Vol. 28 No. 50 December 13, 2010 A Weekly Space Coast Business Magazine

Please see Health First Inc., page 19

Please see Health Care, page 16

BBN photo — Adrienne B. Roth

PRESORTEDSTANDARD

US POSTAGEPAID

BREVARD BUSINESSNEWS, INC.

By Ken Datzman

Health First Inc., which operates

multiple hospitals in the county, has

invested in the region’s first robotic–

surgery system, a breakthrough platform

designed to enable complex surgery using a

minimally invasive approach.

The system provides physicians with

superior visualization of the body during

surgical procedures.

Robotics is an example of how technol-

ogy has revolutionized the practice of

medicine. The product cycle has kept a

torrid pace over the last decade, with

software upgrades and new devices

reshaping patient treatments and creating

more options for minimally invasive

surgeries.

At the center of these technological

advancements is Intuitive Surgical Inc.’s

The da Vinci System, a robotic–assisted

device that is fast making inroads at

hospitals across the country, including

Holmes Regional Medical Center in

Melbourne.

“The biggest advantage of this tool is it

allows us to perform less–invasive surgery

with greater accuracy, fewer complications,

and quicker recovery times,” said Dr. John

Bomalaski of Health First Physicians, who

practices gynecologic oncology.

“For gynecology, it allows us to get to

the deep pelvis and those areas that are a

little more difficult to reach.” It may also be

used to assist with gynecologic laparoscopic

surgeries.

In general, the U.S. Food and Drug

Administration has cleared The da Vinci

System for a wide range of procedures,

including prostate cancer surgery and

other urologic applications, such as total or

partial kidney removal, general surgery,

gallbladder removal, and several cardiac

and thoracic applications.

This type of high–precision robotic

technology has been available in the U.S.

market for about 10 years. Many improve-

ments have been made to the da Vinci

machine over the years.

Today’s robotic technology has the

potential to raise the standard of care for

complex surgeries, translating into

HF hospitals investingin leading technologies;robotic surgical system

By Lee BowmanScripps Howard Service

Hard to believe that, 17 years ago, the

Clintons were talking about a health

security card for every American.

Today, health care is looking anything

but secure.

A report released by the federal Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention

calculates that 50 million Americans ages

18 to 64 and surveyed between January

and March went without health insurance

for at least part of the past year.

More than half of them had no usual

source of medical care.

Among adults with at least one

disability and no insurance, 61 percent said

they had skipped or delayed recommended

medical care in the past year due to

concern about cost. But so did 16 percent of

disabled adults with health coverage.

For those who have insurance, particu-

larly through an employer, the costs are

going up, either through a bigger share of

higher premiums or bigger deductibles, co–

payments and other cost–sharing, and

usually both.

And a survey of employer health

benefits for 2010 released in September

showed that workers on average are paying

nearly $4,000 a year toward the cost of

family coverage that carried a total average

tab of $13,770 (3 percent more than in

2009), and that workers were contributing

14 percent more than what they paid in

2009.

More than a quarter of all covered

workers now must pay deductibles of

$1,000 or more, with almost half of workers

at smaller firms (under 200 workers) under

such plans.

The survey, done for the Kaiser Family

Health costs on rise and 50 million Americans have no insurance

The new Viera Hospital, scheduled to open April 2, has purchased a ‘Flash CT’ scanner, touted forits scanning speed and radiation–dose reduction. Dianna Marks, left, is Viera Hospital’s radiologydirector. Liz Varecka is the hospital’s manager of radiology. Health First Inc. is making technologyinvestments at its three other hospitals in the county, too.

BBN Brevard Business

News

DECEMBER 13, 2010Call Adrienne Roth at 321-951-7777 for Advertising InformationBREVARD BUSINESS NEWS / 2

BBN DIGESTBuena Vida schedules a fullslate of holiday events in area

Buena Vida Estates in West Melbourne, Brevard

County’s only continuing care retirement community, has

scheduled many activities and events for the holiday

season.

Some of the events will be held at Buena Vida Estates,

while others will be hosted at area facilities.

“The holiday season is always a special time at Buena

Vida,” said Doreen Boudreau, director of marketing at

Buena Vida Estates.

“There is so much warmth and holiday spirit with the

family of staff and residents of our community. Friend-

ships, family and holiday cheer fill the air at Buena Vida,”

she added.

Here is the schedule of events:

l The Goodtime Singers will perform at 2:30 p.m. on

Dec. 10.

l “Up the Creek,” a holiday show, is set for 6:30 p.m. on

Dec. 12.

l “A Holiday Light Tour” will be held in the local Buena

Vida area on Dec. 13.

l The Melbourne Municipal Band will present a holiday

concert at 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 15 at the Melbourne Audito-

rium.

l A Staff “Thank–You Reception” will be held at 2 p.m.

on Dec. 16 for the residents.

l “Christmas Gift Bingo” is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on

Dec. 17.

l “Songs of the Season with Robbi Armstrong” is

planned for 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 18.

l The “Nutcracker” will be performed at the Henegar

Center in downtown Melbourne at 2 p.m. on Dec. 19.

l Buena Vida’s holiday activities will close with

“Brevard’s Best” at 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 19. This is an

entertainment show.

For more details about the holiday schedule, call Buena

Vida Estates at 724–0060.

‘Christmas Cookie Walk’ in MelbourneSt. Anthony Orthodox Church will host a “Christmas

Cookie Walk” from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11.

St. Anthony Church is at 223 E. New Haven Ave., in

downtown Melbourne. Ethnic cookies will be sold by the

pound, including Greek, Lebanese, Russian, Polish,

Romanian and Swedish selections.

Melbourne Light Parade set for Dec. 11The 18th annual Melbourne Light Parade will start at

6 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, at Florida Market Place, on

the corner of Hibiscus Boulevard and Babcock Street.

Attendees are asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy, non–

perishable food item, or a bag of dog/cat food and hand it to

the people walking with the first float. The items will be

given to needy people in Brevard County.

BSO to perform holiday tunes in VieraThe Brevard Symphony Orchestra will perform from

6 to 9 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 16, at The Avenue Viera.

The concert is free of charge. The presenting sponsor is

Mercedes–Benz, Porsche, Audi of Melbourne. The BSO’s

Brass Quintet will play popular holiday tunes. For

additional information, call 634–5390.

UCF

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BREVARD BUSINESS NEWS / 3

Historic Cocoa Village Playhousebenefit set for King Center Jan. 22

The Historic Cocoa Village Playhouse will celebrate 20

years of performances with a special benefit set for 8 p.m.

on Jan. 22 at the Maxwell C. King Center for the Perform-

ing Arts, 3865 N. Wickham Road, in Melbourne.

The King Center is on the Brevard Community College

campus.

The event, “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” will

feature songs from the most popular performances over the

past 20 years.

The program will be under the direction of Staci

Hawkins–Smith, Cocoa Village Playhouse executive

director, and emceed by veteran cast member Rick Roach.

The duo will take the audience down memory lane with

highlights from Broadway shows performed over the past

two decades.

In addition, a guest performance will be made by

English born music writer Tony Macaulay, whose hits

include “Build Me Up Buttercup” and “Love Grows Where

My Rosemary Goes.”

Macaulay is a resident of Cocoa Beach and has been a

strong supporter of the Cocoa Village Playhouse for many

years.

Ticket prices range from $15 to $25, with VIP reception

seating at $100. VIP seating includes a champagne

reception at 6:30 p.m., and a chance to win $10,000.

“This will be a historic night for the Playhouse, with a

big surprise that will be memorable for all,” said Bob

Wetzel, Cocoa Village Playhouse board of director member.

For more information or to purchase tickets, call the

Playhouse at 636–5050 or visit

www.cocoavillageplayhouse.com. The King Center phone

number is 242–2219, or go to kingcenter.com.

