Oak Ridge Today

Curves of Oak Ridge helps fill pantries at MMC Hospitality Houses

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Curves Food Donation to MMC Hospitality House

Kim Maes, left, Hospitality House coordinator, and Misti Binkley, owner, Curves of Oak Ridge, stand among the three large shopping carts filled with food and household goods donated to Methodist Medical Center’s Hospitality Houses by members of the Curves gym. (Submitted photo)

The Hospitality Houses at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge received a weighty donation from Curves in Oak Ridge, a gym facility exclusively for women. Members collected and donated about 900 pounds of groceries and household goods to help stock the pantries at Methodist’s two Hospitality Houses—the Manly House and CALM House— which provide free lodging for patients and their families who must travel to Methodist for their cancer treatment.

The effort to collect goods for the Hospitality Houses was part of a Curves’ community food drive, which allowed members to make a donation in lieu of a down payment for their gym membership.

“Women come here because they want to take care of themselves,” said Curves of Oak Ridge owner and collection organizer Misti Binkley. “The food drive membership promotion is a way they can take care of others at the same time.” [Read more…]

MMC April classes: Prepare for baby, exercise, find support group

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Methodist Medical Center

Methodist Medical Center

Spring is here, and Methodist Medical Center has lots of classes to support your growing family or help your healthy habits take root. Whether you want to get in shape, prepare for the birth of a baby or find support from others going through a similar experience, Methodist has a class for you!

Classes will be held at the hospital, located at 990 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge, unless otherwise noted. For more information and registration, call (865) 835-4662 or 1-800-468-6767.

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Health night lecture to discuss Carpal Tunnel Syndrome on Tuesday

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Daniel Branaham

Daniel Branaham

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Join Methodist Medical Center and board-certified orthopedic surgeon and hand specialist, Daniel Branham, M.D., for a look at carpal tunnel syndrome during Health Night on the Town. The lecture will take place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 25, in the Ridge Conference Room of Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, 990 Oak Ridge Turnpike.

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a condition in which the median nerve is compressed as it passes through an opening from the wrist to the hand called the carpal tunnel. While it doesn’t have a specific cause, there tend to be certain contributing factors including frequent, repetitive, small, or grasping movements with the hands; joint or bone disease; hormonal or metabolic changes; or wrist injuries. Symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome come on gradually and can include pain in the wrist and forearm; weakness and loss of mobility in the hand; numbness in the fingers, except the little and ring fingers; tingling in the fingers when the wrist is tapped; and decreased grip strength.

Dr. Branham will discuss this common condition and its treatment options at Health Night on the Town, a free lecture series that is open to the public. [Read more…]

MMC Foundation welcomes new board members, staff

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Methodist Medical Center Foundation Board Members

The Methodist Medical Center Foundation welcomed four new members to its volunteer board of directors. Pictured from left are Bob Wilkinson, Dr. Lawrence
Maccree, Leigha Edwards, and Bruce Borchers. (Photos courtesy Methodist Medical Center)

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Four leaders from the Oak Ridge community have volunteered to give their time and expertise as members of the Methodist Medical Center Foundation board of directors. Joining the board this month are Bruce Borchers, Leigha Edwards, Dr. Lawrence Maccree, and Bob Wilkinson.

Bruce Borchers came to Oak Ridge in 2013 to serve as superintendent of the Oak Ridge Schools. Borchers is a life-long educator. His teaching and administrative career has taken him to positions in Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri. Borchers earned his doctorate at the University of Minnesota and also holds master’s degrees from Wayne State College and the University of South Dakota. He also serves on the board of directors for the Oak Ridge Chamber of Commerce and is a member of the Oak Ridge Rotary Club. Borchers and his wife Shannon have two teenaged sons. [Read more…]

Methodist Foundation has annual St. Patrick’s pancake breakfast Saturday

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Joe Bondranko at Pancake Breakfast

Anesthesiologist Joe Bondranko knows how to wake up guests—with coffee and pancakes, of course! Join Methodist’s physicians at the St. Patrick’s Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, March 15, and enjoy breakfast and festive live entertainment.

Submitted

There‘s a plate of golden pancakes at the end of the rainbow as the Methodist Medical Center Foundation hosts its annual St. Patrick’s Pancake Breakfast on Saturday, March 15. The event will be held at Aubrey’s, 481 S. Illinois Ave. in Oak Ridge, from 8-10 a.m.

“Our lucky guests will enjoy stacks of fresh pancakes, scrambled eggs, and bacon,” a press release said.

