The 4th Florida Medical Cannabis Conference and Exhibition (FMCCE 2021) was held on June 11-13, 2021 at the Naples Grand Beach Resort & Spa. Over 230 physicians and industry professionals traveled to hear from acclaimed doctors and leaders in the medical cannabis industry.  FMCCE 2021 drew renowned physicians and seasoned medical professionals, attorneys, banking and finance representatives, operations and communications experts, entrepreneurs and consumers who believe in this new frontier in medicine.

FMCCE 2022 is currently being planned for June 3-5, 2022 in Orlando, Florida. For further information, visit FMCCE.org.


Tenet Florida Physician Services (TFPS) is pleased to announce Erica R. Podolsky, M.D., FASMBS, a highly-experienced general surgeon with expertise in bariatric and minimally-invasive surgery recently performed her 500th robotic surgery with the da Vinci robot at Delray Medical Center. Dr. Podolsky is the medical director of the Surgical Weight Loss Program at Delray Medical Center where she specializes in robotic laparoscopic abdominal surgery including bariatric (weight-loss surgery), hernia and hiatal hernia surgery. She also serves as the Chair of Quality and Patient Safety on Delray Medical Center’s Medical Executive Committee. 

 



It’s been quite a ride through this pandemic, and yet much about life with COVID-19 in our midst remains to be explored. Every day, I answer questions posed by my patients and their parents regarding the virus that has affected our lives such as these below.

Q. Who needs a booster and when is the best time to receive it?
A. Pharmaceutical companies are researching booster shots and they may be available later this year. Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla recently commented that the research to date supports the need for a booster somewhere between eight and 12 months. Another of the leading manufacturers, Moderna, is studying three potential boosters: a one-time, lower-dose shot that targets the original coronavirus; a shot that specifically attacks the B.1.351 (South African) and P.1 (Brazilian) variants; and a third, also a lower-dose combination of the two (original and variant boosters). A booster that works on the Delta variant is likely to be developed also. Moderna is working with the FDA to see if people who received another brand of vaccine can get a booster by Moderna safely. This would make it logistically easier for everyone if we can prove that mixing and matching of different vaccines is safe and as effective.
 
Q. Do you recommend that people wear masks to walk into a restaurant, even though most of us take it off at the table?
A. This question doesn’t have an easy, logical answer but illustrates the difficulty that we in the public health community have when making recommendations. We all know that if you are indoors and in close proximity to others without masks, there is a higher chance of spreading or contracting COVID-19. At the same time, you can’t eat or drink with a mask on. A compromise chosen by most restaurants is to ask patrons to wear their masks until they reach their tables and when they get up again to use the restroom or for any other reason. It’s not any ‘safer’ to be in a restaurant/bar within six feet of another person without a mask than it is anywhere else. I tell patients that it is still important to take precautions such as wearing masks and using hand sanitizer when in public. Otherwise, we would allow COVID-19 to continue to spread and mutate.
 
Q. I’m about to deliver my second child. Should I limit visitors? Should my older child, who is four, wear a mask around the baby?
A. Newborns can have visitors, but with precautions. I do recommend that parents consider limiting the number of visitors the baby is in close contact with, which was also true before the pandemic. Babies are unprotected when they are separated from the placenta, so I recommend that households with an infant limit their exposure to people outside of the household for the first two to three months. Your older child and visitors should wear a mask around the baby. These precautions will help you avoid all the common viruses, not just COVID-19. The flu, RSV and rotavirus are dangerous for infants.


Dr. Yeily Hernandez Mato knows how it feels to be vulnerable. When she was just 18, she nearly died in a violent car accident. Doctors performed several surgeries to save her, including facial reconstruction. Four months later, she was released from the hospital, left to sleep and recover in her mother’s car as the two of them were homeless.

Her health was still a challenge and a lot of follow-up doctor’s visits were required. Without any money or insurance, Hernandez went to Community Health of South Florida, Inc. (CHI) where doctors kept her on the path to recovery and brought her back to good health.
 
