Consumer Wise
October, 2008

The Miami-Dade Consumer Services Department knows that consumers face troubles not only in the retail marketplace but also in the medical field as they shop for medicinal products and services. Consumer health is of the utmost importance because it involves one's well-being; and without good health, it can be daunting to carryout everyday tasks. We designed this issue of ConsumerWise to address potential problems with prescription propaganda, labels and drug dispensing. In addition, our Consumer Advocate Leonard Elias explores the area of telemedicine and provides insight into the kinds of questions consumers should ask when considering this option.

In this edition, we also update you on news happening within the Miami-Dade Consumer Services Department. Learn about the department's environmental initiative to conserve water with the Rain Barrel Workshop, stay up-to-date on fuel surcharges implemented by the taxicab and towing industries and find out the latest on the growing ficus whitefly infestation.

We hope you find this information valuable. We always seek to shed light on the issues that affect you.

If you have story suggestions for ConsumerWise, please feel free to email our Public Relations & Outreach Specialist Sonya Perez at soperez@miamidade.gov. It is our goal to give you news you can use.

For more information, visit our website at www.miamidade.gov/csd or give us a call at 305-375-3677.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Cathy Grimes Peel is the Director of the Miami-Dade County Consumer Services Department. The Department functions as the consumer information and protection arm for Miami-Dade County residents and visitors.
Consumer Health: Buying into the Medical Hoopla
 

 "There are some remedies worse than the disease." The pharmaceutical industry is big business, generating billions of dollars in revenue annually. But when it comes to pharmeceuticals, consumers should empower themselves with information to make potentially life-saving decisions.
 
Consumer Health: Prescription for Disaster
 

For generations, doctors' handwritten prescriptions have been equated with the drawings of chicken scratch. Although humorous on the surface, a simple misinterpretation of a letter in the name of a prescription drug could have fatal consequences for a patient.
 
Fig Whitefly on the Move
 

An enemy to Florida's ficus trees and hedges is establishing roots in South Florida and devastating landscapes. The Miami-Dade Cooperative Extension is reporting a significant increase in resident calls about the spread of fig whitefly infestation.
 
Go Green in Your Garden with Rain Barrel Workshop
 

Let Mother Nature do your irrigation work by capturing free rain water in a barrel. The Miami-Dade Cooperative Extension hosts Rain Barrel Workshops throughout Miami-Dade County approximately every month to teach residents environmentally friendly ways of irrigating their lawn and garden.
 
Taxicabs and Towers Implement Fuel Surcharges
 

The Miami-Dade Consumer Services Department wants consumers to be aware of fuel surcharges in place for certain transportation-related services. The measures were designed to help taxicab and tow businesses offset the cost of high fuel prices and minimize the financial hardship these businesses are experiencing.
 
 

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Is Telemedicine Right for Me?

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