July 9, 2026- Florida Coast Medical Center is expanding its orthopedic capabilities with the addition of Zimmer Biomet’s OrthoGrid Hip AI®, an innovative surgical guidance technology designed to help surgeons perform total hip replacement procedures with greater precision and consistency.

The hospital’s first OrthoGrid procedure was completed by orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Dan Jones.

OrthoGrid Hip AI integrates artificial intelligence and real-time data during surgery, providing surgeons with advanced guidance to help optimize implant positioning based on each patient’s unique anatomy. The technology is designed to support desired surgical outcomes while enhancing the overall patient experience.

“We are committed to bringing the latest technologies to our community so patients can receive advanced care close to home,” said Tyler Sherrill, CEO of Florida Coast Medical Center. “The addition of OrthoGrid Hip AI reflects our investment in new orthopedic solutions that support our surgeons and help deliver the best possible outcomes for our patients.”

“OrthoGrid Hip AI provides real-time information that helps us make precise decisions throughout the procedure,” said Dr. Jones. “The technology enhances accuracy without changing the workflow of surgery, allowing us to personalize implant positioning for each patient while using a minimally invasive approach. Ultimately, it’s another tool that helps us improve outcomes and get patients back to the activities they enjoy.”

OrthoGrid Hip AI offers several key benefits, including:

  • Enhanced Precision and Accuracy: The technology uses artificial intelligence to assist surgeons with precise implant placement tailored to each patient’s anatomy.
  • Minimally Invasive Approach: Unlike some other surgical guidance systems, OrthoGrid Hip AI does not require additional incisions or hardware placement in the hip or thigh bone.
  • Reduced Radiation Exposure: By requiring fewer X-rays during surgery, the technology has the potential to reduce radiation exposure for both patients and surgical teams.
  • Surgeon-Controlled Technology: The system is designed to be fully operated by the surgeon, allowing seamless integration into existing total hip replacement procedures.

Florida Coast Medical Center’s orthopedic surgeons can incorporate the technology into total hip replacement procedures performed through the direct anterior approach, helping provide patients with state-of-the-art care and surgical innovation.

For more information about orthopedic services at Florida Coast Medical Center, please visit www.palmbeachhealthnetwork.com.

About Florida Coast Medical Center

Florida Coast Medical Center is a state-of-the-art healthcare facility that opened in September 2025 in Port St. Lucie. Conveniently located near Florida’s Turnpike off Becker Road at 310 SE Veranda Falls Way, the offers comprehensive medical services in a modern, patient-centered environment.

This $200 million, 180,000-square-foot facility will feature 54 private patient rooms, 24-hour emergency care, and specialized services including neurosciences, orthopedics, spine care, robotics, general surgery, urology, and advanced cardiac care. In addition to inpatient care, patients will have access to outpatient surgical services, imaging, and physician offices to support their ongoing healthcare needs.

The hospital is the 6th standalone hospital in the Palm Beach Health Network.



July 9 2026 – LeadingAge Southeast, the premier association serving high-quality senior living providers across the Southeast, commends Governor Ron DeSantis’ for his longstanding commitment to aging services as he concludes his final budget cycle as governor.

Throughout his tenure, the Governor has supported investments in long-term care, affordable housing, and programs that help older Floridians remain healthy, independent, and connected to their communities. The association also extends its appreciation to Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature for the significant investments included in Florida’s Fiscal Year 2026–27 budget that strengthen care, housing, and services for older adults across the state.

The budget, which took effect July 1, reinforces Florida’s longstanding commitment to supporting older adults and the mission-driven providers who serve them. With meaningful investments in nursing home care, affordable housing, and home and community-based services, the state continues to prioritize programs that help older adults live with dignity, independence, and access to high-quality care.

“We thank Governor DeSantis, Senate President Ben Albritton, House Speaker Daniel Perez, and members of the Florida Legislature for their continued commitment to Florida’s older adults and the providers who care for them,” said Steve Bahmer, President & CEO of LeadingAge Southeast. “This year’s budget demonstrates a strong recognition of the importance of investing across the continuum of aging services—from nursing homes and affordable housing to home and community-based care. We appreciate the Governor’s leadership and the Legislature’s partnership in making older adults a priority throughout his administration.”