The Playhouse was built in 1924. It was the centerpiece

of the small town of Cocoa. By 1985, it was a dilapidated

building with birds occupying the theater. BCC rescued the

building soon afterward, and by 1990 provided a venue for

quality entertainment.

The theater has recently been transferred back to the

City of Cocoa, so the upcoming benefit is timely as the

Playhouse is striving to raise funds for much–needed

repairs to keep the 1920s infrastructure up to code.

BCC offers the perfect holiday gift certificateLooking for the perfect gift for someone 50 or older?

Give the gift of lifelong learning with a Full Circle @BCC

gift certificate. The program offers multi–session enrich-

ment classes and single–session workshops for those who

seek intellectual stimulation with no tests or papers.

Classes and workshops vary by session and have included

topics such as “Introduction to Computers,” “Facebook,”

“Twitter and Skype,” “Genealogy,” “Photography Tips and

Tricks,” “Stress Management,” and “History You Were

Never Taught.” The purchase of a $40 gift certificate allows

the recipient to become a member of Full Circle @ BCC

and participate in as few or as many of the classes or

workshops offered through June 2011 (fee excludes any

charges for supplies as may be noted in some course

descriptions). Gift certificates may be purchased in any

denomination. For additional information about the

program or gift certificates, call 433–5015.

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BREVARD BUSINESS NEWS / 4

4300 Fortune Place, Suite DWest Melbourne, FL 32904

(321) 951–7777fax (321) 951–4444

BrevardBusinessNews.com

PUBLISHERAdrienne B. Roth

EDITORKen Datzman

OFFICE MANAGERFrank Schiffmann

Brevard Business News is published every Monday byBrevard Business News Inc. Bulk Rate postage is paid atMelbourne, FL and Cocoa, FL. This publication servesbusiness executives in Brevard County. It reports onnews, trends and ideas of interest to industry, trade,agribusiness, finance, health care, high technology,education and commerce.

Letters to the Editor must include the writer’s signatureand printed or typed name, full address and telephonenumber. Brevard Business News reserves the right to editall letters. Send your letters to: Editor, Brevard BusinessNews, 4300 Fortune Place, Suite D, West Melbourne, FL,32904, or email BrevardBusinessNews@earthlink.net.

Subscription Rates for home or office mail delivery are$26.00 for one year (52 issues). Send all addresschanges to: Circulation Department, Brevard BusinessNews, 4300 Fortune Place, Suite D, West Melbourne, FL,32904, or email BrevardBusinessNews@earthlink.net.

New device may reduce swallowing health risk in patientsBy Jill Pease

A hand–held device that strengthens the muscles

involved in swallowing can address a serious symptom of

Parkinson’s disease, according to a new University of

Florida study.

In what researchers believe is the largest randomized

trial of a behavioral swallowing treatment in patients

with Parkinson’s disease, scientists found that about one–

third of the volunteers who used the device improved

their ability to swallow. The findings appear in the Nov.

23 issue of the journal “Neurology,” the medical journal of

the American Academy of Neurology.

Nearly 1 million Americans have Parkinson’s disease,

according to the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation. Finding

solutions to their swallowing problems is important

because their most common cause of death is pneumonia

caused by inhaling foreign material, such as food, during

swallowing.

“The many muscles involved in swallowing progres-

sively weaken in patients with Parkinson’s disease and

become uncoordinated in the same way that patients lose

coordination and strength in their arms and legs,” said

Michelle Troche, the study’s lead investigator and a

clinical lecturer and speech pathologist in the UF College

of Public Health and Health Professions’ department of

speech, language and hearing sciences.

It also becomes more difficult for patients to sense

material in their airways and cough hard enough to expel

it, she said.

For the study, researchers trained participants with

Parkinson’s disease to exhale into an Expiratory Muscle

Strength Training, or EMST, device. In previous studies,

EMST has improved swallowing and cough function in

patients with multiple sclerosis and in elderly, sedentary

adults.

“EMST uses the basic exercise theory behind any

strength training program,” said co–investigator Chris-

tine Sapienza, a professor and chairwoman of the

department of speech, language and hearing sciences.

“This small device capitalizes on that concept of

overload with a calibrated pressure release valve that

won’t open until you generate a great enough lung

pressure. The patient or clinician can vary how much

pressure is needed to open the valve on the device. The

greater the pressure you need, the stronger the muscles

have to be. It acts much like a pin on a weight machine

and uses the same concept to strengthen the muscles

involved in swallowing and breathing.”

Sapienza developed the device along with UF re-

searchers Paul Davenport, a professor and interim

chairman of the department of physiological sciences in

the College of Veterinary Medicine, and A. Daniel Martin,

a professor in the department of physical therapy.

“Their efforts are pioneering and it is likely that this

study will stand the test of time as a landmark in

Parkinson’s disease swallowing research,” said research

collaborator Dr. Michael Okun, a co–director of UF’s

Movement Disorders Center and an associate professor of

neurology with the College of Medicine and UF’s

McKnight Brain Institute.

Participants in the Parkinson’s disease study were

divided into two groups of 30. In one group participants

used the EMST device with proper calibration. The other

participants used a device that looked exactly the same

but did not work to strengthen the muscles.

Neither the participants nor the study therapists

knew who had the real device and who had the sham

device. Participants used the devices in their homes for

20 minutes a day, five days a week for four weeks.

Therapists visited once a week to make sure participants

used the device correctly. Following the study period,

participants in the sham group received the EMST

treatment.

The researchers measured participants’ swallowing

function before and after treatment with a standardized

swallow safety scale, the Penetration–Aspiration scale,

developed in part by UF faculty member John Rosenbek,

also with the department of speech, language and

hearing sciences. Researchers used videofluoroscopy to

obtain motion X–ray images of the participants’ swallow-

ing muscles as they swallowed liquid.

One–third of participants who used the device with

calibration had significantly improved swallow safety

scores compared to 14 percent of the participants in the

sham group. The researchers also found that for patients

in the treatment group, there was greater movement in

the muscles that lift the voice box out of the way during

swallowing. Quality–of–life measures related to swallow-

ing improved in both the treatment and sham groups.

“The fact that EMST is a home–based treatment is of

particular importance as many individuals with

Parkinson’s disease cannot travel the long distance to

attend clinic or hospital therapy sessions,” said Stephanie

Daniels, a visiting associate professor at the University of

Houston and an assistant professor at Baylor College of

Medicine, who was not involved in the study. “Very few

swallowing treatment studies have incorporated the

rigorous research design used in this study. We need

more studies such as this to support the different

treatment approaches used in swallowing rehabilitation.”

Sapienza has a potential financial interest in Aspire

Products LLC, the manufacturer of EMST. Portions of

the study were funded by the Veterans Affairs Rehabili-

tation Research and Development, the Michael J. Fox

Foundation and the National Institutes of Health. The

UF Movement Disorders Center receives support from

the National Parkinson Foundation Center of Excellence.

Space Coast Area Transit posts record ridership for fiscal yearSpace Coast Area Transit’s fixed–route ridership reached an all–time high of 1.6 million passenger boardings for

fiscal year 2009–2010, ending Sept. 30.

The ridership total is an increase of 13 percent from the previous fiscal year’s ridership. The increase continues Space

Coast Area Transit streak of annually boosting ridership for the past 18 years.

Space Coast Area Transit, a service of the Brevard County Board of County Commissioners, operates 15 fixed bus

routes throughout the county.

The growth in ridership is attributed to several factors, said Jim Liesenfelt, transit director.

Ridership is up on existing routes, with established customers using it more and new customers trying the system for

the first time, he said. An agreement with Brevard Community College to allow students to ride for free has played a

role as well.

“We are seeing that bus service is a viable transportation option to a number of citizens,” said Liesenfelt, “and our

employees have worked very hard to keep buses on time and provide quality service to our customers.”

For further information on fixed route bus service and for maps and schedules, contact Space Coast Area Transit at

633–1878 or log on to www.RideSCAT.com.

