Cancer survivors walk the first lap during an all-night Relay for Life at Oak Ridge High School in June 2012.
The 2014 Relay for Life of Oak Ridge will kick off at Pizza Inn on Thursday.
The kickoff will include information about changes for 2014 and free pizza, organizers said.
“Please invite all your team members, friends, family, and survivors,” a flyer said. “The more Relayers we have, the more lives we save!” [Read more…]
Jill McMaster
An organ recipient will discuss organ transplants during an Altrusa Club meeting on Wednesday.
The presentation by Jill McMaster will be titled “Allocating Organs for Transplant: Rationing the Gift of Life.” The luncheon meeting will be at the Double Tree Hotel.
“Because the demand for life-saving transplants greatly exceeds the availability of donated organs, the ethical and analytical challenges are enormous,” McMaster said. Those ethical and analytical challenges will be discussed during her presentation.
McMaster has supported organ transplantation in the United States for many years, a press release said. Working with the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network, she brings the public perspective to the process of establishing national policy to allocate organs for transplant. [Read more…]
Information from WYSH Radio
Anderson County EMS will host a free community CPR class on Saturday, Feb. 15, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the headquarters of the Anderson County Rescue Squad at 145 JD Yarnell Industrial Parkway in Clinton.
This class will teach attendees how to perform CPR and use an automated external defibrillator—or AED—as well as how to recognize the signs of a heart attack and/or stroke. This is a Heart Saver class for the general public and is not intended for first responders.
Class size is limited to the first 30 people. For information or to sign up, call (865) 457-8609.
Receiving the award for the Ridgeview MIST program are Michelle Jones, program manager; Brian Buuck, chief executive officer; Kristin Bales, therapist; and Stacy Park, outpatient services director. (Submitted photo)
Mothers and Infants Sober Together, or MIST, was presented a Program of Excellence award at the recent annual meeting of the Tennessee Association of Mental Health Organizations, held in Nashville.
The MIST program provides outpatient treatment for mothers who disclose use or abuse of substances during pregnancy or test positive at delivery. The service includes in-home case management, individual and group therapy, and alcohol and drug support groups. The program serves between 80-100 families a year.
A primary goal of the program is to coordinate and provide mental health and substance abuse treatment services to prevent Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome and to promote a stable, drug-free environment for the infant and family, a press release said. Families learn about bonding, attachment, parenting techniques, and addiction and recovery, to replace harmful parenting practices with safe, positive, and nurturing ones. Another goal is to assure access to and compliance with medical care and routine, consistent contact with a primary care physician and/or pediatrician. Urine drug screens are conducted to ensure the safety of the unborn and newborn babies. [Read more…]
Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge
Methodist Medical Center says it will ‘vigorously’ refute allegations
Note: This story was last updated at 3:38 p.m.
Five lawsuits filed in Anderson County on Monday allege that X-ray and radiologic technologists, including two who were pregnant, were exposed to excess radiation for several years at Methodist Medical Center because some walls in and around a radiology imaging center in the new emergency department were built without the required lead shielding, elevating the workers’ risk of health problems, including cancer.
The five lawsuits allege the walls in the emergency department, which opened in February 2006 as part of a hospital remodel, did not have the required protective radiological shielding because of building, design, and inspection errors.
Lead-lined walls are required in radiological areas to limit radiation exposure under local and federal regulations and construction and health standards, the lawsuits say.
But the defendants—Covenant Health of Knoxville, Rentenbach Engineering Co. of Knoxville, and TEG Architects LLC of Jeffersonville, Ind.—failed to have qualified personnel survey or check the installation and construction parameters, or conduct proper barrier determinations for lead barrier thickness, to ensure that the walls in the radiological areas would adequately reduce scatter and leakage radiation, the lawsuits say. The defendants also failed to have qualified personnel certify that the MMC in-department imaging center and nearby areas were built in compliance with all applicable regulations and guidelines so that the plaintiffs “would only be exposed to levels of radiation that were as low as reasonably achievable, all before allowing work to be done at that facility.” [Read more…]
The Oak Ridge Public Library will host an objective and educational presentation on the Affordable Care Act on Saturday afternoon, a press release said.
Jim Nelson, an Oak Ridge resident, retired chemical engineer, and healthcare activist, has been researching the Affordable Care Act since 2009, the release said. He has collected a lot of information from various sources (including but not limited to) the Kaiser Family Foundation, Enroll America, and Families USA.