Local physicians trade their lab coats and stethoscopes for aprons and trays as they join the event as servers. Guests will also be treated to festive live Irish music performed by Shamrock Road, a local band specializing in Irish pub ballads. [Read more…]

Quilters’ gifts bring warmth, encouragement to cancer patients at Hospitality Houses

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Ritzy Thimble Quilters Guild Group Picture

Members of the Ritzy Thimble Quilters’ Guild gather around the quilts they made and donated to Methodist’s Hospitality Houses. (Submitted photo)

The Hospitality Houses of Methodist Medical Center have been a refuge for thousands of visitors as they travel to the hospital for treatment. The houses provide a welcoming, home-like atmosphere for cancer patients and their families who must travel at least 30 miles to receive cancer treatment.

The Hospitality Houses are supported through generous donations from the community. For the last 10 years, one community organization, the Ritzy Thimble Quilters’ Guild, has offered a unique kind of support to the cancer patients at the Hospitality Houses. [Read more…]

MMC Health Night: When minutes matter—behind the scenes of a heart attack

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Milan Sheth

Milan Sheth

Nathan Sweet

Nathan Sweet

When you’re having a health emergency like a heart attack, every minute matters. Methodist Medical Center and the Anderson County Emergency Medical Services work together to make sure patients get the treatment they need as quickly as possible.

Methodist’s emergency heart team includes interventional cardiologists, emergency room doctors, nurses, technicians, and EMS personnel. Each one is trained and ready 24 hours a day, every day of the year. It’s their mission to open blocked arteries—as quickly as possible—and they do it 25 minutes faster than the national benchmark. [Read more…]

Methodist Medical Center welcomes Casino Night fundraiser co-chairs

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Sandy and David Bradshaw

Sandy and David Bradshaw will lead the committee preparing for the 2013 Casino Night fundraiser for the Methodist Medical Center Foundation. (Submitted photo)

Plans are already under way for the Methodist Medical Center Foundation’s Casino Night fundraiser for 2013. This year’s event is themed, “An Evening in Paris” and will transport guests to the City of Lights where they can dine bistro-style in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower; browse in Les Puces (The Fleas), our auction-version of the famous French flea market, as they look for hidden treasures; and of course, there will be plenty of time to indulge in some friendly casino-style games.

The Methodist Medical Center Foundation is excited to welcome two new co-chairs: Foundation board member and president of CapitalMark Bank, David Bradshaw and his wife Sandy. The Bradshaws will lead the Casino Night committee as they begin preparations for this year’s event and reach out to community organizations and businesses for their support and sponsorship.

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Baby Lyric ‘Sings’ in the New Year at Methodist Medical Center

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New Year's Baby

Lyric Kendall Phillips was born just after midnight New Year’s morning, making her the first baby of 2013 born at Methodist Medical Center. She is pictured above with parents Mandy Truax and Cody Phillips. (Submitted photo)

While many were singing “Auld Lang Syne” to cap off 2012 and welcome in the New Year, the delivery of 6 lbs., 15 oz. Lyric Kendall Phillips brought the sweet sounds of a new baby to parents Mandy Truax and Cody Phillips. Lyric made her debut just a little past midnight on New Year’s morning, making her the first baby of 2013 born at Methodist Medical Center—and the first new resident of Clinton.

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Generous Christmas spirits make Holiday Lights shine at Methodist

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Marc Beaubien, Debbie Scarbrough, Clay Good

Holiday Lights guest speaker, Marc Beaubien, left, stands before the illuminated tree with with Debbie Scarbrough, Hospitality House coordinator, and Clay Good, Holiday Lights chair. (Submitted photos)

The Hospitality Houses of Methodist Medical Center provide a home away from home for cancer patients and their families who come to Methodist Medical Center for treatment. Nearly 4,000 guests have been welcomed into Methodist’s two houses, the Manly House and the CALM House. Thanks to the community’s generosity during the annual Holiday Lights campaign, the houses will continue to provide lodging, food and comfort to the guests who pass through their doors.

Holiday Lights is the annual fundraiser that supports Methodist’s Hospitality Houses through the sponsorship of lights. The Methodist Medical Center Foundation held a dedication ceremony on Dec. 6 to thank this year’s donors, who gave their support by contributing $28,000 to Holiday Lights, an amount which has continued to grow even as the official campaign comes to a close. The money raised through the campaign is used to pay for the houses’ daily operations, utilities, food, and overall upkeep.

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Methodist Medical Center announces 2012 MMCer of the Year

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Bobby Abshire Thumbs Up

After receiving the MMCer of the Year Award, Bobby Abshire gives his co-workers a thumbs-up for their hard work, too. Also pictured are Mike Belbeck, Methodist’s president and chief administrative officer, and Connie Martin, vice president and chief support officer.

Bobby Abshire, an attendant and member of the “lift team” in the Transport department at Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge, has been named the 2012 MMCer of the Year.

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

Upon receiving the award for MMCer of the Year, Abshire, who was in a Transport department staff meeting at the time, looked to his co-workers with a thumbs-up and gave them credit for their hard work and support.

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