Spring Birth Night

BANGOR – Eastern Maine Medical Center will hold Spring Birth Night 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, April 30, in Mason Auditorium.

If you are expecting a baby soon or planning for a baby in the future, bring family and friends to learn about what EMMC has to offer. The program is free.

Learn about the range of childbirth services at EMMC and meet the professionals who work in them. Find out about childbirth education classes, baby massage, lactation services, Parents are Teachers Too, sibling preparation, maternal fetal medicine, the Raising Readers program, Women’s Infants Children Program, support groups, infant and child CPR, public health nurses, Baby Club, Greater Bangor Breastfeeding Coalition, Bangor Y and EMMC Nutrition Services.

Dr. Carey Fister, pediatric dentist, will speak on dental health for babies and young children. Karen Kohlmeyer, pediatric physical therapist and owner of My Gym for Children in Brewer, will lead a workshop on exercise for babies.

For strong, healthy bones

For many older adults the fear of falling is terrifying, causing some seniors to stop participating in activities. With inactivity, muscle strength may decrease, increasing the risk of falls and possibly fractures.

There are resources available that can help seniors stop the cycle, improve balance and muscle strength, and enhance participants’ energy level and sense of well-being.

Nurse Louise Bonawitz, an advanced health and fitness specialist certified by the American Council on Exercise, will speak at Caring Connections Bone Health Information and Discussion Group at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 24, at the Bangor Y on Second Street.

Bonawitz will discuss simple, safe, effective ways to stay strong, independent and active. She will talk about two free programs: “Bone Builders” and “A Matter of Balance.”

“Bone Builders” is an osteoporosis exercise and educational prevention program sponsored by the University of Maine Center on Aging and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program of Hancock, Penobscot, Piscataquis and Washington counties. Bone Builders classes are held in the Bangor area, Blue Hill and Milbridge.

“A Matter of Balance” is a class that helps participants reduce fear of falling and increase activity levels.

The session is free and anyone concerned about bone health is welcome to attend. A calcium-rich snack and recipe will be provided. To obtain information or to attend, call Robin Long at 941-2808.

Caring Connections is a cooperative program of the Bangor Y and Eastern Maine Medical Center, supported by the fundraising efforts of Healthcare Charities.

Breast, cervical health services for women 35-39

The Maine Department of Health and Human Services announced that the Maine Breast and Cervical Health Program, part of the Maine CDC, is now providing services to women age 35-39. To qualify, a woman must:

. Have seen a doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant.

. Need follow-up tests for possible breast cancer or an abnormal Pap test, or not had a Pap test in five or more years.

. Have no health insurance, health insurance that does not cover mammograms or Pap tests or have insurance with a high deductible.

. Meet income guidelines.

The department is able to provide these additional services with assistance from the Susan G. Komen Foundation, Maine Affiliate. The program continues to provide free Pap tests and mammograms to women age 40 and older who meet health insurance and income guidelines.

For information, call 800-350-5180.

March for Babies

BREWER – The Bangor, Brewer, Old Town March of Dimes March for Babies, formally known as WalkAmerica, will be held Sunday, May 4. Registration begins at 8 a.m., the program at 8:30 a.m. and the walk at 9 a.m. at the Brewer Auditorium.

Bank Days, opportunities to drop off donations and obtain prizes before Walk Day rush, will be held 1-4 p.m. Friday, May 2, and 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, May 3, at KeyBank in Brewer.

March of Dimes is a national voluntary health agency whose mission is to improve the health of babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality.

Premature birth is the No. 1 cause of newborn death. It endangers the lives of more than a half-million babies in the United States each year. In an average week in Maine, one baby dies before its first birthday.

For information, call Trish Hanson at Merrill Bank, 990-4070, or the local March of Dimes office at 989-3376 or visit www.marchofdimes.com.

New training for seniors

BANGOR – The National Able Network has announced new training specifically designed for low-income seniors 55 and older with limited employment prospects through the Senior Community Services Program, funded through the 1965 Department of Labor Title V Older Americans Act.

Technology changes as fast as the weather in New England. For senior citizens who want to search the Internet or contact family members through e-mail, maneuvering the Internet can be daunting.

The Department of Labor awarded National Able Network’s community services program a grant to develop training specific to the needs of seniors. Training modules were developed for classroom settings using PowerPoint presentations along with teaching basic computer skills.

