West Park News September 2012

BY MAYOR ERIC H. JONES

I hope everyone hada great summerand I’d like toextend best wishes

for an enjoyable LaborDay Weekend. The sum-mer seems to have goneby so fast. If you have

children in your home, then you know thatsummer vacation has come to an end asschool begins. Perhaps not everyone isexcited about returning to school, but Iknow our teachers are ready to createadventures, challenges and opportunities tolearn something new.

With school starting, we need to remem-ber that kids will be waiting for buses, rid-ing their bikes or walking to school. Pleasekeep your eyes out for children on yourcommute and remember to slow down forschool zones. We wish all the students,from the new kindergartners experiencingschool for the first time, to the senior classpreparing to head out into the world, goodluck in the upcoming school year. While wewill miss the summer days the City is look-ing forward to the approaching fall seasonand the new energy that changes in seasonsbring to our community. As we see the chil-dren returning to a new school year - withall the wonderful activity this brings back toour community – your City governmentwill also return from the ‘summer’ workschedule.

FISCAL YEAR 2012-12 BUDGET:Beginning in September, the City’s year-

ly Public Budget Hearings will return. They

will be held on Wednesday, September 5,12, and 26. We look forward to reporting toyou over the coming weeksupdates on the budget,projects in progress,and new initiatives tobe as we considerinput from residents,the Commission, andour City Manager,regarding issues of inter-est and/or concerns in theCity. For your information,thanks to our CityManager, I have listedsome data concerning theupcoming budget meet-ings and some plans theCity is considering.

The procedures and timetables for taxa-tion and the establishment of the budget aregoverned by a series of rules of the State ofFlorida. These rules are generally referredto as TRIM (Truth in Millage). Theattached resolution deals with the establish-ment of the maximum millage rate, rollbackmillage rate, and scheduling formal budgetpublic hearings in accordance with TRIM.

A primary source of revenue for munici-pal government is the property or ad val-orem tax. Property taxes applied to com-mercial and residential real property andalso for commercial personal property. Therate at which property is taxed is referred toas the millage rate. The amount of taxespaid by a property owner is determined bymultiplying the millage rate times each$1,000.00 of assessed property value. MAll local governments are required, at the

beginning of the budget process, to estab-lish a maximum millage rate. This rate will

be advertised by the City andalso delivered to the

Broward CountyP r o p e r t yAppraiser. The ratecan be decreased

by the commissionduring the budgetprocess, but it can-not be increasedexcept underextraordinary cir-cumstances. Theproposed millagerate being put

forth at this time is9.42 mills. This mileage rate

allows average property owners to pay lessad valorem tax value than they paid lastyear, thus allowing the City to receive lessad valorem revenue than last year. To gen-erate the same ad valorem revenue as lastyear, the millage rate would have to be9.8686 mills.

The Broward County PropertyAppraiser’s Office has certified the totaltaxable value within the City at$337,429,721. This valuation represents an8.44% decrease over the Fiscal Year 2011-12 level of $368,537,255. What is moreprofound is the trend of total taxable valuefrom fiscal year 2005-06 to 2012-13. Seethe Taxable Value Trend table below withits associated bar chart. It should be notedthat the change in total taxable value fromyear of incorporation (2005-06) to 2012/13is -23.9%.

This decrease in taxable value is attribut-able to the economic downturn that we havebeen experiencing nationwide. Propertyvalues have decreased dramatically; whichis evident in the City’s taxable value. Wetherefore tentatively set a proposed millagerate of 9.42 mills. The commission will stillhave the ability to re-consider the rate dur-ing the budget hearings.

Although the property values havedropped, our goal is to continue to providea high level of service without drasticallyincreasing our taxation. The City isrequired to hold two formal Budget Public

SEPTEMBER 2012

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Summer’s over - It’s back to school and back to work!

CCoommmmuunniittyy NNeewwssppaappeerrssWEST PARK NEWS

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Page 2 COMMUNITYNEWSPAPERS.COM September 2012

Hearings. As indicated by our CityManager in the June 20, 2012 memoran-dum to the City Commission, the followingdates were recommended, considering con-straints of the guidelines on when munici-palities can hold budget hearings:

FIRST BUDGET HEARING:Date: Wednesday, September 5, 2012Time: 6:00 P.M.Place: City Commission Chamber1965 South State Road 7West Park, Florida 33023

SECOND BUDGET HEARING:Date: Wednesday, September 26, 2012Time: 6:00 P.M.Place: City Commission Chamber1965 South State Road 7West Park, Florida 33023

