Health news

Lights of Hope

BANGOR – Eastern Maine Medical Center’s CancerCare of Maine invites the public to become part of the continuing Lights of Hope tradition by honoring a loved one. Purchase a light to decorate the Lights of Hope tree at the hospital. Each light on the tree represents someone whose life has been touched by cancer. The tree symbolizes hope.

CancerCare of Maine will celebrate the person or people donors choose to pay tribute to by displaying their names at CancerCare of Maine. Donors will receive a special Lights of Hope card to send to those honored by the gift.

The public is invited to a tree lighting ceremony at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 14, outside the Webber West building at EMMC. A reception featuring refreshments and holiday music will follow the ceremony.

Last year the Lights of Hope tribute raised more than $20,000 for technology and support services at CancerCare of Maine. For more information, call 973-5055.

Brain injury

rehab program

BREWER – The Maine Center for Integrated Rehabilitation has added a new component to its brain injury rehabilitation program. On the first Tuesday of each month, the center will offer a brain injury support group for survivors of brain injury and their families. The first meeting will take place 5:30-6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5, at the center, Twin City Plaza, 248 State St.

Brain injury includes stroke, brain trauma, aneurysm, brain surgery, brain tumor, anoxic injury, toxic metabolic injury and concussion.

The support group will be led by speech language pathologist Jennifer Morgan who specializes in the treatment of individuals with brain injury. The group will offer an atmosphere where individuals may ask questions or share stories, experiences and ideas. The group will be a safe place to share positive or negative views without fear of judgment. The group will provide the opportunity for individuals and families to connect with one another. The group will focus on brain injury education, services and resources for individuals with brain injury and their families.

Guest speakers with expertise in brain injury will offer presentations. For more information, call Jennifer Morgan or Pamela Colson Power at 989-2034.

Health care partnership

BANGOR – Penobscot Community Health Care, Bangor Housing Authority and Husson College announced recently its partnership to manage Husson Capehart Health Center after its federal grant support ended. The affiliation allows Husson Capehart Health Center to continue providing medical care while adding the benefits of partnering with a federally qualified health center such as PCHC.

Husson Capehart Health Center offers qualifying uninsured or underinsured patients affordable health care on a sliding fee scale. As the newest addition to PCHC, patients will have access to other PCHC services including on-site x-ray and laboratory services, psychiatry, mental health and substance abuse counseling, pharmacy and specialty services.

Husson Capehart Health Center was opened in December 2001 by the Husson College School of Nursing in an effort to provide access to health care for those most in need, bringing health services into the community where they live. The health center, located at 86 Davis Road, will continue to provide health care 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Services include annual physicals, well-baby examinations, management of chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, asthma and diabetes, treatment of acute illnesses, smoking cessation programs, and health education and health promotion. Appointments may be made by calling 992-2205. Generally, patients are seen the same day or the next day.

Husson Capehart Health Center is one of five service delivery sites in the Bangor area operated by PCHC, providing affordable primary care and preventive services to the region’s most vulnerable populations – low-income and medically underserved people in urban and rural locations across the state.

PCHC, a nonprofit agency founded in 1997, is the only federally qualified health center in Greater Bangor. Its mission is to insure access to comprehensive and integrated outpatient health care services to those on MaineCare, Medicare and those with and without insurance – regardless of ability to pay. It will provide about 140,000 patient visits in 2006 for more than 35,000 people. Clinics in both Bangor and Old Town offer family medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, mental health counseling, physical and occupational therapy, lab, x-ray and pharmacy services. PCHC operates a public health dental clinic in Bangor. In addition, PCHC has a team of medical specialists who deliver podiatry care, ear-nose-throat care, pain management, pediatric dermatology services, urology care and osteopathic manipulative therapy. PCHC provides health care within the community by offering services in Bangor for youth and adults who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. PCHC also operates Miles for Smiles, a mobile dental clinic serving low-income children in rural areas of northern and western Maine, funded by Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Maine.

Reach to Recovery

training

BANGOR – This year in Maine more than 1,000 women will hear the words, “You have breast cancer.” For a woman facing breast cancer, talking the experience over with a breast cancer survivor who has gone through treatment not only helps answer questions, but also gives her a role model for recovery.

The American Cancer Society’s Reach to Recovery program offers the opportunity to women from the area by matching volunteer breast cancer survivors with women currently dealing with the disease.

A training class for breast cancer survivors interested in becoming Reach to Recovery visitors will be held 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 2, at Eastern Maine Medical Center. A light lunch will be provided.

Reach to Recovery helps breast cancer patients meet emotional, physical, and cosmetic needs.

The program is meant to complement a woman’s relationship with her doctor by helping point out questions she should ask her physician, and providing additional nonmedical information. Visitors also let women know about resources for breast cancer patients.

For example, the American Cancer Society will loan wigs and breast prostheses if those items are not covered by a patient’s insurance.

To learn more about the Reach to Recovery program or to sign up for the visitor training, call the American Cancer Society at (800) ACS-2345.