'Tampa Bay Connections' aimed at combating loneliness
The Tampa Bay Connections campaign is getting support from Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch and Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector.
It's led by Tampa Bay Thrives, a coalition that works to improve mental health.
The campaign is aimed at reducing loneliness, something organizers call a "growing public health crisis."
TAMPA, Fla. - Three Tampa Bay area mayors are coming together in support of a new initiative aimed at reducing loneliness – something organizers call a "growing public health crisis."
Big picture view
The Tampa Bay Connections campaign is led by Tampa Bay Thrives, a coalition that works to improve mental health and community unity throughout the region.
It aims to map existing resources to help connect people in different work settings and demographics through experiences like volunteering.
The initiative will also advocate for increased funding for mental health programs across the Bay Area.
Is your therapist AI? ChatGPT goes viral on social media for its role as Gen Z's new therapist
By the numbers
A recent study by Mental Health America took a deeper dive into the issue of loneliness, finding that nearly one in five adults feel lonely every day.
Researchers say the consequences of frequent isolation are as dangerous as smoking 15 cigarettes per day.
The study also focused on individual states, reporting that nearly 3 million adults in Florida have a mental illness – and more than half are not receiving treatment due to factors like cost and lack of access.
READ: Brandon family turns tragedy into purpose during Mental Health Awareness Month
What they're saying
"I think we're more aware of mental illness now, but we still have a long way to go. We need to still have, you now, a lot more in terms of just screening for mental illnesses and the medical offices. We need have more availability to mental health facilities and counselors, psychiatrists. You know it's a very big burden," Kimberly Channels, physician's assistant at Optum WellMed in New Tampa, said.
What's next
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch and Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector plan to discuss their support of Tampa Bay Connections at a 2 p.m. event on Wednesday.
Beyond Wednesday's event, an advisory committee will be formed by representatives from each of the three cities, serving as the community voices for mental health needs in their areas.
Follow FOX 13 on YouTube
The Source
Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Regina Gonzalez.
STAY CONNECTED WITH FOX 13 TAMPA:
Download the FOX Local app for your smart TV
Download FOX Local mobile app: Apple | Android
Download the FOX 13 News app for breaking news alerts, latest headlines
Download the SkyTower Radar app
Sign up for FOX 13's daily newsletter
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Axios
2 hours ago
- Axios
Mushroom boom hits your sips and snacks
Mushrooms are sprouting up all over the place: in coffee, soda, chocolate and meat blends. Why it matters: Centuries after they were considered medicinal, mushrooms are today's go-to "functional" food — with a brain-boosting, sustainable aura. State of play: "Mushrooms have such a health halo," says Chicago-based registered dietitian Janet Helm. Plus, they're versatile. "Particularly with Gen Z, if you put it in a beverage, they love it." That's largely because of sustainability and brain-boosting reasons. And mushrooms are a key ingredient for the emerging category of part-veggie, part-meat foods. The big picture: "It's not just your white buttons anymore," Helm says. Specialty mushroom varieties have doubled in sales in the past decade, according to Mushroom Council president Amy Wood. Between the lines: We're not talking about "magic" mushrooms. "Functional" mushrooms include lion's mane, chaga, reishi and cordyceps (something "The Last of Us" fans might be familiar with). Zoom in: Mushrooms are a good source of the antioxidant ergothioneine and B vitamins, which could all support the brain, Helm says, referencing a growing body of research on mushrooms' cognitive health benefits. By the numbers: Sales of food and beverages with functional mushrooms are up over 450% in the U.S. since 2021, according to NielsenIQ. Mushroom coffee is one driver of that growth. Dollar sales are up about 55%, and with volume sales up 74% so far this year (through July 13) compared to the same time last year, that's a clear sign it's gaining momentum, according to Circana industry adviser Darren Seifer. Reality check: Mushroom coffee is still a "very, very tiny" slice of the coffee market, making up less than 1% of sales, he says. Catch up quick: After mushroom coffee company Four Sigmatic kicked off the trend about a decade ago, starting the day with a mug of mushrooms caught on. How it works: To make the "coffee," mushrooms are blended with coffee beans or tea, or they're often used as part of a coffee alternative powder that might contain added caffeine. The drinks don't taste mushroomy, per se, but can err on the "earthy" side. Often, though, they're made with sweetener and prepared with milk, so the flavor is more "chai" or "mocha latte" than "topsoil." 💭 Carly's thought bubble: Consuming mushrooms is a vibe.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump, tech giants want to make it easier to share health records: What it means for you
President Donald Trump and his top health officials are pursuing a new initiative that will allow people to share their personal health and medical records with doctors and hospitals. Technology giants Apple, Amazon, Google and Open AI as well as health industries companies UnitedHealth Group and CVS Health are among more than 60 companies that have agreed to develop standards to share health information across computer systems. Trump touted the idea of eliminating redundancies such as filling out paperwork at multiple health providers offices. "This will allow patients to easily transmit information from one doctor to another," Trump said during a July 30 briefing with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz. Trump emphasized the initiative will be voluntary and require patients to opt in. He added there will be no centralized, government-run database storing patients' personal records. "People are very concerned about the personal records," Trump said. "That's their choice ... it will be absolutely quiet." Large hospital systems and some doctors allow patients to share health information, fill out forms and schedule appointments through websites and mobile apps. And health tech companies have developed apps that allow people to track their health information, but these apps often can't access medical records from health providers, said Amy Gleason, acting administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Companies operating 21 networks have agreed to an "interoperability framework" to meet Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services criteria, according