Ahead of Veterans Day, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Sarasota, filed legislation addressing a disproportionate number of suicides among former service members. He has now sent a letter to the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee calling for consideration of the bipartisan bill. His letter was co-signed by Rep. Gerald Connolly, D-Virg., who co-sponsored the legislation.

The Veteran Overmedication and Suicide Prevention Act would demand the Department of Veterans Affairs to review all veteran deaths by suicide or drug overdose in the last five years. Beyond seeking out patterns and trends, Buchanan believes the data will help develop better treatment for mental health and substance abuse through the VA.

“The high rate of suicide and drug overdose deaths among veterans is unacceptable," Buchanan said. “This legislation is critical to learning if prescription drugs, particularly opioid painkillers, are a contributing factor in veteran suicides. I encourage my colleagues on the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee to pass this bill to further address these untimely deaths.”

The VA reports at least 60,000 veteran deaths by suicide between 2008 and 2017, accounting for about 15% of all suicides in the U.S. over that time.

The Disabled Veterans Empowerment Network said there have already been 6,589 veterans suicides this calendar year. That organization said rates are particularly high among combat veterans from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, conflicts that stretched over most of the last 20 years. By year’s end, the group says there are about 3.9 million veterans of those conflicts. There’s also another 7.2 million veterans of the Vietnam war still alive, many still dealing with mental health issues dating back to their service.

Several veterans groups have endorsed the Buchanan bill, including the Veterans Service Organizations: the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America and AMVETS. “This legislation will help illuminate the seriousness and scope of this causation,” reads a statement from the VFW. “Reducing the number of service members and veterans who die by suicide has been a priority for the VFW and will remain so until it is no longer needed. We must do whatever it takes to save the almost 20 service members and veterans who die by suicide every day.” 

Photo courtesy VA: Patriot Plaza at Sarasota National Cemetery.

Winter is fast approaching in the Sarasota area, lowering the gulf temperature, and calling for wetsuits in order to stay in the water. Founded locally by gulf coast gurfer (girl surfer), Keera Belviy left her long-time career as a hairstylist to create Vital Wetsuits. Built on a passion to bring all-inclusive, grassroots water apparel to the community and industry, the collection caters to women of all shapes, sizes and body types, and, is specifically designed—while keeping the planet in mind—for the temperatures of the Gulf. 

“Being a tall, full-figured woman myself, I was inspired to design wetsuits and swimwear that complimented my frame,” says Belviy. “I knew I couldn't be the only one that had an issue finding proper fitting water apparel. I find it truly essential in this day in age that there be a surf brand showcasing all water women in their truest form.”  

And on top of being a body positive brand, Vital Wetsuits remains mindful of its environmental impact and carbon footprint—shipping all over North America without plastic packaging. Sustainably-made from Yulex, a stretchy textile similiar to neoprene, Belviy sources the FSC-certified renewable material made from rubber trees, noting, she didn't want to contribute to more pollution if she can avoid it. Traditional limestone neoprene, she shares, uses 23x times more kilowatts to manufacturer. Meanwhile, the suit's lining is made from recycled polyester and laminated with solvent free, water-based glue. 

In the collection, turn your attention to the signature Premium Wetsuit Leggings. Equipped with a key pocket, these 2mm-thick leggings prove “vital” to your water adventures when water temps soon dip below 70°F but you still want to go out paddleboarding, diving or surfing.

Comfortable. Warm. Eco-minded. Chic. Functional. All the traits a woman water enthusiast could want in a wetsuit. Your thin Floridian blood will thank you the first cold snap of the season. 

Photo courtesy of Keera Belviy, @vitalwetsuits

Shop Vital Wetsuits here

The Metamorphosis Retreat returns to the Sarasota-Bradenton area for its second iteration February 18-20, 2022. The event is hosted by MTV’s Siesta Key reality star, Chloe Trautman, international artist, Alexis Fraser (a.k.a. Lipstick Lex), and entrepreneur, coach, and speaker, Jen Smith. The dynamic trio, all hailing from different generations, backgrounds, upbringings, and careers paths, set out to offer a unique personal and professional development experience to women from around the country. The team has joined forces with a myriad of partners to deliver a dynamic retreat to give attendees a transformational and safe space to turn inward, connect, and explore health, wellness, mindset, spirituality, self-development, business, and more. Presenters include a thoughtful lineup of professional experts, healers, practitioners, and businesswomen working together to revolutionize thoughts, expand minds, build relationships, network, and level up in all areas of life. 

“We wanted to provide a profound, beautiful weekend away that would offer our fellow women, mothers, wives and entrepreneurs time to reconnect with themselves, connect with each other and learn from the best in order to return home with heaps of inspiration, new contacts and actionable goals to uplevel their lives. For us, it’s about making relationships that last a lifetime and lifting up our guests with real-life stories and knowledge that will undoubtedly help them elevate their confidence and put their dreams into action!” says co-founder Alexis Fraser.

This year, event organizers have partnered with local entrepreneur Amber Duncan and the team at the headquarters of her thriving Bradenton-based subscription styling brand, Jackie, where Saturday and Sunday’s event will be hosted. Meanwhile, presenters include a lineup of professional experts, healers, practitioners, and businesswomen working together to revolutionize thoughts, expand minds, build relationships, network, and level up in all areas of life.

