As longtime partners in education, healthcare, wellness, community engagement and more, Lee Health and Florida SouthWestern State College (FSW) have entered into a letter of intent to further grow the partnership and create new opportunities for students in our region.

Through the collaborative relationship, Lee Health and FSW plan to develop several initiatives designed to benefit students, Lee Health team members and the Southwest Florida community.
 
Lee Health and FSW will create different learning programs and internships for FSW students that will prepare them for potential job opportunities within Lee Health and provide a pipeline of highly qualified and trained employees to serve Southwest Florida.
 
Additionally, Lee Health and FSW will develop programs to engage Lee Health staff in the activities of the college, along with continuing to provide support to current and future FSW School of Health Professions programs, including nursing, respiratory care, cardiopulmonary sciences, radiologic technology and more.
 
Lee Health is currently the largest employer of graduates from the FSW School of Health Professions in the areas of nursing, EMT, respiratory care and other programs.
 

Through the partnership, Lee Health and FSW will continue to support undergraduate studies of nursing and a variety of clinical specialties offered by FSW as a primary clinical site for training.



News alert: We are all ageing. Where we age and how well we age depends on several factors. The Milken Institute ranks the top cities for “successful aging” with criteria that covers everything from general livability to healthcare to education to community engagement. In 2019, South Florida, covering Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, ranked 74th in the list of the 100 Best Cities for Successful Aging.

The good news is we can, and must, create better options for prevention, healthy behaviors and health care for our population. We must invest in a quality of life for everyone but particularly our seniors in Florida, where 20.5% of the population is 65 years and older. Florida ranks second in the nation only to Maine at 20.6%.
 
Holy Cross Health will soon establish a comprehensive, collaborative center focused on healthcare, well-being and social interaction, all of which are extremely important to everyone’s mental health, regardless of your age.
 
Our new model of care for the AgeWell Center serves those who are Medicare eligible and will provide what is needed to age successfully:
• Access to quality healthcare. Dedicated physicians and staff will help navigate the system, assisting with making appointments, case management, social work and if needed home services can be coordinated. Our model allows easier access to physicians and social workers, when needed. It’s one stop for healthcare needs with imaging, exercise, cafeteria and labs on site. For those in need, the center can arrange for free transportation to and from the center as well.
• Education. As our population ages, our needs change. Yet nutrition, diet and exercise are just as important as they are when we are younger. To that end, we will host cooking demonstrations, coach wellness behavior and introduce classes on how we can all live, eat and exercise to live longer and stronger.
• Social interaction. No matter how old you are, you need social interaction. Unfortunately, during COVID people were isolated in their homes many without physical interaction with their loved ones for months. That takes a toll on your mental and physical well-being. With the classes, demonstrations and social amenities we have planned, our center will be where patients can come to participate in activities that help us age well.
• Communication. Although medical care is one aspect of the AgeWell Center, navigating the health care system is a family affair. The staff at the AgeWell Center work to improve the patient and family experience of health and health care, always moving toward improved options for staying healthy.
• Technology. The barriers to technology can fall into a few categories: access, affordability and understanding. While COVID forced us to live our lives online more than ever before, technology can be a challenge. Adding to that, many feel embarrassed to admit they don’t know how to navigate the internet well enough to make appointments or access their medical records. Then there are those who cannot afford the expense. At the AgeWell Center, learn how to navigate these barriers and feel more in control of your health!
 
As we come out of National Older Americans Month, let’s look to the future as we improve the options for healthy living in Ft Lauderdale. This summer and fall we will invite you to attend a tour of the new Holy Cross Health AgeWell Center. For more information, visit www.holy-cross.com/agewell.


A good night’s sleep doesn’t come easy to the more than 22 million Americans who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, which occurs when soft tissues in the airway collapse during sleep and block the flow of oxygen to the brain. The brain senses a lack of oxygen and wakes up the body just long enough to take a breath, causing a cycle of poor, disruptive sleep.

“A lack of sleep can be detrimental to our body, but sleep apnea can lead to other health issues, including moodiness, memory loss and even stroke, heart attack and death,” said Charles Zeller IV, D.O., an otolaryngologist with the Broward Health Physician Group. “That’s why it’s so important to be treated for sleep apnea.”
 
Dr. Zeller is the first physician in the Broward Health system to utilize Inspire® Upper Airway Stimulation (UAS), the only FDA-approved implantable device to combat obstructive sleep apnea. Inspire UAS is a less intrusive, more comfortable solution to obstructive sleep apnea. Implanted in the body as an outpatient procedure, the small device is activated following a 30-day healing period. Working inside the body with a patient’s natural breathing process, Inspire can combat certain types of obstructive sleep apnea, particularly in cases where a loss of muscle tone causes the tongue to fall back in the mouth.
 
Based on a patient’s unique breathing patterns, Inspire delivers a mild stimulation to the hypoglossal nerve, which controls tongue movement and prevents the tongue from blocking the airway. By stimulating these muscles, the airway remains open during sleep.
 
Inspire is controlled by the patient using a small, handheld Inspire sleep remote that is turned on before bedtime and turned off in the morning. Additionally, the patient can pause therapy during the night, if needed, and increase or decrease therapy settings.


