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Local
Florida Senior Medicare Patrol Assists Seniors
Teen Who Turned Life Around Prepares For College
Shown from left to right are Felix Vega, Assistant State Attorney, State Attorney Mark Ober, Donte’ Glover and Coach Duane Thomas. (Photography by BRUNSON).
Medicare waste, abuse and fraud cost taxpayers anywhere from $60 billion to $100 bil- lion a year and threaten the vi- ability of the program. Massive fraudulent schemes are reported throughout Florida. An example is the re- cent conviction of the operator of three home health care agencies who falsely billed Medicare $57 million for serv- ices such as insulin injections, physical therapy and nursing care that were unnecessary or never provided and who paid kickbacks to doctors and re- cruiters for referrals.
As disturbing as these head- line-grabbing examples are, they may paint only a partial picture of the totality of the problem. Most Medicare over- payments are not the result of these horrific fraud schemes, but rather are the result of everyday errors and abuse.
While every beneficiary should become proactive in protecting against waste and abuse, they do not have to
shoulder this responsibility alone.
Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) exists to empower and assist seniors, their families and their caregivers to prevent and report healthcare fraud, errors and abuse.
SMP recruits and trains re- tired professionals to teach Medicare beneficiaries how to recognize and report possible healthcare fraud in the Medicare and Medicaid sys- tems. SMP also works to re- solve beneficiary complaints of potential fraud, waste and abuse.
Working alongside state and national fraud control and consumer protection entities, SMP has been instrumental in returning millions of dollars to the Medicare system.
SMP offers education ses- sions, community outreach events and one-on-one coun- seling. To learn more about the many services that SMP provides, please visit our web- site at www.stopmedicare-
fraud.org.
To report any suspicious ac-
tivity, report it at 877-272- 8720.
SMP needs volunteers to help educate seniors on the steps they can take to protect themselves and Medicare dol- lars. If you would like to be- come a volunteer and protect the ones who have protected us for so many years, call 877- 272-8720.
This project is supported, in part by a grant (Nos. 90MP194-01-01, 90MP0196- 01-00 and 90MP195-01-04), from the U. S. Administration for Community Living, De- partment of Health and Human Services, Washington, D. C. 20201.
Grantees undertaking proj- ects under government spon- sorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, there- fore, necessarily represent of- ficial Administration for Community Living policy.
BY IRIS B. HOLTON Sentinel City Editor
For all practical purposes, one recent high school graduate is a living example of what can happen when people work to- gether for a common cause. And, while his is a story of suc- cess, its outcome could have been drastically different.
Four years ago, the future of Donte’ Glover was in jeop- ardy. He had been taken into custody for robbery and other charges. However, his Coach Duane Thomas, at Blake High School, stepped in to help the young man.
Mark Ober, Hillsborough County State Attorney, and oth- ers decided that Glover was a candidate for the County’s Pre- Trial Intervention Program.
Coach Thomas took the teenager into his home, where he has remained. “I mentor a lot of children, on a daily basis, butGodputitonmyhearttodo what I did for Donte’.
“He always wanted to do good in school, he just needed a little support and stability,” he said.
Earlier this month, Donte’ graduated from Blake High School with a 4.46 grade point average. He was ranked third in his graduating class. Donte’ also received a full academic scholarship and partial athletic scholarship to Northwest Mis-
souri University. He plans to major in Psychology.
While at Blake, he was a member of the football and track & field teams.
Coach Thomas further said that the young man has spent much of his time since gradua- tion talking to young people and sharing his story. “He wants to motivate others by giv- ing back, tell them what he went through, and help put them on the right track.”
After the graduation cere- mony, Coach Thomas hosted a party for Donte’. And, one of the guests was Hillsborough County State Attorney Mark Ober.
Attorney Ober said, “Donte’ took advantage of an opportunity by successfully completing our office’s Pre- Trial Intervention Program in order to turn his life around.
“Donte’’s success demon- strates how mentors, prosecu- tors and public defenders working together, can help out- standing young men like Donte’ become successful mentors and role models to other teenagers in similar situ- ations. I commend and con- gratulate Donte’ on his academic and athletic success at Blake High School as he cel- ebrates his graduation day and the bright future ahead of him in college.”
School District Sponsors Summer Food Program
The Hillsborough County School District has launched its Annual Summer Food Service Program for Children. The pur- pose of the program is to ensure that students received nutri- tionally balanced meals during the summer.
The school district is offering three different programs this year.
The first is the Extended School Year Program that offers students breakfast or lunch at no cost. It is offered at the same schools who provide summer school programs. The program began on June 13th and will conclude on August 5th. All children under the age of 18 can visit an open school and receive the meal. The child does not have to be enrolled in summer school.
This marks the 5th year the
school district has offered food to the migrant communities through the “Movin’ Meals” food buses. Four retired and renovated school buses are used to deliver meals into neighbor- hoods offering breakfast and lunch. Students can eat on the air conditioned buses.
The School District has also rented thirteen refrigerated trucks to deliver box meals to community sites with summer programs. The sites include YMCA Programs, HCC Summer Camp For Kids, WIC locations, three libraries, and all of the parks and recreation centers in Hillsborough County.
For more information on lo- cations and times, contact Ms. Tanya Arja in the Hillsbor- ough County Communications Office at (813) 272-4060, or 1- 866-3-HUNGRY.
PAGE 4 FLORIDA SENTINEL-BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, JUNE 28, 2016