One of Miami’s Community Newspapers _______________________________________ Supporting local businesses since 1958
South Miami
JUNE 15 - 21, 2010
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‘Parents still matter,’ audience hears at community conversation The mayor of the City of Pleasant Living goes to Washington, D.C.
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BY LEE STEPHENS
early 60 parents and children turned out Thursday, May 27 for a free dinner and discussion designed to start a conversation about youth substance use. Sponsored by the South Miami Drug-Free Coalition, the Non-Violence Project and the South Miami Weed & Seed, the “Community Conversation on Youth Substance Use” featured opening remarks by Mayor Philip K. Stoddard, an FIU professor of neurobiology who studies, among other topics, the effects of drugs on behavior. Other presenters discussed the increased potency of marijuana, tobacco use among
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PARENTS,
page 3
South Miami Mayor Phillip Stoddard meets with Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinan in Washington, D.C. and chatted about local politics and the needs of South Miami.
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Fitness Together... Personal training that fits your lifestyle BY NANCY EAGLETON
Pictured (l-r) are trainers Frank Gutierrez, Malia Panos, Scott Baumann, Elisa Seda and Angelo Bosques.
itness Together in South Miami challenges you to ditch your current trainer, gym or program for a day and experience a different kind of personal fitness and customer service at Miami’s premier personal training studio. Fitness Together combines privacy and luxury with years of fitness experience to put the “personal” back in personal training. The certified, professional trainers at Fitness Together will help you reach your fitness goals while accommodating your busy schedule. Your personal trainer will focus entirely on you and your results while you train in your own clean, private and comfortable training suite. They promise…no distractions, no crowds, no waiting for machines and no cell phones. –––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– See
TRAINING, page 2
Governor recognizes SMH for performance excellence
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BY BETHANY RUNDELL
outh Miami Hospital is the recipient of the prestigious Governor’s Sterling Award for 2010, the Florida Sterling Council recently announced. The award is given to organizations in Florida that meet or exceed the highest standards for organizational performance. The 467-bed community hospital earned recognition as a role model of performance excellence for following rigorous standards set forth by the Florida Sterling Council and demonstrating superiority in the areas of leadership; strategic planning; customer and market focus; measurement, analysis and knowledge management; workforce focus; process management, and results. The Sterling standards mirror those of the Malcolm Baldridge Award criteria, which are recognized nationally as the world-class standard for organizational excellence. “South Miami Hospital has always been recognized for the quality of care being provided to this community,” said Lincoln Mendez, South Miami Hospital CEO. “Receiving the Governor’s Sterling Award validates our commitment to our patients, because we continuously strive to reach a higher level of performance.” Joining South Miami Hospital as winners of this year’s Governor’s Sterling Award are Florida Hospital in Orlando and James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospitals and Clinics in the Tampa area. This is the first time in the 18-year history of the award that all recipients are from the healthcare sector. “I am honored to recognize this year’s Sterling Award recipients,” said Florida Gov. Charlie Crist. “This year’s winners have demonstrated their commitment to improving healthcare in Florida. The process of competing for the award alone encourages organizations to pursue excellence and improve service.” To become a Governor’s Sterling Award recipient South Miami Hospital cited its consistent top scores in patient, employee and physician satisfaction, exceeding national benchmarks in quality care and patient safety initiatives, and being recognized by independent agencies for excellent nursing care and quality patient outcomes.