lifestyle | Crestview News Bulletin

Nurse practitioner joins Crestview pediatrics group

Written by archive on March 21, 2016. Posted in health-fitness, lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — Pediatric nurse practitioner Emily Lieser has joined Sacred Heart Medical Group’s regional network of healthcare providers and will be based in Crestview.

Lieser received her associate’s degree in nursing from Pensacola State College, and she graduated magna cum laude with her master’s degree in nursing from the University of South Alabama, where she was a member of the Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing.

She is a certified pediatric nurse practitioner and a member of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners. Lieser has served as an adjunct clinical professor at Pensacola State College.

Prior to becoming a nurse practitioner, she served as a registered nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit of The Children’s Hospital at Sacred Heart and in the Sacred Heart Maternity and Women’s Center.

Lieser joins the office of Sacred Heart Medical Group Pediatrics at Crestview, which includes board-certified pediatricians Dr. Joseph Peter, Dr. Jennifer Heegard and Dr. Lisa Currier and advanced Registered Nurse practitioner Lindsey Mann-Badyrka.

Sacred Heart Medical Group Pediatrics is accepting new patients, newborns through age 18, at its office, 332 Medcrest Drive, Crestview.

Most major insurances are accepted, and same-day appointments are often available. For more information or an appointment, call 683-5100.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Nurse practitioner joins Crestview pediatrics group

GARCIA: Connect with the world by reading 'American Sniper'

Written by archive on March 21, 2016. Posted in columns, lifestyle.

Crestview Public Library and all other Okaloosa County Public Library Cooperative member libraries will take part in the Big Library Read program, the world’s largest global eBook reading club.

Libraries and schools will connect millions of readers around the world who are simultaneously reading the same eBook. Crestview library users can borrow the eBook, “American Sniper: The New York Times bestselling memoir of U.S. Navy Seal Chris Kyle,” now through Thursday, March 31 by visiting okaloosa.lib.overdrive.com.

In the book — the source for a blockbuster movie nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture — Kyle writes honestly about the pain of war, including two close SEAL teammates’ deaths. His wife, Taya, speaks openly about war’s strains on their family. Kyle, who was killed tragically in 2013, recorded the most career sniper kills in U.S. military history.

The free Big Library Read program — facilitated by OverDrive, the leading platform for eBooks and audiobooks from the library — runs for two weeks. To start reading, all you need is a Crestview Public Library card.

“American Sniper” can be read on all major computers and devices, including iPhone, iPad, Android phones and tablets, Chromebook and Kindle, without worrying about wait lists or holds. The eBook will automatically expire at the end of the lending period, and there are no late fees.

The Big Library Read program is made possible through a partnership between the OCPLC, OverDrive and HarperCollins, publisher of “American Sniper.” See BigLibraryRead.com for more information on Big Library Read.

We also have copies of the book and audiobook available for ‘traditional’ check-out at the library. Come visit us!

Marie Garcia is the Crestview Public Library's director.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: GARCIA: Connect with the world by reading 'American Sniper'

CROSE: Easter is the pinnacle of Christianity

Written by archive on March 21, 2016. Posted in columns, lifestyle.

Many who’d once hailed Jesus as their king turned against Him. They didn't realize Jesus’ persecution was part of God's plan for a sinful humanity’s redemption.

What was going through the minds of Jesus' followers — His disciples and His friends? I am sure they were watching in horror as the crowd asked Pontius Pilate to crucify Him.

Never had there been such a man; one who could heal the blind, deaf and diseased, who could raise people from the dead — and now He was being put to death.

Through it all, Jesus humbly, willingly offered Himself as a sacrifice for the world’s sins so we could be redeemed from the bondage of sin and justified before God.

Are we like Mary, who arose early to make sure the body of the Lord was anointed for burial? She found an empty tomb with an angel who told her, "He is risen, just as He said."

Although Jesus had spoken to his followers of His death, burial and resurrection, they didn't seem to understand, so this must have been a shock to Mary.

When she ran to the disciples, Peter and John immediately ran to the tomb to see if Jesus had really risen from the dead.

How would we have reacted? You can be sure all of Jerusalem was stirred up once it was discovered that Jesus had risen from the grave.

