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P.O. Box 19268 Plantation FL 33318
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A message from our President

We Must Remember

I am going to ask the readers to be patient with me as the message that I with the impacts of highly charged emotional sit-
have for you this month comes from my heart. I have been thinking about this uations way too often. We are asking for too
for quite a while and the recent death of our eleven year-old Border Collie just much.
brought it to the surface. I am guilty. I have heard it all, just yesterday there was a
I am old enough to remember the newscasts from the Vietnam War. I can sports announcer talking about the NFL season
remember the telecasters getting on the television each night to report the num- and whether the college football season will hap-
bers of United States soldiers killed and wounded in battle. Each night, more pen. Lost in all his drivel were two thoughts.
deaths and more destruction until you soon became numb to the numbers. You Money. Colleges are now highly dependent on Jaime Caldwell
became numb to the numbers until one of those numbers impacts you. My sports to make money and there are tremendous
brother served in Vietnam and those numbers always had some meaning for me. pressures to make a season appear. And second, in talking about college play-
He made it home, but, I never forgot. ers being willing to play even with the risks of exposure, the allure of the dol-
I am reminded of my own chart that I dutifully update every day. It is a lars in professional sports make it worth it. What was lost in the discussion
record of the death and was who else these players, coaches, and fans infect along the way. Their par-
destruction caused by ents, siblings, elderly grandparents … it isn’t about a young person surviving
the SARS CoV-2 virus being infected, it is who else they infect along the way.
and the resultant We cannot forget those who have died, succumbing to this virus. We had
COVID-19 disease. As this virus on the run and in early June all the indicators were trending in the
of this writing, 5,183 right directions. Hospitalizations were declining, cases were declining, and the
Floridians have lost numbers of deaths were also declining. Then, all good sense that went into
their lives to this dis- leaders making the decision to shelter-at-home was lost. Despite the interna-
ease; with no end in tional evidence, we still made the wrong decision to open the economy more
sight. We cannot lose quickly than needed and people thought it was over and that they could go
sight of the importance back to operating as they did before. This irresponsible behavior yielded more
of these lives. They are hospitalization, sick workers, and deaths.
leaving families and We cannot forget these deaths nor the families, friends, workers, or health-
friends before their care givers who knew them and cared for them. To forget them would both
time. Healthcare ignore their value to our civilization and their importance in our communities.
workers have to deal We cannot forget!

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Lee Health Welcomes

Eight New Resident Physicians

The Florida State University College of Medicine (FSUCOM) Family Medical
Residency Program at Lee Health welcomes eight new resident physicians, who
started their training on June 22, 2020. The new residents include Dr. Francesca
Blazekovic, Dr. Jenna De Francesco, Dr. Thomas Flynn, Dr. Shane Geffe, Dr.
Joseph Guernsey, Dr. Gerard Mulles, Dr. Dakin White, and Dr. Luke Wren.
The FSU COM Global Health Fellowship Program also welcomes two new fel-
lows:
• Dr. Bradley Green, Global Health Fellow – completed residency in Cleveland,
OH
• Dr. Alice Shallcross, Global Health Fellow – completed residency in
Milwaukee, WI
“We received more than 1,500 applications from U.S. medical students and
physicians from all around the world,” says Alfred Gitu, M.D., Program Director
of the residency program at Lee Health. “Our program continues to grow and
expand with residents who are passionate, compassionate and academically
strong. The new class of residents scored in the top 20% in the nation on the
United States Medical Licensing Examination, and they are dedicated to caring
for the underserved.”

30 August 2020 southfloridahospitalnews.com South Florida Hospital News