For further information, which can befound on the City’s website I’ve listedsome projects that’s being planned.IIMMPPRROOVVEEMMEENNTT PPLLAANNSSAA.. CCaappiittaall IImmpprroovveemmeenntt PPllaann ((CCIIPP))::

The CIP is an official statement ofpublic policy regarding long range physicaldevelopment in the City.CIP is a multi-yearscheduling of major pur-chases, infrastructureimprovements and con-struction of public facil-ities. The most commondefinition includes:“new or expandedphysical facilities thatare relatively large insize and cost and perma-nent in nature.” The CIP will beupdated annually to add new projects,reevaluate programmed and projected pri-orities and to incorporate recommenda-tions, taking into account new requirementsand available funding. The annual capitalprogramming process provides the follow-ing benefits: • The CIP serve as a source of informationabout the city’s physical development andcapital expenditures.• The CIP allows management staff to planfor future operating requirements to coin-cide with completed capital projects.• The CIP provides mechanism for coordi-nating among projects with respect to fund-ing location and timing, and ensures thatthe most crucial projects are developedfirst.• The CIP is a tool for implementing theCity’s Comprehensive Plan.• The CIP also focus on preserving theinvestment of the City’s infrastructure,while ensuring the efficient use of publicfunds.

The features of the CIP include the

following information:• The description of the project or equip-ment to be purchased.• The justification for the project or equip-ment to be purchased.• Identified funding categories, such as,Unfunded or partially funded or funded.• The projects are ranked in order of prior-ity.• A timetable for the completion of theproject is provided.BB.. MMccTTyyrree PPaarrkk MMaasstteerr PPllaann::

The City of West Park, a relativelyyoung, but thriving, municipality, foundedin 2005, has made one of its missions todevelop a City with high communityinvolvement with a keen interest in creatingplayground and recreational facilities for itsresidents and surrounding communities toenjoy, thus contributing to their maxim as aCity of Positive Progression. They haverecently been awarded a ‘Playful CityUSA’ designation recognizing their effortsin increasing play opportunities for chil-dren. In keeping with this commitment, theCity has identified the 18.5 acre McTyrePark to be evaluated for improvements doc-umented in the attached Master Plan report.The park property is located at 3501 SW56th Avenue, immediately north ofWatkins Elementary School; its boundingcommunities are: City of West Park to theWest, Town of Pembroke Park to the eastand north. The site now hosts a variety ofscheduled sport activities for the City’syouth and adult population as well as sen-ior, youth and community programs in itshighly used, but gravely undersized com-munity center, located in the NW corner.

The majority of the existing Park isdedicated toopen field sportsactivities andincludes 4 out-door basketballcourts, 1 footballfield, 1 outdoorsand volleyballcourt; 3 rental

pavilions, a covered tot lot and a walkingpath. It also has a small community centerwhich is highly used by the community, aswell as a concessions stand with restroomsand a press box, which are all non-ADAcompliant.

The master plan is intended to addressthe feasibility of introducing an intensiveathletic and community environment withvarious support facilities including expand-ed surface parking. With these interests inmind, the City has engaged the services ofMcHarry Associates to develop a coherentand consolidated master plan for their 18.5acre McTyre Park that could be implement-ed in phases as funding becomes available.Initially, the planning study focused onbroad-brush scope issues which assisted indefining primary site constraints; key

SUMMER’S OVER, from page 1 ––––––––

September 2012 COMMUNITYNEWSPAPERS.COM Page 3

Continued on page 6


BY VICE MAYOR FELICIA M. BRUNSON

West Park residents, I hope that you have had an

enjoyable summer!

WWEELLCCOOMMEE BBAACCKK to anew school year! This isalways a very exciting timefor students, parents and

educators. This time of year carries a greatdeal of expectations for me also.

The opening of a new school year re-enforces my belief that we have wonderfulopportunities to make a difference in thelives of our children and that we areextremely fortunate to live in a community,like West Park, that values education. It isa chance to begin again, to renew our effortsand to once again pick up the journey to abetter future. As we embark on anotherschool year, please know that it takes excep-tional staff, informed parents and involvedcommunity members to create the best pos-sible arena for learning.

The start of the new school year is alsoalways an exciting time, filled with muchanticipation and energy. Children are excit-ed to reconnect with friends they haven’tseen since the start of the summer, and fam-

ilies are eager to see their children continuemaking progress in their educational pur-suits. Education can be likened to a great bigcanvas and this year we would like our chil-dren to throw as much paint as they can onthe canvas of their education. I appeal to allstudents, the parents, the community and theteachers to value and uphold the importanceof intrinsic motivation.

