Page 13 - Talk of Tequesta - March '24

The Talk Of Tequesta, Page 13

Loggerhead news

Loggerhead Marinelife Center Celebrates Strides

In Marine Conservation At 15th Annual Go Blue Awards

Loggerhead Marinelife Center (LMC) honored local
and national achievements in marine conservation during
its prestigious 15th Annual Go Blue Awards presented
by Tampa General Hospital. This year, four individuals,
businesses, and nonprofits were recognized with
exemplifying a “blue” lifestyle of marine conservation.
Each award recipient has significantly impacted,
improved, and protected our oceans, beaches, and wildlife.
The 2024 Go Blue Awards and their recipients are:
Eleanor Fletcher Award (Lifetime Achievement):
Jim Toomey, Alexandria, Va. ─ Toomey is the creator
of the daily comic strip “Sherman’s Lagoon,” which
is syndicated in more than 150 newspapers across 20
countries and in six languages.
Blue Ambassador of the Year Award: Nan Hauser,
Brunswick, Maine – Hauser is president and director
Rebecca Mott with Inwater Research
Jim Toomey Asa Miller Group

of the Center for Cetacean Research and Conservation
(CCRC), and director and principal investigator of Cook
Islands Whale Research (CIWR).
Blue Hatchling Youth Award: Asa Miller, Hartsdale,
N.Y. ─ A 16-year-old high school junior, Asa is a coral reef
restoration specialist, diver, and filmmaker, particularly
known for his work and research in his homeland of Cuba.
Blue Business of the Year Award/Nonprofit of the Year
Award: Inwater Research Group, Jensen Beach, Fla. ─
The small, nonprofit organization is dedicated to rescuing
and researching numerous marine species, including sea
turtles, elasmobranchs, and bony fishes.
For more information on this year’s winners, please
Andy Dehart, president and CEO of Loggerhead visit marinelife.org/goblue.
Marinelife Center Photos by Tracey Benson Photography

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SPOTLIGHT ON HEALTH CARE

Surgeon stresses successful procedures go well

beyond the operating room.

By Valerie Staggs more to do with making the surgery expe- of surgical equip-
rience more comfortable for patients and ment. Equipment
Vivek Patel, MD, has been in and out their families. One of the biggest concerns is moved from op-
of operating rooms for over 15 years. A families have when their loved one is un- erating rooms to
board-certified cardiothoracic surgeon dergoing surgery is understanding what to the sterile process-
specializing in minimally invasive valve expect before surgery and being able to get ing department via
and open heart surgery, Patel performs
cutting-edge procedures that treat com- updates on their loved one during the sur- dedicated elevators
gery. In a 2020-21 survey commissioned for clean instru-
mon heart conditions such as faulty heart by the American Board of Internal Med- ments and those
valves and clogged arteries.
icine Foundation, 600 physicians were requiring steril- Johnny and Terry Gray Surgical Institute at Jupiter Medical Center.
As a cardiothoracic surgeon, Patel is keen- asked what the biggest challenge in ensur- ization. Jupiter
ly aware of his patients’ trust in him and ing patient trust is. Poor communication Medical Center has implemented several
his weighty responsibility to ensure their was cited as number one. different pathways for sterilization to max-
well-being while in his care. This care, Pa- Health care providers like Jupiter Medical imize efficiency, getting instruments back
tel is quick to point out, goes well beyond Center are making strides to make com- in surgeons’ hands quickly and seamlessly.
what happens in the operating room.
munication a priority. At the hospital’s The operating rooms are also designed for
“I think we need to look at the whole new Johnny and Terry Gray Surgical Insti- efficiency. Patel explains that operating
process, not just for patients, but for tute, families are kept up to date through- rooms can often get crowded, making a
their families too,” says Patel. He cites out their loved one’s surgery via patient surgeon’s job challenging. The operating
the new Johnny and Terry Gray Surgical tracking monitors in the waiting rooms. rooms at the new surgical institute are er-
Institute at Jupiter Medical Center as an Families now have real-time updates on gonomically designed, allowing for ease
example of how surgical facilities are now their loved ones throughout their surgery, of use and efficiency during surgery. Five
being designed with features that give pa- minimizing the anxiety of waiting for robotic operating systems and two hybrid
tients and families peace of mind while news about their loved ones. operating rooms provide state-of-the-art
giving surgeons the technology they need technology, enabling surgeons to offer the
to ensure success. Many of the patient benefits Patel is ex- most cutting-edge surgical options to their
cited about happen behind the scenes at
“I have never worked in a better equipped the surgical institute. Efficiency in a surgi- patients, oftentimes with shorter recovery Vivek Patel, MD, Cardiothoracic Surgeon
times.
and integrated facility that vastly benefits cal setting is vitally important in ensuring
patients,” says Patel of the new surgical in- that surgeons can operate effectively while “All these changes will affect how health
stitute, which opened in December. ensuring the safety of patients. “A lot of care is delivered in Palm Beach Coun- For more information about the
thoughtful design went into the surgical ty,” says Patel. “We are centered on the Surgical Institute please visit
The benefits he refers to have less to do institute,” explains Patel. One area of en- patient. That’s the way medicine should
with the surgical instruments he uses and jupitermed.com.
hanced efficiency relates to the sterilization be practiced.”
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