Five physicians in Lakeside Medical Center’s Family Medicine Residency Program recently graduated in a virtual ceremony following three years of training that included a new medical condition, COVID-19. The teaching hospital is located in the heart of Palm Beach County’s rural, western communities, which is considered a hot spot for the virus.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of this class of residents,” said Darcy J. Davis, CEO of the Health Care District of Palm Beach County. “You’ve been with us during the toughest times Lakeside Medical Center has faced and fought on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. I commend you for your courage, determination and dedication to the Glades community.
 
The five graduates, Danny Abouekde, D.O., Samuel Espinal, D.O., David Lepoff, D.O., and Chief Residents Nergess Taheri, D.O., and Terry Parsons, D.O., completed a rigorous three-year curriculum. Their rotations included emergency medicine, women’s health care, pediatrics, psychiatry, general surgery, internal medicine, community and sports medicine, cardiology, dermatology, women’s health, radiology, orthopedics, ENT, urology, ophthalmology and critical care.
 
This year the residency program was accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), a distinction that assures Lakeside Medical Center’s Family Medicine Residency Program meets the quality standards of the specialty or subspecialty practices for which it prepares its graduates.


Wolfe|Pincavage, a modern Florida boutique law firm specializing in healthcare, real estate, insurance coverage, and business, is pleased to announce that managing partner Douglas Wolfe, has been appointed to the board of directors for Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation

Wolfe built his notable career on a high level of expertise in managed care and healthcare revenue cycle matters. With more than a decade of sophisticated legal experience in Chicago and Miami, he has represented various major healthcare providers, such as hospitals, clinics, and physician groups, in disputes and contract negotiations and dispute resolution proceedings with private and governmental payers.
 
Wolfe is regularly called on to serve as an expert in the healthcare industry, representing the largest health systems in Florida through the ever-evolving framework of new regulations, issues of medical loss ratio, the CARES act, and potential liability litigation.
 
An active member of the community, Wolfe is involved in the Florida chapter of the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA). He received his law degree from University of Miami School of Law and bachelor’s degree from DePaul University.


Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. announced that it has signed an amended agreement for its acquisition of GR Companies, Inc. ("Grassroots"), the largest private vertically-integrated multi-state operator in the United States.

Joseph Lusardi, CEO of Curaleaf, stated, "This announcement marks another significant step forward in finalizing our acquisition of Grassroots, providing Curaleaf an important entry to highly populous, vertically integrated markets in the Midwest. The pending integration of Grassroots will solidify Curaleaf’s position as the world’s largest cannabis company by revenue and the most well-diversified, vertically integrated cannabis company in the United States, the world’s largest cannabis market. We are well positioned to continue to lead our growing industry, and we look forward to closing the transaction and serving new patients and customers in the Grassroots community."
 
On July 17, 2019, Curaleaf announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire Grassroots. Under the new mutually agreed and amended terms of the agreement, the principal component of the transaction consideration remains the same at approximately 102.8 million subordinate voting shares ("SVS") of Curaleaf. What had initially been a $75 million cash component of the consideration has been eliminated, while the component of additional Curaleaf SVS to be priced at the 10-day volume-weighted average price prior to closing of the transaction has been increased from $40 million to approximately $90.1 million, subject to final adjustment. Accordingly, the total SVS consideration for the transaction is expected to be approximately 118.9 million shares(1). Curaleaf and Grassroots mutually aligned on the updated terms in support of the further optimization of cash, providing maximum flexibility to support the future growth of the business following the close of the transaction. In addition, the parties have resolved that certain Grassroots assets in Illinois, Ohio and Maryland will be designated for sale after closing to comply with local limitation on license ownership. The transaction price remains subject to usual working capital and other adjustments. Curaleaf’s acquisition of Grassroots is currently expected to close upon completion of certain pre-closing conditions within the coming weeks.
 
Grassroots is a strong market leader throughout the Midwest, with an affiliated portfolio of over 50 dispensary licenses, including more than 30 operational dispensaries. The transaction is expected to strategically accelerate Curaleaf’s expansion into Illinois and Pennsylvania, which are among the largest and fastest-growing cannabis markets in the United States. Grassroots also has a leading presence in new state markets in which Curaleaf does not currently operate, including Arkansas, North Dakota, and Vermont. The transaction is also complementary to Curaleaf’s existing business in seven other states, providing additional scale and operating leverage in major markets such as Arizona, Maryland, Michigan, and Ohio.
 
The planned integration of Grassroots is expected to expand Curaleaf’s presence from 18 to 23 states, with the combined company having over 135 dispensary licenses, 88 operational dispensary locations, over 30 processing facilities and 22 cultivation sites with 1.6 million square feet of current cultivation capacity.
 
At closing, security holders in Grassroots will have approximately 18% pro forma ownership of Curaleaf on a fully-diluted basis. The amended terms of the transaction were unanimously approved by the Boards of Directors at both companies. A copy of the amended transaction agreement with respect to the proposed transaction will be filed under Curaleaf’s profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.
 