This year I have no doubt that our chil-dren will throw themselves into their educa-tion. Many will make the most of the canvasof opportunity they are offered and paint thegoals they aspire to achieve. I have no doubtthat if they remain motivated in the class-

room, they will achieve these goals. Theireducation is sound, creative and innovativeand, together with their parents, the WestPark community and the students them-selves, all will help to make this a reality.

HELP! Four letters that can mean somuch. Four letters that can be seen as adynamic, action - or as a plea!

The teachers will take action and helpstudents to achieve academic, sporting, cul-tural and life-long learning. May I take thisopportunity to thank the teachers of WestPark children for their continued profession-alism, excellence and dedication. It is yourteacher motivation and enthusiasm in theclassroom that help to create a year that isbright with exciting opportunities.

ΩParents, you play a vital role in thesuccess of your children. Please pay closeattention to the information your childbrings home for review. Complete and signall forms that ask for a parent’s signatureand promptly return them to the school.Schools will reach out to you throughout theyear for your valuable input and involve-ment. Get involved with your child’s educa-tion by attending parent meetings; that’swhere schools share critical important infor-mation about the progress of the school andlisten to you about what you want for yourchildren.

My request to the community is to first,ensure every student’s regular attendanceand second, be supportive of our schools.Become involved in the education of our stu-dents throughout the school year. However,even more importantly, the students them-selves will have to take action to further theireducation. Our young ladies and gentlementoo are beginning to realize that they cannotmerely sit back and expect their parents,school and community to do everything forthem - they are realizing the importance ofself-motivation and are prepared to helpthemselves.

My appeal to West Park studentstoday is: HELP YOURSELVES! Weexpect that you will attend school on a dailybasis. It is vital that you are in school and ontime so that we can deliver the highest qual-ity educational experiences. We expect thatyou will respect the rules of your school,teachers, and the rights of other students.Realize that you cannot learn in an atmos-phere that accepts bullying, harassment andintimidation.

Students, I urge you to take advantageof the wisdom and experience that yourteachers have to offer you. They have com-mitted themselves to your academic success,and they want nothing more than to see youaccomplish your goals – whatever they maybe. Make the most of the fantastic education-al opportunities that you have. Throw asmuch paint as you can on to the canvas ofyour education this year. If you can do that,

then one day, you will be in a position torespond to the pleas of others who may needyour help!

HELP! Four letters that mean so much.You must help yourselves so that ultimatelyyou can help others. Each West Park stu-dent, in their own way, will need to help.You will need to help your family. You willneed to help the community. You will needto make sense of the world when sense andreason go missing. You will need to helpsolve problems through innovation andinvention. And, you will need to help turnindifference into motivated, helpful action.

This is our goal as the year commences!

Let’s continue to work together to help eachother to be our best for the world! Educationis the single constant theme that runs throughwhat our city does. Together we can make ahuge change in education and the focus on it.If we all work together, we can make this asuccessful year of learning, further helpingus to ensure that every child in every schoolis successful.

Together, let’s create a VISION for ourschools, our community, and even for everyindividual student. This VISION does notneed to be a grandiose achievement. Smallsteps can dramatically enhance a student’slearning experience. And when we do this,we will be doing all that we can to make apositive difference. I urge all of you to takeaction. HELP THE VISION. Let’s take thesteps needed to make our school and ourcommunity an even better place to learn, towork, and to thrive.

I wish every student, school and parentrepresenting West Park all a most enjoyableand successful school year. I look forward toanother exciting year of watching our finestudents learn, achieve and grow!Remember to contact me at City Hall withyour ideas, suggestions or concerns. I rep-resent you and appreciate your input into thecontinued success of our beloved city. I canbe reached at (954) 889-4164 or via email [email protected].

Help the Vision: Education 2012-13

“Vision without actionis merely a dream.

Action without visionjust passes the time.

Vision with action canchange the world.”


Hello Again Neighbors!BY COMMISSIONER SHARON FYFFE

MRecently, our GreenCity Advisory Commit-tee met and began itstask of organizing itselffor the upcoming year.Our Green City Advi-sory Committee mem-bers are William Moritz,

Chair; Samantha Schubert, Vice Chair,Marie Davis, Karen Goldstein and CristinaEveillard.

The first project the Board will under-take is TTrreeee PPrrootteeccttiioonn, with the goal ofpreserving trees in the City and increasingthe tree canopy in West Park. The Boardwill review and compare the current treeprotection policy with other cities and withthe national standards and the standards ofthe Arbor Day Foundation. The Board willthen provide written recommendations tothe Commission.

