Oak Ridge Today

Alexander elected chair of Senate Health, Education, Labor, Pensions Committee

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U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

Senate Republicans on Wednesday elected U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican, to be the chairman of the Senate’s Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.

“The work of no Senate committee affects the daily lives of more Americans more than this one—whether we are fixing No Child Left Behind, or reducing federal paperwork to make it easier for students to attend college, or making it simpler for medical treatments and cures to make their way through the Food and Drug Administration to patients who need the help,” Alexander said in a press release. [Read more…]

 Anderson County Health Department offers free flu vaccine

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Anderson County Health DepartmentCLINTON—Flu season is here, with seasonal influenza cases now reported across Tennessee.

The Anderson County Health Department is working to protect the entire community by providing free flu vaccinations to area residents until vaccine supplies are depleted, a press release said. Appointments must be made to receive flu vaccine, and they are now being scheduled at the clinic. [Read more…]

Oak Ridge city, schools kick off Biggest Loser Competition

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The City of Oak Ridge Wellness Committee and Oak Ridge Coordinated School Health will kick off their 2015 Biggest Loser competition at 12:30 p.m. today (Monday, January 5) in the Oak Ridge Civic Center Social Room.

Employees with the City of Oak Ridge and Oak Ridge Schools will compete against one another during a three-month weight loss challenge. A winner from each organization will be awarded, as well as overall male and female Biggest Loser. The competition will run from January 5 through April 6, a press release said.

Today’s first official weigh-in of the challenge will feature Oak Ridge Mayor Warren Gooch and members of Oak Ridge City Council, Oak Ridge City Manager Mark Watson, Oak Ridge Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers, Oak Ridge Schools Director of Pupil Services Larrissa Henderson, and municipal and school employees.

Sponsored: Taoist Tai Chi Society has open houses Saturday, Monday

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Taoist Tai Chi Exercise for LifeThe Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA has open houses in Oak Ridge on Saturday, January 3, and Monday, January 5.

Tai chi can be used to improve health and reduce stress. New beginner classes are starting soon.

Saturday’s workshop is free and open to the public. It’s scheduled from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at 362 East Tennessee Avenue in Oak Ridge. You can watch demonstrations and learn the first few moves. [Read more…]

Baby Dylan rings in new year at Methodist Medical Center

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New Year's Baby 2015 MMC

Photo courtesy Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge

 

He was due on December 28, and Dylan Cohen Williams was supposed to be one of the last babies of 2014.

But after making Mom and Dad wait a few days longer, on January 1, 2015, at 12:53 p.m. he became Methodist Medical Center’s first baby of the New Year.

Dylan weighed in at 8 pounds, 2 ounces, and he was 20 inches long. [Read more…]

Registration under way for Wilderness First Responder course at Roane State

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Wilderness First Responder

Rescue workers train during Roane State’s Wilderness First Responder course. (Photo courtesy Roane State Community College)

 

Roane State Community College’s Continuing Healthcare and Safety Education Department is accepting sign-ups for its Wilderness First Responder course.

Held at the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, the class is designed for those who operate extensively in the outdoors, such as outdoors enthusiasts, wilderness guides, environmental educators, and missionaries, a press release said. [Read more…]

New Fit Club will have monthly hikes on Fridays

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Join the Friday Fit Club and hit the trail for a fun new experience, a press release said.

Covenant Health affiliates Methodist Medical Center and Roane Medical Center are joining together with the Anderson and Roane County Parks and Recreation Departments to create a Friday Fit Club, which will meet for monthly hikes.

If you enjoy hiking and are interested in participating in the Friday Fit Club, you are encouraged to attend a planning meeting on Friday, January 9, from 8:45-10 a.m. in the Ridge Conference Room at Methodist Medical Center, located at 990 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

Light refreshments will be served, and registration is required. Call (865) 835-4662 to register by January 6.

More than 80,000 Tennesseans pick Health Insurance Marketplace plan in first month

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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Logo

Federal officials announced Tuesday that 87,137 people in Tennessee selected plans through the Health Insurance Marketplace leading up to the December 15 deadline for coverage beginning January 1.