Easter is the pinnacle of the Christian faith; without Christ's death, burial and resurrection we would not have forgiveness of our sins and eternal life with Christ Jesus when we accept Him as our Savior.

Have a glorious Easter as we celebrate Christ’s resurrection. He is Risen!

Janice Lynn Crose, a former accountant, lives in Crestview with her husband, Jim; her two rescue collies, Shane and Jasmine; and two cats, Kathryn and Prince Valiant.

●6:30 a.m. March 27, Old Spanish Trail Park, on Stillwell Blvd., Crestview. Presented by the Crestview Area Ministerial Association.

●6:30 a.m. March 27, Gene Clary Park, located on the corner of New Ebenezer Road and Park, Laurel Hill.

Bring chairs, dress in warm clothing and, if it is cold, bring blankets.

EASTER SUNRISE SERVICES:

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: CROSE: Easter is the pinnacle of Christianity

Crestview girl completes chemotherapy treatments

Written by archive on March 18, 2016. Posted in health-fitness, lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — Katie Mitchell was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia in December 2013, and has undergone regular intravenous chemotherapy since then.

For three years, a routine of seemingly endless medical visits became normal for the 5-year-old and her family.

That is, until Wednesday, when Katie completed treatments at Nemours Children’s Clinic at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola. April 1, she will take her final chemo pill.

“It feels good,” she said of the milestone.

Thea Duhaime, Katie’s grandmother, said Katie’s family, including her brother, Ryan, 7, joined her for the last spinal tap.

“The nurses dress up in silly hats and ring a bell for her,” Duhaime said. “They sang, ‘Happy last chemo day to you.’ They were in tears. She’s a little celebrity there.”

Katie was hungry afterward, necessitating a quick visit to a McDonald’s drive-thru for fries, Duhaime said. But her celebration dinner came later.

“I placed the order to Bamboo Sushi for her favorite meal: chicken teriyaki with steamed rice,” Duhaime said, adding the restaurant presented the family with a $100 gift certificate.

Duhaime said her granddaughter’s lively spirit and contagious smile have inspired the whole family and everyone who’s met Katie during her treatment.

“She is one of the bravest people I know,” Duhaime said. “She has just taken it in stride.”

Now, the family must readjust.

“We can learn a new normal now,” Duhaime said. “For two and a half years, that (the treatments) was the normal.

“We can have a normal kid again.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview girl completes chemotherapy treatments

Give blood in Crestview, get a tote bag

Written by archive on March 17, 2016. Posted in health-fitness, lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — Donors who give a pint of blood March 24-28 at OneBlood donor centers will get a OneBlood jute tote bag and a voucher for a Free $10 eGift card.

Hours at the Crestview center, 2400 Ferdon Blvd. S, Suite B, Crestview, are:

●10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Thursday

●8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Friday

●noon to 5 p.m. Sunday

●10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday

Call 306-2455 for details.

For other participating locations and hours, go to oneblood.org/spring.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Give blood in Crestview, get a tote bag

Mosaic Church plans Crestview Easter celebration

Written by archive on March 16, 2016. Posted in Faith, lifestyle.

CRESTVIEW — Mosaic Church will host an Easter egg hunt, worship services, lunch and more.

The event starts with registration at 9:30 a.m. March 27 at Twin Hills Park, 100 Hathaway St., Crestview.

A worship service is 10 a.m., followed by lunch and family events at 11:30 a.m.

Hot dogs and hamburgers will be served, and bounce houses and a selfie station are planned. Volunteers are also needed to assist with the event. For details, go to www.easterattwinhillspark.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Mosaic Church plans Crestview Easter celebration

MYERS: Ease into gardening with a raised bed

Written by archive on March 16, 2016. Posted in lifestyle.

Raise your garden to new heights for easier access and greater productivity. Raised beds allow you to overcome poor soil by creating the ideal growing mix, plus make gardening time more comfortable thanks to less bending and kneeling.

Whether you purchase a kit or build your own, there are a few things to consider when creating a raised bed garden.

Locate the garden in a sunny area if possible. Most plants require at least six hours of sun, and vegetables like tomatoes, peppers and melons produce best with a full day of sunlight.

Select a long-lasting material such as interlocking block, fieldstone, plastic lumber or naturally long lasting wood like cedar. The material selected will influence the shape and size of your garden. Some materials allow for curved beds while others are limited to squares, rectangles and other angular shapes.

