Oak Ridge Today

Roane State dental hygiene program honored

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Members of the faculty of Roane State’s dental hygiene program are, from left, director Melinda Gill, Kimball Burkett, standing to Gill’s left; and from left, Kellye Wilson, Sondra Roberts, Natalie Schubert, Wesley Singer, DDS; Michelle Jones, Pete Ruyl, DDS; Ed Guion, DDS; and Debbie Taylor. Schubert is the receptionist for the program’s dental clinic. (Photo by Roane State)

Members of the faculty of Roane State’s dental hygiene program are, from left, director Melinda Gill, Kimball Burkett, standing to Gill’s left; and from left, Kellye Wilson, Sondra Roberts, Natalie Schubert, Wesley Singer, DDS; Michelle Jones, Pete Ruyl, DDS; Ed Guion, DDS; and Debbie Taylor. Schubert is the receptionist for the program’s dental clinic. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

Roane State’s acclaimed dental hygiene program can add another recognition to its list of accomplishments.

The program, located in the Coffey-McNally Building on the college’s Oak Ridge campus, has received the 100% Faculty Award for 2017 from the American Dental Hygienists’ Association.

There are 30,000 members of the association, which is based in Chicago and more than 100 years old. Roane State was among only 25 higher education institutions nationwide to obtain the designation.

It’s bestowed when all faculty members in a dental hygiene program are also members of the ADHA. [Read more…]

Roane State Dental Hygiene Program awarded grants

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Roane State dental hygiene program director Melinda Gill stands in the college’s state-of-the-art dental clinic at the Oak Ridge campus. (Photo by Roane State)

Roane State dental hygiene program director Melinda Gill stands in the college’s state-of-the-art dental clinic at the Oak Ridge campus. (Photo by Roane State)

 

By Bob Fowler, Roane State staff writer

The Roane State Community College Dental Health Clinic has received three grants for its free monthly clinics for area residents who have limited access to dental care, said associate professor Melinda Gill, director of the college’s dental hygiene program.

  • The clinic was awarded a $2,500 Community Action Grant from the Oak Ridge Breakfast Rotary Club to underwrite two Saturday morning clinics to serve Roane County residents.
  • The United Way of Anderson County has funded a $1,000 discretionary grant to purchase a high-speed handpiece used in filling cavities. With the addition of that second apparatus, it will increase the number of patients who can be treated, Gill said.
  • Trinity Health Foundation of East Tennessee has awarded a $5,000 grant to purchase dental equipment and materials to support the operation of the clinic to better serve the dental needs of the patients. This grant was in collaboration with Mid-East Community Action Agency.

[Read more…]

Tai chi demonstration at Oak Ridge Senior Center on Wednesday

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Ahead of United Nations International Day of Older Persons on October 1, the Taoist Tai Chi Society is hosting a special demonstration at the Oak Ridge Senior Center. On Wednesday, September 27, at 11 a.m., a Taoist tai chi instructor will show how practicing tai chi contributes to healthy aging, a press release said.

Program organizers say the gentle motions of tai chi offer health benefits for all ages, but the practice often appeals to seniors looking for ways to improve strength, endurance, flexibility, and balance. The motions are also gentle and low impact, exercising the skeleton, joints, muscles, ligaments, tendons, and all connective tissue, with very low risk of injury. [Read more…]

Learn how to be a medical advocate on Friday

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Submitted

The public is invited to a program, “The Importance of Taking Charge: How to Be a Medical Advocate for Yourself and Others,” at noon on Friday, September 8, at Roane State Community College in Oak Ridge.

Gay Marie Logsdon will speak from experience related to medical care within her family during the past 30-plus years, including dealing with major insurance agencies and receiving extended care after a head-on car wreck in October 2016.

A meet-and-greet session will be held at 11:30 a.m. before the presentation, in Room F-110 of the main (Coffey-McNally) building. The program is sponsored by Church Women United. All are welcome!

For more information, call (865) 483-7940.

This press release was submitted by Gay Marie Logsdon.

Y-12 FCU Gives Foundation presents two new grants

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Pictured above during a check presentation to Free Medical Clinic are Amber Price, Y-12 FCU Gives Foundation; Jackie Clay, executive director, Free Medical Clinic and board members Carol Smallridge and Judy Wilson; and Janie Click and Stephanie Zuleger, Y-12 FCU Gives Foundation. (Photo by Y-12 Federal Credit Union)

Pictured above from left to right during a check presentation to Free Medical Clinic are Amber Price, Y-12 FCU Gives Foundation; Jackie Clay, executive director, Free Medical Clinic and board members Carol Smallridge and Judy Wilson; and Janie Click and Stephanie Zuleger, Y-12 FCU Gives Foundation. (Photo by Y-12 Federal Credit Union)

 

Free Medical Clinic and Oak Ridge Computer Science (ORCS) Girls were the newest recipients of grants from Y-12 FCU Gives Foundation, a press release said. A check presentation ceremony was conducted at the Y-12 Federal Credit Union branch in Oak Ridge on Monday, August 7.