“Come to the presentation and discover resources to help you see where you fit in, what you need to apply in the Marketplace, the 10 essential health benefits, and ways to apply for coverage in the Marketplace,” the release said. [Read more…]
Cheerleaders from Oak Ridge High School helped to decorate the Hospitality Houses of Methodist Medical Center for Christmas. The houses offer temporary lodging to patients and families who must travel for extended care at Methodist, even during the holidays. (Submitted photo)
Cheerleaders from Oak Ridge High School decorated hospitality houses at Methodist Medical Center for Christmas.
The Hospitality Houses provide a home away from home for cancer patients and families who must travel for extended medical care at Methodist Medical Center.
“But just because some guests can’t be home during the holiday season doesn’t mean they have to miss the festive feel of garland-draped porches and trees glittering with lights,” a press release said. “Thanks to the Oak Ridge High School cheerleaders, the Hospitality Houses at Methodist Medical Center will be a welcoming Christmas site for all the guests who stay there.” [Read more…]
Sister and brother Lilly and Logan Swain help serve food at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church’s Stone Soup Ministry meal in November 2012. (Submitted photo)
Stay warm and healthy with a steamy bowl of homemade soup and a free flu shot at a community meal at the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church on Friday.
The meal is scheduled from 5 to 6 p.m. in the church’s Social Hall. It’s a great opportunity to spend time to relax and enjoy time with others from throughout the community, a press release said.
The Stone Soup team will prepare and serve a homemade meal of black eyed pea soup, sandwiches, pumpkin pie, and milk.
Nurses from the Free Medical Clinic are volunteering their time to give flu shots. Nicknamed the “flu crew,” the nurses plan to be ready to start at 4:30 p.m. and plan to finish at 5:30 p.m. The vaccine is being provided by the clinic. [Read more…]
Ellen Bast will perform modern dance at tonight’s Christmas Coffeehouse. (Submitted photo)
College students who are home for the holidays are hosting a coffeehouse fundraiser with live music on tonight (Friday night) from 7 to 10 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Free Medical Clinic of Oak Ridge.
The young adults hope to generate enough proceeds tonight to give a “very merry” Christmas to the clinic. The coffeehouses have become a reliable and persistent funding source for the clinic. The students have donated more than $12,000 since 2011 from the coffeehouse.
“We give them 100 percent of what we bring in, ” said Sumner Byrne, George Washington University student and event organizer. “It feels great to be making a difference.”
Byrne said many students who participate attend different colleges.
“This is a great place to get together, enjoy old friends, and make some new ones,” Byrne said. “The coffeehouse music provided by local musicians is always superb, and we raise money for a good cause. How much better can it get?” [Read more…]
Grace Lutheran Church in Oak Ridge will host an open house on Saturday to provide information about getting insurance via the Affordable Care Act, sometimes called “Obamacare.”
The open house is from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday.
“Although the deadline for individuals to sign up has been extended to Dec. 23, time is getting short for those who wish to have insurance that takes effect as of Jan. 1,” a press release said.
Anyone who is interested in learning more about the new health care act is invited to attend this educational event, especially those who need to get health insurance in the new Marketplace, the release said. Both printed information and computers to get online resources will be available to those attending, as well as individual assistance. [Read more…]
The Secret City Half Marathon course map is pictured above.
The Secret City Half Marathon this weekend will feature 5k and 10k races, and a new health and fitness expo.
The first-ever Secret City 5k and 10k races start at 7:30 a.m. Saturday at the Oak Ridge Civic Center.
The inaugural Health and Fitness Expo is scheduled from noon to 6 p.m. Saturday, also at the Oak Ridge Civic Center. The event will include booths and exhibits from fitness and health professionals around the region.
“The Secret City Half Marathon Health and Fitness Expo provides the perfect setting to promote Oak Ridge as a top-notch visitor destination,” said Katy Brown, executive director of the Oak Ridge Convention and Visitors Bureau. “Around 600 runners from around the Southeast have registered to participate in the Half Marathon, and we hope every one of them will check in at the Health and Fitness Expo.” [Read more…]
Affordable Care Act Volunteer Jim Nelson is pictured above. (Submitted photo)
An open house to provide information about the Affordable Care Act, sometimes called “Obamacare,” will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Grace Lutheran Church in Woodland.
Anyone who is interested in learning more about the new health care act is invited to attend this educational event, especially those who need to get health insurance in the new marketplace. Those attending will be able to access both printed information and computers to get online resources, a press release said.
Community volunteers, including some experienced with the Tennessee Health Care Coalition, will be present to make sure their neighbors have access to affordable, quality health care, and accurate information about the ACA, the release said. [Read more…]
