South Florida

See how these people are conquering their health challenges in Florida

Stories by Miami Herald journalists, with AI summarization

Florida residents are confronting serious health challenges with support from medical teams, community groups and new technology.

Outreach workers from the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust provide water and cooling supplies to those most affected by the city’s record heat, while WeCount! advocates for better protections for outdoor workers.

Survivors of recent hurricanes in Miami face invisible mental health hurdles, as experts from virtual platforms like Nema Health teach people to recognize and treat PTSD through talk therapies such as cognitive processing therapy.

Meanwhile, stroke survivors find renewed hope with Miami’s first use of nerve stimulation devices, which help patients regain movement years after their initial injury. Across these tough situations, Miami’s residents and organizations work to adapt, recover and support each other.

Arlet Lara, the first patient in South Florida to get an FDA-approved nerve stimulation implant, does an exercise while Neil Batungbakal, rehabilitation therapist, activates the implant with the black trigger during her physical therapy appointment on Monday, Sept. 9, 2024, at Lynn Rehabilitation Center at Jackson Memorial Hospital. The activation works as positive reinforcement to her muscles when she completes the exercise correctly.

NO. 1: A STROKE CHANGED A MIAMI TEACHER’S LIFE. HOW A NEW ELECTRICAL DEVICE IS HELPING HER MOVE

What to know about how it works. | Published November 18, 2024 | Read Full Story by Michelle Marchante

Jean Wilfred, 70, enjoys a bottle of water as the outreach team from the Miami-Dade Homeless Trust handed out bottles of water to individuals living on the street on Aug. 1, 2024, in Miami, Florida, during a period of sweltering heat. By Carl Juste

NO. 2: ‘WE NEED WATER.’ HOW SOUTH FLORIDA GROUPS ARE HELPING THOSE HARDEST HIT BY EXTREME HEAT

Miami-area nonprofits are helping those most vulnerable to the extreme heat South Florida is facing. | Published October 30, 2024 | Read Full Story by Mimi Whitefield

Juan Jose Muñoz (left) and Elvin Antonio Urbina walk with her belongings through the flooded N 15th St in North Tampa, Thursday, October 10, 2024, a day after Hurricane Milton crossed Florida’s Gulf Coast. By Pedro Portal

NO. 3: FLORIDIAN HURRICANE SURVIVORS COULD BE SUFFERING FROM PTSD—BUT RECOVERY IS POSSIBLE

After a tumultuous hurricane season, an expert says Floridians should look out for symptoms of PTSD. | Published November 27, 2024 | Read Full Story by Denise Hruby

The summary above was drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories listed were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.