Y-12 FCU Gives Foundation was established by Y-12 Federal Credit Union, a full-service financial provider headquartered in Oak Ridge, with 14 branches located in Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Knox, Roane, and Sevier counties serving 108,413 members. The foundation was established to extend the Y-12 FCU mission of “people helping people” into the philanthropic realm of charitable giving and support.

Y-12 FCU Gives Foundation will improve communities by delivering human and financial resources, the press release said. The Foundation Board of Directors will use their compassion, accountability, and dedication to make a difference in the hearts and lives of the communities served in the areas of: [Read more…]

Osteoporosis the topic of Health Night at MMC this evening

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Daniel Benson

Daniel Benson

Osteoporosis is a disease that causes thinning of bones. Over time, this weakens the bones and can make them more fragile and more likely to break—even under minor stress or spontaneously. It can affect any bone, but the hip, spine, and wrist are most often involved.

People with osteoporosis may not get any symptoms. Some may have pain in their bones and muscles. Sometimes, a collapsed vertebra may cause severe pain, decrease in height, or spinal deformity such as a hunched back. Because many people do not experience symptoms, or may not associate their symptoms with osteoporosis, the condition can be left unchecked until advance symptoms, such a broken bone, occur. Osteoporosis is, in fact, the leading reason of broken bones among the elderly. That’s why understanding the risk factors and prevention tactics is so crucial. [Read more…]

New exercise class at Oak Ridge Senior Center started this month

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Pierce Physical Therapy

The Oak Ridge Senior Center has partnered with Pierce Physical Therapy to sponsor a free exercise class for anyone age 50 and over. The class is being held on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 11 a.m. It started Thursday, July 6.

The Pierce Therapy Exercise Program, or P.E.P. for short, will concentrate on strength, balance, and mobility and will incorporate therapeutic exercise, functional training, and individual exercise modifications, a press release said.

Physical Therapist Assistant Chelsea Ferrell will be leading the class at the senior center with assistance from Physical Therapist Ray Pierce. Pierce has operated Pierce Physical Therapy in Oak Ridge for more than 30 years, and Ferrell works full time as a PTA in the practice.

There is no cost for the class, but space is limited. Please call the Oak Ridge Senior Center at (865) 425-3999 to register.

Some concern in Oak Ridge as Congress considers repealing Affordable Care Act

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Protesters express their opposition to the health care vote in May by U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Rocky Top post office on May 9, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

Protesters express their opposition to the health care vote in May by U.S. Representative Chuck Fleischmann, a Tennessee Republican, during a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Rocky Top post office on May 9, 2017. (Photo by John Huotari/Oak Ridge Today)

 

The U.S. Senate continued to debate a potential repeal of at least part of the Affordable Care Act, also known as “Obamacare,” on Thursday night. It’s not clear what the Senate will eventually approve.

It’s also not clear what type of agreement the Senate can reach with the U.S. House of Representatives, if the Senate passes a bill. The House has already passed its own bill, the American Health Care Act.

On Thursday night, the Senate debate was focused on a so-called “skinny repeal,” which would roll back parts of the Affordable Care Act, or ACA. It would repeal the mandates that most people have health insurance and that large employers cover their employees, but it would leave most of the health law in place, The New York Times reported.

It wasn’t clear if the Republican-controlled Senate had the votes to advance the legislation.

The vote on “skinny repeal” expected tonight comes after Senate Republicans were unable to reach consensus on broader legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act and after an earlier repeal bill failed on Wednesday.

The health care debate in the Senate started with a 51-50 vote on Tuesday.

As the health care debate has played out in Congress this year, there has been some concern in Oak Ridge and Anderson County over the potential repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in March 2010. It’s considered his signature domestic legislative achievement.

There has also been some concern here over possible Medicaid cuts. [Read more…]

Safety Fest TN opens registration for 90 free safety classes on Monday

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Safety Fest TN

Registration opens Monday for Safety Fest TN, an annual community event that offers 90 free safety classes to residents and companies from September 11-15, a press release said.