Visit BrevardBusinessNews.com for Advertising InformationDECEMBER 13, 2010 BREVARD BUSINESS NEWS / 5

BBN DIGESTBrevard Community College tobegin a 12–week acceleratedterm at Melbourne campus

Brevard Community College in Melbourne will be the

pilot site of an accelerated 12–week term this spring

designed to help new students, including the unemployed

and displaced aerospace workers, who were unable to meet

current registration and tuition deadlines.

The accelerated term will begin Feb. 14 and will span

12 weeks rather than 16 weeks, the length of the tradi-

tional term, which begins Jan. 10.

The condensed term will better assist recently displaced

aerospace workers and the unemployed by providing them

an expedited option to earn college credit and gain critical

skills necessary to landing a new job and launching a new

career. In addition, the later start date will provide

students more time to familiarize themselves with the

college admissions process, which often involves testing.

“Sometimes students miss deadlines and they have to

scramble to get testing and paperwork done in order to

start class on time,” said Sandra Handfield, associate

provost of the Melbourne campus. “This accelerated term

gives students more time to compile the necessary

documents so they can focus solely on their academic

goals.”

The 12–week term will be offered on the Melbourne

campus with 22 courses in a variety of disciplines including

business, managerial accounting and communications.

Already dozens of courses following the same acceler-

ated 12–week term are offered online through eBrevard,

the college’s online learning division.

If students embrace the accelerated format in

Melbourne this spring, it will likely be expanded to the

other BCC campuses for the fall term and beyond.

The Melbourne campus also will offer a second “mini–

mester” from March 14 through May 9 with nine courses

available. These are eight–week terms.

“The college is yet again using a non–traditional

approach to help all students, as well as displaced aero-

space workers and the unemployed, by providing more

courses in a variety of ways,” said Dr. Jim Drake, BCC

president. “We are extremely hopeful that the accelerated

term will further expedite the academic success of many

students who are in need of fast–track training.”

Many BCC campuses also offer condensed “mini–

mesters.” Check the BCC spring catalog at

www.brevardcc.edu for full course offerings.

Brevard Art Museum to host workshopsThe Brevard Art Museum School will open 2011 by

hosting several workshops. Potter Bruce Swahlan will

present a “Mud Slinging Workshop” Jan. 15 and 16 from

10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Jan. 22 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Also

on Jan. 15, glass–artist Brett Tam will give a “Glass–

Bead–Making Workshop” from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Addition-

ally, Nancy Trezza will conduct a “Make Your Own

Dinnerware Workshop” Jan 29, Feb. 9 and Feb.12. All

workshops require registration. Call 254–7782 for

workshop fee information and to register for the programs.

The Brevard Art Museum School is in the Renee Foosaner

Education Center, 1520 Highland Ave., in Melbourne.

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BREVARD BUSINESS NEWS / 7

‘Operation Medicine Cabinet’ a bigsuccess for Brevard Sheriff’s Office

On Nov. 13, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office, in

partnership with Hobbs Pharmacy and Health First

Inc., conducted “Operation Medicine Cabinet,” which

was a big success.

This program was held at six locations throughout

Brevard County and was the second such event spon-

sored this year.

Deputies along with volunteers from the co–sponsor-

ing groups were present at Sheriff’s Office Precincts,

Hobbs Pharmacy on Merritt Island and Barefoot Bay.

These locations served as collection points for citizens

to drop off unused, expired, and unwanted pharmaceuti-

cal medications and medical supplies. The operation was

intended as a preventive measure to remove dangerous

drugs from households thereby reducing the chances of

theft or abuse.

“By taking aggressive action such as this community

collection and awareness program, we can decrease

abuse and hopefully prevent overdose deaths,” said

Brevard County Sheriff Jack Parker. “We must do

everything possible to inform our citizens about the

dangers of misusing prescription medications. Just

because it is prescribed doesn’t mean it can’t be harmful

to us, our loved ones and our environment.”

He added, “We want to thank our sponsors, Mark

Hobbs of Hobbs Pharmacy in Merritt Island and Health

First, for coming to us with the idea for Operation

Medicine Cabinet to rid our community of unwanted and

unneeded medications.”

Deputies and volunteers collected 108,211 individual

units of pharmaceutical medications along with 3,712

items of miscellaneous medical supplies, Parker said.

For calendar year 2010, the Sheriff’s Office and

sponsoring organizations have achieved a combined total

of 331,857 individual units of pharmaceutical medica-

tion and 8,308 items of miscellaneous medical supplies.

Among the medications collected were large amounts

of Roxycodone, Hydrocodone, Darvocet, Lortab, and

Alprazolam (Xanax). These narcotics are the most

widely abused prescription medications in Central

Florida, Parker said.

Zonta Club teams with History CenterThe Zonta Club of Melbourne has teamed with the

Old Town Hall History Center to exhibit its Historic

Melbourne Ornaments at the center through the new

year. The exhibit can been viewed on Saturdays from

11 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Old Town Hall History Center is

at 2373 Oak St. in Melbourne Beach (across from the

Spessard Holland Golf Course). Admission is free of

charge. The center presents a historic picture of the

region from early Indian settlements through the

development of the town of Melbourne Beach. The

display features 12 historic ornaments depicting local

landmarks such as Dragon Point, the Henegar Center,

and Strawberry Mansion. The ornaments are available

for purchase at Meehan’s Art and Office Supply in

downtown Melbourne, or at www.zontaspacecoast.org.

Proceeds from the sales support the Zonta Club’s three

scholarship funds and its local service projects.

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BREVARD BUSINESS NEWS / 8

SCHRA elects its new board membersThe Space Coast Human Resource Association recently

elected new board members who, along with returning

board members, will serve the chapter in 2011. The new

board members are: Dean Rosenquist, professional

development chair/certification chair; Amanda Ellis,

membership chair; Susie Van Meter, college relations

chair; Onelia Ortiz, facilities chair; Myrna Galligano,

legislative chair; Douglas Barclay, sponsor chair; Valarese

Poole, marketing and communications chair; Sherly Cost,

work–force readiness and diversity chair; Thomas Bliss,

webmaster; and Lourdes Quintero, SHRM Foundation

chair. Returning board members include: Andrea

Wilkinson, president; Tina Snyder, treasurer; Ashley

Hudson, secretary; and Carrie Wilhite, past president. The

new board will be inducted at the chapter’s holiday party

at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 14, at Courtyard by Marriott

Resort in Cocoa Beach.

Hessinger named Youth Players directorMaggie Hessinger has joined Surfside Players in Cocoa

Beach at its new Youth Players director. She has more

than 11 years experience in children’s theatre. Formerly

the technical director for Titusville Playhouse, Hessinger

directed their Children’s Summer Camps for more than

three years. She will be assisted by Mikilin Pearson and

Heather Shadrick at Surfside Players. With the new

director and staff in place, The Youth Players will resume

its semester programs in 2011. The format has changed

slightly; classes are divided into grades 3–5 and grades

6–8, each meeting once a week for 14 weeks. Tuition is

$220 per student and includes a class T–shirt. For full

program details and to register, contact Robin Pena at

626–1343 or send an e–mail message to robattila@aol.com.

HBCA honors Franz, Reed with awardsTom Franz was honored as the 2010 Builder of the Year

and Sue Reed of Whirlpool Corp. earned the 2010 Associ-

ate of the Year award at the recent Home Builders and

Contractors Association of Brevard’s Fall Parade of Homes

Dinner and the 2011 HBCA Board of Directors Installation

Dinner at the Crowne Plaza Melbourne Oceanfront in

Indialantic. These prestigious awards are presented

annually to the Builder and Associate members of the

association who have made outstanding service contribu-

tions to the community, industry and the association. The

HBCA is a not–for–profit professional trade association

celebrating its 52nd year in Brevard.

