With more than 20 years of nursing experience, Jennifer Higgins has been named chief nursing officer for Lee Health. She had previously been serving as the interim chief nursing officer.

Higgins began her career at Lee Health in 2000 when she joined the health system as an emergency room nurse. Throughout the years, she progressively advanced through a variety of key senior operational roles before being appointed chief nursing officer. Her most recent position was chief nurse executive at Gulf Coast Medical Center.
 
Higgins earned a Diploma in Nursing from St. Luke’s School of Nursing, a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of South Florida and a Master of Science in Nursing from Walden University. She is currently enrolled in a Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Walden University. 


Cresco Labs Inc., a vertically integrated multistate operator and the number one U.S. wholesaler of branded cannabis products, announced its financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2021. All financial information presented in this release is in U.S. GAAP and U.S. dollars, unless otherwise noted, and all comparisons to prior quarter and prior year are made on an as-converted basis under U.S. GAAP.

First Quarter 2021 Financial Highlights
• Revenue of $178.4 million, an increase of 9.9% quarter-over-quarter and 168.8% year-over-year
• Gross profit of $87.0 million, or 48.8% of revenue, an increase of 16.8% quarter-over-quarter and 268.9% year-over-year
• Adjusted EBITDA1 of $35.0million, an increase of 16.5% quarter-over-quarter and 507.2% year-over-year
• Record net wholesale revenue of $95.6 million, an increase of 5.7% quarter-over-quarter and 150.8% year-over-year
• Record retail revenue of $82.8 million from 24 stores, an increase of 15.2% quarter-over-quarter and 193.2% year-over-year
 
Financial Outlook
The Company is providing the following guidance:
• Annualized revenue run-rate of more than $1 billion by the end of 2021
• Gross profit margins in excess of 50% in the remaining three quarters of 2021
• Adjusted EBITDA1 margin run-rate of at least 30% by the end of 2021 

“In Q1, we delivered sequential growth from existing assets, demonstrated our ability to reach and sustain #1 market share positions in two of this industry’s top-five states, and we’re gearing up to repeat that success in more markets this year. We’re accelerating growth through a diverse set of initiatives including several organic expansions and M&A that will benefit the Company in subsequent quarters. In order to execute all of our pending growth initiatives, we invested in the operating platform to support the growth. We laid the groundwork in Q4 and Q1 and now our expertise with integrating new assets and producing operating leverage will kick in,” said Charles Bachtell, Co-Founder and CEO of Cresco Labs. “We’re also pleased to take this opportunity at the outset of the year to make the transition to U.S. GAAP, remove the break-out of certain one-time items, and provide investors with clarity on the transition. This represents another step to prepare Cresco Labs for the future opportunities that await in the U.S. capital markets. On a U.S. GAAP basis, we’re pleased with the growth in Q1 and excited about the steps we’ve taken so far this year to put Cresco Labs on the path to accelerate revenue, profitability, and shareholder value in 2021 and beyond.”



Pedro J. Valdes, D.O., FACC, an interventional cardiologist specializing in the catheter-based treatment of heart disease and cardiac ailments, has joined Tenet Florida Physician Services (TFPS) and opened his office in Miami, FL. Dr. Valdes’ is board-certified by the American Osteopathic Board of Internal Medicine (AOBIM) and achieved AOBIM Subspecialty Certifications in Cardiology and Interventional Cardiology. Dr. Valdes is on-staff at North Shore Medical Center located in Miami and Florida Medical Center, a campus of North Shore in Fort Lauderdale.

Prior to joining TFPS, Dr. Valdes worked as an interventional cardiologist at the Cardiovascular and Interventional Center of Florida located in Hialeah. For his education and training, Dr. Valdes completed interventional cardiology and cardiology fellowships as well as an internal medicine residency and internship at Palmetto General Hospital in Hialeah. Dr. Valdes graduated medical school from the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, VA. Since 2014, Dr. Valdes has been a member of the American College of Cardiology.


The first new lung valve treatment for patients with severe COPD/emphysema was performed at Holy Cross Health, one of the first hospitals in South Florida to offer the Zephyr® Endobronchial Valve treatment.

“This is a groundbreaking moment for patients who suffer from emphysema,” said Sam G. Kosseifi, M.D., DABSM, lead pulmonologist at Holy Cross Health. “It’s a minimally invasive procedure that helps them breathe easier without major surgery and improves their quality of life.”
 
Dr. Kosseifi and his team inserted four one-way tiny valves into the airways of Stanley Williams, a 79-year-old patient who has had COPD for a long time. The valves were inserted to block off the diseased parts of the lungs where air gets trapped. Keeping air from getting trapped in the diseased parts of the lung allows the healthier parts of the lungs to expand and take in more air and allow the patient to breathe easier, while reducing shortness of breath and also allowing the patient to be more active and energetic.
 
"It was getting harder and harder to breathe," said Williams. "Since the valve implant, I can breathe much easier and can take deep breaths without any strain. Any physical activity used to require me to sit down and catch my breath but now my recovery time is much quicker and my lungs are working better."
 
Before the Zephyr Valves the only options for relief were highly invasive treatments including lung surgeries.
 


Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center appoints Jennifer Scott to the role of emergency department director. Scott has over 20 years of nursing experience, and was most recently director of the telemetry and stepdown nursing units. She oversaw a 55 bed-unit for post-op and stepdown patients.

Scott started her career at Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center, working as a nurse in the cardiovascular intensive care unit and then moving to the emergency room, before leaving for a new opportunity at an area South Florida hospital. She then returned to Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center as director of the telemetry and stepdown unit. Scott has a bachelor’s of science degree in nursing from Western Governor’s University.