Free genetics clinic offered in Ellsworth

ELLSWORTH – A genetics counseling and referral clinic will be held from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Feb. 18, in the new office building of Maine Coast Pediatrics, 32 Resort Way in Ellsworth.

This clinic is offered free of charge by the Center for Human Genetics in Bar Harbor, and appointments are necessary. If you suspect that a medical problem runs in your family, or if you wonder whether a particular medical problem could be inherited, please call the center at 288-5815 at least one week in advance to schedule an appointment. You will also be asked to complete a family history questionnaire and medical release form so that adequate medical records can be obtained before you come to the clinic. Late callers will be scheduled for the next clinic.

Family medical problems that have been brought to the attention of the clinic in the past have included many types of eye disease, diabetes, heart attacks at an early age, Marfan syndrome, hemochromatosis, breast cancer, colon cancer, chromosomal abnormalities, Factor V Leiden disease and cystic fibrosis, to name a few.

Local health professionals taking part in the clinics include Robert A. Beekman M.D., pediatrician; Marlene Hubbard Ph.D., medical geneticist; Thomas H. Roderick Ph.D., geneticist; Sheena Whittaker M.D., and Melba Wilson Ph.D., genetics counselor.