Business Briefs

Stroke Prevention/Innovative Treatments Lecture
The Wellness Series hosted by HCA Florida Englewood Hospital will host “Stroke Prevention and Innovative Treatments” on Wednesday, May 22, 7:30 to 9am, at the Plantation Golf & Country Club, 500 Rockley Blvd., Venice. May is Stroke Awareness Month. Strokes can happen to anyone, at any age. Having a stroke puts you at higher risk for a second one. Stroke is a disease that affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. It is the Number 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. The public is invited to enjoy a complimentary breakfast and learn the F.A.S.T. warning signs of stroke and what the risk factors are. Board-certified general and vascular surgeon Issam Halaby, MD, PH.D., FACS, will speak about an innovative procedure called TransCarotid Artery Revascularization (TCAR), now offered at HCA Florida Englewood Hospital where he is a member of the medical staff. Reservations are required. To reserve your spot, call 888•685•1598 by 5pm on Monday, May 20. To learn about upcoming sessions or to register online, visit bit.ly/WellnessSeriesEvents.

Preparing Your Business for a Storm
Join UBER ISP for a business focused hurricane preparedness seminar on Monday, May 20, 11:30am to 1pm, at the Englewood Chamber of Commerce, 601 S. Indiana Avenue. The free event will feature renowned speaker Steve Litschauer. This event is part of UBER ISP’s commitment to community engagement and safety. To register, go to calendar events at englewoodchamber.com. For more information, email [email protected].

Social Security Basics & Medicare 101
Do you have questions about Social Security and Medicare? It can be confusing and overwhelming when you start to research for fact-based and individualized answers for your life. Pope Insurance wants to help clear the confusion by offering a free seminar on the first Wednesday of the month from 6 to 7pm at the Englewood Chamber of Commerce, 601 S. Indiana Avenue. This free, educational and no obligation presentation includes an overview on Social Security and Medicare to help you understand your options and timelines so you can make the best choices for you. The presentation will be followed by a Q & A so you can get the answers you need. The June presentation will be Wednesday, June 5th. They will also offer the seminars on Wednesdays July 3, August 7 and September 4. No reservations needed. Carolyn Pope started Pope Insurance 45 years ago and has the years of experience. Her son, Brian, joined the agency 12 years ago. Pope Insurance is a full-service provider for Medicare, Health, Life, and Disability Insurance, along with offering Business and Employee Benefit packages, home and auto insurance. Learn more at popeinsurance.com or call 941•475•6766. 

SMH New Clinical Trial
Sarasota Memorial is one of up to 250 research sites participating in a multi-center, multi-national clinical trial to determine whether sealing a small, seemingly unnecessary sac in the heart during routine cardiac surgery can prevent strokes in some patients. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the ‘Left Atrial Appendage Exclusion for Prophylactic Stroke Prevention (LeAAPS)’ trial to determine if implanting the AtriCure AtriClip® LAA exclusion system offers protection against ischemic stroke or systemic embolism in patients who do not have Afib but are at risk for developing Afib. Patients who are scheduled for routine heart surgery, such as artery bypass or valve replacement procedures, and have one or more risk factors for developing Afib will be screened for the study. The study will enroll up to 6,500 subjects. Patients who already have Afib are excluded from the study. Researchers will be monitoring both groups of patients for stroke, systemic embolization, Afib, and other risk factors for at least five years. More information about the trial is available on clinicaltrials.gov (Identifier: NCT05478304) or by calling the Sarasota Memorial Research Institute at 941•917•2225.

HCA Florida Englewood Hospital, Sarasota County and North Port city officials held a groundbreaking ceremony on Wednesday, May 1st to formally begin construction on a freestanding emergency department. The HCA Florida Wellen Park Emergency^SM center will be constructed at the corner of Tamiami Trail and Preto Boulevard at 7070 S. Tamiami Trail in Venice. The 11,300 square foot freestanding emergency department will be open 24/7, and is expected to serve more than 10,000 patients annually. The facility will feature eleven exam rooms and offer full-service emergency care, including laboratory, x-rays, CT scanning and ultrasound capabilities. The new $31 million emergency center is anticipated to open in spring 2025. Pictured at the groundbreaking are (l-r): Hospital CEO Joe Rudisill; Englewood Chamber CEO & Hospital Board member Doug Izzo; Englewood Chamber President & Hospital Board member Erin A. Halstead; and Hospital Chief Nursing Officer Andrea Truex.