There are a variety of green, climateand sustainability initiatives undertaken bythe 31 local governments in BrowardCounty. As a result of a survey done in2011 by the County, the four most com-monly covered green initiatives or pro-grams in Broward County cities are NativeLandscaping, Recycling, Water Conser-vation and Energy Efficiency. More thanhalf of the 31 cities in Broward Countyhave added bike/walking trails and madeimprovements to their bus shelters.

More than 80 percent of the cities nowhave recycling at government facilities andhave implemented community-wide single-stream recycling. You will see more andmore cities coming onboard with new andinnovative projects to conserve in the nextyear. For more information about thisMunicipal Green Initiatives Survey, con-tact the Broward County EnvironmentalProtection and Growth ManagementDepartment at 954-519-1270 or visit theirwebsite at: www.broward.org/gogreen.

HIGHLIGHTS FROM OUR AUGUST1, 2012 COMMISSION MEETING

• Scholarships were awarded and presentedto two West Park college-bound students

from applications submitted and recom-mendations made by the EducationAdvisory Committee. Congratulations andbest wishes to Jamon Simmons-Davenportand Ashley Henderson, recipients of thetwo scholarships!• A resolution was passed accepting theproposed millage rate of 9.42 for the2012/2013 fiscal year and setting a date,time and place for the public budget hear-ings. The first budget hearing will be onSeptember 5, 2012, the second hearing willbe September 26, 2012, both at 6:00 p.m. atCity Hall. Also there will be a SpecialAssessment Hearing on September 12, 6:00p.m. at City Hall. These are public hearingsand we hope you will attend.• Two resolutions were passed, one toaccept funding from the Children’sServices Council for the City’s JuvenileCrime Prevention Program and the other toauthorize the spending of funds from theLETF account to establish Youth TackleFootball and Cheerleading Programs in theCity.• The City’s new Juvenile CrimePrevention Program will also provide aca-demic services to students, nutrition andfitness activities, cultural arts activities andadditional youth development activitiessuch as field trips, guest speakers, instruc-tional lessons, weekly visits with BSOPolice and Fire and student productions.This will be a yearlong program and dailyhours of operation will be from 3:30 p.m. to6:00 p.m. For more information about theJuvenile Crime Prevention Program, pleasecall City Hall at 954-989-2688.

Well, there is a lot going on in WestPark and we look forward to a busy fall andupcoming holiday season. We hope to seeyou all soon, please come and participate inthe advisory boards and all the programsour city has to offer. And come speak to usat the Commission meetings on the firstand third Wednesday of each month at 7:00p.m. We want to hear from you. Rememberbudget time in the city is the time to see andunderstand where your tax dollars will go.Let us hear from you about your concerns,criticisms and compliments.

Call me if you need help of any kind.954-963-7745.

among them is adequate parking facilitiesto match the scale of proposed developmentas well as designing around the existingWLRN/MDCPS communications towersand related support structures located in thenortheast section of the property.CC.. NNeeiigghhbboorrhhoooodd TTrraaffffiicc CCaallmmiinngg SSttuuddyyAArreeaa ““AA””::

The City of West Park retainedKimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. to assesstraffic conditions within the neighborhoodbounded by SW 56thAvenue to the east, SR 7(US 441) to the west,Hallandale BeachBoulevard (SR 858) tothe north, and NE 215thStreet (County LineRoad) to the south. Theobjective of this study isto determine if improve-ments are necessary toenhance the quality oflife for the residents by managing trafficconcerns in a manner to minimize through-traffic intrusion into the residential neigh-borhood and to maintain vehicle speeds atsuitable levels. This report presents inputfrom the residents and the City of WestPark staff, field observations, traffic counts,vehicle speed measurements, an analysis ofexisting traffic conditions, and a conceptualimprovement plan.DD.. NNeeiigghhbboorrhhoooodd TTrraaffffiicc CCaallmmiinngg SSttuuddyyAArreeaa ““BB””::

The City of West Park retained

Kimley-Horn and Associates,, Inc. to assesstraffic conditions within the Carve rRanches neighborhood generally boundedby SW 38th Avenue to the east, SW 58tthAvenue to the west, Pembroke Road (SR-824) to the north, and Hallandale BeachBoulevard (SR-858) to the south. Theobjective of this study is to determine ifimprovements are necessary to enhance thequality of life for the residents by managingtraffic concerns in a manner to minimizethrough-traffic intrusion into the residentialneighborhood and to maintain vehiclespeeds at suitable levels. This report pres-ents input from the residents and the City ofWest Park staff, field observations, trafficcounts, vehicle speed measurements, ananalysis of existing traffic conditions, and aconceptual improvement plan.