to the Trump administration. Hospital systems and electronic health records vendors have agreed to cooperate in the effort, according to CMS. Participating apps would help people manage obesity and diabetes, including the use of AI assistants to help check symptoms or schedule appointments, CMS said. Privacy, data security remain top worries The health care industry and tech companies have been attempting to reduce paperwork and seamlessly share electronic health records for three decades, said Chris Pierson, CEO of BlackCloak, an Orlando, Florida-based cybersecurity company. Hospitals, doctors, labs and vendors that directly handle such sensitive medical records are subject to a federal privacy law, called the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA. To make health information and records more portable and accessible, consumers need to be guaranteed strong privacy protections and granted control over what information is shared, Pierson said. A consumer might be willing to share their sensitive information with doctors, hospitals or labs. But the same person might want to block an app from sharing records with third parties such as exercise equipment vendors or nutritional supplement retailers. Pierson said such apps would likely still need to comply with HIPAA and other federal and state laws. Given that the apps are voluntary and require consent, they likely would comply with privacy laws, Pierson said. Companies also would need to safeguard information technology security to protect the sensitive information from data breaches. Hackers target health records Digital medical records are a popular target for hackers seeking sensitive health information, bank records and a person's identifiable information such as dates of birth and Social Security numbers. The number of attacks has surged in recent years and are often carried out by organized hackers, often operating overseas, who target the computer systems of health providers and the vendors and companies that serve them. HHS investigates whether breaches involve violations of health information privacy and security laws and publicly reports attacks that affect 500 or more on its website. In July alone, more than two dozen data breaches compromised the records of more than 3 million people, HHS records show. The largest hack in recent years involved the February 2024 attack on UnitedHealth-owned subsidiary Change Healthcare. The attack disrupted the health care industry because doctors and hospitals were unable to collect payments for weeks when computer systems went down. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump plan eases sharing of computerized health records Solve the daily Crossword
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Trump, tech giants want to make it easier to share health records: What it means for you
President Donald Trump and his top health officials are pursuing a new initiative that will allow people to share their personal health and medical records with doctors and hospitals. Technology giants Apple, Amazon, Google and Open AI as well as health industries companies UnitedHealth Group and CVS Health are among more than 60 companies that have agreed to develop standards to share health information across computer systems. Trump touted the idea of eliminating redundancies such as filling out paperwork at multiple health providers offices. "This will allow patients to easily transmit information from one doctor to another," Trump said during a July 30 briefing with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz. Trump emphasized the initiative will be voluntary and require patients to opt in. He added there will be no centralized, government-run database storing patients' personal records. "People are very concerned about the personal records," Trump said. "That's their choice ... it will be absolutely quiet." Large hospital systems and some doctors allow patients to share health information, fill out forms and schedule appointments through websites and mobile apps. And health tech companies have developed apps that allow people to track their health information, but these apps often can't access medical records from health providers, said Amy Gleason, acting administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE. Companies operating 21 networks have agreed to an "interoperability framework" to meet Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services criteria, according to the Trump administration. Hospital systems and electronic health records vendors have agreed to cooperate in the effort, according to CMS. Participating apps would help people manage obesity and diabetes, including the use of AI assistants to help check symptoms or schedule appointments, CMS said. Privacy, data security remain top worries The health care industry and tech companies have been attempting to reduce paperwork and seamlessly share electronic health records for three decades, said Chris Pierson, CEO of BlackCloak, an Orlando, Florida-based cybersecurity company. Hospitals, doctors, labs and vendors that directly handle such sensitive medical records are subject to a federal privacy law, called the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, or HIPAA. To make health information and records more portable and accessible, consumers need to be guaranteed strong privacy protections and granted control over what information is shared, Pierson said. A consumer might be willing to share their sensitive information with doctors, hospitals or labs. But the same person might want to block an app from sharing records with third parties such as exercise equipment vendors or nutritional supplement retailers. Pierson said such apps would likely still need to comply with HIPAA and other federal and state laws. Given that the apps are voluntary and require consent, they likely would comply with privacy laws, Pierson said. Companies also would need to safeguard information technology security to protect the sensitive information from data breaches. Hackers target health records Digital medical records are a popular target for hackers seeking sensitive health information, bank records and a person's identifiable information such as dates of birth and Social Security numbers. The number of attacks has surged in recent years and are often carried out by organized hackers, often operating overseas, who target the computer systems of health providers and the vendors and companies that serve them. HHS investigates whether breaches involve violations of health information privacy and security laws and publicly reports attacks that affect 500 or more on its website. In July alone, more than two dozen data breaches compromised the records of more than 3 million people, HHS records show. The largest hack in recent years involved the February 2024 attack on UnitedHealth-owned subsidiary Change Healthcare. The attack disrupted the health care industry because doctors and hospitals were unable to collect payments for weeks when computer systems went down.
