record, bringing the state total to 6,333. Of the more than 88,000 COVID-19 tests performed, 9,446 new positive COVID-19 cases were reported, slightly higher than 12 percent of the total. Florida’s totalContinue Reading
For the fifth year in a row, Tampa General Hospital has been named by U.S. News & World Report as Tampa Bay’s top hospital. Tampa General also has been ranked as one of the nation’s top 50 hospitals in five medical specialties and is listed among the top five hospitalsContinue Reading
The Supreme Court on Friday night turned down a request by a Nevada church for permission to hold services on the same terms that other facilities in the state, including casinos, are allowed to hold gatherings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court’s liberal justices in denying theContinue Reading
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is encouraging Florida’s horse community to be vigilant of Eastern equine encephalomyelitis (EEE), a serious viral disease that can affect horses, birds, and humans and cause neurological injury and death. FDACS officials recently confirmed the state’s ninth equine case of EEE this year, in a yearling StandardbredContinue Reading
The Florida Department of Health in Monroe County have reported two additional autochthonous dengue fever cases. There are now 17 locally acquired dengue fever cases statewide in 2020 and 16 in Monroe County. In addition to the 17 local transmission cases, Florida has reported 29 travel-associated cases in 2020. Dengue isContinue Reading
Officials with the Florida Department of Health are reporting four additional West Nile virus (WNV) infections in Miami-Dade County. All four were asymptomatic WNV-positive blood donors. This brings the total number of WNV infections for 2020 is now 22, all in Miami-Dade County–20 asymptomatic positive blood donors and two humanContinue Reading
The Florida Department of Health (DOH) reported COVID-19 test results for more than 116,300 individuals on Wednesday, of which 13,965 were positive (~13 percent). This brings the state total to 315,775 cases. By county, Miami-Dade has seen 75,425 cases, followed by Broward (35,566), Palm Beach (23,711), Hillsborough (21,577) and OrangeContinue Reading
The Florida Department of Health in Pasco County is working with community partners to provide COVID-19 testing throughout Pasco County. It is recommended that people call facilities prior to going for testing to ensure they meet any guidelines required by the provider. Here is a list of current COVID-19 testing sites for PascoContinue Reading
Chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) is the most common leukemia in adults. One in four new leukemia cases are CLL. Early-stage CLL patients often do not require therapy, but for those with aggressive disease or who have failed previous treatments, a targeted therapy approach may be necessary. One such targeted therapyContinue Reading
Through Friday, the Florida Department of Health has reported eleven Vibrio vulnificus cases in 2020 with three in Brevard County, two each in Broward, Escambia and Hernando counties and one each in Okaloosa and Sarasota counties. One fatality has been reported in Hernando County. Over the past decade, Florida hasContinue Reading
The Florida Department of Health (DOH) recorded single day records in COVID-19 test results received and positive tests on Saturday. On July 11, 142,981 test results were reported to the state with 15,300 new positive COVID-19 cases out of that total, giving it a 11.25 percent positivity rate–a third-day decline.Continue Reading
A drive-thru, community-based COVID-19 testing site is now open Tuesday through Saturday each week from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Duke Energy Center for the Arts Mahaffey Theater at 400 1st St. S. Testing will be available for individuals regardless of symptoms. The test site is drive-thru only.Continue Reading
Hillsborough County officials announced this week they will soon open another COVID-19 coronavirus public testing site, this one in Town ‘N Country. Emergency Management Director Tim Dudley told Emergency Policy Group (EPG) members that the County will partner with Tampa Family Health Centers to open the location, expanding testing coverageContinue Reading
Today, Florida state health officials reported an additional 10,360 new positive COVID-19 cases, out of 87,000 people tested. This put the state’s case tally to 254,511 cases, the third most of US states. Another 95 deaths were recorded in 32 counties. Florida has now seen 4,197 deaths related to COVID-19,Continue Reading
Tampa General Hospital in partnership with the University of Florida’s IFAS extension program in Hillsborough County, will be offering a 14-session series entitled Healthy Eating Virtual Workshop. In the series, you’ll learn step-by-step information on how simple changes to your eating habits can make a big difference. The experts willContinue Reading
United States Attorney Maria Chapa Lopez announces that Jonathan Michael Rouffe (47, Boca Raton) has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. He faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. A sentencing date has not yet been set. According to the plea agreement, in 2018,Continue Reading
After breaking the record for daily coronavirus cases and surpassing the 200,000 total cases of COVID-19 over the weekend, the Florida Health Department reported more than 6,000 new cases on Monday ahead of a press update. Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday in an update in The Villages that the fatalityContinue Reading
