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Florida Hospital East Orlando Welcomes New Administrator

Florida Hospital is pleased to announce Mike Thompson as the new administrator and senior vice president at Florida Hospital East Orlando, starting March 7, 2011.  His strong leadership abilities and operational background in health care make him an ideal fit for this leadership role.

"We are thrilled to have Mike Thompson join the team at Florida Hospital East Orlando," said Lars Houmann, president and CEO of Florida Hospital. "His focus on enhancing the patient experience and leadership qualities will make him an excellent administrator."

Thompson has been with the Florida Hospital system for 12 years serving most recently as assistant administrator as well as vice president of operations at Florida Hospital Celebration Health where he provided leadership for the operations committee, a variety of clinical areas, and provided oversight of a $100 million patient tower opening in August 2011 and an $18 million expansion of the Nicholson Center for Surgical Advancement opening in September 2011. He also has served as assistant administrator at Winter Park Memorial Hospital, a Florida Hospital, and director of finance for surgical services.

"I am very excited to be joining Florida Hospital East Orlando," said Thompson. "I look forward to working with the staff as well as serving the community. Florida Hospital East Orlando is an excellent community hospital and I look forward to becoming a part of their community. "

Mike is originally from Boston and is married with two children. Florida Hospital East Orlando is a 225-bed facility that offers a wide range of services to the Central Florida community.

Women's Health and Happiness Luncheon and Networking Event

On May 28, Florida Hospital East Orlando hosted a Women's Health and Happiness Luncheon and Networking Event for women in the community.  This event featured a physicians panel with Carolina Karam, MD, Cardiologist, and Beth Burns, DO, Internal Medicine Specialist.  Women were invited to meet the physicians and ask questions regarding women's health issues including menopause, heart health, headache disorders and diabetes. 

For more information about future events, or to be added to the mailing list, call 407-303-6479. 

Relay for Life- Lake Nona and East Orlando

Each year, Florida Hospital East Orlando Sponsors the American Cancer Society's Lake Nona Relay for Life and East Orlando Relay for Life.  Tarek Mekhail, MD of the Florida Hospital Cancer Institute at Florida Hospital East Orlando spoke at this year's Lake Nona Relay for Life.  Click here to see his speech on YouTube. 

Harinath Sheela, MD Lectures on Digestive Health

Dr. Sheela, Gastroenterologist at Florida Hospital East Orlando, is a member of our Florida Hospital East Orlando Speakers Bureau.  He is pictured lecturing at Siemens Corporation on Digestive Health.

National Start Walking Day

On April 7, 2010, Florida Hospital East Orlando hosted a walk for employees, families and friends in honor of National Start Walking Day to encourage and motivate employees take up walking and other healthy
habits as part of their daily routine all year round, and to live longer, stronger, heart-healthy lives.

More than 80 participants walked over a mile around the East Orlando campus. Florida Hospital East Orlando joined thousands of companies and Americans nationwide who have decided to take control of their health.

Florida Hospital has just launched our Healthy 100 website, and the goal is to sign up 100,000 Healthy 100 Ambassadors. To be an Ambassador you must make four commitments to your own Health & Overall Well Being:
1) Be Intentionally Active
2) Be Intentionally Motivated About Diet & Nutrition
3) Engage in Social, Interpersonal Relationships
4) Support a Higher Cause or Purpose that is Greater Than Yourself.

It's springtime and the weather is beckoning us to make a commitment to be the best we can be. You can start by signing up on the Healthy 100 website at www.Healthy100.org where you can take the Longevity Calculator,
sign up to take a Health Assessment, and learn tools to help you live a longer, healthier life. And when you're finished, you can sit back and think about what you want to do when you turn 100!

Community Lecture for the Avalon Senior Park Group with Beth Burns, DO, Internal Medicine Specialist

Dr. Burns, Internal Medicine Specialist is a member of our Florida Hospital East Orlando Speakers Bureau lectures monthly to the Avalon Park Seniors group.  Lecture topics have included Diabetes, exercise, arthritis and general health. 

Florida Hospital East Orlando Canned Food Drive Campaign

Every year, every Florida Hospital campus participates in a Canned Food Drive campaign, benefiting the Second Harvest Food Bank. Employees from Florida Hospital East Orlando collected 24 huge boxes of food and $755.00 in coupons, yielding 3,020 cans of food!  The collected food and coupons will help those throughout the Central Florida community during this time of need.  Thank you to all who contributed cans and coupons to this food drive!     

