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OCTOBER 21, 2015
Health care startup to hire 500 By Kathy Steele
ksteele@lakerlutznews.com
CareSync, a Wesley Chapel-based health management company, is in the midst of a growth spurt with new investments of $18 million, and a plan to hire 500 new employees over the next 18 months. About 100 jobs will be in marketing, sales and development. But, most will be for people with medical backgrounds, including registered nurses, certified nursing assistants and clinicians. Some positions also might go to people who have the drive and desire to become a nurse. The start-up company launched nearly four years ago as a software and service provider for chronic disease management. There currently are nearly 120 employees. The company’s users include health care providers, caretakers and individual patients
IMAGES ARE COURTESY OF CARESYNC
Travis Bond is the founder of CareSync and its chief executive officer.
who want to collect, organize and store medical data for quick, easy reference. The idea is to put everyone involved in a
patient’s care on the same page, sharing an entire medical history. “We are all about creating care plans,” said Travis Bond, the company’s founder and chief executive officer. The company offers options on how to accomplish that task. A free app is available for people who want a “do-it-yourself” approach. However, the company also offers a range of fee-based services where retrieval specialists collect, enter and organize medical information from multiple providers. Physicians, nurses and See STARTUP, page13A
Denham Oaks is celebrating 20 years By B.C. Manion
bcmanion@lakerlutznews.com
The year was 1995. Bill Clinton was in the White House. Forrest Gump won Best Picture. The San Francisco 49ers won the Super Bowl. And, Denham Oaks Elementary School opened in Lutz. The school, which will celebrate its 20th birthday on Oct. 30, has been the home of thousands of school children over the years — and has had six staff members since the beginning. They stayed because they felt a sense of connection with the school, the staff and the students. “It’s a sense of family. I am comfortable here,” said Kristen Eales, a first-grade teacher, who spent most of her time at the school teaching kindergarten. “It feels like home to me,” added Susan Green, who is now the school’s bookkeeper. “I definitely feel a sense of ownership. We put the desks together here.We saw the walls. We came in construction. You always just felt like it was your school,” said Shannon Presson, who teaches fourth grade. Mary Jane Kranendonk, the school’s physical education teacher, marvels at the beauty of the school’s setting. “It’s a nature’s paradise out there. We’ve had owls, hawks,” she said. Cathy Cohen, the school’s custodian, lives in Carpenter’s Run. She enjoys living near
B.C. MANION/STAFF PHOTO
From left, Karen Anair, Kristen Eales, Shannon Presson, Mary Jane Kranendonk, Cathy Cohen and Susan Green have been on Denham Oaks Elementary School’s staff since it opened 20 years ago. The school plans a pep rally and birthday cake on Oct. 30 to celebrate.
enough she can walk or bicycle to school. “I wouldn’t want to go anywhere else,” said Karen Anair, who teaches children who are deaf or hard of hearing. All of those staff members, except Green, have had their children educated at Denham Oaks Elementary, at 1422 Oak Grove Blvd., in Lutz. “Having my children go to school here, I always knew they were going to get phenomenal teachers,” Kranendonk said. The elementary school began classes at its Lutz campus on Oct. 31, 1995. Denham Oaks began the school year on double sessions with Lake Myrtle Elementary because of issues between the school and Mad Hatter Utilities. The opening day at the new campus was particularly memorable for Cohen’s twin sons, who were 8 and were going into third grade. See DENHAM OAKS, page13A
COURTESY OF MEAGAN RATHMAN
The yearbook cover from Denham Oaks’ first year, 1995.
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B INSIDE, PAGE 1B Noah (Royak) the Juggler demonstrates his fire breathing skills at the San Antonio Rattlesnake Festival & Race.
By Michael Murillo
mmurillo@lakerlutznews.com
They’re very busy on Dogpatch Lane. They’re so busy, that they have more business than they can handle. If this were a regular company, it would be great news. But at Pasco County Animal Services, it means dogs are coming in faster than they’re being adopted. That’s not a good situation for the staff, the volunteers or the animals. “We’re beyond capacity. We have dogs in little crates next door,” said shelter supervisor Lise Meinke. The facility is designed to hold no more than 100 dogs, but it has 150 now and more are coming in every day. The shelter is desperate to find homes for its current residents. When dogs get adopted, Meinke said it’s not always happily ever after. People bring dogs back, sometimes just days later, for reasons ranging from a disapproving landlord to excessive barking or chewing. While she loves seeing the dogs leave to new homes, it’s heartbreaking to see them brought back. When people adopt a dog, they need to realize that there is an adjustment period, Meinke said. “The dog from a shelter doesn’t become a housebroken, trained dog overnight. It takes a lot of time and patience, and it’s a commitment. You need to work with that animal,” she said. The county wants to see more people work with shelter animals, so they’re reducing some of the costs associated with pet
MICHAEL MURILLO/STAFF PHOTO
Lise Meinke runs the shelter. She relies on her staff and dedicated volunteers to help keep the animals clean and safe. She’s been known to take some of the shelter’s dogs home with her, when the animals require extra attention.
adoption. Through the month of October, which is Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, adopting a large dog (over 25 pounds and more than six months old) will cost just $15. The fee includes having them spayed or neutered, vaccines and a microchip. Meinke hopes the promotion will help increase adoptions and help the facility maintain its “no-kill” philosophy. No shelter is truly 100 percent no-kill, be-
cause some animals have medical or severe behavior issues, Meinke said. But, Pasco County Animal Services strives to maintain a 90 percent save percentage or better. Last year the shelter’s save rate was 94 percent. If adoptions pick up, it will help reduce some of the overcrowding. But nobody expects it to go away completely. See SHELTER, page13A