Upon closing of the transaction, the core security holders of Grassroots will have, as a group, the right to appoint one person to serve on the Curaleaf Board of Directors. Mitch Kahn, co-founder and CEO of Grassroots, will fill the allotted board seat. Kahn co-founded Grassroots in 2014 and brings with him more than 20 years of executive experience.


By 2050, approximately 16 million Americans and 60 million people worldwide will be affected by Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and related disorders (ADRD), which include Lewy Body Dementia (LBD), Parkinson’s disease, vascular dementia and frontotemporal degeneration. In Florida alone, individuals diagnosed with AD is expected to increase by 40 percent in the next 15 years. These alarming projections highlight the urgent need to employ a multifaceted and personalized approach that targets prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of dementia.
 
Florida Atlantic University’s Schmidt College of Medicine and The Harry T. Mangurian, Jr. Foundation have joined forces again to usher in a new phase of research to prevent dementia. Through the extension of a three-year, $3 million grant from the Foundation’s ADRD Medical Research Fund, FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine will launch the new FAU Center for Brain Health within its FAU Medicine Primary Care Practice. The grant supports precision medicine approaches to prevent dementia, which will be further strengthened by leveraging multiple patient-centered platforms through state-of-the-art transdisciplinary approaches.
 
Leading the initiative is Janet Robishaw, Ph.D., a renowned scientist in functional and translational genomics, senior associate dean for research and chair of the Department of Biomedical Sciences in FAU’s Schmidt College of Medicine, and a member of the FAU Brain Institute (I-BRAIN). Robishaw has been working at the forefront of precision medicine for more than a decade. She will oversee the new FAU Center for Brain Health research team to leverage resources and collaborations to increase research, shorten the time for meaningful study results and enhance research impact by including multiple sites and diverse patient populations.
 
Funding from The Harry T. Mangurian, Jr. Foundation grant will enable Robishaw to secure research equipment, key personnel, and other related costs necessary to ensure the successful launch of the new FAU Center for Brain Health. The project will utilize precision-medicine approaches to characterize individuals with ADRD with the goal of stratifying and developing individualized treatment plans. The funding will also support the recruitment of a leading clinician scientist with expertise in personalized approaches to preventing and treating the full spectrum of dementias. This individual will work collaboratively with Robishaw and other FAU scientists who are dedicated to research in this field.
 
Robishaw and the FAU Center for Brain Health team will continue to support, share, and disseminate new knowledge to communities and beyond by administering pilot grants, hosting national meetings, and developing state-of-the-art curricular materials. FAU and its team of funded researchers in ADRD will continue to serve as a vital hub for advancing science and education in the prevention and treatment of dementia. 


Bluma Wellness Inc. is pleased to announce that its subsidiary company, One Plant Florida, has opened its latest dispensary retail location and delivery hub in Port St. Lucie, Florida.

“We have set the standard of cultivating the best cannabis in Florida and, with one of the most experienced cannabis cultivation teams, we are proud of the product we grow”
 
Situated in the heart of Florida’s Treasure Coast, this location offers patients in Port St. Lucie, as well as patients in Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and North Palm Beach County areas (via delivery), access to One Plant’s top-shelf genetics, hang-dried and hand-trimmed flower, vape products, concentrates and merchandise via an in-store experience, curbside pickup or home delivery.
 
One Plant Florida is a vertically integrated, licensed cannabis company and one of 14 operational medical marijuana treatment centers (MMTC) in Florida. The company’s retail dispensary sites are carefully selected to promote efficient delivery of premium flower to Florida’s patients. The Port St. Lucie location is One Plant’s fourth retail location in Florida. The company expects to open several additional locations throughout the state before the end of the year.
 
One Plant strives to provide top-quality, best-in-class cannabis and cannabis-derived products. It hand-picks its premium cannabis flowers, which are sold as flower, pre-rolls, distillate and in concentrate form. Offerings include prime and rare strains of cannabis flower such as Mac1, Runtz, SherbD, ChemD, Chem91, I75, Fish Whistle, Dirty Lemons, and Ebony and Ivory, among others. It also sells vaporizers, vaporizer accessories, and vaping cartridges.
 
“We have set the standard of cultivating the best cannabis in Florida and, with one of the most experienced cannabis cultivation teams, we are proud of the product we grow,” said Bluma Wellness Inc. CEO Brady Cobb. “Through our commitment to honoring the fullest expression of each seed, post-harvest trimming, curing and packaging cannabis flower products, we have established One Plant as a premier supplier of cannabis products. We look forward to sharing our passion with the Treasure Coast community.”
 
Recognizing the diverse needs of its patients, One Plant provides a robust delivery service across most of Florida. It also offers curbside pickup at all retail locations. Orders can be placed online, and customers can use CanPay for payment. A loyalty rewards program is offered as well.
 
Consumers must have a medical marijuana card to purchase products.