Blood drive

BANGOR – St. Joseph Healthcare will serve as the host for an American Red Cross Blood Services blood drive 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Friday, June 17, at the St. Francis Center, 294 Center St. Call 262-1724 to schedule an appointment, or to obtain information.

Breast and cervical health

BANGOR – Penquis Community Action Program has received a $25,000 grant from the Maine Department of Health and Human Services for the Penquis Breast and Cervical Health Coalition.

The coalition works to educate women in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties about the need for, and effectiveness of, screening for breast and cervical cancers. It also provides, through the Maine Breast and Cervical Health Program, breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic services to under-served women 40-64 years of age. The grant will fund 83 percent of program costs for the 2005-2006 year.

Each year in Maine, some 1,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer and 100 with cervical cancer. Approximately 200 women die from breast cancer and 25 from cervical cancer every year. It is estimated that 35,200 women are in need of breast and cervical cancer screening services annually, based on health insurance coverage and income.

If women age 50 and older obtain regular screening, up to 30 percent of breast cancer deaths could be prevented. Virtually all cervical cancer deaths could be prevented through screening.

Early detection is currently the best way to combat breast and cervical cancer. For information on the Maine Breast and Cervical Health Program, call Abigail Densmore at 973-3615.

Conference on autism

ORONO – Is autism becoming more common? What causes autism? What can we do to deal with autism? Mainers are asking these questions with increasing frequency.

The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies will host a one-day conference Thursday, June 30, at the Bangor Civic Center to help people understand autism, learn about educational approaches and build relationships with parents and professionals interested in providing quality autism interventions for the children of Maine.

Information and registration materials are available at (800) 203-6957 (voice/TTY) or www.umaine.edu/cci/autism.

The keynote speaker will be Dr. Barry Prizant, who has more than 30 years’ experience as a clinical scholar, researcher and program consultant to young children with autistic spectrum disorders and related disabilities.

Participants will have the opportunity to learn about five developmental approaches for teaching young children with autism, and will interact with expert representatives of these five approaches.

Children’s Miracle Network

More than $561,500 was raised during the 18th annual telethon for the Children’s Miracle Network of Eastern Maine Healthcare. Hundreds of volunteers, health care professionals and CMN families joined at the Bangor Mall for the eight-hour telecast on WABI-TV 5. U.S. Rep. Michael Michaud was a special guest.

Last year, CMN of Eastern Maine Healthcare provided for 127,000 patient visits from 15 of Maine’s 16 counties.

Contributions received from the telethon will support CMN’s infant, child and adolescent health care services of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems. Recipient hospitals will include Eastern Maine Medical Center, Acadia Hospital, The Aroostook Medical Center, Inland Hospital, C.A. Dean Memorial Hospital and Sebasticook Valley Hospital. CMN funds also will support the Pathfinders grief counseling program of Hospice of Eastern Maine.

Medicare changes

ORONO – Medicare will be changing on Jan. 1, 2006, and involve significant changes to prescription drug benefits and the way medications are paid for. A forum to explain the changes will be held 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, June 28, at the Parker Dining Room, Birch Street School.

Those who subscribe to Medicare and those who have MaineCare with Medicare are urged to attend the meeting.

After Jan. 1, 2006, MaineCare will no longer pay for prescriptions for those who have Medicare. Those on Medicare will have to pay premiums on Plan D, the prescription plan, and pay other expenses.