Author: Anu Varma Panchal

Associate Editor Anu Varma Panchal has a master’s degrees in journalism and more than 15 years of experience writing and editing for newspapers and magazines in Illinois, Iowa and Florida. She has lived in Florida for more than 10 years, and enjoys raising her two daughters in Tampa Bay.When Anu isn’t writing or editing for area publications, she’s busy driving her kids to all their music and dance activities. She volunteers regularly in her daughters’ schools and Parent Teacher Associations, and spent a wonderful two years immersed in local history as a volunteer in the Tampa Bay History Museum’s Collections department. Although her idea of the ultimate good time is usually found between the pages of a book, Anu also enjoys yoga, her book club, travel, theater and area food and music festivals.
Sidewalk Safety child walking to school with Dad
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Rules of the Sidewalk: How to ensure that your little ones walk and bike safely

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Anyone whose community participates in National/International Walk to School Day knows what a wholesome sight that morning presents, with little and big kids, parents and entire families strolling down neighborhood sidewalks like a scene from an old-fashioned movie. And it is a wonderful thing, until someone stops paying attention, and something bad happens. BayCare Kids…

BayCare Mobile Medical Clinic is a bus with purpose

A Bus with a Purpose: BayCare’s Mobile Medical Clinic celebrates 20 years of serving area children and families

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In the early 2000s, there was a national push to increase immunization rates for children. In 2004 in Tampa, Florida, St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital responded to the call by putting together the Mobile Medical Clinic (MMC)—a bus with a registered nurse, a nurse practitioner and a program coordinator that drove around to underserved areas. That…

the power of sleep why sleep is important a boy in bed

The Power of Sleep: Why sleep is important and how to make sure your children get enough

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Your children may fight bedtime as strenuously as they can, but here’s the real truth from the mouth of babes: Sixty percent of middle schoolers and 70 percent of high schoolers admit that they do not get adequate sleep. And that’s just awful, according to Dr. Luis Ortiz, a physician at the Sleep Center of…

St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Pagidipati Family donation
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St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Foundation Receives Historic $50 Million Gift from the Pagidipati Family of Tampa

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From humble beginnings to a monumental $50 million donation, the Pagidipati family’s gift to St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital Foundation is a heartwarming testament to their commitment to children’s health and the Tampa community’s future.

Child Life specialists help care for the whole family

Care for the Whole Family: Child Life Specialists

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When Ashlyn Strathman had surgery as a high schooler, it was a member of the hospital’s Child Life team who eased her nerves by giving the teen a hospital tour and teaching her relaxation techniques. Today, with a master’s degree in Child Life Studies, Strathman works at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital in a role that…

Home Fire Safety

Fire Drill: How to Prep Your Family to Prevent and Escape Home Fires

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As we welcome 2024, many of us are filled with exciting new resolutions: To eat healthy, to save money, to exercise. BayCare Kids Wellness and Safety Specialist Michelle Sterling has one other resolution that each one of us can make. The good news is that it’s quick, inexpensive, and can potentially save your life: to change the…

Children's Mental Health

The Most Important Conversations: BayCare Kids introduces a game-changing resource to battle mental health disorders

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Here’s a sobering statistic: During the past three years since the pandemic, the number of kids visiting the Emergency Room at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital for children’s mental health disorders has increased by 300 percent. That’s a three-fold increase. Here’s another number: When it comes to available mental health resources, Florida (one of the most…

Childhood Injury Prevention

Safe September: BayCare Kids safety expert shares tips to prevent injury

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September is all about back-to-school, but it’s also the month set aside for a more sobering “b” word—boo boos. National Childhood Injury Prevention Month is underway No one sees more injuries than the people who work at hospitals. BayCare Kids Wellness and Safety Specialist Michelle Sterling shares the four top injuries health care workers see…

hospital facility dog program

Four Paws and a Heart of Gold: St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital launches new facility dog program with its first four-legged employee

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No one wants to find themselves in a situation where their child has to be admitted to a hospital. But if your family does have to do so, at St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital, you can rest easy knowing that your child is in the hands of some of the country’s most sought-after, highly trained professionals….

gene therapy miracle drug

The Elixir of Life: St. Joseph’s Children’s Hospital administers miracle drug that saves babies from progressive neuromuscular degeneration

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Thanks to a recently approved gene therapy named Zolgensma, the outlook for babies born with SMA has suddenly brightened.