Q1-St.Lucie North Living-Vol.561

When it comes to nding medical

trust

OPENING SOON! Aunt G’s Kitchen

Fort Pierce’s Best Place to Take a Date

It’stime to go on that long overdue date! Maybe your night on the town will be spent with a loving spouse, or maybe it will be a whole family affair. Whatever you have in mind, why not try something completely different? Introducing Aunt G’s Kitchen — a unique Italian restaurant/coffee and dessert café that will impress even the nickiest of appetites!

The owner of the new restaurant, OJ Molinaro, is excited to bring his experience and family recipes to Fort Pierce when Aunt G’s Kitchen opens later this month. Originally a Canadian resident, OJ began in the restaurant and food industries 47 years ago when he became part of his uncle’s pizza empire, Molinaro’s Pizza. Of course, OJ knows what it takes to create a rst-rate pizza! Quality ingredients and a well-crafted crust make what OJ refers to as “pizza worth eating.” He continues, “To me, a good pizza is when you take a slice, it stays rm, [and] it doesn’t fold.”

Today, OJ is eager to welcome the Ft. Pierce community to his rst Florida restaurant, which will feature not only delicious pizza, but also a full menu of other tasty items, including specialty coffees, homemade desserts, and beer and wine service. “When you walk into the restaurant, you will see our gelato display case, which includes 20 different types of cones to choose from,” explains OJ, who can’t wait for his customers to try his made-from-scratch, authentic Italian gelato. So, be sure to save room for one of Aunt G’s deep-fried gelato sundaes!

Always Homemade

Aunt G’s Kitchen has a patio/coffee and dessert café on one side, and a dining room on the other, which offers something for everyone. The menu includes a variety of appetizers, pizzas, pastas, dinner items, and tantalizing desserts… all made from scratch! Even the salad dressing is homemade!

Indeed, Aunt G’s Kitchen is named after OJ’s Aunt — Glida Bosco — who immigrated from Italy and is the inspiration behind many of the awardwinning recipes used at Aunt G’s Kitchen. The signature menu item, Pasta Prosciutto, is a baked masterpiece consisting of delicious layers of lasagna noodles,

By Gina Zuk

prosciutto, and cheese rolled together and topped with cream. Leave your diet expectations at home!

The restaurant will also feature specials, such as the “pizza square,” which includes a square-shaped personal pan pizza and a soda for just $5.00. Additionally, at Aunt G’s Kitchen, Monday will become your new Friday, as the restaurant will feature all-youcan-eat mussels on “Mussel Mondays.”

Get ready to enjoy extraordinary homemade recipes at Aunt G’s Kitchen, which will be open for business in a few short weeks. It’s sure to become Fort Pierce’s best place to take any type of date!

Aunt G’s Kitchen is located in the Sabal Palm Plaza at 2321 South U.S. Highway 1 in Fort Pierce. The restaurant will be open for dine-in and take-out services on Sunday-Thursday from 11AM to 9PM and FridaySaturday from 11AM to 10PM. For more information, or to learn about employment opportunities, call 772-3323378

personality

does very good work and is very reassuring and explain what he is doing. I’ve never felt more comfortable. He xed my broken front tooth and made me smile again. He’s amazing! And the staff and dental assistant are all awesome.”

Get The Wet

For What It’s Worth by

It appears that my last two columns regarding the di culty which many patients are facing when attempting to make an appointment with their physician, or attempting to get someone to call them back regarding their medical issues, from doctors who are employed by the large hospital(s) in our communities have struck a nerve. I am used to receiving responses (thank you very much) from some of my articles, but never have I received so many at one time, and they keep coming. I thought this was a big problem for me personally, but apparently, it is an even larger problem than I thought. e emails that I have received are upsetting and at times heartbreaking. Elderly people without a doctor, when their physician of many years suddenly takes a leave of absence or retires, with no one to replace them. People who have to wait months, some nearly a year, to get on their physician’s schedule for treatment, some without the resources to know where to turn, and without guidance from the very institution with which they placed their trust.

