Hospitals will share expertise and resources to enable early detection, treatment of lung cancer

September 14, 2021 – Northwest Medical Center in Margate, Fla. and Westside Regional Medical Center in Plantation, Fla. announced the launch of their joint multidisciplinary screening program aimed at early detection and treatment of lung cancer. As affiliate hospitals of HCA Healthcare, Northwest and Westside are able to draw upon extensive shared resources, including experts in thoracic surgery, radiation oncology, pathology and radiology, to ensure patients receive the right care at the right time.

Accounting for 23 percent of all cancer-related deaths, lung cancer is the leading cause of death by cancer in the U.S. Early screening can enable the early detection, diagnosis and treatment of the disease, preventing its spread and ultimately improving chances of survival for patients. Recently, millions of preventative health screenings, including lung cancer screenings, were delayed or missed completely due to COVID-19.

Through this new program, physicians can refer their patients who meet the screening criteria or present with additional risk factors for a low dose Computerized Tomography (CT) scan, which will be read by a board-certified radiologist with results sent back to the referring physician. If follow-up care is warranted, an appointment is fast tracked with the appropriate specialist for the level of care needed.

Screening criteria include:

  • Age 55-77
  • Asymptomatic (no signs or symptoms of lung cancer)
  • Tobacco smoking history of at least 30 pack-years (one pack-year = smoking one pack per day for one year; 1 pack = 20 cigarettes)
  • Current smoker or one who has quit within the last 15 years

Additional risk factors include:

  • Family history of lung cancer
  • Personal history of chronic lung disease (COPD, emphysema, bronchitis, pulmonary fibrosis)
  • Personal history of cancer, or jobs that expose you to arsenic, nickel, asbestos, beryllium, soot, cadmium, diesel fumes, chromium, or coal dust

From beginning to end, a dedicated Lung Nodule Nurse Navigator will guide the patient as an important member of their specialized care team. The Nurse Navigator will help facilitate care, including screenings and other diagnostic exams; provide support; address any barriers; and navigate each patient through their journey while keeping their referring physician involved along the way.

“This program is critical to raising awareness and improving access to lung cancer screening in Broward County,” said Menchu Martin, MSN, RN, the Lung Nodule Nurse Navigator for the screening program at Northwest and Westside. “We’re excited to strengthen our partnerships with community physicians to not only proactively detect and treat lung cancer, but to prevent it from claiming more lives.”

In the event of a cancer diagnosis, the Nurse Navigator works in conjunction with a Lung Cancer Navigator through Northwest and Westside’s partnership with Sarah Cannon, powered by HCA Healthcare, to transition the patient to receive oncology services.

Both facilities urge a proactive approach to cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment, noting that the community should be vigilant in monitoring and safeguarding their health.

“It’s important for patients to reach out to their doctors regarding any changes they notice with their health, especially if they meet the criteria for our lung cancer screening program,” said Dr. Neil Galindez, cardiovascular surgeon at Northwest and Westside. “Some symptoms of lung cancer nodules can include a persistent cough, chest pains, coughing up blood, difficulty breathing or swallowing, fatigue, shortness of breath, pneumonia, wheezing, hoarseness, weight loss or loss of appetite. We hope our program will save lives by helping people recognize these signs and take action to safeguard their health.”

About Northwest Medical Center

Northwest Medical Center, an award-winning 289-bed hospital, has faithfully served communities across northern Broward County, South Florida and beyond for more than 30 years. As the only designated ‘Hospital of the Future’ in South Florida, we provide award-winning care using the latest state-of-the-art advancements in medical technology with a focus on excellence in patient safety and care experience. A Joint Commission-accredited hospital and primary stroke center, Northwest Medical Center is best known for its Heart and Vascular Institute; Bariatric Center of Excellence; dedicated Women’s Hospital with maternity services and the only Level III NICU in northern Broward County; 24/7 emergency medicine; minimally invasive robotic-assisted surgery; orthopedic, spine and neurological care, and more. Northwest Medical Center is training the next generation of physicians as a teaching hospital with a growing Graduate Medical Education (GME) program with specialized programs in internal medicine, podiatry, general surgery, anesthesia and pathology.