Art Museum teams with Florida TechThe Brevard Art Museum and Florida Tech are

teaming up to present a class titled “Foundations of

Modern Art.” This class will feature a weekly art history

lecture at Florida Tech in Melbourne along with weekly

“hands–on” studio classes at the Brevard Art Museum

School in Melbourne. The first unit, in a series of three

lectures offered this spring, is titled “Modernism at the end

of the 19th Century” (Jan. 11 to Feb. 11). What makes this

course unique is the students’ ability to create a weekly

painting or collage based on the lecture by Florida Tech

professor Lars Jones. Participants who register for the

course through the Brevard Art Museum School may sign

up for one week for a fee of $60; a single unit of four or five

weeks for $225; or all three units for $600. Call 254–7782

to register for the program.

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12/06/10page 13

Charles Dickens'

PRESENTS Christmas Carol The Radio Drama adapted for radio on stage by ANTHONY E. PALERMO

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Visit BrevardBusinessNews.com for Advertising InformationDECEMBER 13, 2010 BREVARD BUSINESS NEWS / 9

BBN DIGESTNational Realty announces top producers

Gale Bray, broker of National Realty of Brevard Inc.,

has announced her company’s top–producing associates for

October. The top listing agents were: Beth Glover, of the

Melbourne office; Maria Kaps, Melbourne; Claire

Sliptchuik, Indialantic; Tim Costello, Port St. John; and

Cyndi Jones, Suntree–North Melbourne. Top sellers:

Susan Northwood, Indialantic; Robert Beatty, Palm Bay;

Donna Sprague, Port St. John; and Jones. Top producers:

Mike Miller, Melbourne; Northwood; Pam Harrell, Palm

Bay; Sprague; and Andrea Betting, Suntree–North

Melbourne.

PAL seeks donations to help area youthThe Palm Bay Police Athletic League is accepting end–

of–year donations that will be used to benefit area youth

through a variety of positive social–development programs.

PAL is a nonprofit organization and its programs help

equip youth with the life skills needed for successful living

through athletic, educational, social and wellness pro-

grams. Police officers serve as role models to help youth

foster positive relationships with law enforcement and

build self–esteem. In 2010, roughly 800 children partici-

pated in PAL programs. Charitable contributions made to

PAL can be used as a tax–deduction for 2010, if the

donation is made by Dec. 31. For more information on

Palm Bay PAL or to make a donation, call 952–3530 or

mail the contribution to: PAL, 190 Malabar Road SW,

Suite 103, Palm Bay, Fla., 32907.

Cocoa Rotary wins international awardsThe Cocoa Rotary Club was presented with two

international awards recognizing the generosity of the club

members. Of 34,103 such clubs worldwide, the Rotary Club

of Cocoa was one of 1,555 groups to achieve a “Top–Three

Highest Ranking in Per–Capita Annual Giving.” The club

was also one of 669 Rotary Clubs worldwide to attain 100

percent membership participation in contributing at least

$100 to the foundation. Recently, the club presented 658

dictionaries to third–grade students in Cocoa and Port St

John. This is the fourth year that the club has provided

these dictionaries. At the beginning of the school year, book

bags were presented to needy children in all Cocoa

elementary schools. The club continually conducts fund–

raising projects and members personally donate to these

projects.

County, Waste Management offer recyclingResidents in unincorporated Brevard County now have

the ability to recycle fluorescent light bulbs, both the

compact and tube styles, through Brevard County’s Solid

Waste Management program and vender Waste Manage-

ment. Through the county’s newest recycling contract,

residents may contact Waste Management’s customer–

service department to order a specially designed Mercury

VaporLok bag. The bag for compact fluorescent lights will

hold up to 13 bulbs, and the bag for the fluorescent tubes

will hold seven to 16 straight bulbs that are less than four

feet in length. When the bag is full, a pickup can be

scheduled. There is no cost to the resident for the

VaporLok bag or for the pickup. To request a VaporLok

bag, customers north of Viera Boulevard and Patrick Air

Force Base should call 636–6894. Customers south of

Viera Boulevard and Patrick Air Force Base should call

723–4455.

Brevard Workforce

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Invitation to Negotiate Brevard Family Partnership is seeking proposals

for banking services. Refer to solicitation at: www.brevardfp.org.

The closing date is Noon on January 10, 2011.

Funded by the Florida Department of Health

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DECEMBER 13, 2010Call Adrienne Roth at 321-951-7777 for Advertising Information

BBN BUSINESS

BREVARD BUSINESS NEWS / 10

By Ken Datzman

Americans may be living in one of the most

stressful periods in recent history, considering the

economic downtown, which has driven unemploy-

ment to new heights in many communities across

the nation.

In general, it’s a stressful world we live in.

Hundreds of thousands of homeowners around the

country are on edge, as foreclosures continue to

mount. Even many airports in the U.S. have created

an uneasy environment for passengers these days.

“Right now, the real stressor is the economy and

the financial impact it is having on people’s lives,”

said Kristi Van Sickle, assistant professor in

community health at Florida Tech’s College of

Psychology and Liberal Arts.

As the aftershocks of the recession continue to be

felt around the nation, money, work and the

economy remain the most often–cited sources of

stress for Americans, according to the American

Psychological Association’s 2010 “Stress in America”

survey.

Employment concern is on the rise as a source of

stress. Nearly half (49 percent) of adults reported

that “job stability” was a source of stress in 2010,

compared to 44 percent in 2009.

In the report, America is described as an

“overstressed” nation. “That’s a fair characterization.

If you travel abroad and see how other people live,

an example is Europeans, it seems very different

from the way we drive ourselves here,” said Dr. Van

Sickle.

Findings from the APA’s newly released survey

raises red flags about the long–term impact that

chronic stress could have on our physical and

emotional health and the health of our families,

psychologists say.

The survey was conducted online by Harris

Interactive in August 2010 and released in Novem-

ber. The survey shows that Americans seem to be

caught in a vicious cycle where they manage stress

in unhealthy ways, and lack of willpower and time

constraints impede their ability to make lifestyle or

behavior changes.

“People tend to eat more when they are stressed,

and they grab ‘comfort foods,’ unhealthy foods. They

typically increase their alcohol consumption, and

stress increases smoking behaviors in people who

smoke,” said Dr. Van Sickle, who holds a Pys.D.

degree from Florida Tech and is a certified public

accountant.

She says good nutrition is important to managing

stress. Exercise is another way to help curb stress.

“Exercise is absolutely one of the best ways to

America is an overstressed nation — is taking a physical andemotional toll on families; the difficult economy driving stresslevels; Brevard Healthcare Forum addresses obesity concerns

cope with stress. First of all, it helps with the

psychological effects of stress, so it lowers your heart

rate. Exercise increases self–esteem and self–

confidence, which lowers stress. Unfortunately,

when people are stressed a lot of it has to do with

time, and one of the first things they cut is exercise

or sleep, and both are really important.”

To better cope with high levels of stress, Dr. Van

Sickle recommends everything from yoga to massage

therapy to “cultivating optimism” in your life, to

seeking “professional help if you need it to social

support, reaching out to people and disclosing your

concerns.”

During the holidays, she suggests “taking a break

from your usual daily routine. That’s really impor-

tant.”

Dr. Van Sickle adds that people need some stress

in their lives. “We put a very negative connotation on

stress, but we all need a certain level of stress in our

lives or we wouldn’t get out of bed in the morning.

Stress is to some extent motivating, causing a little

bit of arousal.”

Parenting is particularly stressful. One–third of

parents report that their stress levels are “extreme”

(a level of 8 — 10 on a 10–point scale), and parents

overall say they are living with stress levels that

exceed their definition of healthy (parents report an

average stress level of 6.1, while the average healthy

level is 3.9).

“Stress in America” survey results show that

children and adults alike who are obese or over-

weight are more likely to report that they “feel

stress,” and overweight or obese children report that

their parents were “often or always” stressed over

the past month.

