ACORN Clinic to celebrate 40 years providing rural healthcare

ACA enrollment starts Saturday; premium increases expected

Ocala Star Banner
By Fred Hiers

This is open enrollment season for private sector insurance plans, Medicare Advantage plans, and the plans getting the most attention the past two years: those in the Affordable Care Act’s marketplace of health insurance offerings.

Enrollment for the latter group starts Saturday. Since the program’s debut last year, the number of uninsured residents has fallen across Florida, including a significant drop in Marion and neighboring counties.

The percent of uninsured residents in Marion County fell from 24 percent in 2013 […]

November 10, 2014

Affordable Care Act, Healthcare.gov, Medicaid, Navigator, Navigators, WellFlorida

Health stats rank Putnam below average

Palatka Daily News
By Brandon D. Oliver

A state medical organization earlier this week released health and socioeconomic statistics comparing nearly 20 counties to state averages.

Putnam County was among Alachua, Bradford, Lake and 12 other counties that were in the study released by the WellFlorida Council.

The study reported that in Putnam, the average teen birth rate is more than two times higher than the state average, and the average number of emergency room visits in the county is higher than the state average.

The study, which can […]

November 7, 2014

WellFlorida oversees Navigators in NCF

WellFlorida Council is pleased to announce that it will continue to administer the Health Insurance Marketplace Navigators of North Central Florida.

Navigators are professionals certified to provide free and unbiased information on the options available through the Health Insurance Marketplace created by the Patient Protections and Affordable Care Act. These services are available to individual consumers, as well as small businesses and their employees, in the program’s 15-county service area.

The next Open Enrollment period begins Nov. 15. This period, during which anyone may sign up for […]

November 6, 2014

Second year of ACA enrollment begins Nov. 15

The Guardian
By Christopher Curry

As the second year of Affordable Care Act enrollment nears, reaching the remaining uninsured might pose a significant problem.

Open enrollment begins Nov. 15 and runs through Feb. 15.

In Gainesville, federally funded navigators who assist people with understanding health care coverage options under the Affordable Care Act will begin working with the public Thursday at Library Partnership and regularly hold sessions at county libraries over the next few months.

Lauren Vagelakos, the project coordinator for the navigator program that the […]

November 5, 2014

As second year of Affordable Care Act enrollment nears, reaching uninsured poses a challenge

Gainesville Sun
By Christopher Curry

As the second year of Affordable Care Act enrollment nears, reaching the remaining uninsured might pose a significant problem.

Open enrollment begins Nov. 15 and runs through Feb. 15.

In Gainesville, federally funded navigators who assist people with understanding health care coverage options under the Affordable Care Act will begin working with the public Thursday at the Cone Park public library and regularly hold sessions at county libraries over the next few months.

Lauren Vagelakos, the project coordinator for the navigator program that the […]

October 30, 2014

WellFlorida’s High Impact Prevention project at Pride events

WellFlorida Council will be tabling at the upcoming Pride events in Ocala and Gainesville to share information about Everyone’s Doing It—a High impact Prevention project. The overarching goal of this project is to decrease the spread of HIV and link HIV-infected individuals to prevention and care services in Alachua, Columbia, Lake, Marion and Putnam Counties. Through Everyone’s Doing It, we will be providing free HIV literature, safer sex kits and promotional items. We will also be available to answer questions about free HIV testing dates […]

October 13, 2014

Navigation system preparing for year two of Affordable Care Act enrollment

Gainesville Sun
By Christopher Curry

The second year of Affordable Care Act enrollment starts in mid-November, and the navigators who help consumers sign up for health insurance coverage are gearing up to begin work.

Enrollment starts Nov. 15, and navigators will begin seeing residents interested in signing up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act on Nov. 3, said Lauren Vagelakos, the project coordinator for the nonprofit WellFlorida Council’s navigator program.

Like last year, the navigator program in Alachua County will be offered through several public […]

October 8, 2014

Lunch and Learn focuses on triple negative breast cancer

The Florida Breast Cancer Foundation, North Central Florida Cancer Control Collaborative and Cancer Connections are hosting “Lunch and Learn—Triple Negative Breast Cancer: Current Practice and Future Promise.” The event is on October 29, 2014 from 12 to 1 p.m. at the Hope Lodge in Gainesville. Continuing education credits will be provided by Suwannee River AHEC. Guest speaker Dr. Lisa Spiguel will focus on the surgical care of breast cancer, the assessment of high risk patients and overall breast health. Lunch will be provided. Please RSVP […]

October 7, 2014

Tired Brain? Give It a Boost

Senior Times Magazine
by Kendra Siler-Marsiglio, PhD

Feeling unmotivated, unfocused, or in a “fog”? Life in the Information Age makes these sensations more common than ever. Read on to learn the science behind “cerebral congestion” and how to refresh your mind.

Science is showing that there are three major reasons that our brains are getting tired from attention demands.

Reason 1: Too much mental activity and not enough down time. When we are attentive and completing tasks, our minds are functioning in the central executive mode. If we […]

September 15, 2014