Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center Announces Two New Board Members

Children’s Diagnostic & Treatment Center (CDTC) has announced that Captain Harold Lee Rosbach and Christian Zanartu have joined the board of directors.

A 20-year yachting industry veteran, Rosbach is the lead star of Bravo’s hit television show Below Deck. Rosbach published a memoir in 2018 titled, Running Against the Tide. He also serves on the Winterfest board of directors. Rosbach has avidly supported CDTC over the last five years, participating in the organization’s Waterway Soiree fundraiser.

Zanartu is senior vice president of Brown & Brown Insurance. He served as vice president of Brown & Brown for seven years before his promotion to senior vice president. Since 2015, Zanartu has been a member of the CTDC Transformers, the group of giving business professionals that supports CDTC. He has been instrumental in helping with events such as MICF Spin-a-Thon, Dining with the Docs and more.

Baptist Health South Florida Names Lourdes Boue CEO of West Kendall Baptist Hospital

Lourdes Boue has been named Chief Executive Officer of West Kendall Baptist Hospital. Boue previously served as Vice President of Operations for the hospital, and was part of the team that opened West Kendall Baptist Hospital, Miami-Dade County’s first new hospital in more than 35 years. She succeeds Javier Hernandez-Lichtl, who was recently named CEO of Doctors Hospital and Miami Orthopedics & Sports Medicine Institute.

Boue has more than three decades of experience as a healthcare executive in South Florida. She has been an executive with Baptist Health South Florida for the past 15 years, starting as vice president for Baptist Outpatient Services. She has also served as Director of Strategic Planning for the organization. Prior to joining Baptist Health, she was the CFO for the Miami Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged and audit/consulting manager for an international accounting firm.

Active in our community, Boue is past Chairman of the Board for the Epilepsy Foundation of Florida, past Chairman of the State of Florida Board of Accountancy Probable Cause Panel and past co-chairman and member of the Agency Audit Committee for United Way of Miami-Dade. She currently serves as a mentor for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Miami.

Boue is a graduate from Florida International University with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration, and from the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship at Nova Southeastern University with a Master of Science degree in Leadership.

Palm Beach State College Executive Dean of the Belle Glade Campus Joins the Health Care District’s Hospital Advisory Board

Dr. LaTanya L. McNeal, Executive Dean for Palm Beach State College’s Belle Glade campus, was recently appointed to the Lakeside Health Advisory Board, the Health Care District of Palm Beach County’s hospital advisory board. The board advises the Health Care District Board of Commissioners on issues related to the overall health and wellness of Glades residents, visitors and underserved members of the community.

Dr. McNeal is an educator with 23 years of experience in secondary and post-secondary education. Prior to her recent promotion to Executive Dean, she served as Assistant Dean of Student Services. Dr. McNeal is the Chair of the Glades area Advisory Board for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Palm Beach County, serves as an AdvanceED External Review school accreditation team member for the state of Florida and is a member of the Lake Okeechobee Regional Economic Alliance (LORE). She also serves on the Glades Career Readiness Roundtable (GCRR), the Dolly Hand Cultural Arts Center advisory board and the Pahokee Rotary.

Dr. McNeal obtained her bachelor’s in biomedical sciences and master’s in educational leadership from the University of North Florida. In 2018, she obtained her doctoral degree in higher education and organizational leadership from Nova Southeastern University.

Tammy Jackson-Moore Appointed to Serve on the Health Care District of Palm Beach County Board

Tammy Jackson-Moore was recently appointed by the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners to serve a four-year term on the Board of the Health Care District of Palm Beach County.

Jackson-Moore is a consultant, a community organizer, and an advocate for the Glades community. She has worked tirelessly to transform the lives of many and to better the community around her. Her hard work has allowed her to receive distinguished recognition including Who's Who in Black South Florida, and to serve as chairperson of the Palm Beach County Commission on Women. She is the co-founder of Guardians of the Glades, an advocacy organization that works on behalf of the Glades communities.

Jackson-Moore has both governmental and non-profit experience. She formerly worked as a Public Information Officer and Outreach Specialist or the South FL Water Management District, as well as a Deputy City Manager in municipal government. She also served in a leadership role for the American Red Cross. A member of various boards and committees, Jackson-Moore serves as the Secretary of the Lake Okeechobee Regional Economic (LORE) Alliance of Palm Beach County, and the Palm Tran Service Board. She also served as a panelist on the 2018 Reignite Florida Leadership Summit.