Design your raised bed to fit your space and your needs. A three- or four-feet width makes it easy to reach all parts of the garden for planting, weeding and harvesting. Raising your planting bed at least 8 to 12 inches improves drainage and provides an adequate space for most plants to root and grow. If you want to minimize bending, go higher. Add benches to increase your gardening comfort and ease. Bonnie Plants has free downloadable plans for building a raised bed garden with benches in just one afternoon.

Roughen or loosen the existing soil surface if your bed is built on compact, slow-draining soil. This will allow water to readily move from the raised bed into the soil below. Cover the bottom of the bed with newspaper or cardboard, if needed, to suffocate existing weeds and grass.

Line the bottom of your raised bed with hardware cloth to reduce the risk of animals burrowing into your garden. Lay the hardware cloth over the ground and bend it up along the inside of the raised bed walls.

Fill the bed with a quality growing mix that is well drained but also able to retain moisture and nutrients. This may be a mixture of quality topsoil and compost, a high quality potting mix, or a planting mix designed specifically for raised bed gardens.

Grow any plants that you normally would grow in ground. Just make sure the plants are suited to the growing conditions (such as sunlight, heat and wind) in your area. Since the soil mix and drainage is ideal in a raised garden, you will be able to grow more plants per square foot. Just be sure to leave sufficient room for plants to reach their mature size.

Keep your plants healthy and productive with proper watering. This is critical for growing any garden, but even more crucial in a fast-draining raised bed. The simple act of raising the garden height increases drainage, and a raised bed filled with planting mix means more frequent watering. Consider using drip irrigation or soaker hoses for watering ease. Always water thoroughly when the top inch of soil is dry.

Add some mulch to help reduce watering and the need for other garden maintenance. Spread a layer of evergreen needles, pine straw, shredded leaves or other organic matter over the soil surface. This helps conserve moisture, suppresses weeds and adds nutrients to the soil as it decomposes. You’ll spend less time watering and weeding throughout the season.

Add an organic fertilizer at planting if your planting mix does not already contain one. Apply again mid-season if the plants need a nutrient boost. Always follow the label directions on the fertilizer container.

The time and effort invested in creating raised beds will be returned many times over with years of healthy and productive gardens.

Melinda Myers has over 30 years of gardening experience has written over 20 gardening books, including Small Space Gardening and the Midwest Gardener’s Handbook. She hosts The Great Courses “How to Grow Anything: Food Gardening For Everyone” DVD set and the nationally syndicated Melinda’s Garden Moment TV & radio segments. Myers is a columnist and contributing editor for Birds & Blooms magazine and was commissioned by Bonnie Plants for her expertise to write this article. Myers’ website is www.melindamyers.com.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: MYERS: Ease into gardening with a raised bed

Cancer, heart disease top causes of premature death in Okaloosa

Written by archive on March 16, 2016. Posted in health-fitness, lifestyle.

FORT WALTON BEACH — The Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County today acknowledged the 2016 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps tool released by the University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

This study highlights community factors that influence health, and uses established data available at www.floridacharts.com.

"Premature death in Okaloosa County, (or) dying before the age of 75, is primarily the result of people dying from cancer, heart disease and during infancy," Dr. Karen Chapman, DOH-Okaloosa director, said. "The No. 1 and No. 2 contributor in most cases to these leading causes of premature death is tobacco and obesity. Tobacco abstinence and cessation, and promoting healthy lifestyle choices remain the top priorities for improving the health of the people of Okaloosa County."

DOH-Okaloosa is working to improve residents’ health, a media release stated.

For instance:

●The Community Health Improvement Plan is designed to address specific opportunities for improved health. The department has partnered with many stakeholders to implement the CHIP and collaborates regularly to track progress. Over the last five years, the Healthy Okaloosa Collaborative has worked to address community-chosen priority areas — tobacco use, healthy lifestyles and access to care.

●The Tobacco Team, in collaboration with the Okaloosa County School District, worked to update the school district's Tobacco Discipline Policy to address all forms of tobacco and nicotine use. In addition, Okaloosa Schools are smoke-free zones, and most recently, the School District adopted a no electronic cigarette policy on all school property.