About Westside Regional Medical Center

Westside Regional Medical Center, an award-winning 250-bed hospital, is recognized for providing a wide array of services to the residents of Broward County, South Florida and visitors from around the world. We offer 24-hour comprehensive medical, surgical and diagnostic services, including oncology, cardiology and emergency care. Westside Regional also offers the community with the latest in minimally invasive spine and colorectal surgery and is one of only nine Joint Commission certified centers in the United States for minimally invasive colorectal surgery. Not only is Westside Regional certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by the Agency for Health Care Administration (ACHA), but it also received its Thrombectomy Capable Center certification from the Joint Commission. Westside Regional Medical Center is also a teaching and research facility, offering Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs in podiatry, surgery and internal medicine. For over 45 years, Westside Regional Medical Center has been committed to expanding and improving every facet of the organization, devoting significant time and resources to enhancing the facility, staff and medical care. Westside Regional Medical Center has an outstanding staff, which includes physicians, specialists and employees, all of whom place importance in making their patients feel welcome and comfortable.

Northwest Medical Center and Westside Regional Medical Center are facilities of HCA East Florida. HCA East Florida is the largest healthcare system in Eastern Florida and an affiliate of Hospital Corporation of America (HCA). HCA East Florida has 14 hospitals, multiple ambulatory surgery centers, physician practices, and free standing emergency care facilities, as well as a supply chain center and an integrated regional lab. Together, HCA East Florida employs more than 18,000 employees and has nearly 7,000 physicians on staff. For more information, visit HCAEastFlorida.com.

-HCA EAST FLORIDA-

Aventura Hospital and Medical Center + Highlands Regional Medical Center + JFK Medical Center + JFK Medical Center North Campus + Kendall Regional Medical Center + Lawnwood Regional Medical Center + Mercy Hospital + Northwest Medical Center + Palms West Hospital + Plantation General Hospital + Raulerson Hospital + St. Lucie Medical Center + University Hospital and Medical Center + Westside Regional Medical Center



West Palm Beach, FL, September 10, 2021 – Free, walk-up COVID-19 vaccinations are available to adults and children as young as 12 at the Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s mobile clinic sites listed below. Those vaccinated can receive a $10 voucher for grocery shopping courtesy of the Florida Department of Health. No appointment is needed. Individuals 12 to 17 years old must be with a parent or a guardian to be vaccinated. Palm Beach County Fire Rescue personnel are administering the vaccinations.

DATE TIME LOCATION 1st & 2nd DOSE   VACCINE BRAND   AGES
Monday – Friday, through and including September 17th  9am – 4pm Lantana Clinic Parking Lot
1250 Southwinds Drive
Lantana, FL 33462		 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer & Janssen
(Johnson & Johnson)		 12 and up   (12 to 17 Pfizer only)
Friday, Sept. 10th 8am – 11am School District Partnership: Glades Central High School 1001 SW Ave. M Belle Glade, FL  33430 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer   12 and up  
Friday, Sept. 10th 1pm – 5pm Pahokee High School 900 Larrimore Rd. Pahokee, FL 33476 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer 12 and up  
Saturday, Sept. 11th 10am – 2pm Adopt-A-Family of the Palm Beaches, Inc. 1736 Lake Worth Rd. Lake Worth, FL 33460 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer & Janssen
(Johnson & Johnson)		 12 and up  
Saturday, Sept. 11th 12pm – 2pm      (new time) Indian Trail Improvement District Acreage Community Park 6701 140th Ave. N. Loxahatchee, FL  33470 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer & Janssen
(Johnson & Johnson)		 12 and up

(12 to 17 Pfizer only)
Saturday, Sept. 11th 4pm – 7pm Louis Butts Park 1224 SW Avenue E Place Belle Glade, FL  33430 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer & Janssen
(Johnson & Johnson)		 12 and up

(12 to 17 Pfizer only)
Monday, Sept. 13th 8am – 11am School District Partnership: Seminole Ridge High School 4601 Seminole Pratt Whitney Rd. Loxahatchee, FL  33470 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer   12 and up
Monday, Sept. 13th  1pm – 5pm Royal Palm Beach High School 10600 Okeechobee Blvd. West Palm Beach, FL 33411                        1st & 2nd dose Pfizer   12 and up
Tuesday, Sept. 14th 8am – 11am Wellington High School 2101 Greenview Shores Blvd. Wellington, FL 33414                      1st & 2nd dose Pfizer 12 and up
Tuesday, Sept. 14th 1pm – 5pm Palm Beach Lakes High School 3505 Shiloh Drive West Palm Beach, FL 33407 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer 12 and up
Tuesday, Sept. 14th      9am – 1pm FAU Campus 777 Glades Road, SS-8W   Boca Raton, FL 33431 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer & Janssen
(Johnson & Johnson)		 12 and up

(12 to 17 Pfizer only)
Wednesday, Sept. 15th 9am – 4pm Lakeside Medical Center Parking Lot 39200 Hooker Highway Belle Glade, FL 33430 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer & Janssen
(Johnson & Johnson)		 12 and up

