Florida Trend Exclusive
Avoiding lymphedema

It is difficult enough for breast cancer patients to undergo significant surgery and face the prospect of chemotherapy and/or radiation afterward. About a fifth of those who undergo surgeries also deal with lymphedema, an often-debilitating fluid buildup in the arm caused by the removal of lymph nodes. “An arm that is not draining well (also) is more prone to infection,” says Eli Avisar, a breast cancer surgeon at the University of Miami’s Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. Patients who get a cut or a burn are more vulnerable. [Source: Florida Trend]

Column: The federal shutdown’s biggest victims are kids. And it could get worse.

The government is shut down, and kids are paying the price. As the federal shutdown approaches 1 month, we can no longer hide the effects on children’s health. Suspending national funds has imperiled the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) program, embargoed support for the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program, and endangered early childhood education by eroding the federal Head Start Program. [Source: Tampa Bay Times]

Doctors muffled as Florida moves to end decades of childhood vaccination mandates

Florida plans to end nearly a half-century of required childhood immunizations against diseases that have killed and maimed millions of children. Many critics of the decision, including doctors, are afraid to speak up against it. With the support of Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo on Sept. 3 announced his plan to end all school-age vaccination mandates in the state. [Source: KFF Health News]

Hospitals square off on transplant rule

High-profile Florida hospitals are lining up to battle over a new state proposal about approving organ-transplant programs. Nemours Children’s Hospital last week moved to intervene at the state Division of Administrative Hearings to support a proposed transplant-programs rule issued in August by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration. That came after Memorial Healthcare System in Broward County and AdventHealth Orlando intervened to support the proposed rule. [Source: News Service of Florida]

mRNA vaccine boosted immune response, life expectancy for cancer patients, UF research finds

University of Florida researchers found that advanced lung and skin cancer patients lived “significantly longer” after receiving the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. This finding, in conjunction with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, comes as the DeSantis administration attempts to ban vaccine mandates, including for public school students. “This is one of the most exciting observations I have seen in my 20-year career as a cancer researcher,” Dr. Duane Mitchell, director of the UF Clinical Translational Science Institute, said in a video announcing the research. [Source: Florida Phoenix]

ALSO AROUND FLORIDA:

› Parental rights bill limits Florida minors' access to birth control, STD treatment [Herald-Tribune]
A St. Augustine lawmaker seeks to significantly expand parental rights in the upcoming legislative session with a proposal to prohibit minors from receiving treatment for sexually transmissible diseases without parental consent.

› Tampa General expands in Citrus County with new 53-acre site [Tampa Bay Business & Wealth]
Tampa General Hospital is expanding its reach in Florida’s Nature Coast with the purchase of a 53-acre property next to its Crystal River Emergency Center in Citrus Hills. The announcement marks the hospital system’s latest move to build out its TGH North network, which already serves Hernando and Citrus counties.

› Departed babies and butterflies. Families remember the little lives lost at memorial ceremony [WFSU]
The death of an infant, either soon after or even before birth, is always tragic. On Oct. 23, nearly 50 local families that have experienced that loss gathered in front of HCA Florida Capital Hospital in Tallahassee. Hospital OB/GYN Dr. Shawn Ramsey was one of the speakers at the special memorial.

› Florida Hospital Association CEO Mary Mayhew details struggles of rural hospitals [WUSF]
Florida’s rural hospitals are navigating an increasingly uncertain financial landscape, and DeSoto Memorial Hospital in Arcadia is a clear example, according to Florida Hospital Association CEO and president Mary Mayhew. During a recent appearance on WUSF’s “Florida Matters: Live & Local,” Mayhew highlighted the challenges smaller hospitals face in recruiting staff, managing aging infrastructure and providing specialized care.

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