Lutz News-Lutz/Odessa-February 26, 2020

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Global headquarters opens in Odessa

By Brian Fernandes bfernandes@lakerlutznews.com

TouchPoint Healthcare, located in Odessa, had a grand opening for its new global headquarters. It’s an unprecedented mark in Pasco County, as it houses the flagship base for the company that supplies 90 countries with manufactured medical supplies.

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Visitors at the Feb. 20 ribbon cutting had the chance to go on a guided tour of the building, which is a two-story structure of 142,000 square feet. The building, at 2200 Touchpoint Drive, is off of State Road 54, and home to TouchPoint Healthcare’s two businesses – TouchPoint Medical and iTD. It represents a $23.8-million capital investment for Pasco County.

Brian McNeill, the president and CEO of TouchPoint Inc. – the parent company, told those gathered:“The investment that we’re making here in Pasco County is an example of our long-term commitment to our businesses, to our people and to the communities in which we live and work. “We work with every major medical deSee TOUCHPOINT, page 17A

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The UF/IFAS Pasco County Extension recently hosted a six-week ‘Gardening with Autism’ program, geared toward children ages 8 to 13, on the autism spectrum. The program, at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park, 5401 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., featured numerous fun and educational, hands-on sensory activities that allowed children to learn about basic gardening. Participants also learned the importance of pollinators, and even got to construct their own birdbath. The community garden, which had its grand opening on Feb. 15, offers a free space (plots are first-come, first-served) for citizens to grow flowers and crops. In the future, the UF/IFAS Pasco County Extension will be offering classes on subjects such as how to compost, grow and can vegetables. Read more about the efforts on page 3A inside. Above, Brooke Whitehead, of Weeki Wachee, center, pretends to be a pollinator during an activity with University of Florida student Katie Yanuzzell, of Brandon, left, and UF/IFAS Pasco County Extension master gardener and east side community gardens program assistant Chris Carreiro. The group was using Cheetos dust on their fingers to simulate how pollen would stick to the legs of bees, as they pollinate flowers.

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Eight-year-old Lucas Yingling, of Hudson, cleans off his cement birdbath that he made during the Gardening with Autism program on Jan. 25, revealing the elephant ear leaf impression. The six-week, hands-on program was hosted by the UF/IFAS Pasco County Extension, and held at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park. Assisting him was his father, Randy, left, and mom Patty.

The community garden area at Land O’ Lakes Heritage Park offers a free space (plots are first-come, first-served) for citizens to grow flowers, herbs, fruits and vegetables. The garden also was the site of the six-week program, Gardening with Autism. This area also is the home of the ‘Food For All’ mural, which was a cooperative project presented by the Autism Society of Florida, Pasco County Planning and Development, UF/IFAS Pasco County Extension, and Pasco County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources.

Objections Seminar focuses on youth drug use, suicide continue By Brian Fernandes bfernandes@lakerlutznews.com

When Heather Sefton, of Wesley Chapel, began losing close friends to suicide, she didn’t know how to cope with the trauma. The untimely demise of one in the Bay Area was preceded by six others in Sefton’s native New Hampshire. “I really didn’t understand what was going on,” the 19-year-old said.“They all just kind of kept hitting me.” She too, began having suicidal thoughts as a result of her own family issues and having struggled with her self-identity, she recalled. Pasco-Hernando State College (PHSC) has been active in providing resources for those like Sefton, seeking help. One of its programs — Linking in Faith and Education (LIFE) — seeks to help improve mental and behavioral health by

encouraging communication with group support. The college also hosted a recent seminar - LIFE, Spirit,Wellness: Combating Substance Abuse and Mental Health Issues in Youth. The Feb. 17 event, at PHSC’s Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch, focused on the issues of mental health and substance abuse. Panelist Teresa Daniels, a volunteer for the Tampa Bay branch of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, spoke about her son,Tristen, who took his life over five years ago. “We had no idea that he was having any thoughts, or that anything other than what we believed to be normal high school stressors, [were] going on,” she said. Daniels said she thought her son might be having issues coping with the loss of his See SEMINAR, page 17A

to proposed townhomes

By B.C. Manion bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com

Residents living near Lake Thomas continue to oppose an increase in the density of development in their Land O’ Lakes community. A proposed land use change would increase the maximum density from three dwellings per acre to six dwellings per acre, on a 42-acre site, on the west side of U.S. 41 about one-half mile north of Ehren Cutoff. The Pasco County Commission signaled its support for the increased intensity, in a 4-0 vote to transmit the land use request for a reSee TOWNHOMES, page 17A


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