Obesity continues to be a major public health

problem in the U.S. In 2000, no state had an obesity

prevalence of 30 percent or more.

The number of states with an obesity prevalence

of 30 percent or more has tripled in two years to nine

states in 2009, according to a Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention “Vital Signs” report.

The report also finds that no state met the

nation’s “Healthy People 2010” goal to lower obesity

prevalence to 15 percent.

Dr. Van Sickle, the executive director of Brevard

Healthcare Forum, said Brevard County has a

childhood obesity issue. “For the last several years,

the Brevard Healthcare Forum data has shown that

some big problems in the county include childhood

obesity. More than 20 percent of our children

between the ages of 2 and 19 are considered obese,

according to CDC standards,” said Dr. Van Sickle,

who has a business degree from Indiana University

and a master’s in taxation from DePaul University

in Chicago and once worked in the corporate world.

Obesity is a complex problem that requires personal and community

action, experts say. Dr. Van Sickle said the Brevard Healthcare Forum

is addressing this issue and others, including access to care.

“Access to care is a huge problem for uninsured people. We are

working on a new initiative trying to increase access to low–cost and

free prescription medication. In our last survey, which was conducted in

2008–2009, the biggest access issue that people identified was not

being able to afford their prescription medication,” she said.

The Brevard Healthcare Forum is a coalition of health–care

providers in the county and other related organizations that work

together using community health–assessment data to identity gaps in

care and health concerns.

“We try to bring partners together to share expertise and data, and

to develop initiatives to address these gaps,” Dr. Van Sickle said,

adding that adult chronic drinking in Brevard is one of the issues the

organization is discussing.

The forum is comprised of board members from Brevard’s three

hospital systems, county government, public schools, Florida Tech,

Healthy Start Coalition, Circles of Care, and Devereux, among other

area participants.

Dr. Kristi Van Sickle is an assistant professor in community health at FloridaTech’s College of Psychology and Liberal Arts. She also is the executive directorof the Brevard Healthcare Forum, a coalition of health–care providers in thecounty and related organizations.

BBN photo — Adrienne B. Roth

Visit BrevardBusinessNews.com for Advertising InformationDECEMBER 13, 2010

BBN BUSINESS

BREVARD BUSINESS NEWS / 11

By Ken Datzman

TITUSVILLE — Parrish Medical Center has

introduced a new service that centers on customer

service, timeliness, and helping the emergency room

better manage its patient flow throughout the day.

PMC has become the first hospital in Brevard

County to use the services of “InQuickER,” a start–

up company headquartered in Dalton, Ga., that is

experiencing strong growth signing up ERs around

the nation to partner with them in this new

venture.

More than 17 hospitals in the U.S. have aligned

themselves with InQuickER, from Emory–

Adventist Hospital in Georgia to Loma Linda

University Medical Center in California and PMC

in North Brevard County.

InQuickER is an advance online–registration

system for the emergency room and urgent–care

center. In a nutshell, it allows non–emergency

patients to register online, pay a small fee, and hold

their place in line while they wait at home.

“It is inherit in our business that obviously we

see sick patients first,” said Dr. Francisco Garcia,

medical director of emergency medicine at PMC.

“If you are a non–emergency patient in the ER,

you may have to wait some time before you’re seen

by a physician. The concept behind InQuickerER is

that the system will save a place for the patient in

our fast–track area, which is dedicated for non–

emergencies. The patients are seen without delay,”

he added.

All emergency departments use a triage system.

As a result, patients with low–acuity conditions may

wait for hours while higher–acuity patients receive

priority treatment. InQuickER allows low–acuity

patients to wait in the comfort of their homes,

rather than in the hospital waiting room.

InQuickER guarantees that patients who

register online and provide all requested informa-

tion will be seen within 15 minutes of their sched-

uled arrival time.

The cost for the service is $4.99 for the emer-

gency room at PMC on North Washington Avenue.

The service fee is currently being waived at the

MedFast Urgent Care Center inside Parrish

Healthcare Center at Port St. John.

“This is a win–win for the hospital and the

patient,” said Frank Corcoran, PMC’s executive

director of critical care.

“If the patient goes online to register for

InQuickER, they can check the posted wait times. If

they are really busy, they can choose a time slot to

fit their convenience. It’s kind of like going to Disney

and getting a ‘fast pass.’ It helps us better manage

our patient flow, because we control the time slots

through the peaks and troughs of the day.”

Both Dr. Garcia and Corcoran stressed that if a

patient has chest pains, shortness of breath or other

life–threatening symptoms, they should call 911

immediately and get to the ER. The online registra-

tion system is for minor illnesses.

Patients who use the InQuickER registration

service can enter their demographic and medical

information online, before they arrive at the

emergency department.

With InQuickER, an emergency–medical profile,

including information such as current medications,

allergies, and medical conditions, is sent to the

emergency department before the patient even

walks through the front door.

“When a person registers for InQuickER, we

receive an e–mail and the charge nurse looks at the

patient’s description of their symptom or symp-

toms,” said Corcoran.

“If we think this is something that can’t wait for

a diagnosis, we will call the patient and let him or

her know. We’ll tell them they should come in now.

The system screens for key words like ‘chest pain’ or

‘abdominal pain.’ This is one of the beauties of the

InQuickER system,” he said.

The economy in general and high unemployment

are increasing pressure on emergency departments

and their patients. In addition, hospital emergency

departments continue to close around the nation,

which reduces access to emergency care.

The American College of Emergency Physicians

says the number of emergency departments has

decreased from 4,114 in 1997 to 3,925 in 2007.

“Access to care has gotten worse for the general

population over the years,” said Dr. Garcia. “As a

result, the uninsured and the underinsured are

using the ER as an umbrella.”

Dr. Garcia said PMC’s ER averages 105 to 103

patients a day. “And probably 20 percent of the

patients would fit into the non–emergency cat-

egory.”

He said PMC’s ER resources are “challenged at

around 125 to 130 patients.” The busiest times for

PMC’s ER are 11 a.m. to 1 .a.m., said Dr. Garcia,

who has practiced ER medicine for 25 years,

including in Miami.

Babies less than 12 months old had the highest

ER visit rate in 2008, at 88.5 visits per 100 infants,

according to a new report from the Centers for

Disease Control and Prevention. The second highest

visit rate was by adults age 75 and older, with 62

visits per 100 people.

The report also says the main issue contributing

to overcrowding in ERs has been delays in moving

the sickest patients to inpatient beds. Admitted

Parrish Medical Center introduces ‘InQuickER,’ an advanceonline–registration service that allows patients to bypass theemergency–waiting room, hold their place in line at home

patients have often been boarded in the emergency departments or

hospital hallways for hours, resulting in overcrowding.

November begins the busy season for many ERs in Florida as

winter residents arrive.

Corcoran said PMC is working to inform more people in the

community about the InQuickER service. “It’s an option for them to

check out.”

PMC’s Natalie Sellers, director of communications and service

excellence, says InQuickER provides “for a better patient experience.

First and foremost, it is the patient experience we are trying to

enhance with this system, as well as quality and process improvement

from an ER perspective. And we are able to do that. It’s a great

process–improvement tool.”

Wait time is a significant component of patient satisfaction in the

emergency room and InQuickER patients spend little to no time in the

waiting room. Instead, they spend that wait time relaxing at home.

To use InQuickER, visit www.parrishmed.com and click on the

InQuickER icon on the home page. Follow the instructions to hold your

place in line.

PMC is one of a growing number of hospitals now using a system called ‘InQuickER’to better pace non–emergency patient flow into their waiting rooms. It allows patientsto register online, pay a small fee and hold their place in line while they wait at home.PMC’s Dr. Francisco Garcia, right, medical director of emergency medicine, andFrank Corcoran, executive director of critical care, say the new system helps thembetter manage patient flow and improve customer service.

