Riverview/Apollo Beach
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St. Joseph’s Hospital - South Invites Public To Help Celebrate Five Years
By Karin Davis-Thompson
Members of the community will get the chance to spend the day interacting and celebrating with the hospital staff that has served the area for the past five years.
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pants, and the first 250 guests will receive a free tote bag (only one per family). Health assessments will be available with the BayCare screening bus, and pediatricians and adult physicians will be available to answer basic questions with the Ask-a-Doc sessions. Staff members will also be on hand to provide information about the hospital and its services. The event is free and will take place on the campus at 6901 Simmons Loop in Riverview. If you are interested in attending, please call 1-800-BayCare to register. Last year, St. Joseph’s Hospital South serviced 70,000 ER patients, more than 16,517 observation/inpatients and 15,690 outpatients. Visit https://baycare.org/hospitals/st-josephshospital-south.
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Riverview Attorney & Mom Competes On New Season Of The Biggest Loser
By Kelly Wise Valdes
Kristi McCart is a law and estate planning attorney from Riverview who is a contestant on the upcoming season of The Biggest Loser premiering on Tuesday, January 28 at 9 p.m. on USA Network.
The Biggest Loser television show that inspired millions of Americans to lose weight and get healthy, premiered its new season on Tuesday, January 28 at 9 p.m. on USA Network. Riverview resident Kristi McCart is among the 12 contestants hoping to become the next Biggest Loser. Hosted by trainer Bob Harper, The Biggest Loser will document the journeys of these courageous men and women as they transform their lives. In addition to losing weight and achieving better overall health, the contestants also reveal compelling personal stories about the obstacles in their lives that made them unhealthy. McCart, 32, is a wife, mother and family law and estate planning attorney with her own practice in Riverview—McCart & Tesmer, P.A. McCart’s unhealthy relationship with food started in childhood and the stress of a being a new mom with her own busy law practice added to her unhealthy habits. Her law firm helps local Tampa Bay families through difficult life tran-
sitions and restructuring. McCart explains that it can be very difficult seeing the best people going through their worst times. “It carries an intangible emotional burden sometimes that, for me, became tangible in a weight gain because I started stress snacking while sitting behind my desk and computer.” In addition, as a new mom she found that she was so busy she was not giving attention to her own health. McCart found herself weighing more a year after her son was born than she weighed when she was pregnant. At 264 pounds, McCart knew she needed to get motivated to get healthy for herself and for her family. “I found myself wanting to do more activities like going to the beach, riding amusement park rides and run-
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characters designed to make hospital stays easier and not as scary for children. While the children play and dance, adults will have activities to do as well. There will be a farmers’ market with more than 60 vendors with fresh produce and goods made locally. There will also be food trucks and snacks for partici-
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St. Joseph’s Hospital South is turning five and is inviting the public to help blow out the candles. On Saturday, March 7, the hospital staff will celebrate five years of service, and they want the community to be a part of the celebration. “Thanks to the support of this wonderful community, St. Joseph’s Hospital - South is thriving and growing to meet its needs,” said Hospital President Phil Minden. “We are grateful for the hundreds of team members, physicians, volunteers, elected officials and local business leaders who have helped make our first five years a tremendous success. To recognize this effort, we are celebrating with special festivities and offering a chance for those who don’t yet know us to come out and visit.” Children will have a host of activities, games, a DJ and face painting. The Teddy Bear clinic will be there with a free teddy bear and an actual fire truck for kids to explore. The hospital’s UnMonsters will also make an appearance. The UnMonsters are a group of
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