Free school physicals and school supply giveaway

The board of directors, staff and team of volunteers of Premier Mobile Health Services are planning their First Annual Back-To-School Health Fairs and Bookbag Giveaways. They anticipate on serving at least 500 families from low-income and underserved communities. These events will be held in two locations.

• Friday, July 29, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m,. at the Café of Life, 26724 Nomad Drive in Bonita Springs

• Saturday, Aug. 6, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., at Mt. Hermon Ministries, 2856 Douglas Ave. in Fort Myers

Premier will provide free back-to-school physicals, free dental/oral health screening and will give away school bookbags for children. In addition, it will offer free medical health screenings for adults including blood pressure screening, blood sugar testing, COVID testing and COVID vaccinations. Through the health fairs, Premier intends to bring back-to-school health services to those families that need it the most.

Premier Mobile is seeking monetary contributions to purchase medical supplies and/or donations of back-to-school bookbags and supplies. Items needed include: bookbags, crayons, pencils, pencil sharpeners, pens, 3-ring binders, composition books, packets of ruled paper, rulers, highlighters, glue sticks and pencil cases.

Donated items can be dropped off at the Premier Mobile Health Services walk-in clinic located at 10676 Colonial Blvd, Suite #20, Fort Myers, FL 33913. For further information call 239-288-7949 or go to www.premiermobilehealth.org to make a monetary donation.

Free autism screening for young children set for July 15

Golisano Children’s Hos-pital of Southwest Florida, in partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Florida, offers a free monthly autism spectrum disorder screening for toddlers 18 months to five years of age.

The next screening will be held July 15, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Pediatric Specialist Office, 15901 Bass Road, Suite 102, Fort Myers.

It is estimated that one in every 44 children is diagnosed with some form of Autism Spectrum Disorder, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined.

Medical consultants stress that an early diagnosis can make a vast difference for toddlers and their families.

The ASD screening is conducted by the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. The screenings are administered by an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse, who has extensive training and experience in typical child development and developmental disorders.

A physician referral is not required. To schedule a screening, please call 239-343-6838.

Yentes joins Physicians’ Primary Care in Fort Myers

Kristy Yentes has joined Physicians’ Primary Care of Southwest Florida as a family nurse practitioner.

Yentes earned her bachelor of science degree from Austin Peay State University in Clarksville, Tenn., followed by her master of science degree in nursing as a family nurse practitioner from Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, Tenn.

A family nurse practitioner is an advanced registered nurse practitioner who provides a wide range of family-focused health care services to patients of all ages.

She has worked as a critical care registered nurse and a high-risk obstetrics registered nurse at hospitals in Tennessee, as well as a lab instructor at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn.

She will assist physicians at the Fort Myers Family and Internal Medicine office at 7381 College Parkway.

Physicians’ Primary Care of Southwest Florida, a physician-owned and operated medical practice, was formed in 1996 by many long practicing local physicians and has grown to become the largest physician-owned primary care practice in Southwest Florida with family medicine, internal medicine and pediatrics. Offices are conveniently located in Fort Myers, Cape Coral, and Lehigh Acres. For more information, visit www.ppcswfl.com.

Kulcsar named medical director of Lee Virtual Health

Lee Health has introduced Dr. Zsolt Kulcsar as the health system’s new medical director of Lee Virtual Health. Kulcsar joins Lee Health with almost 10 years of medical management experience and will lead Lee Health’s virtual care team.

In this position, Kulcsar will design, develop, implement and lead a multidisciplinary virtual care team. He will serve as a liaison between Lee Physician Group and other health care providers in the community and within Lee Health to optimize and innovate virtual health offerings and envision future platforms and programs. In addition, he will play an active role in provider and community education regarding virtual care and its place within a care transformation framework.

In his previous position as an associate medical director of digital health and strategic ventures at White Plains Hospital Montefiore Health System, Kulcsar implemented a digital footprint for medical and surgical practices and expanded the telehealth services across the hospital. He also served as the section chief of rheumatology and was actively managing rheumatology patients. He was the physician lead of ambulatory quality for a two hundred physician multispecialty group and worked closely with the Montefiore Medical Centers ACO program.

Kulcsar earned his doctor of osteopathic medicine from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, New York, master of business administration from Long Island University in Brooklyn, New York, and his master of public health from The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy & Clinical Practice in Lebanon, New Hampshire.

Vibe Yoga hosts trauma-informed teacher training July 22-24

Vibe Yoga is offering trauma-informed yoga teacher training from July 22-24 at Vibe Yoga, 13461 Parker Commons Blvd., Fort Myers.

The training is offered for yoga teachers, but also available to yoga students looking to deepen their yoga knowledge for personal use or to someday teach. Leading the training is Lindsay Smith, Vibe Yoga founder and a 500-hour E-RYT teacher certified in trauma-informed yoga, Yoga Nidra, yoga for back pain and more.

