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Prematurity

Awareness Day

In recognition of National Prematurity Awareness Month, the March of Dimes Maine will be the host for a Prematurity Awareness Day on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at the Augusta Armory in Augusta.

The event, which is free to the public, includes presentations and discussions on the connection between women’s health and poor pregnancy outcomes; the latest in preventing pre-term birth; the risk factors for pre-term birth; and prenatal care in Maine. Speakers include Karen M. Baldacci, first lady of Maine; Laurie Caton-Lemos, chairwoman, Chapter Prematurity Campaign; and Amy Carlisle, a mother of preemies.

Attendees can view 1,394 preemie-sized clothes created by volunteers statewide to visually represent each of the preemies born in Maine every year.

The display is intended to demonstrate just how tiny premature babies are and how many are born in Maine each year. The clothes, which range from onesies to dresses to tops and bottoms for boys and girls, will be on display all day before being donated to the neonatal intensive care units at Maine Medical Center, Central Maine Medical Center and Eastern Maine Medical Center.

The day also will include children’s activities, vendor booths and an opportunity to share insights with other preemie families. A Moment of Hope lighting ceremony will take place at 5 p.m. The lighting of the Augusta Armory in pink and blue is part of a national activity to increase public awareness of the epidemic of pre-term birth.

Sharon Schulberger, March of Dimes Maine Chapter said, “Preemie Project 1372 was born out of so many women wanting to do something to help and to raise awareness of the crisis of preemie babies. Prematurity is the number one killer of newborns in Maine and the U.S. and the crisis is worsening.

Many babies who do survive have conditions such as cerebral palsy, mental retardation, learning problems and blindness.”

To learn more, visit www.marchofdimes.com/maine and click on the Preemie Project 1372 icon.

For further March of Dimes information, call Sharon Schulberger at 878-1199, or the Northern Maine Division at 989-3376.

Autism and Asperger’s

BANGOR – This month only, the Bangor Area Autism and Asperger’s Syndrome Support Group will not meet on the second Thursday.

Rather, the meeting will be held 6-8:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 16, in room 3-B at Eastern Maine Medical Center. For information, contact Deborah Lipsky, racoonlady1961@yahoo.com.

Fetal alcohol syndrome

BANGOR – A Seattle-based child psychologist and specialist in research and intervention in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, a condition that is common in Maine, will be in Orono and in Bangor Thursday, Nov. 9, to speak on the topic.

Dr. Heather Carmichael Olson, a research professor in psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine, and psychologist and clinical supervisor at UW’s Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Diagnostic Clinic, will deliver two public lectures.

Her appearance is part of a joint effort supported by the University of Maine Psychology Department, the UM College of Education and Eastern Maine Medical Center. Both lectures are free and open to the public, according to Marie Hayes, UM professor of psychology and researcher at the Institute of Human Genetics and Health at Eastern Maine Healthcare in Brewer.

Olsen will speak at 3:15 p.m. today in Room 107 of the D.P. Corbett Business Building at the University of Maine. Her talk will be “Long Term Developmental Impairment in Cognitive and Adaptive Functioning in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders.”

She will speak 9-10 a.m. today in Mason Auditorium on the second floor of EMMC in Bangor. The lecture is offered as part of EMMC’s Pediatric Grand Rounds. Her talk is titled “Meeting the Challenge of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders: Highlights of New Research.”

The lectures will be of interest to pediatricians, in addition to professors, researchers or students in psychology, developmental neuroscience, human development, early intervention, special education, behavioral toxicology, social work and education.

Hayes said her research has shown that in some prenatal populations in the northeastern Maine area, as many as 25 percent of women have a history of alcohol abuse, which creates an increased risk for fetal alcohol syndrome in their newborns.

‘Sound and Fury’ video

ORONO – What if new advances in technology could – for all intents and purposes – cure deafness? As society grapples with the medical procedures surrounding the cochlear implant, it begins to ask whether deafness is something to be cured, or rather an alternative way of being with its own language and culture.

The PBS documentary video, “Sound and Fury,” portrays two families’ struggles to decide about cochlear implants for their children. The film was a 2001 Academy Award nominee for Best Documentary Feature. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Mick LaSalle called it “a documentary with the emotional power of the very best in narrative film.”

The screening will take place 12:30-2 p.m. Friday, Nov, 17, in the Bangor Room of the Memorial Union at the University of Maine, and will be followed by a discussion. Light refreshments will be provided.

The film and discussion are part of the Interdisciplinary Disability Studies Colloquium Series sponsored by University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies and Fogler Library.

The film is captioned. The discussion will be captioned using C-Print technology and will be signed by an ASL interpreter.

For more information, call 581-1084 or e-mail ccidsmail@umit.maine.edu.

For information about “Sound and Fury,” visit www.pbs.org/wnet/soundandfury.

Blood drive

CASTINE – The Maine Maritime Academy Chapter of Alpha Phi Omega, a national community service organization, will sponsor a blood drive 1-7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 14, in the Alexander Fieldhouse on the college campus in Castine. Free pizza will be provided to all donors.

Appointments are not required. For answers to eligibility questions related to becoming a blood donor, call the American Red Cross at (800) 462-9400 and ask for the nurse of the day.

The American Red Cross blood services collection team holds blood drives at MMA four times a year. The public is encouraged to donate at this event and appointments are not necessary.

Wellness fair

BANGOR – Hannaford Supermarkets will host a wellness fair from 2 to 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 13, at the Bangor Parks and Recreation Center, 647 Main St. The event is open to members of the community who wish to take advantage of a variety of free health diagnostic services and to learn more about health-related issues. At the fair, attendees may get flu shots at a cost of $25, and pneumonia shots for a fee of $35.

During the fair, attendees can receive free services, including screenings for osteoporosis, blood pressure, body fat percent, total cholesterol and glucose. In addition, wellness professional and diagnostic equipment vendors will be available to answer questions and offer product samples.

The fair will feature more than a dozen tables where attendees can receive health tips and information about wellness and fitness programs.

Hannaford stores in Bangor, Brewer and Old Town are serving as hosts for the fair.

The wellness fair is one of six events Hannaford will host in November throughout the Northeast.