“So far, construction is on time,” said spokeswoman Yusila Ramirez. A VIP ribbon cutting is scheduled for Oct. 4, and the rest of the community is invited to tour the facility Oct. 6, before the hospital officially opens to patients Oct. 22.

“We’ll need a couple of weeks in between to sanitize and scrub the place down,” she said.
mjameson@tribune.com or 407-420-5158

The comedian donated $5 million through his Git-R-Done Foundation in 2010 to help launch the institute. The cause is close to Whitney’s heart.

Whitney and his wife, Cara, who lived in Sanford before moving to Nebraska last year, decided to support this cause after experiencing firsthand the challenges of having a child with a hip abnormality.

Their son, Wyatt, now 5, was born with hip dysplasia. His hip bones were not aligned correctly. Hip dysplasia affects thousands of children and adults each year.

The Whitneys’ search for treatment led them to Dr. Charles Price, a pediatric orthopedist and hip dysplasia expert on staff at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children.

The Wyatt Whitney Institute will treat hip and orthopedic conditions for patients from infancy through adulthood, said Orlando Health spokesman Geo Morales.

Services include sports medicine, physical rehabilitation, state-of-the-art imaging, and educational resources.
“We’re very appreciative of the generosity and optimism the Whitneys have shown in turning their son’s experience with hip dysplasia into an opportunity to help others,” said John Bozard, president of Arnold Palmer Medical Center and the Orlando Health Foundation. “Their gift will go a long way towards ensuring that we can help others walk or run without discomfort.”

The Whitney’s gift also helped Dr. Price connect with other hip dysplasia experts all over the world to develop the International Hip Dysplasia Institute, which provides families information and support.
The new center will house that resource center in addition for a full-spectrum orthopedics specialty group.

“When we learned Wyatt had hip dysplasia as a baby, it was difficult to find information on his condition. It frustrated us that so little was being done to help kids like him,” said Whitney. “We were fortunate to find Wyatt the treatment he needed. It also created an opportunity for my wife and me to make a real difference in the lives of others.”

Whitney and his foundation continue to support Orlando Health with the annual “Git-R-Done Celebrity Golf Classic” held in Orlando. The two-day golf event features “Larry” and his celebrity friends raising money for hip dysplasia.
mjameson@tribune.com or 407-420-5158

The makeover will add a 10-story patient tower, increase the size of the Emergency Department, and enhance cardiovascular, surgical, critical care, pharmacy and laboratory areas, hospital officials said.

“Not only are we breaking ground on the redesign and renovation, we are breaking ground on a new model of care,” said Sherrie Sitarik, president and CEO of Orlando Health, adding that the transition “is key to changing the way we care for patients.”

As part of the renovation, ORMC will close its Lucerne Pavilion, a 227-bed hospital four blocks away. Built in the 1960s, the Lucerne facility was “due for an upgrade,” said Shannon Elswick, president, Adult Hospitals Group. Lucerne’s inpatient services will move to ORMC, although the Annex area of the Lucerne Pavilion, which provides inpatient rehabilitation services, will remain open.

Consolidating services and inpatient beds will allow for more efficient collaborations among doctors and clinical staff, said Elswick.

Post-renovation the hospital will actually have fewer beds. The main hospital now has 804 beds, including those at Lucerne. After the dust settles, the new bed count will be 758, almost 50 fewer. “We’re right sizing the facility to meet current needs,” he said.

The new patient tower, set to open in late 2015, will house 190 beds, and 345,000 square feet. While the overall renovation will result in nearly 600,000 square feet of new or remodeled space, after adjusting for the space they will eliminate, the net gain in square footage will be 134,000 square feet, said hospital spokeswoman Kena Lewis.

“The efficiencies and cost savings from no longer operating two facilities represent millions of dollars of potential savings per year,” said Elswick. As an example, the consolidation will eliminate the need for transporting patients from the Lucerne Pavilion to the medical center, which costs about $2 million a year.

The largest project in the organization’s history, the renovation Project is one of several recent construction projects for the hospital’s downtown campus. The Orlando Health Heart Institute opened in November 2011, a new replacement parking garage opened in December 2010, and a new MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando Breast Cancer Survivorship Clinic opened in March 2009.