The three-day training will be held Friday, July 22, 6-9 p.m.; Saturday, July 23, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; and Sunday, July 24, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Training topics include overview of regions of the brain, definition of trauma, symptoms and triggers of trauma, how trauma effects the brain, breakdown of the nervous system, polyvagal theory, creating a safe container, modifications and adaptations, trauma release exercises, creating an inner resource, and how yoga, meditation and breathwork help ease the effects of trauma.

The class is $249 for registrations completed before June 30 and $299 on or after July 1. For more information, please email vibeyogaswfl@gmail.com or register on the MindBody app.

Vibe Yoga is a Fort Myers yoga studio at 13461 Parker Commons Blvd., Suite 204, geared towards making every person feel welcome and comfortable. Vibe Yoga offers more than 20 classes weekly, including restorative, gentle, chair, all levels, power, yin, restorative, mat Pilates, Warriors at Ease, group meditation, kids, mommy and me, and yoga for athletes. Lindsay Smith, the owner of Vibe Yoga has instructors certified by Warriors at Ease to lead trauma-informed yoga, which is offered free to the military and first responders. For more information about Vibe Yoga, visit www.vibeyogaswfl.com, check out Facebook and Instagram pages @vibeyogaswfl, text 239-221-6195, or email VibeYogaSWFL@gmail.com.

Lee Health Skilled Nursing Unit earns national quality award

Gulf Coast Medical Center Skilled Nursing Unit has earned the 2022 Bronze – Commitment to Quality Award from American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living. The local facility was one of only 14 in Florida and 180 across the U.S., including 151 skilled nursing care centers, 26 assisted living communities and three skilled nursing/assisted living providers in 40 states to achieve the award. All three of Lee Health’s skilled nursing locations now hold the Bronze Award.

HealthPark Care & Rehabilitation Center received the award in 2020 and Lee Memorial Hospital’s skilled nursing unit earned the recognition in 2021.

The Bronze Award is the first of three distinctions possible through the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program, a comprehensive organizational assessment and recognition program for long-term care providers. Each application is reviewed and judged against a set of nationally recognized standards for achieving excellence.

The National Quality Awards will be presented during AHCA/NCAL’s 73rd Convention & Expo in Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 9-12. Florida award recipients will also be recognized during Florida Health Care Association’s 2022 Annual Conference & Trade Show at the Hyatt Regency Orlando, July 31-Aug. 4 as part of the Quality Award Ceremony and Celebration.

Located on Plantation Road adjacent to Gulf Coast Medical Center, the 75-bed SNU welcomed its first patients in early 2019. With its opening, the total number of skilled nursing beds in the Lee Health system increased to 205, offering patients access to state-of-the-art rehab equipment and high quality nursing care as they work toward returning to their previous lifestyle prior to their hospital stay.

Area Agency on Aging seeking Tai Chi for Arthritis instructors

The Area Agency on Aging for SWFL is seeking individuals to become certified Tai Chi for Arthritis instructors and volunteer to lead workshops in the local community.

Certification courses are led by Tai Chi for Health Institute master trainers and are offered virtually throughout the year. The cost of certification is entirely covered by AAASWFL with a volunteer commitment to lead Tai Chi for Arthritis workshops on behalf of the Area Agency on Aging for SWFL. Prospective instructors must be comfortable with leading older adults in a class setting, have the capacity to demonstrate and teach low-impact tai chi movements and reside within AAASWFL’s service area (Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Lee, Hendry, Glades or Sarasota counties).

The Tai Chi for Arthritis for Fall Prevention program was designed to relieve pain, improve balance, and significantly reduce falls. Designed by a team of medical professionals and tai chi experts, the Tai Chi for Arthritis for Fall Prevention program is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as an exercise to prevent falls and is supported by Arthritis Foundations worldwide.

The health benefits of the Tai Chi for Arthritis and for Fall Prevention program include: increased flexibility, muscle strength, and fitness; reduce stress and promote relaxation; improve immunity; lower cholesterol and blood pressure; and improve body posture.

To become a certified Tai Chi for Arthritis instructor, please contact Liliana Hernandez, AAASWFL’s Health & Wellness Specialist at workshops@aaaswfl.org or by calling 239-652-6915.

The Area Agency on Aging for Southwest Florida is a nonprofit organization that has served Charlotte, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hendry, Lee and Sarasota counties for more than 40 years. The organization is committed to connecting older adults (ages 60 and over) and people with disabilities to resources and assistance for living safely with independence and dignity.

More information is available by visiting the AAASWFL website (www.aaaswfl.org) or by calling the Elder Helpline: 866-413-5337.