Every day it seems I get positive newsabout the direction of our City. As I am outand about seeing and talking with residents,businessmen and women and other electedofficials, I am hearing many good things.Although we are making great strides littleby little we still hope to see things get bet-ter. I see evidence of the positive in thisCity over and over again. I always go backto our beginning and the goals we had. Itruly believe that every day we get closer tobeing premier community. I am alwaysamazed at how our City Staff works atachieving the high standards that our resi-dents deserve. IItt iiss ggrreeaatt bbeeiinngg tthhee MMaayyoorr ooff WWeesstt PPaarrkk——““TTHHEE CCIITTYY OOFF PPOOSSIITTIIVVEE PPRROOGGRREESS--SSIIOONN””.. GGOODD BBLLEESSSS YYOOUU AALLLL,, GGOODDBBLLEESSSS OOUURR CCIITTYY,, AANNDD GGOODD BBLLEESSSSAAMMEERRIICCAA..

SUMMER’S OVER, from page 3 ––––––––


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On Friday, August 17 and Saturday, August 18,2012, The City of West Park Saints held their homeopener games against the Kendall Boys & Girls ClubColts in the inaugural season of the program. The pro-gram boasts almost 200 participants between theFootball and Cheerleading Programs.

Proudly displaying brand new jerseys and equip-ment, the children played their hearts out despite the

threat of bad weather. At the end of a hard-fought week-end, the program went 3 for 6 with wins by the Pee-Wee’s (28 to 0), 11 and under (18 to 6), and 14 andunder (12 to 6) teams. The teams will be road warriorsfor the next two weekends as they travel to South Miamiand Key Biscayne before returning home to host theKendall Hammocks Warriors on September 7 and 8,2012.

SSPPOOTTLLIIGGHHTT OONN SSPPOORRTTSS!!City of West Park Saints Kick Off Inaugural Season!

Opening Home Games A Huge Success!



The City of West Park has establisheda period of Code Enforcement Liens andAccrued Fines Amnesty that would addressthe back-log of liens on record/daily finesaccruing and sought to provide relief to theproperty owners. Also, this CodeEnforcement Liens and Accrued FinesAmnesty Program will be beneficial inachieving the goal of compliance and it willfurther serve a public benefit by increasingproperty value throughout the city.

The following are the City’s criteriafor the Code Enforcement Liens andAccrued Fines Amnesty Program:1. Applications will be accepted for a pro-gram for 6 months, until February 28, 2013and payment of all liens must occur prior toApril 30, 2013.2. All property violations on the propertymust be in compliance and there cannot beany other active code enforcement caseswith ongoing violations on the subjectproperty owner in the City.3. All Unsafe Structures Board liens on anyproperty owned by the property owner inthe City must be paid in full prior to beingapproved for participation in the program.4. Eligible liens or fines must exceed$1,000 and the liens or fines must not havebeen under an order of the City’s SpecialMagistrate to reduce the subject liens orfines.5. The property owner must submit a CodeEnforcement Liens and Accrued FinesAmnesty Program Application andParticipation Agreement for each lien orfine on the property by February 28, 2013.

The property owner shall pay a $50 non-refundable application fee per property.6. After verifying that the property owneris eligible for participation in the program,the City will approve the application andadministratively reduce the amountrequired to satisfy the eligible liens or finesto fifteen percent (15%) of the face valueof the liens or fines, plus the cost of lienpreparation and recording.7. The property owner must pay the Cityby cashier’s check or money order onlyand the total of the following must be paidby April 30, 2012:

a. The reduced value of the eligiblelien(s) or fine(s) on the property; and/or

b. The unreduced face value of anylien under $1,000; and/or

c. The fuyll amount due for any lien orfine that was reduced by order of theSpecial Magistrate; and/or

d. The cost per lien or lien preparationand recording8. After the property owner has paid thetotal sum due prior to April 30, 2012, thecity will execute and record a release oflien(s).9. Failure of the property owner to pay thetotal sum due to April 30, 2013 shall resultin the approved lien reductions being nulland void, and the property will be liable forthe entire face value of the liens or fines asif no reductions had ever been imposed.

For more information about the CodeEnforcement Liens and Accrued FinesAmnesty Program, please call City Hall at954-989-2688.

