In 2009, Tampa surgeon Dr. Sharona Ross launched the Women in Surgery initiative at the University of South Florida. Ross was troubled that so few bright, motivated female medical school students chose surgery as their specialty area. She is committed to turning that around. Read more »

Today, U.S. Representative Kathy Castor proposed an amendment to the Republican Budget to protect Medicare benefits for seniors. Castor sought to preserve improvements in Medicare benefits that have been in place for two years under the Affordable Care Act, including closure of the prescription drug coverage gap (donut hole), coverage of key preventive services and annual wellness visits with no co-pays or deductibles. Read more »

U.S. Representative Kathy Castor urged Governor Rick Scott and the Florida Legislature to reconsider their refusal of $438.5 million to broaden access to care to pediatricians, family physicians and primary care doctors for Florida families. Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor touted Tampa's efforts to boost job growth Monday, using as a backdrop a University of South Florida medical training center under construction downtown. Read more »

The House Republicans are causing real economic damage again to families across the country. Thanks to the tea party extremists in the House, middle-class taxes will rise, 147,000 Floridians will lose their unemployment benefits by the middle of February and more than 3 million Florida seniors on Medicare will have their access to doctors jeopardized. Read more »

Celebrating new jobs and a health clinic in Sulphur Springs, Congresswoman Kathy Castor, State Rep. Janet Cruz, City Councilman Frank Reddick and other community leaders broke ground today on a new community health center on the corner of Bird Street and Nebraska Avenue. The clinic is expected to open next spring and serve more than 12,000 new patients. The project will create new construction jobs in the short term and new health care jobs in the long term. Read more »

U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor announced today that more medical residents will be able to study in Florida, meaning more medical care for our patients and more jobs for our students. Approximately 325 new residency slots are being created at Florida hospitals so that medical students trained in Florida can serve the health care needs of Floridians. Read more »

When it comes to pursuing federal largess, most of the states that oppose the 2010 health care law have refused to let either principle or politics block their paths to the trough. If Washington is doling out dollars, Republican governors and legislators typically figure they might as well get their share. Read more »

Congresswoman Kathy Castor released today new data from the House Energy and Commerce Committee showing how the Republican Medicare plan to end Medicare as we know it would impact future and present access to Medicare. We compiled data from the six congressional districts of the Tampa Bay area to show the local impact on families and individuals throughout our community. Read more »

In one of the most high profile votes of the Republican-led Congress, U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor announced her intended vote this afternoon against the GOP budget plan to end Medicare and replace it with a voucher system that would reduce benefits and shift costs to older Americans and their families. Read more »