It was the first month of open enrollment this year.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said 83 percent of Tennesseans who selected a 2015 plan are getting financial assistance to lower monthly premiums. That compared to 75 percent who selected plans over a similar period last year.

Of the 87,137 Tennesseans who selected a plan, 51 percent re-enrolled in a Marketplace plan in 2015, and 49 percent signed up for the first time, HHS said in a press release. [Read more…]

Gov. Haslam announces Insure Tennessee plan

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Governor Bill Haslam

Bill Haslam

NASHVILLE—Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam this month unveiled his Insure Tennessee plan, a two-year pilot program to provide health care coverage to Tennesseans who currently don’t have access to health insurance or have limited options. The program rewards healthy behaviors, prepares members to transition to private coverage, promotes personal responsibility, and incentivizes choosing preventative and routine care instead of unnecessary use of emergency rooms, a press release said.

The governor announced that he plans to call a special session to focus on the proposal after the 109th General Assembly convenes in January.

“We made the decision in Tennessee nearly two years ago not to expand traditional Medicaid,” Haslam said in the press release. “This is an alternative approach that forges a different path and is a unique Tennessee solution. This plan leverages federal dollars to provide health care coverage to more Tennesseans, to give people a choice in their coverage, and to address the cost of health care, better health outcomes, and personal responsibility. [Read more…]

Wanda Crowe named hospital’s MMCer of the Year

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Wanda Crowe

Wanda Crowe

Wanda Crowe, anesthesia tech in the Surgery department at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, has been named the 2014 MMCer of the Year.

Hospital employees cast their votes for MMCer of the Year among the candidates who received MMCer of the Month during 2014, and Crowe, who was named MMCer of the Month in October, received the greatest number of votes to earn this special distinction.

As an anesthesia tech, Crowe’s duties include transporting patients for surgery, maintaining a clean environment for the operating rooms and assisting her coworkers with a variety of tasks to ensure a high quality of care for all patients. Crowe has been with Methodist since 1995. [Read more…]

Tennessee legislators request support for TennCare waiver extension

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U.S. Senator Lamar Alexander

Lamar Alexander

U.S. Senator Bob Corker

Bob Corker

Submitted

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Nine members of Tennessee’s congressional delegation sent a letter this month to Marilyn Tavenner, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, requesting an extension of TennCare’s waiver approval from earlier this year.

Because Tennessee does not receive funding through the Medicaid disproportionate share hospital, or DSH, program that every other state participates in, the lawmakers are requesting continuing funds to support Tennessee hospitals that help tens of thousands of low-income patients receive medical coverage they otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford. Just last year, these hospitals provided $950 million in charity care and $720 million in unreimbursed medical services to low-income Tennesseans.

Unlike hospitals in every other state, Tennessee hospitals are unable to offset these expenses with the help of the Medicaid DSH program. [Read more…]

Roane State: Prepare for a health care career in just one to three semesters

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For those interested in behind-the-scenes health care careers, Roane State Community College has a variety of options, and spaces are available for spring semester.

Options include:

  • Healthcare Documentation Specialist (Medical Transcription/Speech-Editing): Students learn to transcribe and edit speech-generated medical record reports dictated by physicians. Healthcare documentation specialists work in physician’s offices, clinics, hospitals, and medical transcription services. Classes are offered online. Opportunities to work from home are available with experience.
  • Health Unit Coordinator: The health unit coordinator courses can be completed in just two semesters. Health unit coordinators typically work in a hospital’s nursing unit. Their duties include maintaining patient records, scheduling tests for patients, ordering supplies, and acting as a liaison between the patient, medical staff, patient’s family, and visitors. Classes are offered in a combination of the traditional classroom and online.
  • Medical Scribe: The medical scribe series of courses can be completed in just one or two semesters. Medical scribes work alongside physicians and document patient care as it happens. All classes are online.

For more information about these options, contact Linda Marsh at (865) 481-2012 or marshls@roanestate.edu. Spring classes begin January 20.