In my opinion, and the opinion of others, the system is broken. We all deserve better than this. When people are sick, when people are hurting, when people expect to be treated, and are turned down, they feel abandoned, lost, bewildered, and angry. What’s worse, many of you have asked me to help. I wish I could, but like you, I don’t know where to turn. Still, since I have some public

Dr. Melfi, Ph.D.

voice, and a conscience that realizes we all have to do our part to help, I reached out to the hospital to see if they employed a patient advocate who could eld all the calls/complaints and frustrations, and guess what? I found a department that allegedly can help. It is known as the Patient Experience O ce, and the phone number is 772-223-4995. A er two phone calls and several hours later, my call was returned by a very nice woman who was willing to give me the opportunity to voice my concerns. She said she understood the frustration of having to wait for appointments for months, or having a doctor who no longer works there, nor replaced, leaving patients without a physician. She told me her o ce is open to any and all concerns, and she does what she can to allay those concerns, and will contact individual physician o ces to attempt to get earlier appointments.

When I asked her why there is such a long wait to get appointments, even for long-standing patients with doctors of record, she said that with the growth of the community and the large in ux in the population coming to Florida, there are simply not enough doctors to see patients. I nd that answer truthful, but frankly, unacceptable. She also stated that many doctors have le this facility, and have not been replaced, but that they are “working on it.” I don’t doubt what she says is true, but why are doctors’ leaving, and by leaving, I mean leaving our community unattended? Something has to change. is should not be accepted

as the new normal. Sick people need to get well, it’s as simple as that. e question is, how can we do that without appointments or physicians? I am all for nurse practitioners. I am a nurse, rst and foremost, but nurses are not doctors, regardless of how intelligent they are (and they are!).

As well, I reminded the woman I spoke with that at the least, the front line of sta workers elding calls should be held to a higher standard of professionalism, by being kind, considerate and courteous, not rude and dismissive, like some of you have encountered. She agreed. So how much can she help? I don’t know, but personally, I still have to wait until the end of August to see my physician, even though I have been a patient of his for the past ten years.

For What It’s Worth, l appreciated her empathy on behalf of all of us, but it didn’t get me into my doctor any sooner. Maybe a few letters to the administration would be the incentive for change. en again, maybe not.

51 Boston team, for short DOWN

1 Day light?

2 “-- Had a Hammer”

3 Relating to Plato’s teacher

4 Dugout seating

5 Plumbing woe

6 Einstein’s birthplace

7 CBS logo

8 Semitic language

9 Region

10 Sediment

11 Seeger or Sampras

16 Winslet of “Titanic”

19 Pen uids

20 “Huh?’

21 Sitarist Shankar

22 Odometer reading

23 On the rocks

25 Cracker spread

26 Natives of Rome

27 Poet Sandburg

28 Young foxes

30 Borscht veggie

33 Gushes with pride

34 Street edge

36 Bakery array

37 Canyon sound 38 Incite

39 Actor’s quest 40 Gulf War missile

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By Gabby Gregory

medical MARIJUANA Is

just more…FAKENEWS?

Bynow, you’ve likely heard the almost miracle-like anecdotes from “patients” on the news about medical marijuana as it becomes more mainstream. When I hear these stories, I have to wonder: are they legitimate? I had to know the TRUTH, so I arranged to sit down with Dr. Anne Lynn Morgan, the Chief Medical Of cer at MMJ Health, Florida’s top-rated medical marijuana doctor’s of ce.

Many people don’t know that medical marijuana is legal in Florida, let alone readily available at over 250 in-state dispensaries (imagine a pharmacy speci cally for medical marijuana). For years, pop culture has depicted marijuana primarily as a recreational drug, but there’s more to the plant than what’s shown on the silver screen. Since its legalization, medical marijuana’s profound effects have changed the lives of countless Floridians. Dr. Morgan, as Florida’s top rated Medical Marijuana Specialist, is responsible for much of this positive impact. Indeed, she and the staff at MMJ Health were honored to be named by The Palm Beach Post as the “Best Medical Marijuana Card Provider” for their level of service and ef cacy in 2020!

