May 1, 2012
By Sammy Mack – A Miami-Dade Schools task force investigating why its kindergartners had an alarmingly low completion rate of vaccines has concluded that a form filled out incorrectly by health care providers led to the problem.
December 9, 2011
By Dalia Colón – At five-feet, one-inch tall, Jenny Ruano once weighed 242 pounds. But that was before the Miami woman had surgery to remove 3/4 of her stomach. It’s called the vertical sleeve gastrectomy. The goal is to help patients feel full faster and eat less. After her procedure, Ruano lost half her body weight. We first brought you Ruano’s story last year on our TV program Smart Health. On Saturday, that episode won a Suncoast Emmy – which makes now a great time to check in on Ruano.
October 26, 2011
By Sammy Mack – Earlier this week we posted about Pink Beach, a swimwear line aimed at women who have had breast cancer. It’s not the first company to find a niche in the sartorial needs of women who have had breast cancer or experienced other illnesses. Check out some of these fashions:
October 24, 2011
By Sammy Mack – Dr. Judith Hurley’s patients have enough to worry about without the indignity of trying to find a swimsuit that fits well. “It’s absolutely horrible to go bathing suit shopping, it’s the most ghastly process,” says Hurley. “Imagine what it must be like if you’re missing one breast, or one breast is much bigger than the other, or you have radiation marks all over.” Which is why the doctor launched a fashion line, designed specifically for women surviving breast cancer.
October 10, 2011
By Dalia Colón – There are things teens want, like more allowance. There are things teens need, like more sleep. Then things that fall in the middle. For Samanta Weichhan, the thing is jaw surgery.
October 6, 2011
[VIDEO] By Sammy Mack – A Miami man is recovering from brain surgery – that he actually remembers. Two weeks ago, Ray Beccaria entered an operating room at the University of Miami Hospital. He was asleep under anesthesia for about 10 minutes as doctors cut a horseshoe-shaped incision over his left ear. He was still asleep when they tucked the scalp flap down towards his ear, cut away a section of his skull, tugged back the light gray sheath of dura mater protecting his brain and revealed a lemon-shaped tumor. Then – with approval from the anesthesiologist in the room – Beccaria woke up.
September 30, 2011
By Sammy Mack – Two pieces of dengue fever news from South Florida this week: Miami’s got another case and Key West doesn’t. The Miami-Dade County Health Department confirmed its second case this year of locally-acquired dengue fever. The resident tested positive for dengue fever after complaining to his doctor of severe headaches, fever and pain behind the eyes – all symptoms of the mosquito-borne virus.
September 28, 2011
By Dalia Colón – A Florida death row inmate is scheduled to be executed Wednesday. Just how he’ll die is the subject of international attention. Manuel Valle is convicted of killing a Coral Gables police officer in 1978. His execution marks the first under Gov. Rick Scott and Florida’s first use of barbiturate pentobarbital as part of the lethal injection cocktail. An increasing number of states, including Texas, Georgia and Oklahoma, use the drug in executions. But many medical and legal experts oppose the use of pentobarbital because it’s never been clinically tested in executions. They argue it could cause extreme suffering, thereby constituting cruel and unusual punishment.
September 26, 2011
By Sammy Mack – There’s a new face today on the list of the federal government’s 10 Most Wanted health care fraud fugitives. That new face belongs to Robert Allen Lopez. In the early 1990s, Lopez made $4 million in fraudulent Medicare claims as part of a crime ring in South Florida. Lopez pleaded guilty to the charges but fled the country before his sentencing hearing – taking his two children with him.
September 7, 2011
By Dalia Colón – Driving in Florida is risky business, and there’s plenty of data to prove it. Vehicle crashes caused 2,601 deaths statewide in 2009, according to Florida Department of Health stats. More recently, Florida fared so-so in the seventh annual Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report. The report, which the insurance company released this month, ranks the country’s 200 biggest cities according to how often the average driver files an accident claim.
August 19, 2011
By Sammy Mack – For parents across Florida, this is the last weekend to get kids up to date on immunizations before school starts. Clinics and health fairs are bracing for the last-minute vaccine rush as children get ready for the first day of class.
August 16, 2011
By Sammy Mack – South Florida health and school officials announced Monday they will be launching their own investigation into Miami-Dade County’s inexplicably low vaccination rate for kindergartners. The news follows a joint investigation by HealthyState.org and the Miami Herald into why kids lag behind on their shots:
July 21, 2011
By Dalia Colón – Memorial Regional Hospital in Hollywood has become the first in Florida to receive the American Hospital Association-McKesson Quest for Quality Prize. The 10th annual award honors efforts to improve patient care.
June 29, 2011
By Sammy Mack – Victims of venomous snake bites might soon be getting the gift of time. A new study out this week in the journal Nature Medicine shows a treatment traditionally used in heart patients can slow the speed of snake venom hitting the blood stream.
June 21, 2011
By Sammy Mack – June 21st is the first day of summer. And according to child welfare advocates, it’s also a good day to talk about guns. Why? – Because pediatric firearm injuries spike in the summer months when children are out of school and unsupervised.
June 20, 2011
[VIDEO] By Sammy Mack – Caregivers of people with dementia often deal with frustrating, inexplicable behaviors of their loved ones. But what is it like for the person with dementia? One South Florida agency is hoping to answer that question by offering virtual dementia tours.
May 20, 2011
[VIDEO] By Sammy Mack – “Self-image photographer” Howard Zucker uses his camera as a therapeutic tool for people who have body image issues. Zucker’s worked with women with eating disorders. People with scars. Amputees. Gay men, who constantly absorb messages about what they should or should not be.
May 12, 2011
By Dalia Colón – We already know the Florida sun wreaks havoc on our skin. And a new report says ultraviolet rays take a toll on our eyes, too. The Vision Council, which represents optical industry manufacturers and suppliers, has released a list of the 58 U.S. metropolitan areas with the most intense ultraviolet (UV) rays. Not surprisingly, three Florida regions made the top 10: Miami (3), Tampa Bay (4) and Jacksonville (6).
May 11, 2011
By Sammy Mack – In Wednesday’s rounds, Blue Cross gets in the Medicaid game; smoke on the (Everglades) water means troubled breathing for some Floridians; a school nurse allegedly faked his nursing credentials; a non-accredited nursing school allegedly billed itself as accredited; advocates for people with disabilities sue over prison conditions; and the FDA tells artificial hip producers to take a closer look at implants.
May 6, 2011
By Sammy Mack – Last week, we learned that the nine-banded armadillo can be a reservoir for leprosy, and folks should be careful when handling and eating the critter. Which made us wonder how, exactly, does one safely prepare a dinner of armadillo?