BBN photo — Adrienne B. Roth

DECEMBER 13, 2010Call Adrienne Roth at 321-951-7777 for Advertising Information

BBN DIGEST

BREVARD BUSINESS NEWS / 12

Surfside Players to presentDickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’

In celebration of the Christmas season, Surfside

Players in Cocoa Beach will present the classic “A Christ-

mas Carol” as a radio–on–stage event, adapted by Anthony

Palermo.

The golden age of radio in the 1940s had skilled voice

actors performing a show live in the studio before an

audience of sponsors and VIPs. In 2010, the patrons of

Surfside’s playhouse are the VIPs.

A small cast will stand before microphones, in formal

dress and with scripts in hand, and become multiple

characters from the Charles Dickens classic, while sound

effects will set the background and mood of 19th century

London.

Carols will be sung in the lobby before the show begins.

The show is directed by Joan Dunn.

Performances of “A Christmas Carol” are set for

Dec. 10–19 (two weekends), on Fridays and Saturdays at

8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. Admission is $10. This show

is appropriate for all ages.

Surfside Playhouse is on the corner of Brevard Avenue

and Fifth Street South. For more information about the

presentation, call 783–3127 or visit

www.surfsideplayers.com.

Unique holiday gifts at the Astronaut StoreFor holiday shoppers searching for elite and unusual

gifts, the Astronaut Store (www.astronautstore.org), a

space boutique, offers rare and priceless items. Sales from

the store benefit the nonprofit Astronaut Scholarship

Foundation. The store boasts unique gifts as space relics

and prints signed by former astronauts John Glenn,

Buzz Aldrin, James Lovell and Fred Haise. The inventory

includes hundreds of rare items signed by astronaut

legends covering all eras of space travel, from the Mercury

program to the golden age of Apollo to today’s space

shuttle. The astronauts donated their signatures so that

100 percent of the proceeds would support the next

generation of technological leaders through scholarships

the ASF provides. The ASF has awarded more than

$3 million to students nationwide. For more information,

call 455–7013 or visit www.astronautscholarship.org.

Rain barrel workshop offered Dec. 11Residents who are interested in putting rainwater to

use in their landscapes and gardens, rather than watching

it run down streets and driveways, washing pollutants into

water bodies, will have the opportunity to create their own

rain barrels at a workshop sponsored by the Brevard

County Natural Resources Management Office, UCF

Stormwater Academy, University of Florida Cooperative

Extension, and Community Matters Inc. The workshop is

scheduled for 10 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, at the Univer-

sity of Florida Brevard County Extension, 3695 Lake

Drive, in Cocoa. This fun, informative workshop will allow

participants to learn about the benefits of collecting rain

while enjoying hands–on construction of 55–gallon rain

barrels. The rain–barrel kit fee is $45, paid by cash or

check at the door the day of the program. To register for

the workshop or for more details about the program, call

Elizabeth Melvin at 633–2016, extension 56721, or visit

www.brevstorm.org.

Michaels mens Wearpick up BBN

11/29/10page 12

Visit BrevardBusinessNews.com for Advertising InformationDECEMBER 13, 2010 BREVARD BUSINESS NEWS / 13

BBN DIGESTDec. 11 concert at King Centerto feature a Southwestern flavor

The Brevard Community Chorus, along with the

Brevard Children’s Chorus and members of the Brevard

Symphony Orchestra, will present “A Celebration of the

Season” at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, in the King

Center for the Performing Arts, 3865 N. Wickham Road,

on the Brevard Community College campus in Melbourne.

The choruses and orchestra will be joined by soloists

from the choir in a portion of the program dedicated to

Spanish language carols and lullabies.

An introduction to Christmas traditions in Spanish–

speaking countries will be provided by Javier Molinares,

publisher of Central Florida bi–lingual newspaper “Al Dia

Today.”

Molinares will also sing a Columbian song of peace,

while daughter Kassy Baldwin, a senior at Bayside High

School, will dance in traditional costume.

The concert will include holiday choral favorites,

selections by the Brevard Children’s Chorus and music

of the season. Tickets are $20 for general admission and

$15 for students and senior citizens. They are available at

the King Center box office (242–2219), or by visiting

www.BrevardCommunityChorus.org.

Dr. Robert Lamb, chairman of the Department of Fine

and Performing Arts at BCC, thinks “A Celebration of the

Season” will be a “crowd–pleaser.”

“It’s always fun to perform with the Brevard Children’s

Chorus. And this year, we’ve added another dimension

with the Spanish–language portion of the program. I think

people are going to love it,” he said.

Women’s organization to meet in VieraSpace Coast Unit 75 of WAVES National will meet at

11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 11, at the “At Ease Club” of the

Indian River Colony Club on Murrell Road in Viera. This is

a Christmas luncheon, to be followed by a business

meeting and entertainment. WAVES National welcomes

discharged, retired and active duty women from the sea

services. For additional details about the organization, call

Pamela McRoy at 626–4546.

Historic Pritchard House ready for holidaysThe Historic 1891 Pritchard House in Titusville will

host a community holiday gathering from 3 to 7 p.m. on

Dec. 16. A “sneak preview” of the interior of the house that

is decorated for the holidays is open to the public for a

donation of $5 on that day. Holiday music will be provided.

Extended tours of one hour can be arranged for groups of

12 at $5 per person, by calling Roz Foster at 267–4480. The

Historic Pritchard House is at 424 S. Washington Ave.

Faith Fellowship to host Christmas musicalFaith Fellowship Church in Melbourne will host a

Christmas musical production titled “A Time to Believe,”

Thursday through Saturday, Dec. 16, 17 and 18. The

program will be presented by the FFC Music Ministry.

Tickets are available for the two evening performances, as

well as the Saturday matinee, by calling the church office

at 259–7200. All seats are reserved; premier seating is

available for $5. Free seating will be offered on a limited

basis. Faith Fellowship Church is at 2820 Business Center

Blvd.

Light Festpick up BBN

12/0610page 9

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DECEMBER 13, 2010Call Adrienne Roth at 321-951-7777 for Advertising InformationBREVARD BUSINESS NEWS / 14

BBN DIGESTUCF developing green jet fuel of the future; saveairlines money, reduce environmental impact

ORLANDO — Algae–based biofuel could someday power commercial jets, courtesy of

the University of Central Florida and its New Mexico partner.

Engineers at UCF and New Mexico State University are collaborating on a $2.4 million

grant from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to develop the fuel, which would save

airlines money and reduce planes’ impact on the environment.

“We are developing a cleaner, sustainable fuel that would have applications through-

out aviation, from passenger and cargo airplanes to military jets,” said Jay Kapat, a

mechanical engineering professor at UCF working on the project.

Lead researcher Shuguang Deng, a chemical engineering professor at NMSU, said only

algae can meet the demands for a renewable energy source to power aircraft.

“Algae have the highest energy content of plants,” Shuguang said. “I expect that in five

to 10 years, we’ll start seeing algal biofuels on the market.”

Several groups around the country are developing algae–based fuel. In January 2009,

Continental Airlines became the first U.S. commercial carrier to conduct a demonstration

flight using an alternative fuel that included some algae.

EADS, the maker of the Airbus, earlier this year completed a demonstration flight

fueled by an algae mix. The plane was a diamond aircraft, much smaller than a commer-

cial jet. However, EADS publicly committed to developing an algae–based fuel because it

has the potential to be more efficient, less costly and better for the environment.

Florida has slowly been getting into the algae–biofuel business. Aurora Biofuels has

been researching and producing algae–based fuel in Vero Beach since 2007. Algenol

Biofuels Inc. has announced plans for a pilot–scale biorefinery in the Fort Myers area.

Kapat said the UCF/NMSU project should create new economic development opportu-

nities in Florida and New Mexico.

“We are at a crossroads,” Kapat said. “This is a great opportunity to be strategically

placed to be part of a whole new generation of innovation in aviation and space.”

