Health News

Employee recognition

BANGOR – St. Joseph Healthcare honored the following employees during its annual employee recognition day:

40 years, Sister Mary Fabian.

30 years, June Commeau and Leita Washburn.

25 years, Mary Connors and Lynn Stanhope.

20 years, Linda Colangelo, Georges Nashan and Dr. Clifford Rosen.

15 years, Rosalie Barker, Joanne Beal, Cheryl Bogan, Linda Elston, Rhonda Hardy, Joyce Niles, Margaret Rokes, Diana Savoy and Carol Woodward.

10 years, Diane Gasch, Kenneth Huhn, Marilyn Kenyon, Patricia Lucas, Mary Willey, Theodore Williams and Wayne Woodford.

Five years, Jody Amacher, Wanda Birmingham, Jeanette Bouchard, Mary Ann Budrow, Rachael Budwine, Jennifer Carriveau, Denise Cox, Dawna Dearborn, Nancy Fortin, Cindy Gray, Paul Hopkins II, Elaine Jacobson, William Jacobson, Kristy Jordan, Dr. My-Anh Le, Cathy MacDonald, Barbara Marzolf, Jennifer McGraw, Melissa Mitchell, William Murley, Richard Osgood, Katherine Quinn, Jennifer Reynolds, Debra Shaw, Tammy Smith and Margaret Van Peursem.

Safety award

LEVANT – Wendell Stadig or Levant and Ed Harvey of Calais, LifeFlight of Maine mechanical technicians, have received a prestigious national safety award. They were recognized recently with the Helicopter Association International’s Aviation Maintenance Safety Award for 2004. The award pays tribute to helicopter mechanics and technicians worldwide who have five or more years of accident- and violation-free professional helicopter maintenance experience.

“LifeFlight of Maine is fortunate to have two such dedicated professionals on the team,” said executive Director Tom Judge. “Ed has 45 years on the job as an aviation mechanic without a violation, and Wendell, who has been involved with aircraft maintenance for more than 20 years, now has 10 years on the job without a violation. Without the dedication of technicians like Ed and Wendell, LifeFlight couldn’t do what we do best – save lives from one corner of this state to the other.”

Help from Al-Anon

Do you care about someone who drinks too much?

Instead of celebrating the joys and miracles of the holiday season, the relatives and friends of alcoholics often face this time of year with additional anxiety, fear, loneliness and isolation.

For 53 years, Al-Anon Family Group meetings have provided hope and support for anyone whose life has been affected by someone else’s drinking. It doesn’t matter what your race or gender is. It doesn’t matter what age you are. It doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor or somewhere in between. It doesn’t matter if the alcoholic in your life is a partner, a child, a grandparent, a co-worker or a friend.

In Al-Anon, the members know that the alcoholic matters, but so do you. They also know that the hardest step to take is often just picking up the phone and asking for help. Call (800) 498-1844 or visit www.al-anon.alateen.org to find a free, confidential meeting in your community. Al-Anon is here to help.

Pathfinders for children

BANGOR – Hospice of Eastern Maine’s program, Pathfinders: Support for Grieving Children, announced its spring 2005 session, which is set for 6-7:30 p.m. Monday, March 7, through Monday May 23, at Bangor Christian Schools.

The 10-week program provides grief support for children and their families or caregivers who are experiencing the death of a loved one. Adults who attend with children meet in their own groups. Teens may attend on their own as long as they have the consent of a caregiver.

Founded by Maria Brountas and the late Barbara Eames, Pathfinders: Support for Grieving Children, provides special bereavement support geared specifically for children and teens, ages 3-18. Facilitators are volunteers trained by Hospice of Eastern Maine.

To help defray costs, there is a $50 fee per family. If this is a hardship, a limited number of scholarships are available. Call Alicia Guite at 973-8269 for more information.

New families are asked to attend an interview with the program coordinator before entering the program. For more information and-or an interview, call Linda Boyle at 973-8269.

Women’s health screening

BANGOR – In honor of National Cervical Cancer Awareness Month, the Penobscot Breast and Cervical Coalition in coordination with the Maine Breast and Cervical Health Program in encouraging physicians to remind their patients to get annual exams.

A free women’s health screening day will be held Jan. 14 in Bangor. The screening day will kick off at 8 a.m. at Penquis CAP Health Services and at 8:20 a.m. at Penobscot Community Health Center.