(12 to 17 Pfizer only)
Wednesday, Sept. 15th 8am – 11am School District Partnership: Santaluces High School 6880 Lawrence Rd. Lantana, FL  33462 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer 12 and up  
Wednesday, Sept. 15th 1pm – 5pm Forest Hill High School 6901 Parker Ave. West Palm Beach, FL 33405 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer 12 and up  
Thursday, Sept. 16th 10am-4:30pm Delray Beach Public Library 100 West Atlantic Ave. Delray Beach, FL 33444 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer & Janssen
(Johnson & Johnson)		 12 and up

(12 to 17 Pfizer only)
Friday, Sept. 17th  8am – 11am School District Partnership: Palm Beach Central High School 8499 W. Forest Hill Blvd. Wellington, FL 33411 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer 12 and up  
Friday, Sept. 17th  1pm – 5pm John I. Leonard High School 4701 10th Ave. North Greenacres, FL 33463 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer 12 and up  
Friday, Sept. 17th 12pm – 6pm Palm Beach Atlantic University 900 S. Olive Ave. West Palm Beach, FL 33401 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer & Janssen
(Johnson & Johnson)		 12 and up

(12 to 17 Pfizer only)
Saturday, Sept. 18th 10am – 2pm Village of Palm Springs Public Library 217 Cypress Lane Palm Springs, FL 33461 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer & Janssen
(Johnson & Johnson)		 12 and up

(12 to 17 Pfizer only)
Saturday, Sept. 18th 10am – 2pm West Palm Beach Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. Manifest Church 2275 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd. West Palm Beach, FL 33409 1st & 2nd dose Pfizer & Janssen
(Johnson & Johnson)		 12 and up

(12 to 17 Pfizer only)

Drive-through COVID-19 testing is now available behind Lakeside Medical Center at 39200 Hooker Highway in Belle Glade from 9 am-5 pm seven days a week, excluding federal holidays. To date, the Health Care District has provided over 218,000 COVID-19 vaccinations countywide.

Visit www.hcdpbc.org and click the blue COVID-19 Information Center button for updates to this schedule. Local businesses and organizations interested in hosting the Health Care District’s mobile vaccination clinic for their employees and clients can visit www.hcdpbc.org, click the purple “Mobile Clinic Vaccination & Community Event Request” button and submit the completed form for review and approval.

The Health Care District provides COVID-19 vaccinations to patients during regular doctors’ office visits at all of the nine C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinic sites across the county, which are located in areas of need. Appointments can be made by calling 561-642-1000.

About the Health Care District 

The Health Care District of Palm Beach County provides primary medical care and dental services for adults and children at the C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics, a coordinated and lifesaving Trauma System that includes two FAA-certified Trauma Hawk air ambulances, registered nurses in nearly 170 public schools, short and long-term skilled nursing at the Edward J. Healey Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Riviera Beach, and acute care at its teaching hospital, Lakeside Medical Center, which is accredited by The Joint Commission and serves the rural Glades’ communities.

About the C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics

This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under grant number H80CS25684 for Health Center Cluster in the award amount of $7,111,563.  Of the total project, 81.9% is financed with nongovernmental sources. This information or content and conclusions are those of the author and should not be construed as the official position or policy of, nor should any endorsements be inferred by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government. The C. L. Brumback Primary Care Clinics were granted Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA) deeming status effective January 1, 2021.



Campaign offers two free virtual educational events with nationally renowned experts on how cutting-edge research is changing what we know about the brain and how to keep it healthy.

September 14 2021 – Palm Health Foundation’s fifth annual Train the Brain community health campaign kicks off on October 1, 2021 with this year’s theme, “Connecting Brain Science, Community & Care.”

Throughout October 2021, the foundation will promote information that relates scientific research to practical brain health tips that can help build a better brain, and offer two free virtual educational events featuring nationally acclaimed brain health experts, Arthur Evans, Jr., PhD, CEO of the American Psychological Association, on October 5, 2021, and Amishi Jha, PhD, professor of psychology at the University of Miami and director of Contemplative Neuroscience for the Mindfulness Research and Practice Initiative, on October 19, 2021. Both events will enlighten audience members on the connections between the latest scientific research and the tools for maintaining and improving brain health.

Palm Health Foundation, through its Brain Health Innovation Fund, has invested in advancing new technologies, treatments, resources and educational tools for better brain health in Palm Beach County, which the foundation believes can be a hub for advancing brain health. To that end, the foundation and Florida Atlantic University’s Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute will make an exciting announcement during the October 5th event that will promote momentum toward a new era of neuroscience research, education and community engagement, as well as support area residents’ wellness and longevity.