Key investments impacting LeadingAge Southeast members include:

  • Nursing Home Medicaid Funding: An additional $173.5 million in Medicaid funding for nursing homes, including recurring enhancements that help offset expiring dollars. LeadingAge Southeast successfully advocated for restoring these funds and directing additional investments to Florida’s Medicaid Quality Incentive Program, reinforcing the state’s commitment to rewarding high-quality care.
  • Affordable Housing: Full funding of Florida’s affordable housing trust funds for the sixth consecutive year, including $70.8 million for the State Apartment Incentive Loan (SAIL) Program and $165.7 million for the State Housing Initiatives Partnership (SHIP) Program.
  • Home and Community-Based Services: Increased funding to help older adults remain safely at home, including:
  • $3 million to expand Alzheimer’s respite care services and reduce waitlists.
  • $4 million to serve additional older adults through the Community Care for the Elderly Program.
  • $3.5 million for the Home Care for the Elderly Program, supporting caregiver respite, adult day care, home-delivered meals, and minor home modifications.

As Florida’s older adult population continues to grow, the association looks forward to building on this year’s progress to ensure older adults have access to the high-quality care, housing, and services they deserve.

About LeadingAge Southeast

Established in 1963, LeadingAge Southeast is the premier association serving high-quality senior living providers across the continuum of care in Florida, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. The Association provides up-to-date regulatory information, a wide variety of educational opportunities, representation before the Legislature and government agencies, group purchasing services, and opportunities for networking with peers to help member communities best serve the needs of older adults.

 



                                                            This proud group of new residents and fellows are part of the largest GME class in Broward Health’s history.

JULY 9, 2026  – The next generation of physicians and healthcare professionals proudly took the next step in their medical career during Broward Health’s annual Graduate Medical Education (GME) White Coat Ceremony.

On June 26, 2026, 141 new residents and fellows were awarded their white coats during the ceremony and now join Broward Health’s programs this summer, representing the largest GME class in the healthcare system’s history. In total, Broward Health will have a total of 388 residents and fellows across 28 residency and fellowship programs, including cardiovascular, emergency medicine, pediatrics and more.

“This record-setting class reflects the continued growth and strength of Broward Health’s GME program,” said Shane Strum, president and CEO of Broward Health. “During this important rite of passage, residents and fellows enter the next stage of their medical training and affirm their commitment to caring for patients with compassion, integrity and the highest standards of care.”

Broward Health now offers 28 residency and fellowship programs across the system, including 24 Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited residency and fellowship programs, one Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA)-accredited Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) program, and three American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)-accredited pharmacy residency programs. Sixteen programs are based at Broward Health North, 11 at Broward Health Medical Center and one at Broward Health Imperial Point. Recent additions include a new Obstetrics and Gynecology residency program and a new pharmacy residency program at Broward Health North. As part of their training, residents and fellows rotate throughout Broward Health facilities, gaining hands-on experience across the health system.

“These residents and fellows are the future of healthcare,” said Patricia Rowe-King, M.D., designated institutional official of Broward Health Graduate Medical Education. “I am excited for them to embark on this next chapter. At Broward Health, we will walk side-by-side with our residents and fellows and support them through every step of their journey.”

Broward Health has continued its investment in the GME program with the opening earlier this year of a new 28,250-square-foot, state-of-the-art training, education and support facility at Broward Health Medical Center, which is one of the largest GME spaces in South Florida. Designed to support Broward Health’s evolving GME program and the next generation of physicians, the new facility is five times larger than the previous space and was purpose-built to meet the needs of modern medical education.

The training and wellness facility features an advanced simulation lab, flexible classrooms, a conference room, resident lounges, collaborative workspaces, a library, private on-call suites and dedicated wellness and relaxation rooms. Thoughtfully designed to foster learning, collaboration and well-being, the facility reflects Broward Health’s commitment to supporting residents throughout their training and addresses the growing challenge of physician burnout, which affects nearly half of resident physicians nationwide.

About Broward Health   

Broward Health, founded in 1938 and headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ranks among the 10 largest public healthcare systems in the United States. Nationally recognized for its focus on high-quality care for the residents of Broward County and beyond, Broward Health boasts four hospitals, two trauma centers, was the county’s first statutory teaching hospital and has an ever-growing graduate medical education program. It includes more than 50 health centers and physician practices covering virtually every healthcare specialty.

Broward Health never stops working toward its mission of Exceptional Care, Extraordinary Compassion and Everyday Excellence. Driven by more than 11,000 talented employees and physicians who deliver care to all patients, regardless of their ability to pay, Broward Health is one of the largest employers in Broward County with an operating budget of over $2 billion and annually provides over $523 million in charity and uncompensated care.

