Happy New Year! 2018 is going to be another great year! We celebrate our major partner, Tampa General Hospital, who has supported us for 25 years. We are looking forward to working even more closely with Tampa General and their new CEO, John Couris, as we strive to improve the health and overall wellness of children and adults through prevention education.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recently released new guidelines to identify high blood pressure in children aged 3 years and older in the September issue of Pediatrics. One in thirty children in the United States suffers from hypertension, and the condition is often underdiagnosed in the primary care setting. According to Penn State Health, 75% of cases are actually missed resulting in a foregone opportunity to begin a treatment program. 

We are pleased to kick off the new year by highlighting Mauri Arnold, one of our very favorite instructors. Mauri joined MORE HEALTH in 2013 after being a stay-at-home mother for sixteen years. While volunteering at Wilson Middle School, she met a MORE HEALTH instructor who shared our mission and encouraged her to submit a resume. MORE HEALTH sounded like a perfect fit given Mauri's background in elementary education and passion for children and healthy living. For Mauri, it was a dream job come true!

In 2016, 3,450 people were killed because of distracted driving. Currently 47 states ban texting while driving a vehicle, and 15 states ban the use of handheld mobile phones while driving. Sadly, Consumer Reports "The Dangers of Driving While Distracted" determined that drivers were willing to continue texting while driving even while agreeing in surveys that law enforcement should enforce texting restrictions.