On this Tuesday, June 22, episode of Sundial
COVID Spike In Florida Nursing Homes
COVID-19 cases in Florida nursing homes are on the rise, according to a new report from AARP.
From April to May, the organization found the number of new resident COVID cases in Florida facilities went up to 19% — that’s almost double the national average. Half of all facilities statewide reported at least one new case.
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“There's often a lot of confusion among families about what exactly is required and how their loved ones' facilities are interpreting those guidelines,” said Hannah Critchfield, a reporter with the Tampa Bay Times covering aging communities.
While the country is racing towards 70% immunization on or around July 4, many nursing home staff members and residents still haven’t gotten their shots.
“Florida is among the worst in the country in terms of vaccination percentages, both of nursing home residents and staff. We have less than half of Florida nursing home staff who are vaccinated, about 43%,” said Jeff Johnson, the state director for AARP Florida. “So it's pretty easy for them to pick up this coronavirus — whether it's the Delta variant or one of the others — and bring it into a facility.”
Magic At The Caribbean Museum
The only Caribbean museum in the U.S. opened in Broward County during the pandemic.
It’s the first of its kind to bring different Caribbean nations and cultures together under one roof.
“What we've done is taken this full history of the entire Caribbean, starting from the indigenous peoples. When Columbus got here and the Europeans, they called it the new world. And there were people here already," said Calibe Thompson, the co-founder and executive director of Island SPACE Caribbean Museum. "So we kind of chuckle when we hear that it was discovered because there were already people here."
The museum highlights Indigenous people — like the Tainos — colonialism, emancipation, government and entertainment in the region.
Michael Sean Harris is the musical director for the museum’s upcoming “Magic at the Museum” event happening in-person and online on Sunday.
He worked on an exclusive song recording with popular Caribbean artists, such as Marcia Griffiths and Willie Stewart, among others.
‘Liborio’
The Third Horizon Film Festival celebrates Caribbean culture and it's back for its fifth year. It's the first time the festival will be broadcasting to a global audience through virtual and in-person screenings in Miami.
One of the feature films this year is called "Liborio." It's set in the Dominican Republic in the 1920s and follows its main character, a prophet, as he inspires people to move to the mountains and follow their dreams to be more free.
Then U.S. Marines threatened to disband the community.
“The myth said that he never dies. In fact, until today, there are a lot of people who believe that Liborio is still alive and inspiring a lot of people not to be fighting, but to be [healed] and to and to unite,” said Nino Martinez Sosa, the director of the film.
Jason Fitzroy Jeffers, the co-director of the Third Horizon Film Festival also joined Sundial for the discussion.
