Wednesday on “First Coast Connect,” we discussed an upcoming conference on the future of healthcare with Duval County Medical Society CEO Bryan Campbell and president Dr. Sunil Joshi (00:58). We heard about ways to prevent childhood drownings with Winston Family YMCA Aquatics Director Cindi Partee and Murphco of Florida Vice President Josh Harrison (29:47), who nearly drowned when he was a child. We spoke with best-selling author Issac Lidsky (37:46) and we met Stanton Preparatory School students Ashlie Malone, Arvind Sommi, Walker Miller and Haley Lee (45:03), who placed in the top 10 of the recent national Academic Worldquest.
Healthcare Conference
The Senate is expected to take up a new health reform measure this week. Republican senators are grappling with a problem: How can they reach a consensus between moderate and conservative factions on health care while still managing to get the 50 votes needed to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act? The Future of HealthCare Conference sponsored by the Duval County Health Department is May 22-23 at the University of North Florida’s University Center.
Childhood Drownings
According to the Centers for Disease Control, fatal drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4 and it’s also the second leading cause of death for children from 5 to 14 years old. But participation in formal water safety and swim lessons can reduce the risk of drowning among children. The YMCA offers free swim testing at all it’s area branches.
Isaac Lidsky
Lidsky is 37-years-old and blind. He was born with retinitis pigmentosa, a rare degenerative disease of the retina, and from ages 12 to 25 he slowly lost his sight. Over the years, he has been a child television star, a Supreme Court clerk and the co-founder of an internet startup.
He will be sharing insights about the foundation of his new book, “Eyes Wide Open: Overcoming Obstacles and Recognizing Opportunities in a World That Can’t See Clearly.” He’ll be appearing for a TED Talk and a question and answer period 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. May 22 at Intuition Ale Works.
Stanton Academic World Quest
At the recent Academic WorldQuest competition in Washington, D.C., the students of Jacksonville’s Stanton High School placed seventh out of 47 teams. The competition featured students from around the country, testing their knowledge of international affairs, current events and foreign policy topics.
Producer Kevin Meerschaert can be reached at kmeerschaert@wjct.org, 904-358-6334 or on Twitter at @KMeerschaertJax
