March 18, 2021 –  Marking the one-year anniversary of the hospitalization of the first COVID-19 patient at Palms West Hospital, Mayor Lisa Al-Ramey of Loxahatchee, FL, delivered a proclamation designating March 12 as Palms West Hospital Worker Appreciation Day. The proclamation recognizes doctors, nurse, and all support staff at Palms West Hospital, for their vital role in caring for the community throughout the pandemic. 
 
 
Hospital staff gathered to share a meal and some participated in rock painting, art therapy. Many left words of encouragement on rocks that will be on display on the grounds of the hospital, at the Path of Hope, a COVID-19 commemorative rock memorial and tribute to healthcare workers.
 
 
 
 
About Palms West Hospital
 
Palms West Hospital is a 204-bed acute care full service facility combining high quality, patient-driven care and state-of-the-art technology to serve residents of Palm Beach County and beyond. The hospital employs over 1,200 employees, has a medical staff of 655 active physicians and a Graduate Medical Education Program. We offer a full spectrum of inpatient and outpatient services including: 24/7 Emergency care, stroke center designation, comprehensive surgical services, cardiac catheterization, an orthopedics and spine institute, and maternity services with a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (level II NICU). 
 
Palms West Hospital is a recipient of numerous awards, recognitions and accreditations from a number of organizations, among them, The Joint Commission. Our more recent recognitions include Healthgrades’ 2020 Coronary Intervention Excellence Award, 2019 Gallbladder Surgery Five-Star Recipient, Healthgrades’ 2019 General Surgery Excellence Award, Healthgrades’ Patient Safety Excellence Award, Press Ganey’s 2019 Guardian of Excellence Award, Children’s Oncology Group (COG) accreditation in 2019 and Blue Shield’s Blue Distinction Center for Spine Surgery.


March 17, 2021 – When Our Fund Foundation, South Florida’s only LGBTQ community foundation, learned of the Humanity Project’s newly formed Diversity Unity Coalition’s effort to combat Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy within underrepresented communities, Our Fund pledged monies from its discretionary fund to support the grassroots initiative.
 
The Humanity Project established the Diversity Unity Coalition as one new method to promote its mission of “Equality For Each, Respect For All.” The coalition initially will focus its work on combating Covid-19 vaccine hesitancy through education outreach into underrepresented communities. In addition to LGBTQ-focused outreach, the campaign has made inroads into Black, Latino, Jewish Orthodox, Muslim and other underserved communities as well.
 
There is a noticeable hesitancy in LGBTQ communities of color, with members reluctant to get vaccinated because of longstanding mistrust in the medical establishment as evidenced in a recent New York Times article, “L.G.B.T.Q. People Face Increased Risks From Covid, but Many Don’t Want the Vaccine”.
 
Research has shown that sexual and gender minorities, and especially people of color, are more vulnerable to becoming infected with the coronavirus and also more likely to have underlying conditions that could make them severely ill if they were to contract Covid-19.
 
“Our Fund Foundation is proud to support the Diversity Unity Coalition, which seeks to combat health disparities and promote our common humanity,” said David Jobin, president and CEO, Our Fund Foundation. 
 
Diversity Unity Coalition members represent South Florida’s diverse community and consist of compassionate individuals including Islamic scholars and church leaders. Members volunteer on their own accord but are affiliated with influential organization such as the African American Research Library, Jewish Federation of Broward; University of Miami; Barry University, Children’s Services Council of Broward County; Hollywood LGBTQ Council; Sickle Cell Disease Association of Broward County and Lighthouse Community Church.
 
“The Diversity Unity Coalition’s first virtual meeting was on January 23, right after Inauguration Day. There was finally a sense of hope and a belief that unity is achievable,” said Bob Knotts, founder and president of The Humanity Project. “Our members represent diverse political affiliations, religions, races and backgrounds, but we found common ground and had unanimous agreement to jointly focus our coalition’s resources initially on tackling vaccine hesitancy.”
 
 
 
Established in 2011, Our Fund Foundation has grown into the third largest LGBT foundation in the nation. As South Florida’s only LGBT community foundation, Our Fund promotes a culture of philanthropy by uniting donors with organizations advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender issues in Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties and supporting causes within the LGBT community. For more information on Our Fund Foundation visit our-fund.org or call 954-565-1090.
 