Today, the former homeless woman steps back into the non-profit health center, but this time to receive her white coat in a special ceremony reserved for new medical residents. Dr. Yeily Hernandez Mato is one of seven new residents who will be recognized in the white coat ceremony at the Brodes H. Hartley, Jr. Teaching Health Center at CHI. The same place where more than a decade ago, doctors helped her heal.
 
“It’s an emotional moment for me to come back to CHI,” said Dr. Hernandez Mato. “The care team here showed me compassion and now I have the opportunity to show others the same compassion. I can relate to the homeless population more than most people because of the journey I took to get here. A lot of them are not what other people think they are. Just look at me.”
 
Dr. Hernandez is one of four family medicine and three psychiatry residents who will receive their white coats at noon in the boardroom at CHI. The new class of residents begin their training during one of the most difficult times to work in medicine, during a pandemic. But they usher in new hope amid a projected doctor shortage nationwide. That includes hope that community health centers like CHI can retain them to care for some of the most vulnerable populations: the uninsured, migrants, homeless and indigent.
 
“We knew we had to grow our own doctors,” said Blake Hall, CHI President. “It’s never been so hard to recruit doctors and nurses. By entrenching these young doctors in our system, our communities and our programs we have an opportunity to show them the tremendous impact that they will be making here.”


Ralph Rios
Vice President of Professional Services, West Kendall Baptist Hospital and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Baptist Health South Florida
 
When Ralph Rios, FACHE, commits to something—either personally or professionally—he goes all in, whether it’s skydiving, scuba-diving, piloting a plane or providing the highest level of care to patients at Baptist Health facilities.
 
“When I’m involved in an activity, I want to reach the highest level of certification/accreditation available,” he explained. “That’s why I join the associations or organizations that support those activities and take an active role.”
 
As the vice president of professional services at West Kendall Baptist Hospital and vice president of academic affairs for Baptist Health South Florida, Rios knows the importance of continuing education and networking with peers. He also understands the value of long-term relationships, having worked for the Baptist Health network for the past 26 years.
 
“I started with Baptist Health as a physical therapist right out of college,” he explained. “During my time at South Miami Hospital, I was encouraged by the department director to consider a career in healthcare administration.
 
“I was impressed by the fact that the decisions he made, while not necessarily popular with employees—like working more weekends—were the right decisions for patient care,” he continued. “I had always hoped to make a significant impact on patient care, but hadn’t realized that someone in administration could do that by directing the services of those providing hands-on care.”
 
Rios, who earned his bachelor’s degree in physical therapy from the University of Florida, decided to pursue a master’s in health services administration from Florida International University. “I was fortunate to work under South Miami Hospital CEO Wayne Brackin during my administrative residency, and he provided a lot of guidance, and also helped me land my first job in performance improvement at South Miami Hospital,” said Rios, who later became the hospital’s assistant vice-president.
 
After 15 years at South Miami, Rios moved to West Kendall Baptist Hospital as its vice-president, where he worked with CEO Javier Hernandez-Lichtl. “We were here a year before the hospital opened and took it from eight to 800 employees,” said Rios. “We had to hire everyone, plan for lines of service, bring on medical staff, select a board, create policies and procedures, and ensure that everything worked safely and effectively. It was fast and furious, but very exciting.”
 
Five years ago, Rios began wearing a second hat, training nurses, physicians and therapists at the Baptist Health Center for the Advancement of Learning where he now serves as its vice president of Academic Affairs.
 
“I feel that it’s extremely important to be engaged and involved in any organization in which you have an interest,” said Rios, who also mentors individuals in the Baptist Health System.
 
For this reason, Rios joined the American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE) soon after obtaining his master’s degree, and has since served on the board and held various positions with the goal of bringing services to ACHE members. He also became a Fellow of the organization.
 
“I believe that the Fellow credential demonstrates my commitment to the profession,” he explained. “When others see it, they not only know that I am an advanced professional, but it acts as a conversation piece.
 
“Talking about it encourages nonmembers to get involved, and helps remove some of the mystique behind it and the perceived barriers for members who might be considering it,” he added. “While challenging to earn, it is achievable.”