Others working on the algae project at UCF include Richard Blair from the Chemistry

Department and Yongho Sohn and Ranganathan Kumar from Mechanical, Materials and

Aerospace Engineering.

Kapat, who joined UCF in 1997, has a doctorate from MIT and has received six patents

for his research. His research is funded by more than $9 million worth of grants.

He is a Lockheed Martin Professor of Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineer-

ing at UCF, and leads the Siemens Center of Excellence on campus. He also is associate

director of the Florida Center for Advanced Aero–Propulsion and director of the Center for

Advanced Turbines and Energy Research.

Caregiver classes offered at Sunflower HouseThe Sunflower House and the East Central Florida Memory Disorder Clinic are

offering two classes focused on helping caregivers cope with a loved one who has been

diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or related dementia. “Making New Holiday Memories

When Your Loved One Has Alzheimer’s Disease” will be held at 3 p.m. on Wednesday,

Dec. 15. Farah Sivolella from the East Central Florida Memory Disorder Clinic will

conduct the class. At 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 15, Sivolella will present “Caregiving and

Anger.” To register for these classes, call 452–4341.

Fifth Avenue Art Gallery to host receptionThe Fifth Avenue Art Gallery at 1470 Highland Ave. in Melbourne will host a recep-

tion from 5:30 to 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 7, to kick off the new exhibit showcasing the

expansive possibilities of black–and–white art. The opening reception, free of charge and

open to the public, is part of the First Friday Art Walk in Eau Gallie. The show is titled

“Black, White and. . ?” The gallery is located in the Eau Gallie Arts District of Melbourne,

across the street from the Brevard Museum of Art. For additional details about the show,

call 259–8261 or visit www.fifthavenueartgallery.com.

LogiChem 2011 to be held in AntwerpLogiChem, now in its 10th year, will be held April 5–7 in Antwerp. This event is for

senior chemical supply–chain and global–logistics directors, service providers and other

industry professionals. More than 250 people are expected to attend the program, which

will feature 45 world–leading chemical supply–chain experts. The world’s top chemical

companies, including DuPont, BASF, Clariant, Dow Chemical and Lyondell Basell, will

have representation at the conference. For full details, visit www.logichemicaleurope.cpm.

Florida Business Bank

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BBN DIGESTBrevard Community College students to begintaking new college placement exam in the fall

Incoming students at Brevard Community College will be taking a new placement

exam, effective fall 2011. As a result of a new Florida Department of Education mandate,

the Postsecondary Education Readiness Exam (PERT) will replace the College Board

Accuplacer Placement Test (CPT), which had been used for the past 17 years.

The new exam, like the one currently being used, will be given to incoming freshman to

determine placement in college level English and mathematics courses.

Students cannot pass or fail a placement exam; it is strictly for placement purposes and

is required by the Florida Board of Education for all Florida colleges and universities. If a

student’s scores determine he or she is not ready for college–level English or mathematics,

the student will be placed into preparatory or remedial courses in reading, writing, or

mathematics.

BCC will begin to phase in the PERT during the spring 2011 term. The CPT will still

be used during the spring term to place students into courses; however, current plans call

for the PERT to be administered to a selected number of preparatory–class sections in the

first or second week of class to help determine what scores should correlate with specific

preparatory courses.

The PERT will be used as the primary placement mechanism by the fall 2011 Term.

The Florida Department of Education expects that “the test will more accurately than

previous instruments, measure the knowledge, skills and abilities that have been

identified as foundational to entry into freshman level college–credit bearing courses

without the need for remediation.”

More accurate placement into courses is essential considering the correlation between

students succeeding in English and mathematic courses and success in the rest of their

college career.

“English and mathematics are the building blocks to a student’s education,” said

Monica Sutton, specialist for advising and testing at BCC in Cocoa. “Students that are

well–prepared academically are much more likely to stay in college and complete their

degree or certificate.”

Because of the significant impact the placement test has on college students, the

Florida Department of Education asked all colleges and universities to submit an

implementation plan for the PERT by September 2010. BCC submitted its plan as

requested, she said.

BCC’s plan includes comprehensive training for testing staff, and the creation of an

Implementation Team composed of Testing and Student Services staff, administration

and faculty. This team will direct the transition at BCC and communicate the changes to

BCC students, faculty and staff, as well as communicate with the area high schools.

Dr. Phil Simpson, provost and dean of faculty, is leading BCC’s transition to the PERT.

“Planning for the transition from the CPT to the PERT is critically important to the

success of our students,” Dr. Simpson said. “Transitioning from one college placement

instrument to another is a complex process, impacting all areas of the College, the

community around us, and the students who come to us. Therefore, a plan that is

comprehensive yet flexible is required to ensure a seamless transition.”

Dr. Simpson said he is confident BCC’s team is well–prepared for the challenges that

lie ahead. “We have a strong implementation team in place to guide the College and the

community through this critical transition.”

For more information about the PERT, contact the Florida Department of Education at

(850) 245–0407 or visit www.fldoe.org/cc.

Hafer House Jazz to perform at museumHafer House Jazz will perform 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 17, at the Brevard Art

Museum in Melbourne. This group delights audiences with swing–based jazz. The

program is part of Jazz Fridays held at the museum each month. Admission is $10; there

is no charge for museum members. Jazz Fridays are sponsored by WFIT and AT&T Real

Yellow Pages. The museum is at 1463 Highland Ave., in the Eau Gallie Arts District of

Melbourne. Call 242–0737 for additional details about Jazz Fridays.

Blood–pressure screenings at Sunflower HouseThe Sunflower House and VNA Space Coast are offering free blood– pressure screen-

ings from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Dec. 21. No appointment is necessary. If you have any

questions about the screenings, call 452–4341. The Sunflower House is a senior and

caregiver resource center located in Merritt Square Mall.

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BREVARD BUSINESS NEWS / 16

Foundation and Health Research and Educational Trust in each of the past 12 years,

shows that worker contributions to health premiums have gone up 47 percent since 2005,

while premiums rose 27 percent, wages increased just 18 percent and overall inflation

rose 12 percent.

Although preferred–provider plans still cover most workers, the only type of coverage

that actually increased were high–deductible plans coupled with health–savings accounts,

which now cover 13 percent of all employees, up from 8 percent in 2009.

“With the economy struggling, businesses have been shifting more of the costs of

health insurance to workers through premiums, deductibles, and other cost–sharing,” said

Kaiser President Drew Altman. While those changes may help keep premiums from

rising as steeply, “it also means that employer coverage is less comprehensive.”

No one knows just how costs will change for 2011 — still three years away from the

premium subsidies and purchasing exchanges and expanded coverage promised under the

Affordable Care Act approved earlier this year.

One survey done by the William Mercer consulting firm in late summer found employ-

ers anticipating health–premium costs to rise by 9 percent to 12 percent, and that they

would again seek to have workers pay a greater share of those costs — something many

workers with fall health–plan–enrollment periods are already seeing.

Employers in the survey attributed a couple of percentage points of the premium

boosts to the added benefits mandated under the health–reform bill, such as the elimina-

tion of lifetime limits on basic benefits and guaranteed coverage of dependents through

age 26 and greater coverage of preventive services.

It’s unclear to what extent attempts by newly empowered congressional Republicans to

repeal, alter, or de–fund the health plan might have on the health–care market during

2011 and beyond, but most companies and insurers are preparing for continued compli-

ance with the law.

While some workers will simply opt out of coverage because of higher premiums, most

will try to keep paying their share and maintain coverage, but may find high deductibles

or co–pays daunting and opt to delay or skip medical appointments, tests, and filling

prescriptions.

And that’s where the scrimping noted in the CDC survey comes into play.

Two studies published in the November issue of “Health Affairs” illustrate the impact

of co–pays for drugs.

Both showed that when employers or insurers dropped co–pays, patients were between

2 percent and 4 percent more likely to stay on track in taking life–saving drugs to prevent

strokes, heart attacks, diabetes and high blood pressure.

