FLORIDA TODAY, September 16, 2008, Tuesday
All Rights Reserved
FLORIDA TODAY (Brevard County, Florida)
September 16, 2008, Tuesday
Final/All Edition
SECTION: PEOPLE/LIFE; Pg. 8E
LENGTH: 1437 words
HEADLINE: HEALTH NEWSMAKERS
BYLINE: COMPILED BY FLORIDA TODAY For more information, call Tammy Harris at 633-2076, e-mail tammy.harris@brevardcounty.us RSVPs are requested by Friday.
BODY:
Therapy dog joins Hospice of St. Francis.
Therapy dog Bailey has joined the Hospice of St. Francis team to provide therapy dog visits to Brevard County patients.
Bailey, a 10-year-old standard poodle, completed his therapy dog training and certification test earlier this year and has started making rounds to visit patients. His owner, Rebecca Emery-Stalls, community access liaison at Hospice of St. Francis, takes Bailey out every week to visit patients at Parrish Medical Center and assisted living and nursing facilities across Brevard County.
Bailey has been a huge hit with the patients and the facilities, said Bruce Wolters, executive director at Hospice of St. Francis.
"He is very comfortable giving and receiving the attention. We are proud to have him on our team," Wolters said.
In addition to Bailey, Rebecca's 2-year-old toy poodle Abby also has completed her training and certification and has joined the team.
Anyone interested in having Bailey visit, call Rebecca Emery-Stalls at 506-2167.
New family practice opens in Suntree.
Dr. Josie Arcand has opened Arcand family practice at 21 Suntree Place, Melbourne.
Arcand has practiced in Brevard for more than five years at Harris Family Medical Center. With office hours Monday to Friday, she will offer services ranging from general and female physicals, immunization, weight loss, routine check-ups, wound care and all family health-related needs.
Arcand accepts new patients and most major insurance. To make an appointment, call 821-0838
Physicians host open house.
First Care Family Physicians have relocated to 1051 Eber Blvd., Suite 101, Melbourne. In celebration of the move, the group will host an open house from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.
The event includes free health screenings, refreshments, office tours and health information sessions. Manny the Manatee, the mascot for the Brevard County Manatees, and Cheerio the Clown make appearances.
Husband and wife team Drs. Eduardo Nevarez and Myredsi Soto opened First Care Family Physicians in March 2007 after relocating from Puerto Rico. Both are undergraduates of the University of Puerto Rico, holding bachelor's degrees in biology. They both attained medical degrees from the Universidad Central Del Caribe in Bayamon, Puerto Rico, before moving to the mainland in 2004 to begin their residency at Pennsylvania State University in Hershey.
First Care Family Physicians offer services including joint injections, laceration repair and cyst removal. For more information or to make an appointment, call 723-1074.
Wuesthoff receives $1,000 grant.
Wuesthoff Health System received a $1,000 grant from the Community Foundation of Brevard to purchase tote bags and lunches for upcoming elder fall prevention seminars.
Brevard County has hosted four fall prevention seminars during the past year with sponsorship support from Wuesthoff Health System and the cities of Cocoa, Rockledge, Satellite Beach, Palm Bay and Titusville, in conjunction with the Brevard Commission on Aging.
With more than 1,000 Brevard residents attending four events during the past year, seminar organizers are expecting another 300 participants per seminar during the upcoming year.
"The Community Foundation is proud to help sponsor such a worthwhile service for Brevard seniors," said Gary Lang, president and CEO of the Community Foundation of Brevard.
Falls are the leading cause of injury-related deaths among older adults and the leading cause of emergency department visits and hospitalizations in Florida.
"The recent grant from the Community Foundation of Brevard is very much appreciated and will help support these ongoing educational seminars for our seniors," said Dotty Allen, Wuesthoff Health System Foundation president.
The next seminar will be from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 24 at the Great Outdoors RV & Golf Resort, 145 Plantation Drive, Titusville.
Elder fall prevention presentations will be held along with lunch, door prizes and a health fair. CVS Pharmacy will have Medical Compliance consultants on hand to discuss medications.