Orlando Health is a $1.9 billion not-for-profit health care organization that operates nine hospitals in greater Orlando, which account for 2067 inpatient beds.
mjameson@tribune.com or 407-420-5158

In honor of National Infant Immunization Week, April 21-28, health departments across Central Florida are encouraging parents to make sure their infants and children are up-to-date on immunizations.

If you don’t have health insurance or a medical home, your local health department will provide vaccinations for free for children ages 2 months to 18 years, this week and throughout the year.

In Orange County immunization services are provided on a walk-in-basis at 832 West Central Blvd, Orlando, Monday through Friday starting at 7:30am. For more information, visit www.orchd.com. Residents of other counties should contact their local health departments for clinic hours.

Recent increases in probable cases of pertussis (whooping cough) across Florida and Orange County are a reminder of the importance of infant immunizations, said Dr. Kevin M. Sherin, director of the Orange County Health Department.

“Because of the success of vaccines in preventing disease in our country, parents are often unaware that their children are at risk for so many serious and life-threatening diseases,” he said.

Those who have insurance are encouraged to see their child’s health-care provider to be sure vaccines are current.
mjameson@tribune.com or 407-429-5158

Just since January the state health department has reported 17 cases of tick-related diseases. Of those, five cases have been in Central Florida, said Greg Danyluk, epidemiologist for the Seminole County Health Department. Volusia has had two cases, and Brevard, Seminole and Lake counties have each reported one.

Ticks can transmit Lyme Disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and ehrlichiosis.

“Reported numbers are only the tip of the iceberg,” said Danyluk. “The great majority of these diseases never get reported to the county.”

However, the increased number of tick visits to local emergency rooms and urgent care centers indicates that the season has started early, he said. “This is the time of year when two of the more serious tick species start emerging, namely the dog tick, and the black-legged tick.

To prevent tick-borne diseases, the county recommends the following precautions:
• Wear insect repellent. Environmental Protection Agency registered repellants containing 20% DEET provides some protection. Repellents with permethrin can be used on clothing, shoes, tents, and gear — but not skin. Talk to your vet about products that keep ticks off your pets.
• Dress so your skin is covered in white or light-colored clothing so you can see ticks easily on your clothes. Tuck pant legs into your socks.
• Walk in the center of the trail to avoid contact with tall grasses and other plants.
• Check your body, your child’s body and your pets for ticks after spending time where ticks are likely to be found. A careful tick check and early removal can prevent illness.
• Shower within two hours of coming indoors.
• Landscape your yard to reduce ticks. For ideas visit http://www.cdc.gov.

If you find a tick:
• Get a pair of fine-tipped tweezers.
• Grasp the tick as close to the surface of the skin as possible.
• Pull upward with a steady, even motion without squeezing or crushing the tick.
• Clean area and your hands with soap and hot water.

“If you do get a tick bite, odds are good you won’t get sick,” said Danyluk. “Only 2-to-4 percent of ticks transmit disease.” However, if you get a fever or rash within a few days to a month of being bitten by a tick or after spending time in tick habitat, seek medical care right away and tell your health-care provider you may have had exposure to ticks.
mjameson@tribune.com or 407-420-5158

Pat Plunkett

Hafer-Plunkett, who is senior director of risk management for Orange County Public Schools, will take over from immediate past chair Carolyn Aldorfer, who has served as coalition chair for nine years.

“We are pleased to welcome Pat Hafer-Plunkett as our new chair, as her leadership and health care
background will be a great asset in guiding the efforts of our board in addressing the complex issues in health care,” said coalition president Karen van Caulil.

The Orlando-based Florida Health Care Coalition works to improve the quality of health care while reducing the rising rate of health-care costs and educating consumers. The 28-year-old coalition represents nearly two million members of public and private sector employers.

The coalition board also elected the following member officers:
• Tracy Swanson, of Walt Disney Parks & Resorts, as vice chair of programs and education
• Melissa Miller, of Florida Power & Light, as vice chair of development
• Patrick Peters, of Orange County Government, as vice chair of membership
• Mark Weinstein, of Independent Colleges and Universities Benefits Association, as vice chair of research and analysis
• Ana Palenzuela, of City of Orlando, as treasurer
• Sue Steck, of Universal Orlando, as secretary.
mjameson@tribune.com or 407-420-5158

The name change is part of the company’s rebranding effort. “The move wasn’t made lightly,” said Mark Lee, vice president brand development for the company. “We did a lot of research.”

