Broward Health Coral Springs, which has been treating heartburn sufferers for more than two decades, has recently launched a new Heartburn Center that offers the latest in surgical treatments and endoscopic therapies. This specialized, multidisciplinary center provides treatment for a wide variety of conditions that cause heartburn, such as gastro esophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Mark Shachner, M.D., the Center’s medical director, said many heartburn patients simply reach for over-the-counter medications to ease the symptoms when more permanent solutions are available. Receiving a professional medical evaluation of heartburn symptoms may help reveal more serious underlying conditions.
 
“GERD is a progressive disease,” said Shachner. “What starts out as heartburn can lead to severe issues, such as a chronic cough, hoarseness, dental erosion, even cancer. Our multidisciplinary approach helps ensure patients receive a thorough assessment and treatment plan.”
 
Among the variety of conditions diagnosed and treated at Broward Health Coral Springs’ Heartburn Center include hiatal hernia, Barrett’s esophagus, motility disorders, achalasia and anatomic disorders interfering with swallowing. When more serious conditions are diagnosed, Broward Health can sometimes offer several non-surgical and minimally invasive surgical treatment options with short recovery periods.


Despite mandated COVID-19 prevention measures that restricted visitation, the Edward J. Healey Rehabilitation and Nursing Center has kept the lines of communication open over the past six months for its 111 residents and their families. Gary Teitelbaum appreciates the ongoing information he receives about his 56-year old brother Eric, who has lived at the skilled nursing center in Riviera Beach for the past five years.

“Every single time there is progress or something happens with my brother, who is confined to a wheelchair, they call me about it,” said Teitelbaum. “I’ve been overwhelmed with joy by the emails and calls that I’ve received. I think the care there is exceptional.”
 
The 120-bed facility, which is owned and operated by the Health Care District of Palm Beach County, sends families weekly emails with updates on their loved ones in English, Spanish and Creole and then follows up to ensure the email or letter was received. The skilled nursing home’s staff also provides iPads to residents so they can see and speak privately with their family and friends via FaceTime and Skype several times a week.
 

“The most important thing is to ensure that the residents’ psychological, emotional and medical needs are met,” said Shelly Ann Lau, Executive Director of the Healey Center. “We understand it’s difficult not to socialize closely with others as we maintain social distancing requirements, so we try to accommodate safe interaction with others.”
 
The Healey Center’s activities, admissions and social services staff replaced bingo games, shopping trips and communal dining with other options. They coordinate with families who deliver their loved ones’ favorite foods and then decorate the residents’ rooms and wheelchairs to celebrate special occasions like birthdays. Staff shops online for items that residents request. Growing vegetables also engages residents in the outdoor patio garden. Unlike most nursing homes that serve senior adults, the average age of Healey Center residents is 61. Their activities are based on their ability levels and interests.
 


Dr. Dror Paley, medical director of the Paley Orthopedic & Spine Institute at St. Mary’s Medical Center & Palm Beach Children’s Hospital, is the first surgeon in the world to perform a new procedure utilizing the new PRECICE™ Plating System, an all-internal remote-controlled limb lengthening device from NuVasive Specialized Orthopedics. Dr. Paley is a co-developer of The PRECICE™ Plate technology, which is designed for complex limb reconstruction, including procedures to treat limb-lengthening discrepancies resulting from congenital abnormalities, major fractures of the legs and arms, and shortened bones due to cancer or other diseases. The PRECICE™ Plate implant and surgical technique are mounted on the outside of the bone which is designed to avoid disturbance to the patient’s growth plates, which is especially important in younger, growing pediatric patients. The mounting location of the plate is also intended to present less risk to the bone’s blood supply.



Herb Yardley of Massey Yardley CDJRF is all too familiar with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). When his late wife, Catherine Yardley, was first diagnosed with the disease they didn’t know where to turn. While treatment can help provide a better quality of life, there is no cure for the condition.

“My wife Catherine died from COPD. Watching her struggle to breathe was difficult for her family,” said Herb Yardley in making the decision. “COPD is the third leading cause of death and is an unknown and undertreated disease. We hope to begin correcting that by establishing a pulmonary center at Holy Cross Health.”
 
The $2 million donation will establish the Catherine Yardley Pulmonary Center of Excellence at Holy Cross Health, a non-profit hospital. This donation will provide necessary funding for Holy Cross to conduct comprehensive research, advance clinically effective treatments of COPD and other lung diseases, spark the creation of a new lab focused on research and education, and allow for a number of enhancements to already established bronchoscopy labs. 


Aventura Hospital and Medical Center has named David Was, MBA, to the Chief Operating Officer (COO).

David has been employed by HCA Healthcare for more than fifteen years, starting in HCA Healthcare’s Corporate Office in Nashville, TN, in 2005 and then joining HCA Healthcare’s Executive Development Program in 2010. He served as Associate Chief Operating Officer at Grand Strand Regional Medical Center in Myrtle Beach, SC, from 2010-2012 and then as Associate Chief Operating Officer at Parkridge Health System in Chattanooga, TN, from 2012-2015. He was promoted into the role of Chief Operating Officer at Central Florida Regional Hospital in Sanford, FL, in 2015.
 
David is a native of Nashville, TN, where he received his undergraduate degree in Spanish from Vanderbilt University and his Masters in Business Administration from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management.