A third-party lab created long delays in local COVID-19 testing which impacted more than 25,000 people throughout Central Florida.  AdventHealth terminated the lab's contract and expressed no confidence in the reliability of the tests. 
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AdventHealth uses nationally accredited, third-party labs across multiple states to process COVID-19 tests for communities.   One of the labs processing a large number of their tests for Lake, Flager and Volusia counties has been unable to fulfill its obligation, according to AdventHealth.  

 “We share in the disappointment and frustration this situation has created. We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience and uncertainty it has caused,” stated a press release issued by AdventHealth.  

The healthcare organization expressed that it’s working diligently to notify and accommodate people impacted.  Affected individuals will be notified by mail (and possibly phone) and fall into two categories:
Those whose samples were processed, and whose results provided by the lab 

• Individuals who had unreliable positive results will require retesting
• Individuals with unreliable negative results who are symptomatic need to seek care and may require retesting.
• Individuals with unreliable negative results who are asymptomatic but request to be retested will be offered testing pending availability.   

Those whose samples are at the lab in question and are part of the backlog will not be tested.  Therefore no result will be available. 

• These patients may require retesting if they are symptomatic.
• AdventHealth directed the lab to destroy these samples in accordance with the law.  

If someone is experiencing COVID-19 symptoms they should seek care immediately.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here and download the area's free mobile app.  ​​​​

As the country gradually eases stay-at-home orders and prepares to reopen, it’s natural to feel anxious. The White House and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released joint guidelines for Opening Up America Again, and many areas are starting to do just that.   

The phased opening guidelines are specifically designed to reduce the risk of a COVID-19 resurgence. Still, as eager as people are to get back to the gym or enjoy a favorite coffee shop, some may worry about a second surge and the possibility of having to stay home again. Here are some ways to manage any fears as the country begins to reopen. 

STAY INFORMED, BUT IN MODERATION
Gathering trustworthy information about the reopening of America can help you accurately determine your risk so you can take reasonable precautions. During the first two of the three stages, for example, you’ll want to continue sheltering in place if you’re elderly or have a serious underlying health condition, like: 

• A compromised immune system due to chemotherapy or other causes 
• Asthma or chronic lung disease 
• Diabetes 
• Liver disease  
• Kidney disease treated with dialysis 
• High blood pressure or serious heart conditions 
• Obesity 

Still, know your personal limits for all the news coming at you. The CDC recommends taking breaks from watching, reading or listening to upsetting news. Watch out for social media, too, where opinions can sometimes blur facts. 

CONTROL WHAT YOU CAN TO EASE ANXIETY
While it may feel like a lot of things are out of your control right now, there’s a lot you can take charge of in your life help ease your anxiety, such as helping others, fixing things around the house, organizing your closet, baking bread or listening to music. 
Find more ideas in these posts: 

• 5 Ways to Stay Grounded 
• 7 Ways to Manage Stress 
• As the Country Reopens, Manage Emotions and Expectations 

And don’t neglect your physical health, either. Self-care is as important as ever. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends maintaining a healthy lifestyle through: 

• Exercise 
• Proper diet 
• Sleep 
• Staying in touch with family and friends 

CONTINUE SAFETY PRACTICES
The Opening Up America Again guidelines recommend that you continue these throughout all three phases: 

• Avoid touching your face 
• Practice 6 feet of social distancing, particularly in the first two phases of the plan to reopen.
• Frequently disinfect high-touch items and surfaces 
• Sneeze or cough into a tissue or the inside of your elbow 
• Strongly consider using a face covering when in public, especially when using mass transit 
• Wash your hands with soap and water or use hand sanitizer 

Note that some states, counties and towns may have stricter rules requiring you to cover your face with a cloth mask in public.  

Whether you’re shopping, at the park having a picnic or in an outdoor recreation area, you’ll need to stay at least 6 feet away from others.  Although social distancing may have taken some getting used to, it continues to be one of the best ways to slow the spread of the virus. 