What the research could not show is how much hospital care those patients avoided

because they took their drugs as prescribed.

Health CareContinued from page 1

Chamber installs its officers, board membersThe Sebastian River Area Chamber of Commerce installed its officers and board

members for 2011 during the organization’s annual dinner at Captain Butchers in

Sebastian.

The new officers are: Debbi Vickers, president; Theresa Tolle, vice president; and Bob

Daberkow, treasurer. The newly elected board members include Betty Lollio of Seacoast

National Bank and Maggie Sammons of Custom Air Systems.

Other board members are: Sandi Gehrke, TD Bank; Emily Holliman, Sebastian River

Medical Center; Michelle Napier, Dill & Evans; and Patti Jamar, Vero Fashion Outlets.

Joining them as appointed directors are Capt. Christy Lenz, Casual Cruisin’; Chuck

Mechling, Collier Club, Chris O’Rourke, CPA; Ted Panckiewicz, Park Place; Beverly Paris,

Paris Productions; and Shawn Reeves, Merriweather Designs.

The 2010 Chamber Member of the Year was awarded to Sebastian River Medical

Center.

Also receiving honors were: Jamar, Chamber Director of the Year; Debbie Lloyd Lee

and Truly Nolen, Ambassadors of the Year; and Tom Whipple, Volunteer of the Year.

The Chamber recognized Daisy Knowles, marketing director of Sebastian River

Medical Center. She was presented a lifetime honorary membership in the Chamber for

her 37 years of service to the community.

The Chamber has more than 450 members. For more information, visit

www.SebastianChamber.com.

?????

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BBN SPECIAL FOCUSHealth First Inc.Continued from page 1numerous potential patient benefits.

“We have already equaled the results of the gold

standard, which is traditional open surgery,” said MIMA

urologist Dr. Andrew Zabinski.

“I wouldn’t be surprised to see it pass the traditional

method as we find new applications for it. We’re not only

doing prostate surgery using The da Vinci System, but

we’re also performing kidney surgery, removing tumors

from kidneys and putting the kidneys back together,” he

added.

The da Vinci System allows physicians to perform

surgeries through tiny openings. The surgeon has the

benefit of greater visualization and control of the instru-

ments. Three–dimensional lens magnify the surgical field

up to 10 times.

“When we are working in the deep pelvis, underneath

the pelvis bone, it’s a challenging area to get exposure to.

With the 3D focus, it really gives us the view we need to

avoid structures and decrease blood loss,” said Dr.

Zabinski.

The da Vinci System consists of an ergonomic surgeon

console, a patient–side cart with four interactive robotic

arms, a high–performance vision system, and proprietary

EndoWrist instruments.

Dr. Zabinski said he has performed 15 prostate

surgeries, or prostatectomies, using The da Vinci System.

These are “localized cancers,” meaning they are early stage

tumors in the prostate that have not spread to other areas.

“The patients I have seen at two months are continent

and their PSAs have been zero. Overall, they have been

very pleased with their surgeries,” he said.

Prostate cancer deaths are expected to jump 17 percent

this year as compared to 2009, according to estimates

based on National Cancer Institute data. The institute also

projects a 13 percent rise in diagnosed prostate–cancer

cases this year.

The robotic system is one of a number of investments

Health First is making in leading–edge technologies for its

hospitals. The investments total several million dollars.

The new Viera Hospital, scheduled to open April 2, is

installing a Somatom Definition Flash, or a “Flash CT”

scanner. These machines are being touted throughout the

industry for their speed and radiation–dose reduction.

The scanner features two X–ray beams, yet minimizes

the patient’s exposure to radiation and time required for

testing, said Dianna Marks, Viera Hospital’s radiology

director.

“It’s one of the fastest CT scanners on the market and

Viera Hospital is the third facility in the state of Florida to

have this technology. This piece of equipment will allow

our technologists to scan patients faster, and there is

minimized radiation exposure for the patients,” she said.

The manufacturer of the machine, Siemens Healthcare,

calls it the “world’s fastest CT scanner,” but also one with

the lowest radiation exposure.

Marks said a scan of the chest cavity can be done in

“less than one second (just 0.6 seconds),” capturing images

of the heart in less than half a heart–beat, and exposing

the patient to much less radiation.

She said some of the benefits of the new Flash CT

include decreased time for testing patients who have

difficulty “remaining still or holding their breath,” specifi-

cally children and trauma patients, and increased comfort

for patients with chronic medical conditions who require

frequent CT imaging.

“We can scan a whole body in less than 5 seconds, and

these are high–quality images,” Marks said, adding that

some machines can take up to 5 minutes to do a full–body

scan.

She and Liz Varecka are setting up the radiology

department for the hospital. Varecka is the manager of

radiology for Viera Hospital.

At Health First’s Cape Canaveral Hospital in Cocoa

Beach, physicians are offering a new option for patients

who have nerve compression and are no longer responding

to pain medications and epidural steroid injections.

The new surgical treatment is called Minimally

Invasive Lumbar Decompression, or MILD. Cape

Canaveral Hospital began offering the procedure in

early 2010.

“This procedure is just beginning to take off nation-

wide,” said Todd Bibens, Cape Canaveral Hospital’s

director of clinical nursing.

“Generally, it is for patients 55 to 65 who have nerve

compression that is secondary to central spinal stenosis.

These people find it difficult to walk more than a short

distance without having some type of leg pain from the

nerve compassion,” he said.

Lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) is a debilitating condition

affecting more than 1.2 million patients a year in America.

MILD is the first therapeutic option to provide relief from

LSS, as well as significantly improve mobility, according to

Vertos Medical Inc., the device manufacturer.

Cleared by the Food and Drug Administration for

decompression of the lumbar spine, MILD removes small

portions of the bone and tissue reducing the pressure on

the nerves through a low–risk posterior approach. The

entire procedure takes place using a 5.1 mm MILD Portal,

only about the diameter of a pencil.

“During the procedure, the physician makes two small

incisions in the back, to either side of the lumbar spine,”

Bibens said. “The procedure is performed using fluoro-

scopic guidance.”

MILD is done in an outpatient setting. Dr. Tejash

Dungarani and Dr. Stanley Golovac of Cape Canaveral

Hospital both perform MILD.

In the January/February 2010 issue of the peer–

reviewed journal “Pain Physician,” an observation study

demonstrates the “acute safety” of the procedure in the

treatment of LSS. The study found no reports of patient

complications related to the MILD devices or technique.

Study data was collected from a survey conducted by

14 physicians at 12 U.S. centers. The survey called for a

retrospective chart review of 90 consecutive LSS patients

treated with MILD between January 2008 and July 2009.

Health First’s investment in new technologies contin-

ues at Palm Bay Hospital, where the company recently

purchased a SpyGlass Direct Visualization System.

The diagnostic tool is designed to provide direct

visualization into the billiary ducts to identify stones and

strictures, said Regina Green, a registered nurse at Palm

Bay Hospital. She said the system includes a monitor, light

source, and camera.

“SpyGlass is a fantastic tool that allows physicians to

look into the ducts with a camera. Before, we could only

thread a catheter to do this. Now, we can put a camera in

the duct and look to see if there is a tumor or a stone

present,” said Green.

The SpyGlass tool is used in a procedure called

Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangio–Pancretography, or

ERCP, she said.

The specialized endoscopic procedure is performed with

fluoroscopy and contrast injection to examine and treat

conditions of the bile ducts and pancreas, such as removing

gallstones, opening obstructed bile ducts, and obtaining

biopsies in suspected tumors, Green said.

Conventional ERCP is hindered by the flat, two–

dimensional, black–and–white image rendered by

fluoroscopy, which can make it difficult to determine where

to obtain tissue samples and potentially lead to an

inaccurate or inconclusive clinical diagnosis.

Green said Palm Bay Hospital purchased the SpyGlass

instrument about two months ago and physicians have

used it in a number of procedures.

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