Space Coast Health Foundation

10/28/2026

Some good news for Brevard!
The Space Coast should be proud - very proud. - when it comes to kindergarten readiness. Now, let's go for the brass ring!

Brevard's ranking proves progress. Sustained investment in literacy and child care can drive further gains.

10/26/2026

𝐈𝐭 𝐀𝐢𝐧’𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐲

When it comes to kratom, and its natural derivatives, the jury is still out on whether it offers legit benefits or is dangerous.

But it’s a little clearer when it comes to altered, highly concentrated "kratom-related substances" that are created by taking some of the naturally occurring organic compounds from the kratom plant and altering them to make them much more potent.

And when it shows up in edible forms that resemble candy, there’s a greater risk to children and others accidentally ingesting it. Already it has led to medical emergencies and deaths.

“Sometimes it’s just being left out and kids don’t know better,” said Dr. Vi Ngo, the medical director the Children’s Advocacy Center of Brevard’s Child Protection Team.

Ngo made her remarks at the CACB’s Multidisciplinary Training Event on Child Maltreatment recently held last week at the Space Coast Health Foundation’s Center for Collaboration.

Kratom is an herbal substance extracted from the leaves of a tree native to Southeast Asia. It’s known to have a stimulative effect when consumed in small doses and a sedative effect when smoked or ingested in higher concentrates, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Repeated use, USA TODAY reported, can lead to dependence, and other emergency physical reactions. And because there are many ways in which it can ingested and altered, synthetic and natural forms often get swept up under the umbrella term of simply "kratom."

Kratom-like products are easily accessible at many convenience stores, and online.

Ngo said because it’s mostly unregulated, what is written on the label of a kratom product cannot always be easily verified.

“We need to treat it like a drug,” Ngo said, “not something we buy over the counter like gum.”

10/26/2026

Important article by FLORIDA TODAY's Jennifer Torres.
The free event is Oct. 27 (Tuesday) at the Center for Collaboration in Rockledge.
The event runs from 9-noon.
https://www.floridatoday.com/story/news/local/2026/10/26/veterans-first-responders-focus-of-brevard-mental-health-event/92395035007/
Retired Army Maj. Gen. Gregg F. Martin will share his personal battle with mental illness at an upcoming event in Rockledge.
The event, "Resilience: From Service to Strength," aims to encourage mental health conversations for military personnel, veterans, and first responders.
The free event will include a panel of local mental health professionals and highlight available resources in Central Florida.

“Resilience: From Service to Strength” is an Oct. 27 Rockledge event focused on mental health for veterans, military and first responders.

10/21/2026

October is Domestic Violence Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness, support survivors, and remind those experiencing abuse that they are not alone. Together, we can help break the silence, promote healing, and build a community where everyone feels safe and valued. 💜

10/21/2026

𝐏𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐲!

According to CandyStore.com’s national 2026 rankings. The top five most popular Halloween candies, based on projected Halloween season sales across the United States, are:
1. M&Ms
2. Sour Patch Kids
3. Skittles
4. Reese’s Cups
5. NERDS Gummy Clusters

(Candy Corn, which is labeled “still polarizing” by CandyStore.com comes in at No. 8. That stuff would survive a nuclear holocaust so, yeah, “polarizing” might be a proper description.)

It’s hard to imagine any of the stuff is good for you, especially the way kids (OK, and too many adults) like to eat Halloween candy by the shovel load.

All that being said, Marsha Woolery, a registered dietitian who works in the clinical nutrition department at Orlando Health Sebastian River Hospital, has some thoughts.

"Halloween is meant to be fun, and candy can absolutely be part of the celebration," Woolery said. "The key is teaching moderation and helping children develop a healthy relationship with treats rather than making them feel forbidden."

Here’s four smart ways to eat Halloween candy:

Pair Candy with Protein
Woolery's recommends serving candy alongside meals, which contain protein.
"Think of Halloween candy as dessert, not as a snack that's eaten all day long," Woolery said. "When candy is eaten with protein-rich foods such as nuts, cheese or Greek yogurt, digestion slows down and blood sugar tends to rise more gradually."
According to Woolery, protein helps slow the absorption of sugars and carbohydrates, helping prevent the rapid spike-and-crash effect that often follows eating sweets by themselves.

Portion the Candy
Once the trick-or-treat bags come home, Woolery encourages dividing candy into smaller portions rather than giving children unlimited access.
"I tell parents to create little treat bags with a set number of pieces for each day," she said. "When that day's candy is gone, it's gone."
Pre-portioned servings help children learn moderation while reducing the temptation to overeat.

Set a Time Limit
Halloween candy also shouldn't linger in the household indefinitely. Instead, parents should establish expectations from the beginning.
"Tell children ahead of time that Halloween candy is available for a certain period, for example one week or a designated timeframe that works for your family," she said.
The goal is not restriction but structure that allows children to enjoy treats and then return to normal eating habits.

Get Creative with Leftovers
For leftover candy, Woolery suggests incorporating small amounts into more nutritious snacks.
“You still get the fun flavor of Halloween candy, but you're also adding fiber, protein and other nutrients that help create a more balanced snack," Woolery said.
One example is homemade trail mix made with whole-grain cereal, nuts and dried fruit, with a few pieces of candy mixed in for sweetness.