“Palm Health Foundation wants to put Palm Beach County on the map as a national leader in brain health advancement by strengthening the local bonds between scientific research, community supports and quality care,” said Patrick McNamara, president and CEO of Palm Health Foundation. “We have incredible local assets that can collaborate to advance research and reduce the stigma around mental illness by helping residents understand that taking care of their brains is just as important as taking care of their bodies.”

The speakers chosen for the two educational events are both deeply invested in better brain health for individuals and communities. Dr. Arthur Evans is the CEO of the American Psychological Association (APA), the leading scientific and professional organization representing psychology in the United States. Before joining the APA, Dr. Evans spent 12 years as commissioner of Philadelphia’s $1.5 billion Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual disability Services. In that post, he emphasized a data-driven, population health approach, which improved outcomes for diverse people with complex needs. The system in Philadelphia has become a national and international model, particularly for governments desiring to improve health equity.

In Dr. Jha’s laboratory at the University of Miami, she uses functional MRI, electrophysiological recordings and behavioral analysis techniques to understand why our attention sometimes fails us, and if it can be trained for greater focus and less distractibility. She launched the first-ever study to offer mindfulness training tools to active-duty military service members as they prepared for deployment. What she has discovered is that without intervention, attention is compromised, and attentional lapses increase. Yet, with mindfulness training, attention can be strengthened and protected. Her new book, Peak Mind, offering stunning new insights into where presence and purpose really come from, will launch the day of her October 19th speaking event. Sixty registrants will win a free copy of Peak Mind.

Palm Health Foundation invites the community to learn from these brain health leaders about how cutting-edge research is changing what we know about the brain and how to keep it healthy at the following free Train the Brain virtual events:

The New Frontier: The Science Behind Better Brain Health
Tuesday, October 5, 2021, 1:00 pm-2:00 pm
Free event on Zoom and Facebook Live
Palm Health Foundation and the FAU Stiles-Nicholson Brain Institute have an exciting announcement to make! Hear about advancements underway in the local brain science field and learn from the CEO of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Arthur Evans, as he provides a framework for how we can take neuroscience tools and strategies and best apply them to promote the mental wellness of the whole population.

Register at www.PalmHealthFoundation.org/Events

The Power of Attention: Finding Presence & Purpose

Tuesday, October 19, 2021, 1:00 pm-2:00 pm

Free event on Zoom and Facebook Live

Research shows that we are missing 50% of our lives. Why? Because we aren’t paying attention. External demands on our attention are higher than ever, and as a result, we feel mentally foggy, scattered and overwhelmed. Hear from acclaimed neuroscientist Amishi Jha, PhD, as she scientifically determines how we can harness the full power of our attention to better meet what life demands.

Register at www.PalmHealthFoundation.org/Events.

Sixty registered attendees will win a copy of Dr. Jha’s new book, Peak Mind.

For more information about Train the Brain, please visit palmhealthfoundation.org/train-the-brain and follow Palm Health Foundation on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn for weekly brain health tips in October.

About Palm Health Foundation 
Palm Health Foundation is Palm Beach County’s community foundation for health. With the support of donors and a focus on results, the foundation builds strong community partnerships, respects diverse opinions, advocates for its most vulnerable neighbors and inspires innovative solutions to lead change for better health now and for generations to come. The foundation supports health equity for Palm Beach County residents of all backgrounds, heritage, education, incomes and states of well-being. Palm Health Foundation has invested more than $85 million in Palm Beach County health since 2001. For more information about Palm Health Foundation, visit palmhealthfoundation.org or call (561) 833-6333.

About Train the Brain
Train the Brainis one of Palm Health Foundation’s annual community health campaigns and empowers residents to take charge of their brain health. The goal of the campaign is to help Palm Beach County residents understand that taking care of the brain is just as important as taking care of the body. Participants are invited to make changes in their thinking, integrate self-care into their daily routines and show compassion to individuals with acute and persistent mental health conditions.



The Benefits of Electroconvulsive Therapy

Presentation by: Kamron Fariba D.O., PGY III 
Psychiatry Resident, University Hospital and Medical Center/HCA East Florida

Date: Tuesday; September 28, 2021

Time: Noon – 1:00pm

Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAvf-6qrTIvGNSE0FVSI5BSo8HSGw7307AN



Surviving and Innovating in Todays Changing Healthcare Climate – What Successful Practices are Doing to Survive in Today’s Business

Date: Tuesday; September 21, 2021

Time: 6:30pm

Registration Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0scumsrTItHtC1UxWN9KclG8W4OaGShSSr