For more information, call Tammy Harris at 633-2076, e-mail tammy.harris@brevardcounty.us RSVPs are requested by Friday.
Nurse On Call Home Healthcare moves branch.
Nurse On Call Home Healthcare has relocated its primary Brevard County branch to 3150 N. Wickham Road, Suite 1, Melbourne. The phone and fax numbers have not changed.
Nurse On Call Home Healthcare has provided home health care since 1989. The offices service Medicare, VA and Tricare for Life patients with skilled nurses; physical, speech and occupational therapists; medical social workers and home health aides.
To celebrate the move, Nurse On Call has planned an open house at the new location. The event will be from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. It will include tropical cuisine and beverages, as well as door prizes and tours. Call Jennifer Curry at 794-8886 for more information.
Health First names media relations specialist.
Elliot Cohen has joined the Health First Marketing & Communications Department as media relations specialist. In this role, he will serve as media spokesman and direct all media efforts for Health First's three hospitals, as well as the organization's network of Outpatient and Wellness Services.
Most recently, Cohen served as director of media relations for the Broward County Sheriff's Office. Previously, Cohen served as chief public information officer for West Palm Beach and has nearly 10 years of radio and television reporting experience. In his media positions, he served as reporter and assignment editor for the ABC television affiliates in Miami and West Palm Beach, as well as for the CBS affiliate in Memphis. He also was a correspondent for several radio networks in New York City.
Cohen is a graduate of Cornell University, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in industrial and labor relations.
Cohen can be reached at 434-4359, or on the Health First Media cell phone at 412-8810. He can be reached by e-mail at Elliot.Cohen@Health-First.org
General surgeon Mark Talbert joins MIMA.
Dr. Mark S. Talbert recently joined MIMA as a general surgeon. His office is at 1130 S. Hickory St., Melbourne. Talbert performs the spectrum of general surgery procedures including breast, advanced laparoscopy and pediatric, but has a particular interest in diseases of the thyroid and parathyroid.
"We are very pleased he has selected MIMA as his home to practice medicine," said Al O'Connell, MIMA's chief administrative officer. "Dr. Talbert brings with him unique experience coupled with a wonderful bedside manner patients value."
Talbert graduated magna cum laude from Marshall University, where he received a bachelor of science degree. He attended medical school at Marshall University, where he received his medical degree and served as president of the local Christian Medical & Dental Association chapter. Shortly after medical school, Talbert was commissioned a captain in the United States Army Reserves. After finishing the five-year general surgery residency at East Tennessee State University in Johnson City, Tenn., he became attending surgeon at the VA Medical Center in Johnson City, where he also was chief of general surgery.
"Serving our country's veterans provided me with a rewarding and deep experience," Talbert said. "During my three years at the VA, I was deployed by the U.S. Army to serve in Fort Irwin, Calif., and Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, during the time that Kosovo declared their independence."
Talbert and his family then took a one-year Sabbatical to Medelln, Colombia, to allow him the opportunity to become more fluent in Spanish.
He holds certifications in advanced trauma life support and cardiac life support, as well as pediatric advanced life support.
He lives with his family in Melbourne and is active in his church and community. His wife is Dr. Ana Restrepo, who practices family medicine in Melbourne.
For an appointment, call 725-4500, ext. 7420. Hospice of St. Francis seeks volunteers.
Hospice of St. Francis is seeking volunteers.
No previous experience is needed.
Training is provided at no cost to the participants. Volunteer positions are available throughout Brevard County. The new training class will begin at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 1. Class will meet every Wednesday for six weeks at Century Oaks, 4001 Stack Blvd., Melbourne.
For more information or to register for the volunteer training classes, call Vicky Hamilton, Volunteer Coordinator at 269-4240 or 866-269-4240 (toll free).
-- Send health news items, in addition to related headshot photos, to Health Newsmakers, FLORIDA TODAY, P.O. Box 419000, Melbourne FL 32941. Or e-mail health@floridatoday.com
LOAD-DATE: September 19, 2008
<< Home