Healthier Sweet Options
Families looking to offer alternatives to traditional candy can still offer treats that satisfy a sweet tooth while adding some nutritional value.

Woolery recommends:
• Dried fruit (fiber)
• Yogurt-covered raisins (fiber)
• Chocolate-covered nuts (protein)

"These options can provide nutrients such as fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals while still feeling like a treat," Woolery said.
"The goal isn't perfection. One night of trick-or-treating isn't what impacts long-term health," she said. "It's the habits we practice every day. When families approach Halloween with balance and moderation, everyone can enjoy the holiday without the sugar scare."

10/20/2026

Crossing the finish line Tuesday morning for Walk & Roll to School Day (part of WRTS events organized all over Brevard County with the support of the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization) were students, parents and teachers with Hans Christian Andersen Elementary School. And Rockledge city officials also joined in the fun.
It was a cool, gorgeous morning, made extra special by Elon Musk arranging to grace the walkers with an AM Space X rocket launch. (Well kinda.)
A Win Win for everyone!

10/20/2026

𝐇𝐞𝐲 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐜𝐨𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐤𝐬!
𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐤 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬, 𝐚𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐄𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐑𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥

Rockledge City officials, at an informational Monday night, said they're in serious talks with Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital to put an 80-bed hospital at the site of the former Rockledge Hospital.
Many of the approximately 50 people who attended Monday's meeting at City Hall offered applause for the project, but several said ideally, they wanted a full hospital on the site to serve the population in the area.
"We wanted a full-service hospital at the site, but the demographics do not support one," said Rockledge Mayor Tom Price. "I think this is going to work best for us in the City of Rockledge."
Though talks are still ongoing with Encompass, and the Rockledge City Council has to give it a thumbs up - here is what officials released Monday:
- It's a $70 million project (land, building and equipment.
- The hospital is projected to create 140-150 full-time jobs with an average salary of $105,000, plus benefits
- It will take up 8.13 acres of the land where the former hospital stood
- Encompass is a tax-paying entity so the hospital will add to the city's tax base.
- The hospital will be very similar to Encompass facilities in Daytona Beach and St. Augustine. (See photo.)
- Initially there will be 50 beds, with the possibility of 30 more added later.
There is some more land available on the site for further medical use (and it will be medical as per zoning.) Price noted he wants a walk-in clinic at the site and an emergency service facility.
Rockledge City Manager Dr. Brenda Fettrow also added some info:
- There will be appropriate lighting so as not to intrude on neighboring residents.
- It will be rare to hear ambulances as most patients come during the day and are not in emergency situations.
- It will NOT be a facility to treat drug or alcohol addiction, or cases involving mental health.
- Average stay of patients at these hospitals are 12-13 days.
Adding to what Mayor Price said regarding a full-service hospital, Fettrow said: "There's nobody interested in bring a full-blown hospital here."
About Encompass:
- It's the nation’s largest provider of inpatient rehabilitation, with more than 175 facilities in the United States and Puerto Rico.
- Approximately one in three patients in the U.S. receiving inpatient rehabilitative care receive it at an Encompass Health hospital.
- One of its affiliates is Sea Pines Rehabilitation Hospital, which is in Melbourne.

10/15/2026

𝐊𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐦𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐭.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚 𝐰𝐨𝐧 𝐚 𝐤𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐬 𝐢𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐚 𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐤𝐢𝐝𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝟏𝟒 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐥𝐝𝐞𝐫

The law was one of the most restrictive in the U.S. on social media use by children when Gov. Ron DeSantis signed it in 2024.

The law implicates the First Amendment, an appeals court said, but "likely does so in a content-neutral manner."

It would likely survive a full legal challenge "because it doesn't burden substantially more speech than necessary to advance the important interest in protecting minors from social media addiction," a panel from the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 3-0 opinion.

The law bans social media accounts for Florida children under 14 and requires parental consent for use by kids who are 14 or 15.

Industry trade groups the Computer & Communications Industry Association and NetChoice sued Florida, arguing that the law violated the free-speech rights of social media providers and users. A judge in 2025 said the law likely was unconstitutional and granted an injunction.

That injunction was put on hold while the appeals court heard the case. The lawsuit, with the injunction now overturned, will return to federal court in Tallahassee.

𝐒𝐮𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐝𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐟𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬 𝐬𝐮𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐨-𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐨𝐬, 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭.

𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞.

“𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨𝐨 𝐟𝐚𝐫 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬’ 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬,” 𝐃𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐑𝐞𝐩. 𝐀𝐧𝐧𝐚 𝐄𝐬𝐤𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐢 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥. “𝐈𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐚 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐢𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬, 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐭𝐚 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬, 𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐣𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐅𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚’𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐬.”

10/15/2026

10/15/2026

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭’𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐥𝐞𝐝𝐠𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐔.𝐒. 𝟏?

Definitely not a Dollar General, nor a car wash, nor an apartment complex, a Starbucks, tattoo parlor or v**e shop.
Absolutely some sort of medical facility will be on that site, Rockledge city officials say.
Current word from City Hall is that one component may be a rehabilitation hospital. There will be other components, but a rehab hospital likely will be an anchor.
Want to hear more, or express your thoughts on the site?
Plan on attending a special public meeting at 6 p.m. Monday (Oct. 19) at Rockledge City Hall.