This year’s training classes will be offered at the New Hope Center at Y-12 National Security Complex, ORAU’s Pollard Technical Center, and other local venues, the press release said. Registration and a complete list of classes can be found at www.safetyfesttn.org.

“Planners for the event work to develop offerings each year that provide valuable insight and training to the region that may be costly or difficult to obtain elsewhere,” the press release said. “A sample of this year’s classes include Careers in Occupational Safety and Health (for high school and community college students), Chain Saw Safety, CPR and First Aid Certification, Confined Space, Evacuation and Emergency Planning, Fall Prevention, HAZWOPER 8-hour, OSHA Construction 10-hour, Power Tool Safety, Trench Safety, and Welding Safety.”

“This is the sixth year of Safety Fest TN’s offering so many outstanding safety classes for free,” said Michelle Keever, UCOR’s senior safety and health program specialist and Safety Fest class coordinator. “Our community sponsors make it possible for us to not only offer free safety training, but to provide free lunches and breaks for a convenient training experience.” [Read more…]

Health Physics Society names ORAU’s Davis as recipient of Elda E. Anderson Award

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ORAU Health Physicist Jason Davis and his wife, Samantha, display the 2017 Elda E. Anderson Award he received at the Health Physics Society Annual Meeting. (Photo by ORAU)

ORAU Health Physicist Jason Davis and his wife, Samantha, display the 2017 Elda E. Anderson Award he received at the Health Physics Society Annual Meeting. (Photo by ORAU)

 

RALEIGH, N.C.—The Health Physics Society has named Jason Davis, an ORAU health physicist, as the 2017 recipient of the Elda E. Anderson Award, an annual honor bestowed to one of its young members for excellence in research or development, discovery or invention, or significant contributions to the health physics profession.

The award was presented to Davis during the 62nd annual meeting of the Health Physics Society, July 9-13 in Raleigh.

Davis joined ORAU in 2009 to work on projects associated with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). As a member of the NIOSH Special Exposure Cohort team, Davis researches the historic monitoring practices of sites to determine whether sufficient information exists to adequately bound radiation exposures to employees, a press release said. He communicates this information, along with analyses of the methods to bound radiation doses using the data available, through evaluation reports, project reports, and white papers.

At ORAU, Davis works closely with Eric W. Abelquist, executive vice president and chief research officer. Abelquist is a former recipient of the Elda E. Anderson Award and is the new president of the Health Physics Society national organization. Davis recently assisted Abelquist in the execution of the Radiation Protection Research Needs Workshop held earlier this year and has helped organize a Visiting Faculty Research Program pilot that will be completed in August. [Read more…]

Free suicide prevention training at Grace Lutheran on Saturday

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Danielle Roach

Danielle Roach

 

The Grace Lutheran Church of Oak Ridge’s Mental Health Ministry will host a free community program on suicide prevention training on Saturday, July 15, at 10:30 a.m. in the church’s fellowship hall. Childcare will be provided.

Community health practitioner Danielle Roach, through association with the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network (TSPN), will be the instructor, a press release said. Roach has worked at a community mental health center for the past 16 years. In addition to suicide prevention training, she as taught verbal and physical de-escalation techniques, CPR, and newborn care Safety/CPR classes for the last 12 years at a local hospital.

According to the TSPN website, this training, known as QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer), is a program designed to teach lay people and professionals alike how to prevent suicide.

Grace Lutheran Church is located at 131 West Gettysburg Avenue in Oak Ridge. For more information about the program or the Mental Health Ministry, contact the church office at (865) 483-3787.

Dr. Crane to discuss Lewy body dementia at Courtyards Senior Living on July 18

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Dr. Monica Crane

Dr. Monica Crane

 

Dr. Monica Crane, a fellowship-trained geriatric medicine physician with special expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, will discuss “Lewy Body Dementia” at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 18, at The Courtyards Senior Living at 801 East Inskip Drive in Knoxville.

The public is invited to attend the free talk in the Hearthside Chat speaker series at The Courtyards Senior Living, which operates assisted living and dedicated memory care facilities in Oak Ridge, Knoxville, and Johnson City, a press release said. To reserve a seat for the July 18 program, send an e-mail to Jody Daugherty at jody@courtyardseniorliving.com or call (865) 357-1660.

Crane, medical director for The Courtyards, will continue to present informative talks on aging at The Courtyards on a regular basis, the press release said. She is also the founder and medical director of Genesis Neuroscience Clinic, at 1400 Dowell Springs Boulevard in Knoxville. The clinic provides comprehensive evaluation, treatment, and clinical trial opportunities for those with cognitive impairment and neurodegenerative dementias. [Read more…]