 

For more information about Broward Health, visit BrowardHealth.org.



  • The new Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA) is integrated with UHC Store where eligible members can shop for health, wellness and lifestyle offerings, most at a discount
  • LSA offers employers a flexible, cost-efficient way to help employees customize their experiences with the offerings they value most

July 9, 2026 – UnitedHealthcare has introduced a Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA), an employer-sponsored benefit that gives companies a flexible way to help fund and support their employees’ individual health and well-being goals. When offered by an employer, the LSA is designed to help empower people to personalize their experience and shop for products and services to complement their other employer-sponsored benefits at any time.

UnitedHealthcare has integrated its LSA with UHC Store, a consumer-friendly digital shop available within the UnitedHealthcare® app and myuhc.com®.

An LSA is an employer-sponsored, post-tax benefit that people can use to make purchases in UHC Store. Offerings include eligible health, wellness and lifestyle products not generally considered qualified expenses for other accounts like Flexible Spending Accounts and Health Savings Accounts.

Because UnitedHealthcare’s LSA is integrated with a member-exclusive digital shop, people don’t have to wait to be reimbursed since the transaction is handled at the point of purchase within the individual’s UHC Store experience.

Through this innovative model, people can use one digital platform to browse, shop and purchase offerings, most of them at a discount, at any time they see fit.

Consumers, especially younger employees, are driving a shift1  in employer benefit strategies with increasing demand for holistic offerings that are integrated into their lifestyles and meet a wider range of personal needs — from familiar wellness offerings for fitness and smoking cessation to a broader range of offerings for sleep, mindfulness, nutrition and appearance.

UHC Store and the integrated LSA offer a way for employers to fund categories of wellness and lifestyle offerings their employees value and increasingly expect, expanding financial support beyond what traditional health accounts and coverage offer.

“People want healthcare to feel personal with more choices to tailor their experience, while employers are seeking opportunities to modernize their strategies,” said Dan Kueter, CEO for UnitedHealthcare’s commercial business. “This is a part of our sustained effort to improve the healthcare experience through flexible, cost-efficient innovations for employers that empower consumer choice.”

The LSA is available to more than 15 million UnitedHealthcare commercial members. More than 30 offerings are currently available in UHC Store from dozens of popular vendors meeting a wide variety of lifestyle, health and wellness needs, including products for mindfulness; women’s health; nutrition; fitness; sleep; chronic conditions; family planning; weight management; and more.

UnitedHealthcare’s consumer-oriented approach to digital offerings — like UHC Store — brings familiar shopping experiences into the healthcare experience.

Modernizing employer health and wellness offerings

Eighty-eight percent of employees believe well-being is just as important as salary, and 78% expect their employers to support it. Meanwhile, workforce demographics are evolving. Gen Z and millennials represent more than half of UnitedHealthcare’s commercial membership and 54% of working age individuals overall, and drive more than 40% of total wellness spend nationwide.

LSAs that enable more consumer choice are increasingly popular, cost-efficient options for employers to modernize how they invest in employee health and well-being without the cost of a major health plan redesign. Within the next three years, the number of employers offering an LSA or a similar product is expected to reach 76%.

By choosing to fund the LSA, self-insured employers can minimize the number of vendor relationships, reduce administrative burden and meet the individual needs of employees instead of offering a one-size-fits-all approach that may not be relevant for every person.

UHC Store continues to evolve to include more vendors and offerings and to accommodate various employer-contribution models and consumer payment structures.

Healthcare that works better for people

While this is the most recent initiative from UnitedHealthcare to create a more consumer-friendly experience for people, the company is working broadly to address challenges in healthcare by:

Learn more about UnitedHealthcare’s commitment to make healthcare work better for everyone.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the healthcare experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. The company offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with physicians, care professionals, hospitals and other care facilities. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified healthcare company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow UnitedHealthcare on LinkedIn.