***ATTENTION: PROPERTY OWNERS***City of West Park Offers

Code Enforcement Liens And Accrued FinesAmnesty Program


From the Parks and Recreation Department

On Saturday, August 25, 2012, youthfrom all over the State met at the FloridaLeague of Cities Conference at the WestinDiplomat in Hollywood, Florida, in a day-long effort to make plans and take action toaddress important issues in their respectivemunicipalities. Members of West Park’sYouth Advisory Council were sent on amission to identify an area of concern towhich they would be willing to commitserious focus, and then develop and imple-ment measures to address this issue. At theconference our Youth Council memberspracticed this task in front of the FloridaLeague of Cities’ leadership and elected

officials from around the State. The West Park Youth Advisory

Council is a youth organization composedof 9th to 12th grade students from localhigh schools in Broward County whodesire to be future leaders in their commu-nity and advocates of positive change. Ledby incoming president, Tianna Campbell,the West Park Youth Advisory Councilfaces great challenges and greater opportu-nities.

For more information about the WestPark Youth Advisory Council or any otherplease programs or activities, please con-tact the Parks and Recreation Departmentat 954-985-1990 or visit us at www.city-ofwestpark.org.

Youth Advisory Council Update

PICTURED FROM L TO R: Bryshawn Williams, Recreation Coordinator; Youth Advisory CouncilMembers: Tianna Campbell; Anissa Gaskin; Jamon Simmons-Davenport; Lathania Richards; AshleyBurke; and Patricia Hamilton, Recreation Coordinator at the 2012 Florida League of Cities Conference.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––



senior from Broward County is rushed to theemergency room because she mixed med-ications that are contra-indicated. Anotherbounced around from specialist to specialist,

undergoing duplicate tests and procedures.All of this could be avoided.More than 100 studies document the critical role pri-

mary care physicians (PCPs) play in patient care. PCPscan be many things for a patient — their cheerleader, ad-vocate and even their medical interpreter — but most im-portantly, the studies prove that having a strongrelationship with a PCP leads to better quality of life,more productive longevity, and lower costs as a result ofreduced hospitalization, improved prevention and bettercoordination of chronic disease care.AvMed Health Plans, one of the oldest Medicare

providers in South Florida, has embraced a more PCP-coordinated approach to healthcare. The company re-cently introduced CenteredCare®, which puts the PCPat the center of every member’s care.According to Dr. Edwin Rodriguez, Medical Director at

AvMed, this coordinated approach will lead to betterhealth outcomes for patients.“Some 15-20% of Medicare hospital admissions are

due to medication complications,” said Rodriguez. “By

developing a strong relationship with your PCP, you canavoid this.”Louise Schendel, a senior from Margate who visits her

PCP every three months, admits she would be lost with-out the lasting relationship she has built with her PCPover the years.“When I have a problem, I call him and he tells me ex-

actly where to go and what to do. I feel like I have some-one out there rooting for me,” said Schendel, an AvMedMedicare Advantage plan member for two years. “With-out my PCP I wouldn’t have the confidence on where togo and what specialists to visit.”William Pena, M.D., a primary care physician who

practices in Hollywood, often acts as an interpreter forpatients who don’t always understand what a specialistrecommends:"They want us to explain procedures. The best way to

get better results is when a patient clearly understandswhat they have and how to interpret tests. They need tounderstand their options for treatment and they rely ontheir PCP to help."

To learn more about the importance of buildinga strong relationship with your PCP, visitAvMedMedicare.org.

Studies Don’t Lie:Patients Benefit from a Strong PCP Relationship by Christine Bucan

A

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As you prepare for this year’s hurricaneseason, there may be something importantyou’ve missed. Do you have the PoisonControl Hotline programmed into your cellphone? Storms and other natural disastersfrequently lead to injuries, including poi-sonings.

Storm-related poisonings can includecarbon monoxide exposure (from genera-tors used improperly), medication mistakes,child poisonings, snake or insect bites, orpoisoning from spoiled food. People withvision difficulties, chronic conditions orcomplex medication regimens can be at par-ticular risk of poisoning. People over 65 are

also the demographic group in the U.S. whoare least likely to know about the free serv-ices of poison control centers.

By taking a moment to program 11--880000--222222--11222222 into your cell phone, you’llensure you have immediate access to thedoctors, nurses and pharmacists at SouthFlorida’s poison control center at JacksonMemorial Hospital/University of MiamiMedical Center. Even after a serious storm,if you have a working phone, you can reacha poison expert for free and confidentialhelp, 24 hours, seven days a week.

Take a moment to program your phone,and visit the Florida Poison InformationCenter-Miami website at www.miamipoi-son.org for more information.

