The Santa Rosa Medical Center has released its updated report featuring the hospital’s statistics from 2022. According to SRMC, there were a total of 241,680 patient encounters with 48,400 ER visits, 4,800 surgeries, 4,200 inpatient admissions, 280 births and 184,000 outpatient visits, including physician clinic visits, procedures and imaging.

Concerned residents of all ages participated in a Suicide Awareness and Prevention Walk from King Middle School to Milton City Hall on Friday, May 19. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among 15-to-24-year-olds and the 11th leading cause of death in the United States. If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of self-harm, please remember that you are not alone. Reach out for help. Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988.

The City of Milton will present its vision for an improved U.S. Highway 90 through downtown during two meetings — beginning at 6 and 7 p.m., respectively — on Thursday, May 25, at City Hall.

Joel Rudman, a family physician, drove to Daytona Beach and back in a single day last week for a three-hour meeting with doctors at Halifax Medical Center, where he did his residency from 1996-1999. It’s all part of the job of representing District 3 in the Florida House of Representatives.

Jason Rogers, Chief of Lifeguard Emergency Medical Services of Santa Rosa County, holds a proclamation by Santa Rosa County Commission Chairman Colten Wright, third from right, declaring May 21-27 Emergency Medical Services Week. Also pictured are, from left, commissioners Kerry Smith and Sam Parker, Lifeguard EMS Operations Supervisor Deana Vess, and commissioners James Calkins and Ray Eddington.

On 640 acres off County Road 182 near Allentown, you’ll find the Jay Research Facility, which is a part of the UF/IFAS West Florida Research and Education Center. UF/IFAS, which stands for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, is a federal-state-county partnership dedicated to developing knowledge in agriculture, human and natural resources, and the life sciences, and enhancing the quality of human life by making that information accessible. The college has a dozen research facilities across the state.

The temporary suspension of recycling services in Santa Rosa County has been extended. Emerald Coast Utility Authority’s Materials Recycling Facility remains closed as it hires and trains additional personnel and will not be receiving mixed recyclables for processing. Operations are now expected to resume Monday, June 12.

During the School Board meeting on May 16, Santa Rosa County District Schools Media Services and Instructional Technology Specialist Ruth Witter highlighted the School Board’s policies and procedures related to selecting, reviewing, and challenging school library materials. These policies and procedures guide the district’s library media specialists in selecting age-appropriate, legally compliant library collections that engage students and provide opportunities for stakeholders to challenge materials they deem objectionable.

Christopher Ferrara apparently plans to do exactly what he said he’d do.

There are 13,600 children who face food insecurity in the county, according to Santa Rosa County District Schools. That doesn’t include those whose families struggle to afford necessities like clothing. Rather than sitting by and saying too bad, school board member Linda Sanborn has started a new program to address the needs of those students who may not have what they need to be successful in the classroom and in life.