University of South Florida Health has received a $14 million grant from the Florida Legislature to conduct a traumatic brain injury research study. Researchers at the Morsani College of Medicine will conduct a five-year clinical research study to help determine if hyperbaric oxygen therapy can ease the symptoms of traumatic brain injury in Florida’s veteran, active duty and reserve service members. The initial phase of the clinical trial is underway.
Bayfront Health St. Petersburg officials recently awarded over $200,000 in community grants for the 2024 cycle. Recipients include EPIC’s Food and Personal Needs Pantry, the Healthy Start Coalition of Pinellas County, Rebuilding Together Tampa Bay, and several other organizations and initiatives. The Bayfront Health Community Grant Program’s priorities are supporting access to care, behavioral health and physical and nutritional wellness.
The National Weather Service recently reported that Tampa’s 76.6-degree average temperature in 2023 was the hottest recorded since 1890. The previous benchmark, 76.4 degrees, occurred in 2023. St. Petersburg’s 76.5-degree average was also the warmest since official records began in 2014.
St. Petersburg city officials are proactively preparing for residential flooding in low-lying areas ahead of an approaching cold front. Three sandbag distribution sites are open until 6 p.m., with crews offering door-to-door delivery in the flood-prone Shore Acres and Riviera Bay neighborhoods. Weather conditions will deteriorate Monday night, with flooding expected Tuesday afternoon. For sandbag locations, visit the website here.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won their third straight NFC South title with a 9-0 road win Sunday over the Carolina Panthers. The Bucs finished their first season in the post-Tom Brady era with a 9-8 record. New quarterback Baker Mayfield earned over $1 million in incentives by securing a playoff berth. Tampa Bay and the Philadelphia Eagles will cap the NFL’s “Super Wild Card Weekend” at 8 p.m. Monday, Jan. 15, at Raymond James Stadium.
United Kingdom-based DataCentre Magazine recently published a list of the world’s leading data center startups. Lonestar Data Holdings, headquartered at St. Petersburg’s Maritime and Defense Technology Hub, ranked third. Lonestar plans to deploy data centers on the Moon, and its first mission launches Jan. 12.
Saurabh Sanon, a structural interventional cardiologist at HCA Florida Largo Hospital, recently became Florida’s first healthcare provider to remove a patient’s heart tumor using a catheter. The procedure is significantly less invasive than open-heart surgery. The local patient was the nation’s 10th to undergo the procedure, first performed in 2022.
Personal finance website WalletHub recently released its “Best Cities for Job 2024” report by comparing 180 cities across 31 key job-market strength indicators. Tampa placed second to Scottsdale, Arizona, while St. Petersburg ranked 30th. The Sunshine City’s socioeconomics scored lowest (53rd) in socioeconomic metrics.
Digital Inclusion St. Pete is collecting gadgets to support people who do not have access to technology, and help to bridge the digital divide. Residents can drop off unused electronics such as old mobile phones, laptops and printers at the Foundation for a Healthy St. Pete (2333 34th St. S.) Jan. 6 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg announced the appointment of Kimberly G. Jackson, Esq., as Chair of its Board of Directors for the 2024-2025 term. Jackson has served on the YMCA's Board of Directors since early 2018 and has a background in law, education and advocacy. She currently serves as Executive Director at the Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions (ISPS).
Personal finance website WalletHub released its “Best and Worst Cities for Keeping your New Year’s Resolutions” report Wednesday, and St. Petersburg ranked 31st. However, the city placed 11th out of 180 cities for school and work resolutions and 16th in the health category. WalletHub’s researchers believe residents will have difficulty improving bad habits as St. Petersburg ranked 137th in metrics that included binge drinking, marijuana use, access to opioids and sleep inadequacies.
Attorneys for Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital (JHACH) presented extensive evidence showing what they considered juror misconduct in the so-called “Take Care of Maya” trial. Judge Hunter Carrol briefly interviewed the jury’s foreman in a Sarasota County courtroom Wednesday and determined that Paul Lengyel did not violate orders. The St. Petersburg hospital’s attorneys will continue to seek a mistrial after a jury awarded Maya Kowalski and her family $261 million for false imprisonment, severe emotional distress and several other allegations related to the girl’s October 2016 stay at JHACH.
