Health News

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MS Walk

BANGOR – The 2004 Manpower MS Walk will take place Sunday, April 18, at Husson College in Bangor. Check-in begins at 8 a.m. The route is five miles with a two-mile short loop, rest stops and refreshments. More than 4,200 people registered to walk statewide last year and raised $491,000. Last year in Bangor, 394 walkers raised $20,019.

This year’s goal is to attract 4,250 walkers statewide and raise $544,500. Participants are invited to walk individually or as a team.

To register or volunteer for the Bangor MS Walk, call Sue Tidd, Walk development manager, at 942-8604 or (800) 273-4704.

Sleep awareness week

BANGOR – St. Joseph Healthcare’s Center for Sleep Medicine will celebrate National Sleep Awareness Week by holding a community open house 3-7 p.m. Thursday, April 1, at the Center for Sleep Medicine, 268 Center St. in Bangor. The public is invited to attend. The open house will include tours of the new facility, educational information and refreshments.

The Center for Sleep Medicine diagnoses and treats a wide range of sleep disorders. Sleep studies are performed in one of the four comfortable bedrooms in the center.

Each patient bedroom is designed to replicate a homelike atmosphere. During sleep, the center’s state-of-the-art equipment monitors each patient’s brain wave activity, breathing and other vital signs. A physician interprets the test results and makes a treatment recommendation for the patient.

On Parkinson’s disease

AUGUSTA – To mark World Parkinson’s Disease Awareness Month, MaineHealth, the Maine Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association and the Maine Parkinson Society will present the Parkinson’s Partnership 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Saturday, April 10, at the Augusta Civic Center.

The program will focus on identifying issues that often arise between people with Parkinson’s and their care partners. Participants will include award-winning authors Joseph Ilardo and Carole Rothman.

The fee of $15 includes lunch. To register, call 885-7560 or (888) 400-2732.

Accreditation

BANGOR – The American College of Radiology recently awarded a three-year reaccreditation to Eastern Maine Medical Center’s ultrasound service, which includes general ultrasound, vascular testing and maternal fetal medicine.

The accreditation process involves a rigorous review of hospital equipment, software, sonographers and physicians to ensure that every aspect of the ultrasound service meets the standards set by the American College of Radiology.

“We scored very high on the review,” said Mike Dubiel, director of EMMC medical imaging. “I’m very proud of our staff, who worked hard to attain this level of recognition.”

Eastern Maine Medical Center is the largest hospital in Maine to earn the accreditation and joins 1,900 other hospitals nationwide that have earned the designation.

First aid training

BANGOR – Eastern Maine Medical Center, Community Wellness Service, is offering a first aid training course. The program has been developed by and is taught according to the guidelines of the American Heart Association. It also meets and exceeds OSHA requirements for first aid training.

The eight-hour program includes information about general first aid principles, medical emergencies, injury emergencies and environmental emergencies. The class also includes CPR and introduction to automated external defibrillator use. Participants will watch a video and practice hands-on skills in small groups, followed by a discussion of real-life scenarios.

To register for the class or to obtain more information, call 973-7088.

Food drive

BANGOR – St. Joseph Healthcare’s Mission advisory committee coordinated an employee food drive in honor of Saint Joseph Day, celebrated March 19. The committee distributed the donated food items to Brewer’s Union Hall on that day. The food will be distributed to the area’s displaced mill workers affected by the closing of Eastern Pulp and Paper Co.

Saint Joseph, patron of the poor, carpenters, workers, home, family, the sick and dying, represents offering assistance to the afflicted.

‘What’s On Your Mind?’

BANGOR – The “What’s On Your Mind?” radio program recently received a $245,523 grant from the Langeloth Foundation to support production costs from the next three years. The grant is scheduled to begin in July.

“What’s On Your Mind?” is a weekly radio call-in program exploring the human mind and psychological health and healing issues with guest experts and listeners. The program host is Dr. Linda Austin, produced by Vicky Blanchette and engineered by Jane Warren.

“What’s On Your Mind?” is produced at the studios of Maine Public Radio and broadcasts live in Maine at 1 p.m. Thursday afternoons. The nationally syndicated program reaches more than 18,000 Maine listeners each week and is heard by thousands more through radio stations, reading services and Internet streams.

Diabetes support group

BANGOR – The St. Joseph Healthcare diabetes support group meeting at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 1, will feature guest speaker Amy Harvey of University College of Bangor’s dental hygiene department. Her topic will be “Oral Health.”

The diabetes support group meets at 1 p.m. the first Thursday of each month at the Diabetes and Nutrition Center, 900 Broadway. Membership in the group is free and open to individuals with diabetes and their families. Call 262-1836 for more information.