Hodges Connect offering 7-week EMT training beginning Aug. 10

Hodges Connect has announced the start of a summer Emergency Medical Technician program. Classes begin Aug. 10 and continue for seven weeks. There are also grant opportunities that could cover the entire cost of the program, including books and materials.

“The program is built so that students can complete it in just seven weeks, which is about half the time in other programs,” said Dr. Jeff Ziomek, DPA, EMT-P, EMS Program Director. “This is a non-credit program that gives students the knowledge and training they need to advance to becoming a paramedic.”

The EMT program allows flexibility because clinical and internship requirements are scheduled for evening hours and weekends. The program is $4,500, which includes tuition and CPR certification. There are additional costs such as the uniform and textbook.

Graduates of the EMT program earn preferred status when applying to Hodges University Associate in Science EMS/Paramedic degree.

For more information, visit pathways.hodges.edu/courses/ems/, or email HodgesConnect@Hodges.edu.

Hodges University is a regionally accredited, private nonprofit institution founded in 1990 with campuses in Naples and Fort Myers. Hodges provides flexible day, evening and online classes for undergraduate and graduate degrees.

More information is available at Hodges.edu.

Hope?Hospice to continue Hope Choices program

With a year-long extension of its Hope Choices program, Hope Hospice will continue offering special access to additional, personalized care for Medicare participants receiving curative treatment for chronic illness – along with counseling, education, family support and respite to ensure their caregivers and loved ones also receive much needed help.

In 2018, Hope was among a select number of hospices in the country chosen by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to offer the Medicare Care Choices Model.

Through the recent MCCM extension, Hope Choices will continue allowing more Medicare beneficiaries to receive supportive care.

For people with cancer, congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or human immunodeficiency virus, Hope develops a specialized plan with their physician and coordinates care through a combination of in-person visits and 24/7 telephone access. The program is a step forward for Medicare, and an option already available for many people with private insurance.

Hope Choices is available at no cost; all services are covered for Medicare beneficiaries.

To learn more about the program, call 239-482-4673.

Virtual one-day summit to focus on how COVID-19 has affected patient care and practice operations in community oncology

Lucio Gordan, MD, president and managing physician of Florida Cancer Specialists Research & Institute, will lead an educational session at the Community Oncology Advocacy Summit, a national virtual meeting presented by the Community Oncology Alliance. Scheduled for July 15, the one-day virtual conference will focus on patient advocacy and the impact of COVID-19 on cancer care.

Gordan’s session will review current data and provide insight into the operational and economic issues relating to cancer treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic; it will also include a discussion of the challenges in patient care and some projections for the future, as diagnostic procedures and surgeries resume.

The summit will feature the latest updates on key issues impacting cancer care in America today. It is free and open to healthcare professionals, patients, survivors, caregivers, advocacy groups and others who are interested in becoming stronger advocates for the care they want.

To register for the summit, visit events.CommunityOncology.org/AdvocacySummit

Chronic disease self-management program begins Aug. 4

Lee Health’s Lee Health Solutions, in partnership with local community agencies and supported in part initially by a grant from the Southwest Florida Community Foundation, is offering “It’s All About You” a research based Chronic Disease Self-Management program originally developed at Stanford University Patient Education Research Center.

The program is designed for people 18 years of age or older with chronic health conditions to help them learn ways to better manage their chronic conditions and the symptoms that often accompany chronic health conditions.

The virtual workshop is 2.5 hours once a week for 6 weeks and it is free.

Virtual workshops will be offered on Tuesdays beginning Aug 4 from 1-3:30 p.m.

For more information or to register, please call 239-343-9264.