 
 
 
 


March 18 2021 – A research partnership formed just last year by Memorial Healthcare System and Florida Atlantic University is already being recognized for quality care, results, and advances in research, and that’s great news for patients fighting cancer in South Florida. The alliance between Memorial’s Cancer Institute and FAU (MCIFAU) has been recognized by the state’s Department of Health as a “Florida Cancer Center of Excellence.”   
 
It becomes just the fifth in the state, out of more than 80 competitors, to earn the designation. The honor recognized the role of research, survivorship, and a multi-disciplinary approach that led to excellence in patient-centered care for persons undergoing cancer treatment and therapy in Florida. 
 
MCIFAU was formed in 2020 to combine the expertise of physicians and researchers under Memorial Cancer Institute, the Office of Human Research at Memorial Healthcare System and FAU’s clinicians and researchers to bring clinical trials that will lead to advances in patient care and treatments for a variety of diseases, including melanoma, lung cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer, and blood cancers. On the to-do list are the development of new drugs, medical devices, software applications, and other novel treatments for diseases that affect both children and adults. Memorial Cancer Institute is one of the largest cancer centers in Florida, treating more than 4,300 new cancer patients a year.
 
“We’re honored to have been named a Cancer Center of Excellence along with our partners at FAU, but the real winners are those who now have access to clinical trials and the combined expertise of our two organizations,” said Aurelio M. Fernandez, III, president and CEO of Memorial Healthcare System. “Innovations that are coming from this alliance are life-changers for patients battling these terrible diseases.”  
 
In addition to excellence in clinical research, the state recognition referenced MCIFAU exceeding service standards and excelling in providing quality, comprehensive and patient-coordinated care. 
 
“We are extremely proud of our designation as a Florida Cancer Center of Excellence by the Florida Department of Health and we greatly appreciate this recognition from Gov. Ron DeSantis,” said FAU President John Kelly. “By combining the vast knowledge, expertise and resources of both of our organizations, the Memorial Cancer Institute/Florida Atlantic University alliance will help to accelerate lifesaving cancer research, clinical trials, patient care, and education in Florida and beyond.”   
 
The Center of Excellence designation was created by the Florida Legislature in 2013 to encourage preeminence in cancer care, to attract and retain the best cancer care providers, and help Florida hospitals, treatment centers, and other providers be recognized nationally as a preferred destination for quality cancer care. 
 
Luis Raez, M.D., medical director and chief scientific officer, Memorial Cancer Institute, and Gregg Fields, Ph.D., executive director, FAU’s Institute for Human Health and Disease Intervention (I-Health), served as co-principal investigators on the application submitted to the Florida Department of Health. 
 
MCIFAU joins the University of Florida Health Cancer Center, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Mayo Clinic Florida, and the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center as Florida Cancer Centers of Excellence. 
 
 
 
 
About Memorial Cancer Institute: 
One of the ways Memorial Healthcare System distinguishes itself as a regional medical provider is by offering South Florida residents leading-edge care for breast, lung and other cancers in their own backyard. In both treatment and research, Memorial Cancer Institute gives patients and families access to resources that they used to have to travel to other parts of the country to obtain. And Memorial Cancer Institute continues to grow – adding new resources, attracting new expertise, and earning new designations of excellence, all of which increase its ability to help patients be stronger against cancer. For more information, visit mhs.net/services/cancer.
 
About Florida Atlantic University: 
Florida Atlantic University, established in 1961, officially opened its doors in 1964 as the fifth public university in Florida. Today, the University serves more than 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students across six campuses located along the southeast Florida coast. In recent years, the University has doubled its research expenditures and outpaced its peers in student achievement rates. Through the coexistence of access and excellence, FAU embodies an innovative model where traditional achievement gaps vanish. FAU is designated a Hispanic-serving institution, ranked as a top public university by U.S. News & World Report and a High Research Activity institution by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. For more information, visit www.fau.edu. 
 


March 17, 2021 – Next month, as part of its virtual “Ask the Expert” program series, the Alzheimer’s Association will bring together top medical professionals from across the state of Florida for a panel discussion on Lewy body dementia.
 
To take place April 6, “Managing Behaviors in Lewy Body Dementia” will explore how to better discern and manage behaviors associated with this particular form of dementia. 
 