Additionally, Dr. Morgan is an expert in the eld of medical marijuana, and is among one of the most respected clinicians in the industry. She sits on the board of directors for the American Academy of Cannabis Medicine, is a member of the International Cannabinoid Research Society, and is considered to be one of the industry’s highest-rated cannabis clinicians (no pun intended). Dr. Morgan has been in practice for 33 years and was the former Medical Director for United Health, Metropolitan Health, and Humana.

Dr. Morgan has been practicing marijuana medicine speci cally for the last 9 years, with licenses in Florida, Washington, and Pennsylvania. After years of education, research, and hands-on experience, Dr. Morgan attests to the relief medical marijuana brings to people, saying, “We have found that we have over a 90% success rate with medical cannabis.”

Dr. Morgan explains that medical marijuana patients at MMJ Health, rather than experiencing psychoactive effects or feeling high, nd relief from various medical conditions, including anxiety, depression, insomnia, arthritis, cancer, IBS, epilepsy, PTSD, autoimmune disorders, migraines, Parkinson’s, ADHD, Fibromyalgia, dementia, Alzheimer’s, and more. Medical marijuana is not for getting high, it’s for feeling better! How does it work? It’s simple –THC and CBD.

THC and CBD are two chemical compounds that come from the marijuana plant and affect the endocannabinoid system, the human body’s natural system for processing cannabis. “The endocannabinoid system’s reason for existing is to keep our bodies in homeostasis, i.e. healthy and balanced. Cannabis can positively affect so many systems in the body that are not being managed properly by pharmaceuticals,” says Dr. Morgan. Many of MMJ’s patients, since using medical cannabis, have been able to drastically reduce their prescription medication regimen, or have stopped taking prescriptions altogether!

Marijuana is still classi ed as a Schedule 1 substance federally, but Dr. Morgan explains, “It’s not what you think… Medical marijuana is not a narcotic. In fact, after using medical marijuana, many of our patients have reduced taking narcotics and/or opiates without even being asked!”

Medical marijuana is not like anything sold on the street... it’s completely safe! When you get your marijuana from a dispensary, you don’t have to worry about whether it was adulterated. Dr. Morgan clari es, “Florida has very stringent rules about how medical marijuana is grown and prepared, so you know it’s clean, pesticide-free, and has no bacteria or viruses.”

Medical marijuana has become a go-to for doctors across the nation to give their patients relief from a myriad of conditions without having to worry about the severe side effects associated with many pharmaceuticals. For the patients at MMJ Health, medical marijuana is 100% making a difference in their everyday lives. The stories are real. Dr. Morgan says that it is not uncommon for patients to cry, hug, and thank her because they are feeling better than ever since using medical cannabis. Dr. Morgan has seen the results, and she urges anyone and everyone to consider trying medical marijuana.

MMJ Health is at the forefront of technology, so nding out if you qualify for a medical marijuana card is super simple! The MMJ Patient Quali cation System, accessible at www.mmjhealth.com, allows you to nd out in minutes whether you qualify. If you do, then the MMJ Health of ce will contact you. MMJ Health has all of the resources necessary to get your health back on track!

So the real question now is: why wait? MMJ Health is the only all-inclusive medical marijuana of ce in Florida, so you can get quali ed for your medical marijuana card in one visit. The friendly and knowledgeable staff will ll out the tricky government application for you, take your ID photo in their of ce, and submit all of your paperwork to the Florida Health Department. The only thing you have to do once you leave their of ce is wait for your card!

“You shouldn’t have to suffer… medical cannabis can help you! We are real doctors who provide real results,” says Dr. Morgan. The expert staff at MMJ Health encourages you to “Please come and see the MMJ Health difference. We care, we make a difference as a team, and we know our cannabis medicine. Isn’t it time to live your life the way you want, symptom and side-effect free?”

MMJ Health is located at 600 Sandtree Drive in Suite 108 in Palm Beach Gardens. MMJ Health also has locations in West Palm Beach, Port St. Lucie, Stuart, Melbourne, Wellington, Boynton Beach, and Boca Raton. Their of ces are open Mondays-Fridays from 9AM-7PM and Saturdays-Sundays from 10AM-7PM. For more information, please call 561-631-7994 or 772-212-4032, or visit www.mmjhealth.com.

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