Author Archive

Ocala Star Banner
By Fred Hiers

Because Marion County has such a senior-heavy population, Medicare plays a large part in local healthcare and the medical economy. As the population ages, Medicare spending also increases, especially for patients with chronic illnesses associated with old age.

That combination has placed Marion County among the top 20 counties nationally in a key metric: adjusted Medicare per capita spending growth rates between 2007 and 2013.

In 2007 Medicare spending was, on average, $7,585 per recipient in Marion. By 2013, […]

By Erin Jester
The Gainesville Sun

On average, there are about 2,000 days in a child’s life between birth and the first day of kindergarten.

About 90 percent of a child’s critical brain development happens in that same timeframe.

Today, there’s no comprehensive network or program in Alachua County to make sure that each child reaches his or her potential during that time, but a group of early childhood education experts and other supporters are working to get one off the ground.

“The bottom line […]

The Gainesville Sun
By Erin Jester

On average, there are about 2,000 days in a child’s life between birth and the first day of kindergarten.

About 90 percent of a child’s critical brain development happens in that same timeframe.

Today, there’s no comprehensive network or program in Alachua County to make sure that each child reaches his or her potential during that time, but a group of early childhood education experts and other supporters are working to get one off the ground.

Ocala Star Banner
By Fred Hiers

The newly formed Marion County Health Alliance whose goal is to try and curb the county’s poor health rankings, took another step Wednesday toward making area residents healthier.

The alliance, which now has nearly 70 organization members, met yesterday at the College of Central Florida’s Webber Center. The nonprofit’s executive committee chairman, Dr. Mel Seek, proposed six area healthcare needs that the group should address to improve county health. The alliance agreed to focus on the half-dozen initiatives.

The […]

North Florida School Days

Is your child enrolled in a Florida Healthy Kids Full Pay Insurance plan?

If so, you may have received a letter regarding important information about your child’s coverage. Earlier this year, 36,000 Florida families were informed that their rates for their children’s insurance would be increasing on Oct. 1, 2015. For example, one of the Florida Healthy Kids Full Pay plans currently costs $153 per month per child. Beginning Oct. 1, 2015, that same plan will now cost $299 per […]

WellFlorida News Release

WellFlorida Council recently released health data for each county in North Central Florida and the collective region.

WellFlorida provides annual county health profiles to help residents and community leaders get an overview of the health status of each county and how it compares to the state.

The data represents the health status of over 1.6 million residents across 16 counties: Alachua, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Lafayette, Lake, Levy, Marion, Putnam, Sumter, Suwannee and Union. Categories including lifestyle, access to […]