Riverview/Apollo Beach
6
February 2023
Volume 21, Issue 2
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CELEBRATING 21 YEARS OF PUBLISHING P OSITIVE COMMUNIT Y NEWS
ST. JOSEPH’S HOSPITAL-SOUTH ADDS FOURTH CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION LAB Staff Report
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February is done annually American Heart in St. Joseph’s Month and St. Hospital-South’s Joseph’s Hoscath labs. Frapital-South is zier, who becelebrating the gan with the opening of its hospital when fourth cardiac it first opened catheterization in 2015, said it laboratory. The originally had cardiac cath two cath labs. A lab is a surgi- From left to right, St. Joseph’s Hospital-South team members in third was added cal suite where the hospital’s new cardiac catheterization laboratory, Glorianne three years afRuiz Ojeda, Brian Frazier and Kristy Bellamy. procedures such ter opening. as angioplasties Frazier said and stents are the growth of performed; anthe area and gioplasties and the Riverview stents open up hospital necesblood vessels in sitated the exheart patients. pansion to four This lab is also cath labs. St. where paceJoseph’s Hosmakers and de- The newest and fourth cardiac catheterization laboratory at St. pital-South has Joseph’s Hospital-South. fibrillators are more than dousurgically imbled in capacity planted into patients. to its current size of 223 In addition to cardiac beds since opening. catheterization procedures, the lab is also “Our volume has increased,” Frazier said. used for interventional radiology (IR) proce- “We’ve added more doctors with hospital dures. Interventional radiology is a specialty privileges, bringing us more patients — that uses imaging technology to diagnose we’ve had to accommodate them. We’re and treat conditions without the need for meeting the needs brought on by the popusurgery. IR procedures involving kidneys, the lation growth in the community.” liver and cancerous tumors are among those As manager of 17 team members working done in the cath lab. in the cath labs, Frazier said he’s tried to in“The cardiac cath lab is where we can still a culture of “work family.” treat everything in your circulatory system “The notion of a work family is what I and blood vessels,” said Brian Frazier, St. believe separates us and BayCare in genJoseph’s Hospital-South’s interventional ser- eral,” he said. “We do not treat patients as vices manager, who oversees the hospital’s numbers, BayCare doesn’t do this. Team cath labs. “We treat anything going wrong members know this, and I believe the comin a patient’s extremities, your heart and all munity knows this when they come here for things that connect those pieces. The cardi- treatment. We take care of our patients like ac cath lab is a place where we can open we would take care of our family members. up plaque and clear pathways using balloons We’re here for something bigger than ourand stents.” selves, we’re a team and work family. To me Approximately 3,400 procedures are that’s the most important thing.”
The Florida State Fair is right around the corner. Come enjoy a the day filled with entertainment, exhibits and delicious food. This year’s fair food finds are both new and tasty. Try the pork belly pineapple bowl, Mexican street corn, sweet potato apple pie, fried key lime pie, Tampa Cuban funnel cake sandwich and many more new tasty treats. The Florida State Fair opens Thursday, February 9 and runs through Monday, February 20. For more information, visit https://floridastatefair.com
TAMPA ELECTRIC HITS A NEW SOLAR MILESTONE WITH 3 NEW PLANTS ONLINE Staff Report Three new from the sun — Tampa Electric the highest persolar plants becentage of solar gan producing generation of any electricity from utility in the state. the sun in recent Tampa Elecweeks, helping tric’s investment the company in solar energy reach a new milehelps to: stone in its signif• Save fuel icant solar expancosts for customsion. ers and reduce Tampa Electhe impact of voltric’s solar projatile natural gas ects can now prices. In 2022 produce 1,000 alone, solar powmegawatts (MW) er saved customof electricity, also ers $80 million in called a gigafuel costs. watt, enough to • Conserve power more than water. By repur160,000 homes. posing former This wave of solar agricultural land construction infor solar investPhotos courtesy of Tampa Electric. cluded three new ments, Tampa Big Bend Solar II Phase 2. solar projects in Electric has saved Hillsborough County: Laumore than 4.3 billion galrel Oaks Solar, Riverside lons of water in an area Solar and Big Bend Solar of the state with critical II Phase 2. concerns about water “Thanks to our strategic investment in use. solar power, Tampa Electric customers • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Tamsaved about $80 million in fuel costs last pa Electric is committed to a cleaner-enyear,” said Archie Collins, president and ergy future, and these projects will reduce chief executive officer of Tampa Electric. carbon dioxide emissions by more than 2.35 “At a time when fuel costs are escalating, million tons every year, which is roughly we know how important these savings are equal to removing 500,000 cars from the for customers. And this year, we expect to road. generate even more power from the sun.” Tampa Electric, one of Florida’s largest inIn conjunction with the recently complet- vestor-owned electric utilities, serves about ed upgrade to the Big Bend Power Station, 830,000 customers in West Central FloriTampa Electric’s solar investments have da. Tampa Electric is a subsidiary of Emera helped to dramatically change how the Inc., a geographically diverse energy and company creates electricity. In 2023, the services company headquartered in Halifax, company’s fuel mix is expected to be about Nova Scotia, Canada. 85 percent natural gas, nearly 10 percent solar and only 5 percent coal. The company currently has another 230 MW of solar power under construction, SUMNER HIGH DANCE .................... PG 3 with more planned by the end of 2025. At BRANDON FIRE STATION .............. PG 5 that time, Tampa Electric will have more than 1,600 MW of solar, which will be able MUSEUM OF ART ............................... PG 8 to serve 260,000 homes. When those proj- EYE ON BUSINESS ................PGS 25-26 ects are complete, Tampa Electric will have LITTLE GEMS.................................... PG 29 about 17 percent of its energy generated
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