Mrs. Giordano (who goes by "Rita" in the office) received her BSN degree from the University of Texas at Galveston in 1980.  She then provided inpatient care in Bar Harbor, Maine for several years before relocating to Stony Brook, New York - where she obtained her Master of Science in Child Health Nursing.

In 1996, she moved to Florida and worked in the Urgent Care Center of Sarasota Memorial Hospital (for more detail, click here). 

Rita will be generally working 1 PM to 6:30 PM Monday thru Wednesday, as well as some Saturday mornings.  Please note this extension of office hours. 

Among the cutaneous cooties of childhood (impetigo, ringworm, and scabies -- to name a few),  MRSA is emerging as perhaps the nastiest.    

Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus infected several children from our practice this summer.  In some cases, entire families were affected!   

When should a parent suspect their child could have MRSA?  In our experience, it starts off looking like an ordinary pimple or bug bite, but within one or two days, the site swells considerably and develops a creamy pus-pocket in the center.  Occasionally, fever or a red streak can ensue.   

Once their child or family has been affected, how can parents reduce the likelihood of recurrence or further spread?  We have drafted a management plan that can be downloaded here.

According to Patrick Paul, COO of Anderson Center for Autism in Staatsburg, New York state has enacted autism coverage legislation that goes into effect on November 1st.  What does the new law do?

First, it mandates that insurance companies provide coverage for the screening and diagnosis of autism, as well as treatment with prescription drugs and psychiatric care.  In our experience, this is nothing new -- all insurance companies already do this.

Second, it mandates that HMOs provide up to $45,000 per year in coverage of Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) treatments.  This is new.  The care must be supervised by a board-certified therapist.  How many of these are out there?  Not too many.  Will insurance companies make it a breeze to receive this service or will they insert their own tortuous prior authorization protocols?  Will the co-payments be modest?  How will the HMOs come up with these funds?   

How well does ABA work, say in comparison say to GFCF diets, chelation, supplements, hyperbaric oxygen, and such?  In our experience, children treated primarily with prescription drugs and ABA therapy (the current mainstream approach) may make modest progress over time, but it is rarely dramatic.

As the grind of the academic year intensifies for young ones and families alike, as days shorten & nights grow longer, and as winter holidays approach -- increasing numbers of teens and even 'tweens may show signs and symptoms of depression.

The consequences of depression can be very serious.  If the Depression Scale score approaches 15,  don't go it alone -- get help, contact us.  Causes as well as treatments vary.  We've listed some supportive measures here.