Florida’s largest health insurance company — with 4 million members — the company has been in Florida close to 70 years .

Driving the change is an effort for the industry icon to be more consumer friendly, said Lee. “In the old days we were pretty much just a business-to-business organization. But with health-care reform and the changing market, more Floridians were coming into the market as retail consumers. We think this name is friendlier.”

Florida Blue retail centers are already in the community, where they have established an identity “consumers resonate with,” he said.

He stressed, however, that the company wasn’t going anywhere. “BlueCross Blue Shield of Florida will still exist as a legal entity, but its face to the consumer will change.”

That means when members see the new logo on their insurance cards and company communications, they ‘re not to panic. It’s the same company, only simpler.

mjameson@tribune.com or 407-420-5158

HysterSisters, a national hysterectomy patient support group with more than 225,000 members, and Florida Hospital Celebration Health Center for Specialized Gynecology have teamed up to bring patients and doctors together to talk about this sometimes debatable procedure.

The session will take place during the International Society for Gynecologic Endoscopy’s medical conference, at Disney’s Contemporary Resort, 4600 North World Drive, Lake Buena Vista. Doctors will speak on various advances in treating uterine disease and hysterectomy alternatives, and field questions.

The idea to get patients and doctors together surfaced when HysterSisters founder Kathy Kelley met with Dr. Arnold Advincula, a gynecologic surgeon. The forum is an unusual opportunity for women to voice their feelings and to remind doctors about their concerns, said Florida Hospital spokeswoman Jennifer Roberts. “How often do you see patients attending medical conferences?” she noted.

Those who want to attend the live session or join the group online can find more information and register at http://www.hystersisters.com/vb2/view.php?pg=events.
mjameson@tribune.com or 407-420-5158

A national film production crew will walk along to capture footage for a documentary called “The Dan Ellis Project.”

An Orlando businessman and artist, Ellis learned he had the most critical type of ALS in 2010. After his diagnosis, he took up painting. When he could no longer hold the brush, his two children became his hands.
Say True Films has been following Ellis, age 51, and his family as they combat his disease, and will film them and their support team — Dan’s Burger Bunch — at the walk, which begins at 6 p.m.

Wheelchair-bound patients along with their families and friends will also take the 2-mile trek to benefit ALS patients in the Orlando area.

A neurodegenerative disease with no known cause or cure, ALS progressively attacks nerve cells and pathways in the brain and spinal cord. Once diagnosed, those afflicted live only two to five years.
To participate or support the cause, call 888-257-1717,or register online at www.WalktoDefeatALS.org. All proceeds will support patient care and research.
Orlando Walk to Defeat ALS
Friday, March 9
4:30 pm – Registration
6:00 pm – Walk Begins
Lake Eola – 195 N. Rosalind Avenue, Orlando
mjameson@tribune.com or 407-420-5158

“That’s a dramatic difference in survival rates” said Ellen Idler, Emory University sociologist and lead author of the study. Marriage boosted survival whether the patient was a man or a woman.

Although the most striking difference in outcomes occurred during the first three months after surgery, the study showed that the strong protective effect of marriage continued for up to five years following coronary artery bypass surgery. Patients who survived more than three months were 70 percent more likely to die during the next five years if they were single.

Overall, the chance of dying is nearly twice as great for unmarried patients facing surgery as for married ones.

“The findings underscore the important role of spouses as caregivers,” Idler said.
The study, funded by the National Institute on Aging, involved more than 500 patients undergoing either emergency or elective coronary bypass surgery.

While the data were inconclusive for what caused the striking difference in the three-month survival rate, patient interviews suggested that married patients had a more positive outlook going into the surgery than single patients.

“When asked whether they would be able to manage the pain and discomfort, or their worries about the surgery, those who had spouses were more likely to say, yes,” said Idler.
Unfortunately, though marriage appears to be good medicine, it’ son the wane. Barely half of U.S. adults are currently married, the lowest percentage ever, according to the Pew Research Center.
mjameson@tribune.com or 407-420-5158