Best of the Bay: Health Care
Your health is important. That is why readers throughout the Tampa Bay area will want to get to know more about the “Best of the Bay” doctors and medical services available to them in the areas where they live. In this issue, Destination Tampa Bay magazine is introducing a new series that will give readers valuable information about well-qualified and caring doctors who provide specialized services to area residents.
Because of Florida’s excellent climate and competitive tax structure, some of the best trained physicians in a variety of fields choose to make their homes here in Tampa Bay. Whatever specialty you are looking for, you’re bound to find it in the Tampa Bay area.
Information about hospitals and Urgent Care facilities also may be included in future issues, as will information about medical schools and specialized training for those working in the health care field who assist physicians and who help those who are ill or injured return to good health. Dental care also is a part of the health care available in Tampa Bay, and future issues will include some of the “Best of the Bay” dentists as well.
Dr. Robert J. Entel, MD, MPH, FACR, one of the area’s leading radiologists, has graciously agreed to serve as a medical advisor to Destination Tampa Bay as the magazine develops this new concept. (See the article about him in this issue.) In the future, we plan to develop a panel of experts who will join in providing valuable advice to assist us in recognizing the “Best of the Bay” in health care.
Our continuing series, entitled “Best of the Bay Health Care,” introduces some of the well-qualified and caring doctors who provide specialized services to area residents. The high caliber of medical services that residents enjoy is one of the reasons that this is a great place to call home. Hospitals and Urgent Care facilities are located within a short driving distance from virtually every nook and cranny of Pinellas County, and the doctors who are on staff are second to none.
In this issue, we introduce Dr. Lisa A. Whims-Squires, D.O., a specialist in sleep disorders who is the Medical director of the Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine Clinic at Morton Plant Hospital at Bardmoor and the Morton Plant Mease Sleep Clinic at Countryside Hospital. After 20 years specializing in this field, Dr. Whims-Squires currently educates medical personnel and community members on causes of sleep apnea, restless leg syndrome and other sleep-related issues.
While sleep disorders have long been a problem, it is only in recent years that the importance of a good night’s sleep has been credited with so much importance in the health and well-being of medical patients. New research offers great hope for treatment of a wide variety of sleep issues.
Also in this issue, we present one of the state’s pioneers in minimally invasive posterior hip replacement surgery. Dr. John Killgore of Orthopaedic Associates of West Florida. He began his career working with his father, Dr. William Kilgore, who performed the first hip transplant in the Clearwater area. Now, Dr. John Kilgore is credited with bringing computerized mapping technology for hip replacements to Florida in 2004 and has since trained hundreds of medical professionals on the computer-assisted posterior approach for Stryker hip replacements. He says the mapping tool he uses can enable a surgeon greater potential accuracy in positioning and, therefore, greater stability of the hip joint to minimize dislocation.
The medical professionals who are featured in this issue are leaders in their fields. We plan to expand this section in future issues to include information about hospitals and other medical facilities as well as about medical schools and specialized training for those working in health care who assist physicians by helping patients who are ill or injured return to good health. Future issues may include some of the “Best of the Bay” dentists as well as holistic care specialists.
We plan to develop a panel of experts who will join provide valuable advice to assist us in recognizing the “Best of the Bay” in health care. Our appreciation goes to Dr. Robert J. Entel, MD, MPH, FACR, one of the area’s leading radiologists, who has graciously agreed to serve as a medical advisor to Destination Tampa Bay as the magazine develops this new concept.
If you are a physician or a provider of health care services who would like to be considered for this special section, please contact Destination Tampa Bay at 727-726-2679, ext. 15 or email us at bestofbayhealthcare@destinationtampabay.com . You can also submit an article at www.DestinationTampaBay.com.
