BANGOR – The Greater Bangor Parkinson Support Group will hold an open house 2-4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 15, in the Osprey Room at The Acadia Hospital on Stillwater Avenue.

Lillian Scenna, coordinator of the Maine Health Learning Resource Center, American Parkinson Disease Association, will speak. Free educational materials will be available and people from the support group will answer questions. Refreshments will be served.

The Parkinson Support Group, now in its 20th year, serves people from the Greater Bangor area as well as those from Corinna, Dover-Foxcroft, Millinocket, Medway, Caribou, Calais, Winter Harbor, Ellsworth, Bucksport and other Maine towns.

The group meets 2-4 p.m. the third Sunday of the month at Acadia Hospital, and maintains a lending library of books and videos. The group also offers free educational materials, group discussions and guest speakers. The group does not meet in August.

For information, call 862-3363 or 989-5137.

BANGOR – A free diabetes support group, sponsored by St. Joseph Healthcare, will feature two guest speakers at the Thursday, Sept. 5, meeting. Jeanie Smith and Christine Butterfield are both registered dental hygienists, and will speak about dental health for diabetics.

The diabetes support group meets the first Thursday of each month for one hour at 1 p.m. in the Willette Conference Center, Building 2, St. Joseph Healthcare Park, 900 Broadway.

Support group members share their personal experiences relating to diabetes management, stress reduction techniques and daily coping skills.

Diabetes educators are available to facilitate the meetings and provide updates on nutrition, exercise, medications and supplies, as well as answer any questions. The support group is open to individuals with diabetes and their family members. For more information, call 262-1836.

BANGOR – Spina bifida is a crippling disease that often keeps children from typical summer fun. But thanks to a cooperative effort between Eastern Maine Medical Center and Maine Medical Center, summer fun was a reality for one group of children who suffer from the disease.

The annual Spina Bifida Camp was held earlier this month at Camp CaPella on Phillips Lake in Dedham. The weeklong camp offered children the unique opportunity to enjoy a camplike setting while learning more about living with the effects of spina bifida. The teens made baskets, created mosaics and painted lobster buoys. Other activities included swimming, fishing and adaptive kayaking. They went on a field trip to Bar Harbor to ride on the carriage trails and to Trenton to see the lumberjack show.

BANGOR – Acadia Administrator for Ancillary Services and Performance Improvement Lynne Gagnon, a registered nurse, has been asked to serve on the Healthcare Quality Certification Board of the National Association for Healthcare Quality for three years.

“I am excited and grateful for this challenging opportunity to contribute to a national process that overseas professional certification in such a dynamic field,” said Gagnon. “Assuring quality in health care is a priority for everyone in the health care industry. Being part of the process that provides a mechanism to distinguish these individuals for their professional and academic commitment to this mission will be very rewarding.”

Since the first examination was administered by HQCB in 1984, more than 14,000 professionals from a wide variety of educational and employment backgrounds have registered for the CPHQ examination. There are currently 7,500 active CPHQs in the United States and overseas.

“Acadia staff are frequently sought out as the experts and this is yet another example of the excellence of our professional staff,” commented Dorothy Hill, The Acadia Hospital chief executive officer.

The Acadia Hospital is a private, nonprofit provider of psychiatric and chemical dependency treatment.

BANGOR – St. Joseph Healthcare has announced the appointment of the Rev. John Austin as St. Joseph Hospital chaplain. Austin served as chaplain at Eastern Maine Medical Center for three years. Before that, he served as assistant to the Rev. Claude Albert at Holy Family Church in Lewiston.

Austin was ordained May 24, 1997, at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Portland. He attended Blessed John XXIII National Seminary in Weston, Mass.

Austin was raised in Bronx, N.Y. He served as a Marine for three years after being drafted in 1952. He became a certified special education teacher in the New York public school system where he worked for 25 years. He retired from his teaching career in 1991 while enrolled in seminary.

Austin and the pastoral care team care for the emotional and spiritual needs of patients and families. Pastoral care services are available 24 hours a day.

BANGOR – Norumbega Medical Pediatrics will hold its sixth annual Children’s Safety and Education Day 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 7, at the Norumbega Medical Office at 68 Mount Hope Ave. in Bangor.

Among the community organizations providing services and programs for children and families will be:

. Bangor Fire Department, firetruck tours and fire safety information.

. Maine Coalition for Safe Kids, child safety seat inspections.

. Maine Forestry Service, hooked on fishing activities.

. Penobscot County Sheriff, fingerprinting and photo IDs.

. U.S. Coast Guard, water safety demonstrations.

Snacks, games, and prizes will be provided. This event is free; the public is encouraged to attend. For information, call Ann Homola at 973-5937.

The Acadia Hospital Chaplain Suzie Gowie will be ordained into Christian Ministry at 11 a.m. Sept. 14, at Monroe Community Church. A reception will follow the service. Gowie is a longtime volunteer chaplain at Acadia Hospital, a past EMMC staff chaplain and chaplain at Inland Hospital in Waterville.

Heather McGary and Ginny Merrill have earned their psychiatric nurse practitioner credentials and will be working in the outpatient clinic under the supervision of Dr. Dean Bear.

Cynthia Miles, registered nurse, earned a doctorate from Capella University in Wisconsin on July 20. Miles works full-time at Norumbega Medical and frequently works weekends and takes call as part of the pool staff in the Nurse Practitioner-Medical Services group at the hospital.

Access Center Administrator Annette Adams, recently earned a master’s degree in business from Husson College.

The American Red Cross has scheduled public blood drives:

. Bangor, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 12, Bangor Mental Health Institute, State Street.

. Bangor 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 21, Donor Center, 900 Hammond St.

. Bangor, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 25, Eastern Maine Medical Center, State Street.

. Hampden, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 7, VFW Hall, Canoe Club Road.

. Orono, 2-7 p.m. Sept. 11, St. Mary’s Church Hall, 89 Main St.

. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sept. 18 and 19, Wells Commons.

The American Red Cross Blood Services Donor Center at 900B Hammond St. also is open noon-7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Friday; and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. every third Saturday. For information call 941-2900.