Health news

‘Heart Health for Women’

BANGOR – The Bone Health information and discussion group will present “Heart Health for Women” at 10 a.m. Thursday, June 21, at the Isaac Farrar Mansion, Bangor Y, Second Street.

For information, contact Robin Long, 941-2808 Ext. 338. The group is a program of Caring Connections.

Hours for walk-in clinic

BANGOR – Bangor STD walk-in clinic has set new hours – 4:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, at the Department of Health and Welfare, 103 Texas Ave. Physician evaluation is available. Testing is also available by appointment 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Testing costs $50, but no one is turned away for inability to pay. For information, call 947-0700.

Successful telethon

BANGOR – The 19th annual telethon for the Children’s Miracle Network of Eastern Maine Healthcare Systems set a new benchmark in fundraising, organizers said. The event, held June 2, raised more than $600,000.

Hundreds of volunteers and “miracle families” from throughout Maine attended the telethon at the Bangor Mall. The eight-hour telethon was broadcast on WABI-TV5.

Nancy Dysart, director of CMN of Healthcare Charities, attributed the telethon’s success “to the thousands of volunteers who work throughout the year on behalf of area children. It is their efforts that guarantee access to the highest quality health care close to home for 200,000 children living in eastern, central and northern Maine.”

Money raised at the event will go toward the purchase of specialized pediatric equipment, therapy supplies, community outreach and children’s services at EMHS hospitals in Maine.

For more information about EMHS Healthcare Charities, call 973-5055.

Grant for Penquis CAP

BANGOR – Penquis Community Action Program recently received a $16,918 grant from the Bingham Program to increase the number of professionals in Penobscot and Piscataquis counties who are trained in the practice of touchpoints.

Pediatrician and author Dr. T. Berry Brazelton defines touchpoints as periods of regression in a child’s development that precede rapid growth.

These periods, often characterized by sleep disturbances, behavioral and discipline problems, can be upsetting to parents who may respond with anxiety, self-blame and, at times, misguided behaviors that can turn a temporary regression into a more serious disruption.

Brazelton put forth the idea that parents who are provided a map of their child’s behavioral and emotional development will be better equipped to handle the challenging growth spurts. This philosophy is the basis for a model developed to assist professionals in understanding how they can work with parents to anticipate and understand children’s touchpoints.

Touchpoints teaches providers to establish collaborative, rather than prescriptive, relationships with parents based on shared interest in the child’s development. The Touchpoints Approach offers strategies for professionals to use their knowledge of a child’s development to build a common language to engage parents.

This bridges cultures and educational levels, and creates a common ground for communication. It enables professionals to more effectively work in partnership with parents to take advantage of the key developmental opportunities for growth and development which lead to children enjoying better health, education and emotional well-being.

Shannon Bonsey, director of Family Enrichment Services for Penquis CAP, said the Bingham Program grant would enable more local providers to learn and practice the Touchpoints Approach, leading to improved service delivery and health outcomes in the region. As part of the effort, Penquis CAP is working in partnership with the city of Bangor Health and Welfare Department to increase the number of public health nursing and WIC staff trained in touchpoints.

“We are so pleased to have the Bingham Program’s support,” said Bonsey. “It not only will have a significant impact on the care families receive regionally, but also will help to advance the statewide effort led by the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet to incorporate touchpoints into standard practice for all providers working with families of young children.”