Trulieve Cannabis Corp. and Harvest Health & Recreation Inc. are pleased to announce they have entered into a definitive arrangement agreement pursuant to which Trulieve will acquire all of the issued and outstanding subordinate voting shares, multiple voting shares and super voting shares of Harvest. Under the terms of the Arrangement Agreement, shareholders of Harvest will receive 0.1170 of a subordinate voting share of Trulieve for each Harvest subordinate voting share (or equivalent) held, representing total consideration of approximately $2.1 billion based on the closing price of the Trulieve Shares on May 7, 2021.

Trulieve, a leading multi-state operator with a focus on the northeast and southeast regions of the United States, and Harvest, a leading multi-state operator with a focus on the west coast and northeast regions of the United States, have built deep, vertically integrated operations in their key markets, becoming leading operators in the United States, the world’s largest regulated cannabis market.
 
Upon completion of the Transaction, as well as the closing of other previously announced acquisitions by Harvest and Trulieve, the combined business will have operations in 11 states, comprised of 22 cultivation and processing facilities with a total capacity of 3.1 million square feet, and 126 dispensaries serving both the medical and adult-use recreational cannabis markets.
 
“This announcement is the largest and most exciting acquisition so far in our industry, creating the most profitable public multi-state operator. Importantly, our companies share similar customer values with a focus on going deep in core markets. This combination offers us the opportunity to leverage our respective strong foundations and propel us forward with an unparalleled platform for future growth," stated Kim Rivers, Chief Executive Officer of Trulieve. "Harvest provides us with an immediate and significant presence in new and established markets and accelerates our entry into the adult use space in Arizona. Trulieve and Harvest are leaders in our markets, recognized for our innovation, brands, and operational expertise with true depth and scale in our businesses. We look forward to providing best-in-class service to patients and customers on a broader national scale as we create an iconic US cannabis brand."
 
"We are thrilled to be joining Trulieve, a company that has achieved unrivaled success and scale in its home state of Florida," said Steve White, Chief Executive Officer of Harvest. "As one of the oldest multi-state operators, we believe our track record of identifying and developing attractive market opportunities combined with our recent successful launch of adult use sales in Arizona will add tremendous value to the combined organization as it continues to expand and grow in the coming years."
 


One morning in 2019 Stan Klos III, a 30-something year old, was sitting on his porch talking with a friend about a hemp farm down the road in Indiana. Next thing you know, they were visiting the farmer and knocking on doors of other knowledgeable hemp entrepreneurs, doing due diligence, researching the medical benefits and seeking available land and interested partners to pilot a personal hemp farm project.

In short order, he leased some property, acquired a license, started volunteering with helpful established farmers to learn best practices, engaged his wife on legal guidance, connected with a board-certified medical expert physiatrist in orthopedic pain management, brought creative and strategic advisors and sales expertise on board and launched Nature’s Stash with 6,000 plants to create doctor formulated and pharmaceutical grade soil-to-oil CBD and hemp extract for humans.
 
Founder, Farmer, Chief Flower Picker and Sales Associate Stan Klos III aka (Stosh), a native of Florida, says he grew up in a sea of blue and sought to create a sea of green. He partnered with Purdue University scientists on a pilot project and now operates this boutique hemp farm in Indiana with a goal to provide a holistic alternative to dependence on harsh pharmaceuticals. He differentiates his approach from mass-produced CBD oils by targeting rare cannabinoids through nanotechnology, high frequency ultrasound, to break down and provide more surface area for easier absorption in the body.
 
According to Klos, the full spectrum products of Nature’s Stash exhibit the “entourage” effect.
 
“We selectively target flavonoids, terpenes and cannabinoids and treat sequentially with time, pressure and temperature to extract quality molecules which benefit from a synergy not available in mass produced CBD products. Most other extractors use a major flash wash with toxic chemicals that gets rid of the beneficial aspects of cannabinoids. Our world class extractor procedure protects all the minor components of the plant to produce the highest quality potency hemp extract products on the market as compared to others which have only one or two of the beneficial cannabinoids left in their product,” he explained.
 
Klos’ initial dream to embrace the medicinal benefits of hemp was underscored early on during a meeting with neighbors who were questioning his motives when suddenly a neighbor experienced an epileptic seizure.
 
“As he experienced the seizure and was clutching my arm it served to reinforce my desire to help people with my products,” he said.
 
Since then, Nature’s Stash, a seed to sale hemp farm, has selected seed genetics, cultivated, harvested and processed their products minus harsh chemicals, according to Klos.
 
“We have established an online presence and use nanotechnology in all human products to provide faster absorption in the body,” he said. “The aim is to continue to set the gold standard for medical grade CBD and hemp extracts that Mother Nature and Science can provide.”
 
Additionally, canine experts suggest that CBD products can benefit chronic inflammation, epilepsy and cancer symptoms in dogs. Nature’s Stash produces organically grown, non-pesticide, non-GMO, non psycho active CBD for canines to support overall health. Canine products specifically are intended to help manage the production of hormones, balance in weight, appetite, temperature regulation and overall balance within the organs and functions.
 
The Indiana labs are FDA and GMP compliant and products carry a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) to ensure safety for the consumer.