Pinwheels for prevention

Visitors to UF Health Shands Hospital in April were greeted by 1,000 brightly colored pinwheels bursting from the front lawn. Members of the Alachua County Child Abuse Prevention Task Force planted the pinwheels as part of Prevent Child Abuse Florida’s Pinwheels for Prevention, a national movement started in 2008 to change the way we think about prevention. The purpose of the pinwheel garden was to start conversations about child abuse and raise awareness. — Lauren Gajda

Wrap your head around mindfulness

Feeling overwhelmed? Give yourself a half-hour of ‘’ me time’’ at a weekly session of Mindful Relaxation Minutes. Hosted by the UF College of Medicine department of psychiatry, the events feature experienced teachers who will demonstrate proven stress-reduction techniques including mindfulness, yoga nidra, progressive muscle relaxation, autogenic training and breath work. For more information, including a calendar of sessions, visit intranet.ahc.ufl.edu/wwa/Colleges/com/psychiatry/MindfulMinutes/SitePages/Home.aspx

Learn how to keep kids safe on the playing field

The fifth annual Heat, Heart and Head Sports Injury Prevention Symposium will be held from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. May 20 at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on the University of Florida campus. This free educational event for coaches, PE teachers and administrators involved in youth sports offers the latest developments in the area of heat illness, sudden cardiac death and concussions as well as several other hot topics in sports. Lunch is provided.

UF Medical Guild seeks grant requests

The UF Medical Guild is accepting grant applications to fund health-related projects from nonprofit organizations. The group has $50,000 available with a maximum of $8,000 per grant. The average grant last year was $2,500. If your grant relates to health care, benefits people in the Gainesville/Alachua County area and can be completed within one year, contact ufmedguild@gmail.com for an application. The deadline is June 30.

Patient-friendly finance

A new, streamlined “single statement” billing system was recently launched for patients who receive care from providers at UF Health Shands, UF Health Physicians and/or the UF College of Medicine. The system gives a clear snapshot of what patients owe for services provided across the organization. Features include multiple invoices in a single summary; a comprehensive overview of fees for care; an option to receive statements electronically, make payments online or set up recurring payments via myUFHealth; and access to customer service representatives who are familiar with the new billing system.