Make Poison Control partof your Storm Safety Plan



From the Parks and Recreation Department

On Saturday, August 18, 2012, theCity of West Park held its annual Back-to-School Giveaway Event at Mary SaundersPark. Over 600 backpacks filled withschool supplies were given out to childrenin the community. Also as a part of theevent, City employee and SheridanVocational School Student, BryshawnWilliams, arranged for his classmates tohelp offer free haircuts to all participants. Inall they gave over 75 haircuts to help chil-dren look their best and create a positivefirst impression for their first day of school.Also participating was Florida MemorialCollege Men’s Basketball Team who greet-ed children and their parents, help hand out

school supplies, and offer a free basketballclinic to all youngsters in attendance.

This event could not have been possi-ble without the support of the followingpartners: Children Services Council,Florida Memorial College Men’s

Basketball Team,Sheridan VocationalSchool, STANInc., and The Cityof West Park. Asa result of every-one’s effortsevery participantwalked awaywith a bag ofschool suppliesand an opportunityto start the newschool year on theright foot.

For more information on this event orany other activities and programs, pleasecontact the Parks and RecreationDepartment at 954-985-1990 or visit us atwww.cityofwestpark.org.

BACK TO SCHOOL GIVEAWAY!


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SCENES FROM CAMP BRAVERY 2012 Continued from previous page





BY ALICE FISHER

Coconut Grove resident KimberlyMacPherson is no stranger to animals withspecial needs.

She has five cats — one has one eye andone has only three legs. They are all rescuedfrom either the streets or from a local animalwelfare organization, including the HumaneSociety of Greater Miami. So whenMacPherson saw Tia, a three-legged dog atthe Humane Society of Greater Miami, itwas love at first sight.

“At first, I felt sorry for her,” MacPhersonsaid. “But once I got to know her, I saw whata happy dog she was and decided to adopther.”

MacPherson fostered Tia for a month tosee how she would get along with her catsbefore making the final decision.

“They get along beautifully, “MacPhersonsaid. “I bring her to work every day, so thatI am always with her.”

MacPherson writes grants for the HumaneSociety of Greater Miami.

“You just know that an animal is right foryou. A certain chemistry exists.”

Based on Tia’s injuries, Dr. MaureenSwan, chief medical officer at the HumaneSociety of Greater Miami, thinks that Tia gotinto a fight with another dog and while run-ning away got hit by a car. She was broughtto Miami-Dade Animal Services where herleg was amputated. During the HumaneSociety’s weekly trip to Animal Services torescue animals, Tia was one of the luckyones and came to the Humane Society ofGreater Miami to be put up for adoption.

“Tia adapted to having three legs verywell,” MacPherson said. The only thing shehad to teach Tia was how to climb stairs, andshe caught on immediately.

Growing up, MacPherson always wasaround animals. Her step-mom is pastpresident of the Sevier County Humane

Society in Tennessee — and runs anorganization called One by One that spaysand neuters animals. Plus, her step-momhas a Golden Retriever who is deaf. Theneed to adopt special needs animals mustrun in the family.

The Humane Society of Greater MiamiAdopt-A-Pet is a limited admit, adoptionguarantee facility dedicated to placing everydog and cat in its care into a loving home,and to promoting responsible pet ownershipand spay/neuter programs. Adoption guaran-tee simply means that every animal undertheir care is safe from the threat of euthana-sia for as long as it takes to find them a for-ever family.

If you want to learn about other specialneeds pets or about other animals availablefor adoption, visit the Humane Society ofGreater Miami’s website <www.humaneso-cietymiami.org>.

Kimberly MacPherson and Tia––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Three-legged dog finds a

home with Grove resident


August 2012 COMMUNITYNEWSPAPERS.COM Page 23

From The Fire Department

• While waiting for the bus, take fivegiant steps back from the curb until thebus has stopped completely. • Inside the bus, stay seated at all times. • Keep head, arms andhands inside the bus.Never throw anything outof the bus window. • Always hold on to thebus handrails when you aregetting on or off the bus soyou don’t fall. • Be careful that clothing,book bags, and key rings don'tget caught in the handrails ordoors• When getting off the bus, goto the closest sidewalk or sideof the road and take five giantsteps away from the bus.• If you drop something nearthe bus, tell the bus driver. Ifyou bend over to pick it up, the bus driv-

er may not be ableto see you. • Children underage 10 shouldnever cross astreet without agrown-up. • Choose a saferoute to school.Look for the mostdirect route withthe fewest streetcrossings. • When crossing

the street, stop at the curb or edge of the

road. • Look left, then right, then left again formoving cars before crossing. • Keep looking left and right until youare safely across the street – and remem-ber to walk, not run. • Follow all traffic signals and markings.

