Leapfrog Group issues hospital safety rankings

Marion County’s three hospitals were recently graded in The Leapfrog Group’s biannual hospital safety rankings, which assess nearly 3,000 hospitals on measures such as prevalence of infections, problems with surgery, error prevention practices and quality of staff.

West Marion Community Hospital, operated by Ocala Health, achieved an A grade, an improvement from its C ranking in 2020 and B earlier this spring. Ocala Regional Medical Center, also part of Ocala Health, achieved a B this fall after three years of consistent C’s. AdventHealth Ocala has maintained a B rating since fall 2019, an improvement from the D grade it inherited when taking over Munroe Regional Medical Center in 2018.

Safe dining: 1 closed, 1 failed, 5 were perfect in Marion County restaurant inspections for Nov. 8-13

Ocala/Marion real estate: In October, average single-family home sale price was $287K

Big deal: Marion County to swap land with Hospital District for new firehouse, ambulance depot

Free SunTran bus fares on upcoming Saturdays

SunTran will offer free bus fares on Dec. 4, 11 and 18.

“Developed to help citizens utilize the public transportation system during the holiday season, the complimentary fares provide a cost savings to citizens and show riders they are appreciated,” said Steven Neal, SunTran transportation manager, in a news release. “We would like to provide a little bit of economic relief during the holiday season, while also encouraging residents to experience our public transportation system.”

Free parking in downtown Ocala Dec. 6 through Jan. 2

The City of Ocala's 160 or so parking meters don't need to be fed Dec. 6 through Jan. 2. However, the three-hour time limit for most spaces will remain in effect.

In a news release, the city said it's taking this step "to celebrate the holidays and support local businesses in downtown Ocala."

Rich Bianculli is granted director emeritus status for Community Foundation

The Community Foundation for Ocala/Marion County has granted director emeritus status to board member Rich Bianculli, who retired from board service in September, according to a foundation news release.

“For the past several years, Rich completely immersed himself in the vision and mission of the Community Foundation,” said Frank Hennessey, president of the board of directors, in the release. “As he takes a step back from the board, we will continue to seek his wise counsel and advice in his new emeritus role.”

Bianculli is co-founder of Richmond Hill Capital Partners, LLC, a financial services company in Ocala.

CF nursing program recognized

EduMED.org has named the College of Central Florida RN-BSN Nursing program No. 6 nationwide in its list of Most Affordable Online Nursing Programs.

School system seeks input

Through Dec. 3, residents can provide feedback on how Marion County Public Schools can spend $127 million plus it has received in federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) grant dollars.

The money is earmarked to help school districts "battle learning loss and other impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic," according to a school district news release.

Access the survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/WZ9M2LQ

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This article originally appeared on Ocala Star-Banner: Ocala/Marion business: Hospital rankings, free parking downtown