Baptist Health Foundation Announces New Board Chairman, Robert Berrin

Baptist Health South Florida has announced the election of Robert Berrin as chair of the Baptist Health Foundation Board of Directors.

Berrin, real estate investor and longtime community leader is president of Capital Realty Services, a full service commercial real estate firm. He has been an active volunteer and key supporter of numerous community, charitable and civic organizations, including serving as Board Chair of the Greater Miami Jewish Federation and on the Dean’s Advisory Council of the Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University.

Before assuming a three-year term as chair of Baptist Health Foundation’s board, Berrin served as vice chair for the organization, which raises critical funds to improve the health and quality of life for everyone in our community. He also served as chair of the foundation at South Miami Hospital where all three of his adult children were born.

Miami Cancer Institute Announces Launch of Inaugural Summit of the Americas

Some of the world’s leading experts from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania and Florida International University will join Miami Cancer Institute on January 24-25 for the inaugural Symposium on Immunotherapies for Hematologic Malignancies.

Held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Coconut Grove, the symposium aims to provide updated information about advances in the treatment of leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma, blood and marrow transplants and immunotherapies.

Hematologists, oncologists, pathologists, radiation oncologists, palliative care staff, medical oncologists, hematology nurses, pharmacists and other health care professionals will partake in the two-day summit, which will provide information on new immunotherapies and potential treatment combinations. Attendees will also hear updates on evolving immunologically and molecular-based system therapies, and how these therapies can be combined with autologous and allogeneic stem cell transplants.

Sponsored by several top-tier biopharmaceutical and biotech organizations, Celgene, Genentech, Janssen, Sanofi, Jazz, Novartis, Atara, EUSA Pharma, Kite, Medgene, the symposium will provide a wealth of new information from every presentation. Attendees can expect many presentations that feature primary principle investigators who have immediate insights into the results of clinical trials. In particular, there will be sessions dedicated to the latest approaches using CAR-T cells, as well as how to use these treatments effectively with stem cell transplantation.

The Miami Cancer Institute symposium will feature multiple short sessions that cover all types of hematologic malignancies, allowing attendees to get a full snapshot of current therapies and clinical trials.

Visit https://cme.baptisthealth.net for more information about accreditation, registration and the summit agenda. Continuing Medical Education (CME) credit is available for the summit.

Leukemia Patient is Firefighter for a Day

Medical caregivers from Salah Foundation’s Children’s Hospital’s surprised 6-year-old leukemia patient, Dylan Lindsey, when he arrived at the pediatric hematology/oncology clinic. Instead of his regular appointment, Dylan became an honorary firefighter for the day. Office supervisor Michelle Saldivar and licensed clinical social worker Melissa Stachowiak came up with the idea after talking to Dylan’s mom about his dream to become a firefighter.

“Every day he passes a fire station by our home and says that’s his future job,” said Katrice Eason, Dylan’s mom.

Dylan was diagnosed in March 2019 with acute lymphoblastic leukemia and is undergoing treatment at Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital. Dylan is currently in remission and in the first year of a three-year treatment.

The staff teamed up with local fire stations and set up the surprise event on Thursday, November 7. Firefighters from Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue and Pompano Beach Fire Rescue, along with physicians, nurses and the Child Life team, surprised Dylan as he walked into the clinic.

He was given fire rescue gear and a badge. Led by Fort Lauderdale Fire Department Chief Rhoda Mae Kerr, Dylan was given a tour of various fire trucks and rescue vehicles. To his delight, Dylan was able to spray water using the fire engine’s hose as well as get onto a ladder. He was also able to ride in a Pompano Beach Fire Rescue vehicle and blow the siren.

“Watching Dylan today was amazing and reminds us why we do what we do and why we are here caring for the patients,” said Saldivar.

“This event meant hope,” said Eason. “It means that this is the beginning for him and it isn’t the end. It gave him a chance to see that dreams do come true.”

Volunteers Needed For South Florida Hospice Patients

VITAS Healthcare, the nation’s leading provider of end-of-life care, welcomes individuals interested in sharing their time and talents through volunteer opportunities in hospice. Because hospice patients have unique end-of-life needs, VITAS seeks volunteers from all backgrounds, experiences and cultures.

VITAS volunteers are part of a multidisciplinary team of caregivers that include a doctor, nurse, aide, chaplain and social worker. All volunteers have the opportunity to choose a role in which they feel comfortable and fulfilled including activities such as patient care, pet visits, music and art enrichment, administrative assistance, sewing, quilting and more.

