Page 13 - Stuart Exposure - August '22

Stuart Exposure, Page 13

CommunItY efforts

Keep Martin Beautiful Spearheaded globally by the Ocean
Encourages Residents To Conservancy, the International Coastal What Volunteers Need To Know
• The International Coastal Cleanup targets beaches, waterways, and
Cleanup has had a significant impact in
Join The International the 35-plus years since its inception. Since parks throughout Martin County.
1986, the event has inspired over 17 million
• Preregistration is required to ensure volunteers are assigned to
Coastal Cleanup Locally volunteers to take action and collect more areas most in need.
than 348 million pounds of trash from • An app is available to track the litter from the cleanup. The unique
As the end of summer approaches, Keep Martin around the world. Just last year, hundreds data-gathering feature of this cleanup records every piece of litter
Beautiful, a local environmental, volunteer-based of thousands of volunteers from over 150 collected.
nonprofit, looks ahead to one of the largest and most countries participated. This is an incredible • Volunteers should wear closed-toe shoes.
impactful events of the year: the International Coastal opportunity for those in our local area to be • Participants will be provided with cleanup supplies and a T-shirt
Cleanup. With Keep Martin Beautiful serving as the local a part of this global movement. (while supplies last).
coordinator, Martin County residents have participated in “Our waterways are the lifeblood of
this unique, global event for more than 25 years. Volunteers our community, and our volunteers are the heart of our community organization founded in 1994 as an affiliate
from around the world unite to remove litter and marine organization. It’s their energy and commitment to the of Keep America Beautiful. Its mission is to preserve and
debris from shorelines and waterways. This year’s cleanup International Coastal Cleanup that makes such a tangible enhance the quality of life in Martin County through litter
will take place at beaches and waterways throughout difference in our community,” explained Keep Martin prevention, the promotion of recycling, improvement of
Martin County on Saturday, Sept. 17 from 8 to 11 a.m. Beautiful Executive Director Tiffany Kincaid. “We are so solid waste management practices, and beautification and
thankful for the hard work put forward by our residents community revitalization activities. KMB signature events
to create a more beautiful environment and county.” and programs include the Environmental Stewardship
Volunteers must preregister online so event coordinators Awards, the International Coastal Cleanup, the Great
can monitor site distribution and prepare supplies prior American Cleanup, the Adopt-A-Road and Adopt-A-Street
to the event. To ensure their cleanup efforts are fully programs, as well as other educational and outreach
recognized, our volunteers are encouraged to download activities. Find KMB on Facebook at facebook.com/
and use the CleanSwell app. This user-friendly app KeepMartinBeautiful, follow KMB on Twitter at twitter.
™
allows volunteers to easily track the litter they collect com/KMBmartin, visit KeepMartinBeautiful.org or call
and report it to the global database. The numbers from the (772) 781-1222.
app are used by scientists and professionals from Ocean
Conservancy to analyze patterns across the world.
The International Coastal Cleanup is also a great
opportunity for environmentally minded businesses and
other supporters to show their commitment to our natural
environment and our community. Sponsors receive
significant exposure through our social media platforms,
digital marketing and promotion of the event, as well as
inclusion of their company logo on volunteer T-shirts. For
sponsorship information contact Keep Martin Beautiful
at (772) 781-1222 or info@keepmartinbeautiful.org.
To register for the cleanup, go to keepmartinbeautiful.
org/international-coastal-cleanup.
Keep Martin Beautiful International Coastal Cleanup About Keep Martin Beautiful
volunteers during the 2021 cleanup at Jensen Beach Keep Martin Beautiful (KMB) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit

A Transfer To Tampa General Hospital

Saved A Palm Beach County Patient’s Life

When K.C. Austin, a resident on Florida’s East “Mr. Austin’s case is about
Coast, was battling the Delta variant of COVID-19, as complex as one can get. The
he was rushed to a Palm Beach County hospital. more eyes on complex cases, the
Soon, he and his family were facing life-or-death better,” said Dr. Kapilkumar Patel,
decisions. director of the Center for Advanced
“K.C. went from playing with the kids, reading Lung Disease and Lung Transplant
them books, going on vacation – to not being able to Program at TGH.
breathe at all. It was so fast,” said Danielle Austin, The team members who worked
wife of Mr. Austin. on Mr. Austin’s case included
In the hospital’s intensive care unit, Mr. Austin pulmonary specialists, critical care
was intubated and went on a ventilator. That specialists, cardiothoracic surgeons,
morning, Mr. Austin sent his wife a text message respiratory therapists, nutritionists,
saying that he thought he was going to die. pharmacists, perfusionists, a
Dr. Ahmed El-Haddad, medical director of the hematologist, a trauma team and
Palm Beach County hospital’s ICU, realized there nurses at his bedside.
was nothing more he could do. His patient needed After eight weeks in a coma, one
extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) day, Mr. Austin woke up.
equipment that takes over the breathing process Mrs. Austin said, “I walked into
and allows a patient’s lungs to rest. But his hospital the room, and he said, ‘Hi.’ And I
didn’t have it to offer. said, ‘Hi. Oh, my gosh. Is this for
“Knowing that there’s something out there that can real?’ I’m forever grateful to all the
help your patient, and you don’t have it, is torture,” teams for realizing, from a human
he said. perspective, that this is a young guy
El-Haddad’s team urgently searched for a hospital with a wife and young children. We
that offered ECMO and could also accept a patient. have to give him a chance.”
Mrs. Austin credits the Tampa General Hospital All the right decisions were made
(TGH) Health Ambassador Program for providing at the right time for Mr. Austin, and
a fast, streamlined transfer process. that continuum of care is why he is
Mr. Austin arrived at TGH in critical condition, alive today. To learn more about the
and as he encountered increasing complications TGH Health Ambassador Program
throughout the treatment process, his condition or to schedule a consult with one of K.C. Austin and his family enjoyed some much needed time away after
was life-threatening. TGH had to deploy a our physicians, call (561) 644-0125. his recovery.
multidisciplinary approach.
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