According to the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, Florida ranks No. 32 in the nation with a score of 2.00 and a grade of C- for women’s overall health and well-being. The fact is, Florida women aren’t in the top 10 on any of the tracked statistics. Let’s face it, women are caretakers of others and rarely themselves.
The second annual Women’s Wellness Invitational, presented by Cigna, HCA and Fifth Third Bank, set out to change that, both from an action and education perspective. (Photos below)
The day focused on mind, body, spirit, financial and emotional well-being, each of which is part of the whole that we are, as women, made up of. And, while in jest it’s a spoof on a golf tournament for men, there’s nothing really funny about the revelations of the day.
TBBW partnered with the Norman Clayman Endocrine Institute to provide complimentary thyroid cancer screenings. Thyroid cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, and yet it isn’t part of the recommendations received from our doctors for annual screenings and usually isn’t covered by insurance. Once again, the outcomes were shocking.
Fifty of the 60 women in attendance were screend. Of those, 30 women (60%) showed a thyroid abnormality of some sort. Of those 30, 7 were suspected of thyroid cancer. So, 14 percent of the total women screened had suspicious findings and will likely require surgery. In 2022, 43 women chose to be screened and from that 5, ultimately, had thyroid cancer.
In addition to those important thyroid screenings, the Advent Health Mobile Mammography bus made it easy to be screened for breast cancer. The bus was onsite at the SHRHCT and 16 of the 60 women signed up to receive their annual mammogram that day.
A sold-out crowd of 60 women gather in foursomes each year, with the intention of self-care, even if only for a single day. The morning starts with a healthy breakfast and a heaping helping of information. This year’s panelists spanned doctors, health insurance executives and bankers focused specifically on women and their overall health.
Panelists included. Rashmi Roy, Director of Thyroid Surgical Services at the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery, Melynda Bosch, MSW, LCSW, Behavioral Clinical Strategist for Cigna Healthcare and Kristina Marasia, Vice President, Portfolio Manager for Fifth Third Private Bank.
The panel was followed by a keynote address from the world-renowned Neen James, author of Attention Pays and Folding Time. She has been named one of the Top 30 Leadership Speakers by Global Guru several years in a row because of her work with companies like Viacom, Comcast, and Virtuoso Travel, among others. James, an Executive Strategist and Luxury Expert, shared how we could prioritize our goals, the power of a 15-minute system and how to pay attention to who and what matters most. She was inspiring.
Upon the conclusion of the speaker series, guests entered the sanctuary of the spa to personal lockers and custom robes, courtesy of Older Lundy Law.
