CRESTVIEW — A commemorative T-shirt from the One Blood organization is available to Northwest Florida residents who donate blood Oct. 19-31 at any donor center or bloodmobile.

To make a donation locally, visit the Crestview donor center at 2400 Ferdon Blvd. S., Suite B, Crestview as follows:

●10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 19, 22, 26, 29

●8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Oct. 20, 23, 27, 30

●noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 25

You may also visit these Big Red Bus bloodmobile locations:

●8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 28, Baker School, 1369 14th St., Baker

●noon to 3 p.m., Oct. 30, Coldwell Banker, 2514 Ferdon Blvd. S., Crestview

●12:30-4:30 p.m. Oct. 31, Hideaway Pizza, 326 Main St. N., Crestview

A One Blood spokesperson said, "This year’s 'Got Blood' T-shirt will no doubt fly off the shelves. It is one of the most highly prized blood donor T-shirts each year, and this year is no exception."

For other locations and hours or to set an appointment, visit oneblooddonor.org or call 1-888-936-6283.

Generally healthy people age 16 or older who weigh at least 110 pounds can donate blood. Photo ID is required. To learn more about the importance of blood donation and how donors can target the power of their blood type visit oneblood.org.

 Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs a blood transfusion. Blood that is donated today will likely be transfused into a patient within two to three days.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Donate blood in Crestview, get this cool, spooky T-shirt

CRESTVIEW — Women should check their breasts at least monthly, according to Dr. Kevin McIntosh, OB/GYN for North Okaloosa Physician Group.

"There's a couple of ways to do it," McIntosh says. "There's a circular pattern … where you go from interior to exterior around the breast, or you can do a linear pattern, where you just go up and down.

"The main thing is to just make sure all the breast is covered."

Examining breasts once a month — and a week after a menstrual cycle — is one way to detect abnormalities early, McIntosh said. Waiting five days after a period helps because hormonal changes could spur temporary — and misleading — thickening in the breast, according to WebMD.

Area residents can expect to hear many more tips throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Observances kicked off Oct. 1 during North Okaloosa Medical Center's Healthy Woman program and the Main Street Crestview Association's Pink Street Party, which featured vendors, information booths and guest speakers. In addition, the group set the gazebo beside Okaloosa County's courthouse aglow with pink lights.

Events continue with Making Strides of the Emerald Coast's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk, 9 a.m. Oct. 17 at Uptown Station, 99 Eglin Parkway NE, in Fort Walton Beach.

Raising awareness is important, particularly when cancer affects someone you love, Shiloh Raymond, a Northwest Florida State College student, said.

"I'm supporting my mom because she had breast cancer twice; it metastasized into bone cancer, so that's why I'm here supporting the cause," she said during the Pink Street Party. 

A simple self-examination could help women spot symptoms sooner, and early detection increases the likelihood of successful treatment, according to WebMD.

The American Cancer Society recommends that women should schedule an annual mammogram, which is an imaging test on the breasts, when they turn 40 years old.

But the woman and her physician can determine what is best for her individual case, local doctors said.

41 percent of breast cancer diagnoses originate in the breast's upper left area

34 percent of breast cancer diagnoses come from the nipple area

Source: North Okaloosa Physician Group

BY THE NUMBERS

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: North Okaloosa residents rally for breast cancer awareness

TALLAHASSEE — Florida State University's College of Medicine has named its auditorium for the late Florida Sen. Durell Peaden, a Crestview physician who sponsored legislation creating the medical school in 2000.

The naming ceremony will take place 4:30 p.m. Oct. 5 at FSU College of Medicine Auditorium, 1115 W. Call St., Tallahassee.

FSU President John Thrasher, Florida’s House speaker at the time, will be present, as will numerous other current and former legislators.

Also being named for Peaden is the college’s Rural Medical Education Program.

Peaden was concerned for years that not enough new physicians were available to replace aging doctors in the Florida Panhandle's rural towns. In the late 1990s, he began conversations with FSU administrators that ultimately led to the College of Medicine’s establishment.

Previously, in FSU’s Program in Medical Sciences, students completed their first year of medical school and transferred to the University of Florida to complete their studies.

Like PIMS, the College of Medicine targets a diverse array of students, including those from traditionally underserved communities, and stresses primary care, patient-centered medicine and hands-on learning directly from community physicians.

The College of Medicine’s first class graduated in 2005. Almost 270 current and former students have come to the medical school from Panhandle towns, and more than 50 alumni now practice in the Panhandle.

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: FSU College of Medicine Auditorium named for late Crestview physician

CRESTVIEW — If Northwood Arts and Science Academy Title 1 teacher Tracey McGann needed to run to the doctor, it once meant a student would lose reading time with her.

Now, the doctor’s office comes to McGann’s school.

The Mobile Health Clinic — a service of Fort Walton Beach Medical Center, Twin Cities Hospital and Niceville Family Practice, unveiled Wednesday at Northwood — offers basic medical services, including minor illness and injury exams and vaccinations.

The van — actually the size of an RV — travels to each Okaloosa County school on a rotating schedule. Educators who need to see a nurse practitioner or medical technician can visit it at a nearby school if it’s not at theirs when they need it.

The mobile clinic is a first for the area and participating hospitals, along with its parent company, Hospital Corporation of America, according to Dave Whalen, Twin Cities Hospital’s chief operating officer.

The concept is simple — “Think of it as a mobile urgent care service,” HCA North Florida director of business health Rod Whiting said.

And it solves a longstanding problem: dedicated, sick teachers weren’t always visiting a doctor's office, educators said.

A poll of Okaloosa County teachers found almost 50 percent didn’t have, or couldn't identify, a primary care physician, according to Mitch Mongell, Fort Walton Beach Medical Center CEO.

That raises concerns because "the teachers are the ones affecting our future by teaching our students,” Mobile Health Clinic nurse practitioner Kimberley Smith said.

In addition, Okaloosa Schools Superintendent Mary Beth Jackson said, "Healthy employees are a good thing to have. When you invest in someone — to the practical, H.R. side of me — you want to keep them healthy and you want to keep them around.”

McGann appreciates the convenience.

“Its biggest benefit is that we don’t have to take time away from our children to make a doctor’s appointment,” she said.

“For us, it’s great because it’s right here. Our children need extra reading time and we don’t want to take that away from them for doctor’s visits.”

This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Mobile Health Clinic brings scheduled care to Okaloosa teachers