“Lewy body dementia is a type of dementia that leads to a decline in thinking, reasoning and independent function due to abnormal, microscopic deposits that damage brain cells over time,” said Audrey Coachman, program manager for the Alzheimer’s Association. “At the Alzheimer’s Association, we aim to not only eliminate Alzheimer’s disease but all dementia, and we know the first step in that process is raising awareness through educational programs like this one.” 
 
Among the topics of discussion will be the burden of Lewy body dementia on caregivers and their health – a matter that will be addressed by Dr. James Galvin, professor of neurology and psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
 
“Caregiving is a journey, experienced by each care provider in their own unique way,” Galvin noted. “We will discuss the positive and negative aspects of caregiving, cultural differences in caregiving, and discuss potential strategies to decrease stress, burden and grief while improving well-being and quality of life.” 
 
Another featured panelist will be Dr. Melissa Armstrong, director of the Mangurian Clinical-Research Headquarters for Lewy Body Dementia at the University of Florida. 
 
“In my part of the session, speakers will briefly discuss medications used to treat behavioral symptoms in Lewy body dementia,” she said. “Recent and ongoing research regarding medication treatments will also be reviewed.”
Other topics will include fluctuations and psychiatric features of Lewy body dementia – to be presented by Tanis J. Ferman, Ph.D., a clinical neuropsychologist and professor of psychiatry and psychology at Mayo Clinic – and a presentation from Alzheimer’s Community Educator Carol White regarding triggers and management strategies for challenging behaviors. 
 
The free program will begin at 2 p.m. EDT on April 6. To register, visit http://bit.ly/ManagingLBD or call the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline at (800) 272-3900.
 
 
 
 
Alzheimer’s Association®
The Alzheimer’s Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization dedicated to Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the way to end Alzheimer’s and all other dementia – by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s and all other dementia. Visit alz.org or call (800) 272-3900.
 


Merck Secures 5-year Access to Data Supporting Oncology Research
 
March 17, 2021 – M2GEN, a leading oncology-focused data and informatics company, announced today a significant new five-year agreement with Merck, known as MSD outside the United States and Canada. Under the terms of the agreement, M2GEN will provide valuable patient-consented, de-identified, linked clinical and genomic data in support of Merck’s oncology efforts.
 
This data will be accessed through M2GEN’s Oncology Research Information Exchange Network® (ORIEN ), a network of 18 leading cancer centers across the United States. ORIEN Avatar® is a collaboration between this network, pharmaceutical companies and M2GEN, which manages the program. Patients donate clinical and molecular data through their consent to the Total Cancer Care® research protocol; that data follows patients pre-and post-treatment and is then utilized by the ORIEN cancer center members and pharmaceutical partners to speed discoveries and match eligible patients to cutting- edge trials. The program represents an unprecedented, pre-competitive approach to fighting cancer, designed to accelerate the discovery and development of novel therapies for patients around the world.
 
Merck’s participation in the program builds on a history of collaboration dating back to the founding of M2GEN in 2006, when the companies operationalized a multi-year agreement based on the Total Cancer Care protocol. The collaboration with M2GEN has provided important utility in Merck’s oncology development programs including indications for KEYTRUDA® (pembrolizumab).
 
“Merck has been a key strategic partner to M2GEN since helping to found the Total Cancer Care protocol 15 years ago, and we are very proud of what we have accomplished together,” said M2GEN President and CEO Helge Bastian, PhD. “We greatly value Merck’s long-term partnership and see tremendous potential in it for the future.”
 
“We see this new partnership as an important milestone in the fight against cancer,” said Sandra E. Peterson, Chair of the M2GEN Board of Directors. “We are thrilled to expand our collaboration with Merck to enable the development of more effective medicines and patient care.”
"Our work with M2GEN yielded valuable insights that have informed our oncology development strategy," said Dr. Eric Rubin, SVP Oncology Clinical Development, Merck Research Laboratories. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration and building on our shared commitment to improving cancer care.”
 
 
About M2GEN
M2GEN is an oncology-focused health informatics solutions company that leverages clinical and molecular data to accelerate the discovery, development, and delivery of personalized therapies. Founded in 2006 with a mission to enable a collaborative approach to the fight against cancer, M2GEN facilitates the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network® (ORIEN®), an alliance of leading cancer centers that participate in the HIPAA- compliant, IRB-approved protocol, Total Cancer Care®, to gather de-identified clinical and genomic patient data for research purposes. M2GEN currently has over 300K total consented patients across a network of 18 cancer centers in 10 states. Learn more at www.m2gen.com.