Brandon Regional, South Bay Hospitals Team Up For Women’s Health Care Expo at The Regent

The mission simple and the turnout impressive for the first-ever women’s health-care exposition hosted by Brandon Regional and South Bay hospitals at The Regent on April 16.

Evident is the pent-up demand women have for health discussions and services related to the needs women too often put off or “get to” in between the time they spend tending to families, keeping homes, crafting careers, managing relationships and earning money.

“We decided, ‘Let’s not just do an exhibition, let’s educate women in the process,” said Patty Montgomery, director of marketing and public relations for Brandon Regional Hospital.

The aim, too, was to tackle topics that don’t often get an airing but that women, particularly over age 35, care deeply about. To wit: “Women, Stress and Depression,” “Sex in the 40-Somethings and Beyond” and “Menopause, Hormones, Health and Happiness.”

“Women and sex after 40, that’s something a lot of women don’t talk about or they talk amongst themselves and their questions don’t always get answered,” Montgomery said.

She added that success of the expo’s first year makes it a sure bet that there will be a second expo, and most likely that will be in January.

As Montgomery put it: “New year, new you.”

In the meantime, and throughout the year, she added, Brandon Regional Hospital offers many ways to continue an education in health issues with classes, support groups, events and screenings for men and women and across all ages.

For example, the class, “Menopause, Hormones, Health and Happiness” will be offered May 17 at the Bloomingdale Regional Library, 1906 Bloomingdale Ave. in Valrico, taught by Dr. Ignacio Armas. The “American Cancer Society’s Man-To-Man Support Group,” with spouses welcome, next meets May 3 at the Oakfield Medical Plaza. 

Moreover, Montgomery said, the hospital’s “Consult-A-Nurse” service answers healthcare questions, helps people find a doctor and make an appointment and allows callers to register for classes and events.

The service is free and available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. For information about Brandon Regional Hospital classes and events, and to access Consult-A-Nurse, call the hospital’s health-care referral service at: 1-813-653-1065.

Montgomery noted that the hospital conducts anywhere from four to six lasses a month “and that does not include support groups that meet as well,” which adds another 10 or so support and learning opportunities to the mix.

“We are Brandon and South Bay, your community hospitals,” Montgomery said. “We are here for you when you’re sick but we also want to keep you well. If you’ve had a condition we keep you up-to-date on the information you need. We also give you the education you need to help prevent those conditions from happening.”

Alicia Schulhof, chief operating officer of Brandon Regional Hospital, gave high marks to the Healthy Women, Healthy Community Women’s Expo. “It’s a good day for ourselves,” she told the women in attendance for the expo lunch. Moreover, she said, the event reaffirmed the hospital mission, to “above all else,” strive for the “care and improvement of human life.”

Montgomery noted at the end of the expo that food left over and not yet cooked was donated to A Kid’s Place, a licensed, residential group-care provider,offering a state- of the-art, 60-bed facility for abused, neglected, or abandoned children on 5 acres in Brandon.

Arlene Waldron, a past honorary mayor of  Brandon, said her working helping to organize the expo allowed her to work with a group of women she found extraordinary in their efforts to see the event succeed.

“I’ve really enjoyed meeting them and once you get hooked in with them you don’t stop,” Waldron said. “And the health care businesses I talked to [who signed on as exhibitors] were so excited to participate with the hospital on this."