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First UNF MedNexus students finish first term
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin and MedNexus Executive Director David Szymanski presented the students with new lab coats during an afternoon ceremony.
JONATHAN SIMMONS
NEWS EDITOR
The first cohort of students at the University of North Florida MedNexus in Palm Coast’s Town Center has completed its first semester.
MedNexus, dedicated to higher education for health care professionals like nurses and therapists, opened this past fall term with 21 undergraduate prelicensure nursing students and held a “Scrub Day” ceremony on Dec. 7 to mark their successful completion of the semester.
Palm Coast Mayor David Alfin and MedNexus Executive Director David Szymanski — who stepped down from his position as president of UNF to take the MedNexus role — presented the students with new lab coats during the afternoon ceremony.
“I can’t tell you what a wonderful milestone that is, to see those bright, shining, happy faces,” Alfin said during a Dec. 7 City Council meeting. “These are ... nursing students who will now be available to serve our community here locally. Another example of how we are working to ... provide opportunities to those younger residents of the city of Palm Coast.”
MedNexus involves a partnership between the city, UNF, Daytona State College, AdventHealth and others to provide higher education opportunities for local students interested in health care careers.
The students in the Palm Coast Nursing Scholars program are expected to graduate in the summer of 2023, according to UNF Media Relations Director Ginny Walthour.
UNF hopes to admit another 21 for the Fall 2022 term.
Class sizes are limited by the number of local clinical spots available in area hospitals, Walthour said.
MedNexus plans to admit at least another 24 freshmen nursing students for Fall 2022 with the expectation that they’ll become Palm Coast undergraduate prelicensure students in the Fall 2023 term, she added.
For information on MedNexus offerings, go to https://www.unf. edu/UNFMedNexus/.
UNF also offers an online master of science in nursing (MSN) program with tracks for education and leadership, as well as a family nurse practitioner (FNP) program, a psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP) program and a nurse anesthesiology program.
For more information on UNF’s graduate-level nursing programs, go to https://www.unf.edu/brooks/ nursing/graduate_programs.aspx.
Email jonathan@palmcoastobserver.com.
Photo by Brian McMillan MedNexus is housed in the City Centre building in Town Center.
BIZ BUZZ
Florida’s housing market showed higher median prices, more cash sales and tight inventory levels in October compared to a year ago, according to Florida Realtors latest housing data.
“In markets across the state, the forsale inventory continues at low levels, and that puts pressure on prices and also impacts closed sales – some buyers may have paused their home search for now,” said 2021 Florida Realtors President Cheryl Lambert, broker-owner with Only Way Realty Citrus in Inverness. “Last month, the median time to a contract was 12 days for single-family homes and 15 days for condo-townhouse properties.”
The statewide median sales price for single-family existing homes in October was $358,950, up 17.7% from the previous year, according to data from Florida Realtors Research Department in partnership with local Realtor boards/associations.
Last month’s statewide median price for condo-townhouse units was $260,000, up 17.6% over October 2020.
However, closed sales of singlefamily homes statewide last month totaled 27,628, down 6.8% year-overyear, while existing condo-townhouse sales totaled 11,433, down 5.6% from October 2020. Closed sales may occur from 30- to 90-plus days after sales contracts are written.
In a continuing trend over the past few months, the share of closed sales that were cash purchases rose last month compared to the previous year. In October, single-family existing home sales paid in cash increased by 25.4% year-over-year, while cash sales of condo-townhouse units rose by 6.5%.
Photo by Kara Eads on Unsplash
BE A SANTA TO A SENIOR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON
Home Instead is renewing the Be a Santa to a Senior program, providing gifts to older adults who may be overlooked, isolated or alone during the holiday season.
Individuals can visit one of the participating locations below and look for the Be a Santa to a Senior tree on display through Dec. 15.
Each tree will be decorated with ornaments featuring seniors’ first names and gift suggestions. Shoppers can choose an ornament, buy the requested gift, and return it to the store with the ornament attached.
Be a Santa to a Senior trees can be found at the following locations: — Better Home and Gardens Real Estate Synergy, 412 Beach Village Drive, Flagler Beach, — First Coast Insurance, 1 Florida Park Drive S., Palm Coast — Walgreens, 1109 Palm Coast Parkway SW, Palm Coast — Walgreens, 5000 E. Highway 100, Palm Coast — Walgreens, 215 Palm Coast Parkway NW, Palm Coast
For more information about the program, visit BeaSantatoaSenior.com.
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