UHC Store provides a member-direct purchase of health and wellness offerings. UHC Store is not a product, program nor service, is not insurance, and is not a substitute for health plan benefits nor professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. UnitedHealthcare does not endorse nor guarantee offerings available through UHC Store. UnitedHealthcare is not responsible or liable for services, or advice given by a UHC Store participant of these offerings. Individuals are responsible for understanding potential risks associated with using these offerings. Purchasing any offerings may have tax implications. Health Savings Account (HSA) use and eligibility may be impacted.  Individuals should consult with a tax specialist to determine whether they have any tax obligations from purchasing offerings from the UHC Store. Components subject to change. UHC Store is not available in all states or for all members. Amounts paid under a Lifestyle Spending Account (LSA) may be subject to federal, state, and local taxes. Employers should consult with a tax specialist to determine whether they have any tax obligations from members’ use of an LSA to purchase offerings from the UHC Store. LSA offerings and options are subject to change.

Employee benefits including group health plan benefits may be taxable benefits unless they fit into specific exception categories. Please consult with your tax specialist to determine taxability of these offerings.

 Administrative services provided by United HealthCare Services, Inc. or their affiliates.



July 9, 2026 – The American Heart Association has once again recognized Sarasota Memorial Health Care System for delivering exceptional, evidence-based care to patients experiencing heart and stroke emergencies, honoring both the Sarasota and Venice campuses with multiple Get With The Guidelines® achievement awards.

Presented annually, the national awards recognize hospitals that consistently apply the latest scientific guidelines and best practices to improve patient outcomes, reduce disability and save lives.

James Fiorica, MD, chief medical officer of Sarasota Memorial Health Care System, said the recognitions reflect the experience and expertise of SMH’s skilled cardiovascular and stroke teams, and the organization’s continuing investment in, and commitment to, clinical excellence.

“Every minute matters when caring for patients experiencing a stroke or cardiac arrest,” Dr. Fiorica said. “These awards recognize the dedication of our physicians, nurses, therapists and clinical teams who work together every day to deliver the highest standard of care using the most current evidence-based practices. Their commitment helps ensure our patients receive the right treatment as quickly as possible and achieve the best possible outcomes.”

 National Recognition for Stroke Care

 Both Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Sarasota and Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice earned the American Heart Association’s highest award for stroke care, the Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Achievement Award, recognizing sustained excellence in the rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients while consistently meeting or exceeding national quality measures.

Along with the Stroke Gold Plus designation, AHA gave both SMH campuses supplemental awards for providing additional layers of specialized care for stroke patients. Both campuses received the Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus, recognizing hospitals that consistently provide rapid, evidence-based treatment to eligible stroke patients, helping reduce disability and improve recovery. They also received the Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll, for hospitals that follow the latest treatment guidelines to optimize care for stroke patients with Type 2 diabetes, a condition that can increase the risk of complications. Additionally, SMH-Sarasota earned Advanced Therapy – Honors for hospitals with expertise in delivering advanced stroke interventions, including specialized procedures for patients experiencing severe or complex strokes.

These honors recognize the hospitals’ ability to rapidly deliver advanced stroke therapies and provide specialized care that improves outcomes for patients with Type 2 diabetes who experience a stroke.

Excellence in Life-Saving Resuscitation Care

 Both SMH campuses earned the Get With The Guidelines® Resuscitation Gold Adult Achievement Award, recognizing its continued success in providing rapid, evidence-based treatment for adults who experience cardiac arrest while hospitalized.

In addition, both hospitals received the supplemental Target: CPR Achievement Award and Target: Survival Award, recognizing their commitment to implementing the latest resuscitation science and achieving higher-than-expected survival rates for patients who experience an in-hospital cardiac arrest.

About Sarasota Memorial Health Care System

Sarasota Memorial Health Care System is a regional medical center offering Southwest Florida’s greatest breadth and depth of care, with about 2,500 physicians and advanced practice providers, 11,000 employees and 2 million patient visits a year across its network of care. Sarasota County’s largest employer, the community-owned health system includes two full-service hospitals in Sarasota and Venice (and third under construction in North Port), freestanding ERs in North Port and Lakewood Ranch, a rehabilitation hospital, skilled nursing facility and comprehensive network of outpatient centers, urgent care clinics and First Physician Group primary and specialty care practices. Founded in 1925, SMH’s flagship Sarasota campus also is home to the Brian D. Jellison Cancer Institute, Cornell Behavioral Health Pavilion and Kolschowsky Research and Education Institute. Both Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Sarasota and Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Venice have earned the highest 5-Star quality ratings from the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). SMH-Sarasota is the only Florida hospital – and one of just 11 in the nation – to earn a perfect 5-Star rating from CMS every year since the federal rating program began in 2016.