Trulieve Cannabis Corp. and Harvest Health & Recreation Inc. announced the expiration of the 30-day waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976 in connection with the previously announced proposed acquisition.

Trulieve CEO Kim Rivers commented, "Completion of the HSR milestone is exciting and we will continue to work toward closing this strategic transaction. Upon closing, we expect to leverage the expertise and resources of the combined companies to realize meaningful scale and expansion for years to come."
 
Closing of the Transaction remains subject to the satisfaction or waiver of all remaining conditions in the agreement. The Harvest shareholder vote is expected to occur in the third quarter of 2021. Both companies continue to work toward obtaining all required regulatory approvals.


Exciting advances in immunotherapy, the discovery of novel agents and a better understanding of the molecular makeup of an individual’s disease are leading to revolutionary changes in the treatment of patients with hematologic cancers. The news on the latest promising treatments impacting life expectancy and quality of life came out of Miami Cancer Institute’s Summit of the Americas on Immunotherapies for Hematologic Malignancies, the second annual gathering of the top experts in the field. Nearly 300 physicians and other healthcare providers attended the Summit.

In the United States in 2020, nearly 180,000 people were diagnosed with a form of blood cancer, according to the Leukemia & Lymphoma society. As clinical trials and research continue, physician scientists are gaining more insight into which patients respond better to immunotherapy versus chemotherapy or who might need a combination of the treatments along with stem cell transplantation, said Guenther Koehne, M.D., Ph.D., course director and deputy director and chief of Blood & Marrow Transplant and Hematologic Oncology at Miami Cancer Institute.
 
“There has been an explosion in research that has led to a rapidly evolving environment in the treatment of cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma,” Dr. Koehne said. “The Summit faculty are physicians who are overseeing many of these treatment breakthroughs. By sharing information in this format, we can move these developments to the patient bedside more quickly.”
 
Dr. Koehne is a pioneer in allogeneic stem cell transplantation and immunotherapies, having developed a technique to manipulate donor cells to treat those with acute myeloid and lymphoblastic leukemia and multiple myeloma . The manipulation of donor stem cell products prior to allogeneic stem cell transplantation diminishes the often-harmful graft versus host disease complication of transplantation.
 
“I think one of the most exciting things about the work that all of us who took part in the Summit of the Americas do is that we are showing that treatments are becoming more sophisticated and more targeted to the individual,” Dr. Koehne said. “This is not one size fits all care. Every day we are learning new facts about how to choose and integrate the best medications and treatments for the specific individual. And we are finding new treatments for those with extremely complicated cases. This improves outcome and gives us hope.”


Julie Katz has rejoined Nicklaus Children’s Health System as executive director of community relations and corporate responsibility.

Katz first joined the Nicklaus Children’s family in 2012 as the director of annual giving at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation. Most recently, she served as vice president of mission resources for Make-A-Wish Southern Florida.
 
Katz earned her master’s degree in business administration with a concentration in youth and family policy from the Heller School of Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts.


Beginning on June 27, 2021, the Emergency Order (21-94) that allowed Medical Marijuana Physicians to perform telemedicine renewals expired. Renewing cardholders now need to be seen in person to renew their certifications. However there is one exception: if renewing cardholders are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, an extended grace period is possible. Contact your Medical Marijuana Physician for more information.



On May 18, a celebration at Jupiter Medical Center honored several generous donors and commemorated five years of pediatrics at Jupiter Medical Center.

World-class pediatric care continues to expand at Jupiter Medical Center thanks to the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation, the Lawrence J. & Florence A. De George Charitable Trust, the Mastroianni Family Foundation, The Honda Classic Cares, the medical center’s auxiliary, and many other philanthropic members of the community.