The 2022 Metamorphosis Retreat offers two tiers of tickets, with steeply discounted presale rates starting at $249 for the three-day event being released to the public on Tuesday, November 9 at 10:00am EST. Ticket prices will increase on November 23, 2022.  

Photo courtesy of @themetamorphosisretreat

For more information on the retreat or to purchase tickets, visit themetamorphosisretreat.com

This year’s Neighborhood Toy Store Day will be a celebration of play and supporting local. On Sat., Nov. 13th, Children’s World will join hundreds of locally owned stores across the country to celebrate the annual national Neighborhood Toy Store Day, a celebration in which independent toy shops kick off the holiday season with special events to introduce consumers to the benefits of shopping local. Children’s World will offer fun, child-friendly activities including free craft projects, writing letters to Santa Claus, meeting local children's author Darlien Simos. author of  The Adventures of Scooter and Smack, getting to meet some furry friends from the Humane Society of Sarasota County, and a chance to make a difference by donating blood to the Suncoast Blood Mobile.  As a result, neighborhood toy stores offer a carefully curated product selection and provide trusted recommendations on quality toys that offer good value. Because they needn’t adhere to a national sales plan like major chains, they can customize their offerings to specific community needs. And because they source products from both big-brand manufacturers and small, entrepreneurial companies, they introduce children to a world of toys that, often, can’t be found elsewhere. Neighborhood Toy Store Day takes place on Saturday, November 13, 10am - 4pm at Children's World -  4525 Bee Ridge Rd., Sarasota. 

The Leapfrog Group’s Hospital Safety report cards were released today, and Sarasota Memorial Hospital-Sarasota Campus continued its straight-A streak for keeping patients safe from medical errors, infections, accidents and other harm to patients in their care. The Leapfrog Group assigns hospitals across the nation A, B, C, D or F safety grades in the spring and fall of each year, to help patients choose the safest hospitals for their care. The safety grades are based on more than 30 national performance measures reflecting quality and safety data, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm.SMH-Sarasota has earned straight A’s since it began participating in Leapfrog’s voluntary hospital safety survey in 2016. Of the nearly 3,000 U.S. hospitals graded in the Fall 2021 report card, 32 percent earned an A, 26 percent earned a B, 35 percent earned a C, 6 percent a D and less than 1 percent received an F. Sarasota Memorial Health Care System Chief Medical Officer James Fiorica, MD, said the hospital’s continued high marks demonstrate the dedication and diligence of the entire team.

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Doctors Hospital of Sarasota earns another “A” safety grade from the Leapfrog Group. This is the 15^th time in a row the hospital has earned the distinction. This national award recognizes the hospital for keeping patients safe.

“The past year and eight months have been the most challenging in healthcare. With COVID-19 we had to make quick adjustments as we learned more about the virus. Through it all our caregivers made serving our community safely their top priority,” said Robert Meade, CEO of Doctors Hospital of Sarasota.  

The Leapfrog Group, is an independent national watchdog organization. It assigns “A,” “B,” “C,” “D,” or “F” letter grades to hospitals across the country based on data from errors, injuries, accidents and infections, as well as systems hospitals have in place to prevent harm. Grades are updated twice a year, in the fall and spring. 

Photo of the Leapfrog A Team, courtesy of the hospital

The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art is pleased to announce the opening of As Long as There is Sun, as Long as There is Light. Selections from the Bring Gift and The Ringling Collection of Modern and Contemporary Art. The exhibition will run Nov. 21,2021 – Aug. 13, 2023, in the museum’s Searing Wing. In 2020, The Ringling received a significant gift of art from Murray Bring and Kay Delaney Bring, in support of the modern and contemporary collection. Highlights from the gift include an important minimalist work by Anne Truitt and a monumental work on canvas by Gene Davis, both artists affiliated with the Washington Color School, an art movement during the 1950s to 1970s in Washington D.C., made up of abstract expressionist artists Additional works in the gift represent a generation of prominent artists who work, or have worked, in abstraction, including Clement Meadmore, Jules Olitski, Beverly Pepper, Rebecca Salter, Kenneth Snelson, and Yuriko Yamaguchi, among others. Also on view are sculptures and paintings by distinguished African American and Latin American artists from The Ringling collection, including William Edmondson, Eduardo Mac Entyre, Omar Rayo, Baruj Salinas, and Joyce de Guatemala. Museum guests may view the exhibition, located in the Searing Wing, as part of their museum admission.  

For more information click here

The Van Wezel Foundation (Foundation) announced that after a national search led by WittKieffer, Mark Cole has joined the Foundation’s executive leadership team in the newly created position of Chief Advancement & Marketing Officer. Cole is an accomplished senior philanthropy and marketing executive with over 20 years of experience across education and performing arts organizations. He will drive the transformative fundraising campaign to build the new Sarasota Performing Arts Center on The Bay. 

Cole brings a breadth of artistic and operational expertise from 13 years at Miami City Ballet as their production director, and then general manager. Cole played a critical role in the Ballet’s 5-year strategic plan, philanthropy growth, and marketing rebranding, while also representing the Ballet’s interest as a resident company during the planning, construction and opening of the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts.

“I am pleased to be joining the Foundation at this pivotal moment," says Cole. "I know the future Sarasota Performing Arts Center will have a profound impact in advancing education and enriching our community for generations to come.”