The Florida Department of Health in Marion County has a new Community Health Improvement Plan. A year-long effort to craft the plan produced the four strategic areas of Healthy Aging, Access to Care, Wellness and Primary Prevention, and Behavioral Health. Craig Ackerman, operations director of DOH-Marion County, said specific goals …
Read More »Hidden violence: Elder abuse was already hard to track – then a pandemic made it more difficult
Amy Thomas wasn’t new to social work. She had been helping vulnerable children and adults for more than 20 years when she started working at Elder Options, a Gainesville-based nonprofit designated by the government to serve elders in 16 north-central Florida counties. What was new to Thomas was the COVID-19 …
Read More »The Point, April 24, 2023: 100-year-old house moved across Gainesville
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Photos: 100-year-old house moved across Gainesville. “The project was organized by Tyler Smith and Roberta Lopez to move the more than 100-year-old home two miles to a plot of land …
Read More »Six-week abortion ban moves through Florida Senate despite Democratic efforts
Florida Senate Democrats attempted to ease restrictions during session Thursday on a bill proposing a six-week abortion ban, but 18 amendments failed. SB 300, also known as the “Heartbeat Protection Act,” would make it illegal for a medical professional to knowingly terminate a pregnancy six-weeks after a woman’s last period. …
Read More »The Point, March 27, 2023: Gator Fly-In honors military at Gainesville Regional Airport
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Gator Fly-In returns to Gainesville for Armed Services Day. “Members of the media got a chance to fly in the clouds above The Swamp. It’s a day meant to commemorate …
Read More »The Point, March 2, 2023: Woman with ‘deplorable’ home conditions could never own animals again
Subscribe to The Point, arriving in your inbox Monday through Friday at 8 a.m. The stories near you • WUFT News: Woman accused of animal cruelty faces potentially never owning another animal. “Patricia Garibaldi is accused of cruelty toward animals — her 15 cats — which were found living in ‘deplorable’ …
Read More »National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day
Tuesday is National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NBHAAD). It was first observed in 1999 to acknowledge how HIV disproportionately affects Black people. The Florida Department of Health in Citrus County is offering free, rapid HIV testing. Spokesperson Amy Douglas says the goal is to stop the spread of the disease. …
Read More »Do you have what it takes to join the Alachua County Crisis Center?
From 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays, Lindsey Jones oversees the funding of University of Florida research projects as a grant administrator. Back in December of 2021, she would set aside four hours at home and wait for the phone to ring, ready to help the distressed person who …
Read More »‘I don’t care what she says’: Prosecutor says ex-congressional candidate mischaracterizes agreement in hacking case
Former Florida congressional candidate and fired pandemic health manager Rebekah Jones agreed in a court document to admit she was guilty of a hacking-related felony. But she now disputes prosecutors’ claims that she illegally used a government messaging service to send mass texts criticizing Gov. Ron DeSantis’ handling of the …
Read More »A Jonesville man’s story challenges the logic of Florida’s process to award a marijuana license to a Black farmer
It highlights a paradox: To win a license intended to remedy historic inequalities in wealth and access, you might need to be rich and well-connected.
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