Volunteers receive free and comprehensive training before being assigned, a job where they learn hospice philosophy, caring for the terminally ill and grief and loss education, and more.

Hospice volunteers make a difference for people at the end of their life journey, filling the gap between loved ones and professional caregivers.

For more information or to apply to become a volunteer, visit VITAS.com/Volunteer.

Boca Raton Regional Hospital Implements Long-Term Monitoring System to Help Prevent Future Stroke

Boca Raton Regional Hospital, part of Baptist Health South Florida, is the first hospital in Palm Beach County to launch a long-term monitoring program for cryptogenic stroke patients to help reduce their risk of a secondary stroke. The multidisciplinary stroke team at the Marcus Neuroscience Institute (MNI) offers the option to insert a small implantable cardiac monitor to continuously monitor heart activity to capture abnormal heartbeats and rhythms, which often go undetected and can increase stroke risk significantly. This data is relayed quickly to specialty cardiac physicians so that they can promptly initiate treatment when required.

The Cryptogenic Stroke Pathway program utilizes the Reveal LINQ system that includes a cardiac monitor and bedside transmitter to relay critical information to electrophysiologists at BRRH. The monitor analyzes heart data for any signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib), irregular or rapid heartbeats. The device is implanted using a minimally-invasive procedure to avoid infection, reduce scarring and avoid any other medical complications. The system allows patients to continue their everyday activities without any interference for up to three years.

“Patients that have suffered cryptogenic stroke often have undiagnosed atrial fibrillation or other cardiac complications months after being discharged from a hospital. Traditional programs typically end weeks or even days after the initial stroke,” said Brian Snelling, M.D., medical director of the Marilyn & Stanley Barry Center for Cerebrovascular Disease & Stroke at MNI. “The Reveal LINQ system is enabling us to detect heart disturbances on a long-term basis to facilitate proactive treatment when needed.”

One of the first patients in the Cryptogenic Stroke Pathway program credits his life to the Reveal LINQ system. The patient, Mohammed Elfadel, came to MNI in July 2018 with a life-threatening large vessel occlusion stroke without a known cause. He received mechanical thrombectomy and was implanted with the Reveal LINQ cardiac monitor prior to discharge. Nearly one year later, the MNI electrophysiologist team detected Afib in Mohammed which required him to immediately switch medications.

MNI has maintained a 100% stroke pathway percentage since the implementation of the Reveal LINQ.

Many hospitals have protocol for patients who have experienced an ischemic stroke, only a select few implemented a long-term monitoring program designed specifically to cryptogenic stroke.

UM-NSU CARD Launches Free Early ASD Screening and Parent Coaching Program

With one in 59 children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), research buttresses the fact that early identification and family support have long-term, positive benefits for children.

Now parents in South Florida have a new resource to help them screen toddlers from 12 to 24 months old, for developmental delays and may also be eligible to participate in a national research program aimed at closing the gap between early identification of ASD and access to early intervention programs.

“With small children, pediatricians and parents often take a wait and see approach,” says Dr. Michael Alessandri executive director of the University of Miami - Nova Southeastern University Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (UM-NSU CARD). “But what ends up happening is that some kids fall through the cracks. They are either misdiagnosed or diagnosed later, which research shows often results in longer and more intensive intervention. But that’s not necessary, because we have the researched-backed tools that allow us to screen for early signs of ASD.”

Funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and developed by UM-NSU CARD along with Florida State University, Boston University, and the University of Massachusetts Boston, UM-NSU CARD has launched the ACTION Network program to close this gap.

The ACTION Network, which stands for Autism Adaptive Community-based Treatment to Improve Outcomes using Navigators – provides parents with the coaching and skills they need to support their child’s development. Once enrolled in the research program, specially trained family navigators meet with parents in their home, up to two times per week for six months, to learn new ways to help their child develop social interaction, language and play skills, and manage challenging behavior. These home-based parent-coaching style interventions are tailored to daily activities, routines, and problem solving on issues important to the individual family. The program is offered in English, Spanish and Creole in the tri-county area at no charge.

“We don’t have to wait until children enter school or are sidelined in their development to give them the help they need,” Alessandri added. Families and health care providers can access the free initial screening tool for communication delays online at the My First Words Project website, https://my.firstwordsproject.com/study/ace-action-miami.

“We are excited to be able to offer this tool and assistance to families and physicians, which will allow many more families to access much-needed evidence-based early interventions and related resources,” says Alessandri.

To learn more visit parents and doctors can also contact the research program directly at aceaction@miami.edu or call (305) 284-6894.

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