Participants learning computer skills will be guided step by step through presentations aided by visual and verbal instructions to make training less confusing and easier to understand. The program was developed to implement a learning methodology that is not intimidating, but useful to seniors seeking employment.

At the completion of training, participants will be familiar with technology that better enables them to transition into the work force. The modules provide guidance in aspects of returning to the changing workplace, job readiness, job expectations, the modern workplace and discussion about new types of office equipment. Participants who finish the class will receive a certificate of completion.

For information, call the National Able Network, Maine office, at 945-6073 or toll-free at 800-655-6073.

Faculty in cancer research

BANGOR – The Maine Institute for Human Genetics and Health announced that Dr. Tom Openshaw and Margaret Chavaree have joined the institute’s faculty. Openshaw, formerly medical director at Eastern Maine Medical Center’s CancerCare of Maine, will lead a new research initiative to improve and extend cancer care in outreach clinics.

Margaret Chavaree, supervisor of EMMC’s Cancer Registry, will provide leadership as the research coordinator for the new Maine Human Cancer Tissue Repository, funded by a grant from the United States Department of Defense.

Dr. Janet Hock, director of the institute, said she was pleased that two such proven leaders would help further development of the institute.

“CancerCare of Maine has a long history of clinical research through participation in clinical trials sponsored by the National Cancer Institute and in their work with the Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston. Dr. Openshaw and Ms. Chavaree are leading initiatives critical to the success of the institute in its vision of using research to address the barriers to health care in rural Maine,” said Hock.

Openshaw will continue to care for his patients at CancerCare of Maine while building a research outreach program and supporting Dr. Merrill Garrett, the new medical director of CancerCare of Maine.

Chavaree will oversee a tissue bank that, with patient approval, will archive blood and cancer tissue for use in research on how genes interact with environmental exposures in Maine to modify the risk of cancer. The repository will link to a parallel initiative to map environmental exposures and their duration in Maine.

Living with Cancer Conference

The American Cancer Society’s 30th annual Living With Cancer Conference will take place 7:45 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 7, at the Augusta Civic Center. Volunteers and staff from the American Cancer Society created the first Living With Cancer Conference in 1979.

Each year cancer patients and survivors, family members, caregivers and health care professionals come together for the event. The theme is “Celebrating 30 Years of Information and Support: Hope for the Future.” The event is designed to provide participants with information on personal and medical topics to help bring hope and care to cancer patients and their families.

The free conference is the longest running cancer survivors conference of its kind. Attendees may participate in informative workshops, visit community resource exhibits, and share similar experiences and stories with others touched by cancer.

The keynote speaker, Dr. Carolyn Kaelin, is the founding director of the Comprehensive Breast Health Center at Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is a breast cancer surgeon, award-winning author and a breast cancer survivor who speaks from both sides of the stethoscope.

Workshop topics include exercise for cancer patients, the importance of caregivers, new directions in lung and prostate cancer care and stress management. Presenters include Maine physicians, American Cancer Society volunteers and other specialists. The popular patient panel will include cancer survivors from Ellsworth, Durham and Belfast who will share their personal stories.

The conference is sponsored by Madeline’s Hair Replacement Clinic, Maine Center for Cancer Medicine, Maine Medical Center, MaineGeneral Harold Alfond Center for Cancer Care and Mercy Hospital. Attendees are invited to visit numerous vendor exhibits.

Cancer patients and survivors and their family members pay no conference fee. For other attendees the fee is $30. To learn about the Living With Cancer Conference, call Cheryl Tucker at the American Cancer Society at 373-3709 or 800-227-2345.

Red Cross Month

Gov. John E. Baldacci honored those who contribute to the Maine chapter of the American Red Cross during a ceremony in the Hall of Flags in Augusta. The governor thanked donors, volunteers and staff and proclaimed March as American Red Cross Month throughout the state.

“Maine appreciates the work of the Red Cross,” Baldacci said. “Without the nearly 4,500 men and women involved in the Red Cross in this state, this organization would not be able to offer the assistance it gives to our friends, family and neighbors every day.”

Baldacci called the Red Cross an example of the willingness of Mainers to give back to their community, through volunteering, charitable contributions and blood donations.