Tampa Bay Times from St. Petersburg, Florida • P2

2 unda A pr il 7 20 13 ampa ay imes PSC Times Re commends For municipal elections, the ampa Bay Times has made the ollowing candidate recommendations or City Council seats in largest cities: New or Richey (T wo seats) Chopper Da vis Rose M. Moh Zephyrhills Seat 1: ent Compton Seat 3: Lance Smith Co rr ec ti on Due to an editing error a Ma ch 29 candidate reply from New Po rt Richey Council candidate on Tietz ay ha ve been unclear he correc statement is, hen someone buys a home here, they should eceive an informational packet that talks about debris pickup, our libraries, rec center public works projects, city parks, anoe launches, bik trails, and how to become part of our community to keep it vibrant and safe. ta mpab ay om pinion In addition to bringing home larger salaries which means additional personal spending and added overnment tax receipts degree-earners also are less likely to smoke, abuse alcohol, commit crimes or rely on public assistance benefits Tha translates to nearly $3 million a year sa vings in health care and government expenses to the community at large, the tudy said. he data, part of a statewide study of the Florida College System, is an at tempt by an under- appreciated community resource to quantify its financial value. I is partic ularly well-timed considering the ongoing budget work in allahassee where the stat colleges are seeking a three-year $360 million increase, including $22 illion this year for the lowest-funded schools like PHCC.

Mo st of asco He nando Community Colleg mission is well- doc umented it provides access to a high-quality postsecondar education and has done so for four decades. Currently nearly 18,000 tudents at tend classes on four campuses with a fif th under construc tion in esley Chapel. Ne bachelor degree programs in nursing and applied sciences will begin in 201 4, the same year the orter campus at Wiregrass Ranch is scheduled to open. And, to reflect its xpanding academics, the college is seeking to rebrand itself with a new name that has yet to be chosen. Certainly the college educational, ultural and entertainment oppor tunities are sig- nificant quality of life benefits for both counties.

ore importantly asco ernando Community College and the entire 2 8- college system are cornerstones of their mmunities. Across the state, 93 percent of the tudents remain in Florida after completing their schooling It means the public invest- ent sta ys local with alumni remaining in the area where the work as teachers, nurses, medical technicians, dental hygienists, police of ficers and other professionals with whom the community interacts routinely And, as the tudy from I daho-based Economic odeling Specialists I ntl. points out, it is a high value interaction that contributes significantly to the bot tom line of the regio econom y. College brings great alue to local econom he asco ernando Community College ascot is a conquistador but a bet ter identity ight be a dollar sign. he college, according to a recently released study contributes $240 million annually to the asco and ernando econo- ies through payroll, other college spending and the igher wages earned its graduates.

On a verage, a person ith an associate degree can earn $8,200 a year a ove the annual income of a employee ith a high school or equivalency diploma. Ti me ed itoria ls Gues column r. Rao usun uru Drug shortage crisis orsening I am not an expert on healthcare deliver but I know enough to realize that ha ving insurance does not equate to obtaining adequate health care. I witness daily the devastating effects of nationwide prescription drug shortages while tr y- ing to provide prudent health care to hospitalized patients. This happens if the patient has ex ellent insurance coverage or can af ford to write a big check for proper care.

Un fortunately ome these shortages ha ve involved intravenous terile medications for treatment of life-threatening conditions in a critical care setting sometimes without an adequate alternate choice. The nited States overn- ment is a ware that the prescription drug shortages nearly tripled between 2005 and 2010 and shortages are becoming more severe and more frequent in spite of resident October 2011 executive order to address the problem and the resulting actions from the ood and Drug Administration. eople may understandabl assume that the real reason for the shortage is corporate greed. Ev en hough the manufac tur- ers are in the business to make a profit, most of the time the shortage is because of an unprepared and unexpected imbalance between supply and demand. rice ouging is mostly the result of a shortage (through secondar markets) rather than the reason for the shortage.

nlike other industries (for xample, gasoline) the consumption of necessar medications cannot decrease in proportion to reduced upplies or increased prices. Real causes for prescription drug shortage can be many Ma ufacturing problems, including regulator actions for maintenance of quality; produc tion delays including shortage of raw materials or components; increased demand; distribution disruptions and corporate decisions to discontinue the produc line. or example, the patent runs out for the brand name and the eneric industr works with ver low profit margins and canno accommodate market ariations. A lso, for the anufacture there is no penalty for producing too lit tle of a prescription drug but there is potentially a high cost for producing too much of the drug because of a relatively limited shelf life. In these cir cu mstances, the distributors are also protec ted from penalties of failure to supply I rrespective of the cause, the prescription drug shor tage is as significant and life threatening as any other public health problem.

Mo st of the time it is unrecognized by the public and it deser ves the concer ted at ten- tion and concentrated action of the government to influence the pharmaceutical industr in several positive a nd preemptiv ways, without compromises in the quality and cost. Tha should not be a big challenge for our overnment, which accomplished a similar goal in the past with accines. We the people ha ve elected members of Congress to comfor and protect our lives. Will they ou ha ve a right to a sk. Will you? Dr Rao Musunuru is a Bayonet oint cardiologist.

Musunuru ELIVER Call to subscribe, report delivery problems, or billing inquiries, vacation hold or other customer service. For redelivery of paper call 6 a.m.- 10 a.m. and Sun. 7 a.m.- 11 a.m. Po rt asco 7 27) 849-433 8 esley Chapel oll-F ree 1-800-333 -7 50 5 WITCHBO ARD Po rt asco 7 27) 849-0044 esley Chapel (813) 909-4600 elecommunications device or the hearing impaired 7 27) 869-6205 NE WS asco News (7 27) 869-623 8 esley Chapel Bureau (813) 909-460 6 eddings 8 00) 333 -7 505 ext.

87 3 5 Po rt Richey AX 7 27) 869-623 3 esley Chapel AX (813) 909-4611 MAIL THE ASCO TIMES ST AFF Bridget Hall Grumet Editor C. T. Bowen Editor of editorials inda Raab North Suncoast arketing manager Jim Thompson Regional i rculation a nager North ncoast uby Sidoff Pa co advertising a nager AD VER TISIN lassified Retail esley Chapel (813) 909-4603 (813) 909-4603 Port Richey (727) 869-6272 (727) 869-6219 Internet (727) 892-2237 Obituaries (800) 333 -7 505 t. 85 18 tampaba y. co Pa sco imes Po rt Richey Of fice 11321 U.S.

19 Po rt Richey, FL 34668 esley Chapel Of fice 26240 Golden Maple Loop esley Chapel, FL 33543.