• Don’t enter the street from betweenparked cars or from behind bushesor shrubs. Drivers might not be

able to see you. If you are oldenough to ride alone, plan a saferoute to school and have agrown-up ride with you the firstfew times.

• Children under 10 shouldnot ride on the road without a

grown-up.• Be sure that your hel-met fits. It should siteven on top of the head–not rocking in anydirection–and alwaysfasten the safety strap.

• Learn the proper hand signals and usethem when you turn or stop. • Walk, do not ride your bike across thestreet. • Come to a complete stop before enter-ing driveways, paths or sidewalks, thenlook left, right and left again for bikes,cars or pedestrians. • Do not ride at night. • And last, but not least, if you are rid-ing in a car to school the safest place tobe if you are 12 years old or younger isin the back seat buckled up safely.Remember, you should be in a boosterseat until you are eight years old andweigh 80 pounds.

Back to SchoolSafety Tips!


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WEST PARK CALENDAR EVENTS

BY GRETCHEN WRIGHT

Richard Cuming, RN, MSN, EdD,NEA-BC, senior vice president and chiefnursing executive at Jackson HealthSystem, has been named one of only 20Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)Executive Nurse Fellows from across thecountry for 2012.

Cuming joins a select group of nurseleaders chosen to participate in this three-year, world-class leadership developmentprogram that is enhancing nurse leaders’effectiveness in improving the nation’shealthcare system.

Born and raised in Montreal, Canada,Cuming began his career as a critical carenurse. He joined Jackson MemorialHospital in 1991 as a staff nurse in theoperating room, and held a variety of posi-tions in the hospital and hospital systembefore being appointed senior vice presi-dent and chief nursing executive in 2011.

Cuming currently serves as president-elect of the board of directors for theNursing Consortium of South Florida, andis a member of several professional organ-izations, including the American NursesAssociation, Florida Nurses Association,American Organization of NurseExecutives and Sigma Theta TauInternational. He holds adjunct facultyappointments as a professor in the schoolof nursing at both Florida InternationalUniversity and at the University of Miami.

Begun by RWJF in 1998, the RWJFExecutive Nurse Fellows (ENF) programstrengthens the leadership capacity ofnurses who aspire to shape healthcarelocally and nationally. The program willprovide Cuming and his colleagues withcoaching, education and other support tostrengthen their abilities to lead teams andorganizations in improving health andhealth care. The ENF program is located atthe Center for Creative Leadership (CCL),and co-directed by Linda Cronenwett,PhD, RN, FAAN, the BeerstecherBlackwell Term Professor and former deanof the School of Nursing at the Universityof North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and

David Altman, PhD, executive vice presi-dent of Research, Innovation and ProductDevelopment at CCL.

“Now more than ever, with our health-care system preparing to care for millionsmore patients, many of whom are livinglonger but with more chronic conditions,we need nurse leaders who are well pre-pared to participate as full partners in thishistoric transformation,” Cronenwett said.

“The RWJF Executive Nurse Fellowsprogram has a proud history of buildingand enhancing the leadership skills ofextraordinary nurses all across the country.We are delighted to be able to work withthis new cohort. Each of our newExecutive Nurse Fellows has made a pow-erful commitment to improving health andhealth care and is poised to become aneven more effective leader,” she added.

“I’m so excited to have the opportunityto participate in this world-class leadershipdevelopment program,” Cuming said. “Tohave the resources of the Robert WoodJohnson Foundation and the Center forCreative Leadership is tremendous. As aprofessional nursing leader at one of thecountry’s largest public hospital systems, Iknow there’s a lot I can share fromJackson’s experience and a lot that thisexceptional group of nurses will be able toteach me for the benefit of the SouthFlorida community.”

Executive Nurse Fellows hold seniorleadership positions in health services, sci-entific and academic organizations, publichealth and community-based organizationsor systems, and national professional, gov-ernmental and policy organizations. Theycontinue in their current positions duringtheir fellowships, and during the fellow-ship each develops, plans and implementsa new initiative to improve healthcaredelivery in her or his community.

For more information about theRWJF Executive Nurse Fellows pro-gram visit onine at<www.ExecutiveNurseFellows.org>.For more information about the RobertWood Johnson Foundation, visit onlineat <www.rwjf.org>.

Jackson Health’s Cuming chosenfor prestigious nurse fellowship

Community Newspapers


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West Park News September 2012

Documents

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