CULTIVATE YOUR SENSE OF HOPE
While you’re venturing out more, consider keeping a journal to help ease your anxiety, such as a notebook to write down what you’re grateful for. Maybe it’s your health or the health of your loved ones. Or it could be as simple as being able to meet a friend in person for lunch, which is possible as early as phase one of the reopening plan. 
Seek Support if You Need It How are you handling the gradual lifting of the restrictions on daily life? You may have mixed emotions. Or, it may be hard to tell. The CDC suggests being on the lookout for common signs of distress.  
Contact your health care provider if you experience any these behaviors or feelings for several days in a row and they make daily life difficult: 

• Changes in appetite, energy and activity levels 
• Difficulty concentrating 
• Difficulty sleeping or nightmares  
• Feeling angry or short-tempered 
• Feelings of numbness, disbelief, anxiety or fear 
• Increased use of unhealthy substances 
• Physical reactions, such as headaches or skin rashes 
• Worsening of chronic health problems 

 If you have a diagnosed mental health condition, like an anxiety disorder or major depression, be sure to continue with your treatment plan and monitor yourself for any new symptoms. Schedule an online or in-person office visit with your care provider if new symptoms develop.  

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, click here and download the area's free mobile app.  ​​​​

Ranging from care packages, support caravans and meals, the outpouring of support from businesses, community groups and individuals to local health care workers has been overwhelming.  As a result, AdventHealth established a central hub for people who want to support health care heroes on the front lines and those impacted by COVID-19.
Presently, the greatest opportunities for community support are:

• Food for care teams
• Care packages for caregivers who have been impacted by COVID-19
• Lodging (hotel, vacation rentals, etc.) for on-call staff
• Blankets to give to patients.
• Financial donations to support AdventHealth’s nationwide response and relief efforts. One hundred percent of tax-deductible gifts will be used to help with emergency relief efforts. This fund will extend nationwide to help front-line teams who have been impacted by COVID-19 as they care for communities like yours.

The support hub is administered by the AdventHealth Central Florida Foundation and can be visited at www.AdventHealth.com/COVID19Relief.

AdventHealth is also launching a site for the community to leave a note of thanks or encouragement for the physicians, nurses and other clinicians on the frontlines of the pandemic. To leave a note, just visit www.AdventHealth.com/SpreadThanks. Additionally, the community is asked to add the hashtag  #spreadthanks to notes posted to social media, so healthcare workers can see the encouragement.

RELATED STORY:  7 easy ways you can help your community during COVID-19

“We are humbled and blessed by the outpouring of support from our community in response to the COVID-19 pandemic,” said David Collis, president of the AdventHealth Central Florida Foundation.

Anyone that would like to donate specifically to AdventHealth’s efforts in Central Florida can email FoundationInfo@AdventHealth.com.   For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, this month, click here.  Discover the area's online entertainment calendar here. Also download the area's free mobile app.  ​​​​

During these times of social distancing, one of the activities that is deemed essential is exercise that follows the CDC’s guidelines.  In an effort to help people be creative with social distancing and get healthy exercise, the City of Mount Dora is hosting a three-day Virtual 5K Race.  Read more
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​With so many feelings of stress and concern brought on by the novel coronavirus, you may be wondering what you can do to help your community and ease stressors?  Especially in the toughest of times, we need to be there for one another and provide positivity where we can.
Here are seven ways you can help your community during the novel coronavirus crisis:

​Especially if your neighbors and relatives are elderly or in another higher risk group, they may be needing extra help right now, so they don’t have to leave home.  If you’re making an online grocery order or venturing out on a supply run, ask if they need anything. It’s difficult for some people to accept help, but in times like these, we need to be there for one another.  You can safely leave things like paper towels, toilet paper and cleaning supplies right at their door and then let them know you did so.
In addition to providing errand support, give your loved ones and single friends a call just to see how they’re doing. Many people are stressed and anxious due to coronavirus changing their routines and finances, so a simple “how are you?” can go a long way.

Help slow the spread and show sincere gratitude to health care workers who are putting themselves at risk by staying home.  

​​For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, this month, click here.  Discover the area's online entertainment calendar here. Also download the area's free mobile app.  ​​​​

One thing is for sure--there is a lot of conflicting information floating around out there.  Now one local healthcare provider is making it easy to get the facts and help with the current Coronavirus.