Mega Heart Event

On February 9, 2010, Florida Hospital East Orlando hosted The Mega Heart^TM at the Avalon Park Health Fair.  The Mega Heart is the world's only inflatable, walkthrough heart that allows visitors to explore the human heart like never before. Cardiologists from FHEO were present to answer questions and free EKG's were given to more than 50 people.

Jason Sniffen, DO Lectures on H1N1

Dr. Sniffen, Chief of Staff at Florida Hospital East Orlando, is a member of our Florida Hospital East Orlando Speakers Bureau.  He is pictured lecturing at University of Central Florida on H1N1, also known as Swine Flu.

Lake Nona High School Partnership And Dedication

On December 3, 2009, Florida Hospital East Orlando announced and revealed its partnership with the Lake Nona High School in creating a one-of-a-kind Health Careers Academy.  Community and Lake Nona High VIPs attended a Dedication Ceremony where they saw the transformation of the Health Careers Academy classroom into a Simulation Lab that now features five patient rooms, hospital equipment, medical terminology books and videos, 3D Anatomy models and simulation patients.  Our Hospital HR will provide career guidance, and our hospital personnel can participate in the Healthcare Careers Speakers Bureau.  State of the art teleconferencing equipment allows students to be transported into hospital departments to talk with a variety of healthcare professionals, and even view the occasional procedures and surgeries. This partnership started at FHEO but also includes Florida Hospital, the Florida Hospital College of Health Sciences, and the Nicholson Center for Surgical Advancement. As we approach 2020 a short 10 years from now, the medical industry will be facing a wave of retiring nurses and it is our duty to reach out to potential recruits early.  This is aligned with the Florida Hospital Strategic Imperatives and another example of how East Orlando is "Engaging our Community."

Avalon Park Internal Medicine Grand Opening

On October 15, 2009, Florida Hospital East Orlando celebrated the grand opening of Internal Medicine Specialist, Beth Burns, DO's practice Avalon Park Internal Medicine.  Dr. Burns is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and licensed in Florida and Mississippi.

Dr. Burns completed her medical degree at Nova Southeastern University in Ft. Lauderdale, FL and her Internal Medicine residency at Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, FL.  Her professional interests include Diabetes, Hypertension, Heart Disease, Asthma, Headache Disorders, Spinal Cord Injury, and Wound Care.

407-306-0982 (office) 407-384-7754 (fax)
www.AvalonParkInternalMedicine.com

Brownie Troop Donation

Brownie Troop 967 recently visited Florida Hospital East Orlando to donate socks and underwear for their final community service project before they become Junior Girl Scouts. This donation will benefit the pediatric unit of the hospital and provide the clothing items to patients who are without.

The Brownies were greeted by members of FHEO, including Pediatrics RN Jackie, who gave the girls a spirited tour of the hospital. The tour began in the Chapel where the girls were greeted by Chaplain Wanda Davis. It continued through the Healing Garden to the Pediatrics unit where the troop donated over 120 pairs of socks and underwear, and was awarded a plaque by Cathy Hosman. The tour concluded in the East Side Bistro with an ice cream celebration.

When brainstorming ideas for this final community service project, the girls decided they wanted to do something that would help children. They hung posters at their school, and were featured on Sunrise News where they explained their project and asked for help with collecting the articles for donation. Their slogan was "Keep Toes Toasty."

Thank you to all the members of Brownie Troop 967 for their dedication and hard work: Ryan Kolinsky, Ariana Gomez, Diana Cappadoro, Ashley Phang, Isabella Dasilva, Kathleen Davis, Samee Outen, Delaney Woodward, Isabel Colon, Alyssa Borisenko, and Taylor Bromell.

Backpack For Kids Campaign

The 2009 Backpacks for Kids Campaign was a great success. Florida Hospital East Orlando collected over 180 backpacks and supplies; Florida Hospital collected over 2, 554 backpacks! Thank you to all your employees for all the hard work and generous donations. Everyone did an AWESOME job and we are so proud to be able to help students get off to a great start of the new school year.

On August 5, 2009, Florida Hospital East Orlando donated over 180 backpacks and supplies to Pinar Elementary and Ventura Elementary. Both schools were greatly in need of supplies and very appreciative. 

In the Loop: Stretching the Pink Ribbon Around the World

September 13, 2009- Imagine friendship calls heard around the world to "Protect the Girls." Florida Hospital East Orlando created "In the Loop: Stretching the Pink Ribbon Around the World," a unique breast cancer awareness event to announce the hospital's new Digital Mammography services, introduce our female physicians, and encourage women on a global level to make annual mammogram appointments for themselves and the women they care about.  More than 2,000 women attended this event, and calls were made to more than 40 countries.