●"West Florida AHEC has a long history of successful partnership with the Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County, including working closely with them as part of the Healthy Okaloosa Collaborative," stated Paige Collier, director of West Florida Area Health Education Center Inc. "We look forward to continuing to support the collaborative' s efforts to reduce the use of tobacco in Okaloosa County by providing cessation services for community members as well as education and training on the CDC Best Practice Guidelines to health care systems, providers and health professions students in Okaloosa County."

●The Healthy Lifestyles Team has implemented the Healthy Okaloosa 5210 initiative, which is being implemented in 21 early-childhood education centers, nine K-12 public schools, four after-school programs, 10 worksites, and is actively recruiting summer care programs. It looks to partner with businesses and organizations throughout the county to increase healthy lifestyle behaviors through policy and environmental changes around improving nutrition and physical activity, supporting and encouraging breastfeeding friendly environments, limiting recreational screen time and sugary beverage consumption, and eliminating use of and exposure to tobacco and nicotine products.

●"Women and Children's Services at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center is proud to be partnering with the Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County to initiate the pathway to becoming a designated Baby Friendly Hospital.

“This collaboration will bring more resources to our community both in the hospital setting, as well as after patients return home," stated Brittany Bryan, Director of Women and Children's Services at Fort Walton Beach Medical Center. "The benefits of exclusively breastfeeding infants and promoting mother/baby bonding are immense. Simply stated, breastfeeding saves lives.”

●In 2016, DOH-Okaloosa started the Community Health Assessment for 2016-2020, which will provide DOH-Okaloosa, partners and stakeholders a "big-picture view" of current and emerging community health concerns. Data collected during the assessment will help guide deciding CHIP’s community-chosen priority areas for the next five years.

●Last week, the Florida Department of Health became the nation’s first integrated department of health to achieve national accreditation through the Public Health Accreditation Board, which signifies that the Florida Department of Health has been rigorously examined and meets or exceeds national standards that promote continuous quality improvement for public health.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Cancer, heart disease top causes of premature death in Okaloosa

Crestview residents share inspirational talks during LDS women's conference

Written by archive on March 16, 2016. Posted in Faith, lifestyle.

FORT WALTON BEACH — Women of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and their guests experienced a spiritual and musical feast during their annual conference Feb. 27 at the Fort Walton Beach Stake Center.

The theme was, "Women who know make important things happen by their faith,” based on Moroni 7:33: "And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me."

Tammy Jones, Stake Relief Society president; her assistants, Sally Reynolds and Priscilla Kelly; and Katrina Dilmore prepared an inspiring program.

Crestview resident Holly Tew shared "Live Like You Believe," a theme that embraced keeping the Sabbath Day holy and setting positive examples for family and friends by reading scriptures and making music a part of your family's lives.

In musical comedy style, Crestview resident Tristi Bond and Kelsea Kind, both young single adults, presented "The Stages of Womanhood."

Scott Brill, a U.S. Air Force chaplain, spoke of the women in his life: his mother, his wife and his missionary daughter who is serving in Manchester, England. The sacrifices women make for their families — based on Esther 4:4 — was his theme and he shared his mom's devotion to him and his sister while they were growing up.

Mike Roberts, FWB Stake president and Crestview resident, concluded with "A Plea to My Sisters."

Ingrid Roberts, first chair violin with the Northwest Florida Symphony Orchestra, began and ended her talk, "Loving One Another” — on how service can heal souls, and how to encourage and to teach children to serve others — with violin solos.

Naomi Vestel, who lived for a time in Nigeria, shared a video explaining the struggles of Nigerian-native church members and the great faith they had to persevere in the face of many trials.

A luncheon of soups served in bread bowls followed the luncheon.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview residents share inspirational talks during LDS women's conference

Okaloosa health department releases water quality results

Written by archive on March 16, 2016. Posted in health-fitness, lifestyle.

FORT WALTON BEACH — The Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County has announced water quality test results for local parks.

No Okaloosa County parks have potentially hazardous bathing water, the Florida Department of Health in Okaloosa County stated March 14.

The FDOH tests are based on EPA-recommended enterococci standards. Enteric bacteria's presence indicates fecal pollution from stormwater runoff, pets and wildlife or human sewage.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Okaloosa health department releases water quality results

EASTER SUNRISE SERVICES:

850.682.6524