AdventHealth is launching a free phone service for Floridians who have questions about COVID-19, including the opportunity to speak with a nurse as appropriate.
The AdventHealth Coronavirus Information Line, 877-VIRUSHQ, is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It serves as a one-stop-shop to connect Floridians with resources such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  and the Florida Department of Health.
The phone line is not intended to replace a physician-patient relationship, but nurses can answer general medical questions and refer the caller to the appropriate next steps, such as connecting them to the organization’s  Centra Care, eCare or other health care provider.
"AdventHealth recognizes there are a lot of misunderstandings in our communities when it comes to COVID-19, and we want to provide our neighbors with a simple, trusted resource to help alleviate fears and answer common questions,” said Dr. Peter Schoch, chief medical officer of Integrated Health Services for AdventHealth’s Central Florida Division. “We are hopeful this service will also offload non-clinical call volumes from health care offices, helping providers across the state by freeing up their staff to focus on those who need the most immediate, critical care.”
The initial launch of the AdventHealth Coronavirus Information Line will be limited to Florida. However, the organization plans to expand the service in upcoming weeks to all communities where AdventHealth provides services.
The phone line debuts at the same time AdventHealth launches www.CoronavirusSignsAndSymptoms.com, where consumers can get answers on top COVID-19 questions, such as:

• Am I at risk?
• What should I know if I am pregnant?
• How can I protect myself from this and other viruses, like the flu?

“While the risk for Coronavirus infection in Florida remains low, it’s vital that the public be equipped with the facts to help prevent the potential spread of the virus,” said Dr. Vincent Hsu, Infection Control Officer at AdventHealth. “We hope the community will use these resources, remain vigilant and help keep Florida healthy by taking simple steps such as staying home if you’re sick and routine hand washing.”

​​For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, this month, click here.  Discover the area's online entertainment calendar here. Also download the area's free mobile app.  ​​​​

On Jan. 7, the community joined AdventHealth Waterman to celebrate the opening of a new 12-bed Inpatient Rehabilitation Center. The was the final phase of a 111,000-square-foot, $85 million expansion.

Previously, patients and families had to travel to Orange or Sumter counties to access these services. Now, patients from Lake County can stay close to home and recover within the community.

“The patients who come to inpatient rehab have had a major event,”  said J. Coomes, AdventHealth Waterman executive director of rehab services. “They've had a stroke or some other event that's really changed their life and changed their family's life. Keeping them close to home, where family can continue to be there for them, is essential to helping them recover.”

The Inpatient Rehab Center at AdventHealth Waterman specializes in stroke and brain and spinal cord injuries, as well as patients with cardiac conditions, amputations, neurological disorders and respiratory difficulties. These patients need at least three hours of therapy per day and require multidisciplinary expertise to recover.

All of the rooms in the Inpatient Rehab Center at AdventHealth Waterman are private. In addition, the new unit includes a bariatric room with a larger entryway and bathroom to more comfortably care for patients over 750 pounds.

The Inpatient Rehab Center also provides residential-style spaces, allowing patients to relearn and practice real-life scenarios, such as cooking or doing laundry at-home, while they are still in the hospital. 

“A big part of inpatient rehab is helping patients practice the things that they did at home,” Coomes said. “In our kitchen, they can practice making meals. In our suite, which is like an apartment, we have a washer and dryer and a bed that we can use to practice making the bed, doing laundry, and more, to help that patient be ready to return home.”

This unit also offers patients the latest technology in rehabilitation.

In the gym, there is a hydraulic car that adjusts to the exact height of the patient’s personal car so patients can practice the movement necessary to safely get in-and-out of their vehicle.

For patients with limited arm and hand mobility, AdventHealth Waterman offers the ArmeoSpring system, the latest technology that provides arm and hand training for moderately-to-severely impaired patients. 

The 100-foot-long Vector Gait Bioness track system helps nursing and therapy staff safely assist patients out of bed. The track system also helps patients begin walking without the fear or risk of falling.

With the opening of this new unit, AdventHealth Waterman has grown to a 299-bed facility.

For more news and events in Mount Dora, Tavares & Eustis, this month, click here.  Discover the area's online entertainment calendar here. Also download the area's free mobile app.  ​

Holiday parties are right around the corner.  Along with all the fun comes the temptation of all the holiday dishes.  Keep your body feeling refreshed and energized this holiday season by including these five healthy fall foods into your meals: