Health Archives - Oak Ridge Today

Nurse to discuss mental health issues among school-age children

Posted at 1:22 am August 4, 2018
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A registered nurse who works for Anderson County Schools will discuss mental health issues among school-age children in Oak Ridge on Saturday.

The talk is hosted by the Grace Lutheran Mental Health Ministry. It’s title “Mental Health: Back to School Basics,” a free community program scheduled to start at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, August 4, in the church’s fellowship hall.

Kim Guinn, a registered nurse and director of the Project AWARE Initiative for Anderson County Schools, will discuss the current prevalence and status of mental health issues among school-age children and the correlation between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and mental health problems, a press release said. [Read more…]

Faith, community organizations to discuss substance misuse tonight

Posted at 10:26 am July 9, 2018
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Faith leaders and community organizations will discuss substance misuse at a forum in Oak Ridge tonight (Monday, July 9).

“Addiction and recovery impacts all of us, and the interfaith community plays an important role in recovery from substance misuse,” a press release said.

The Oak Ridge Recovery Interfaith Forum will bring together faith leaders and community organizations across Anderson County, the press release said. ASAP of Anderson partnered with the Child Advocacy Center of Anderson County, First United Methodist Church of Oak Ridge, Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church, and United Way of Anderson County to plan and organize the forum.

The forum is scheduled from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, July 9, at Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church at 809 Oak Ridge Turnpike in Oak Ridge.

Attendees at the forum will learn about: [Read more…]

Free child car seat checkpoint scheduled for July 14

Posted at 7:55 pm July 6, 2018
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There is a free child passenger seat checkpoint in Oak Ridge on Saturday, May 12, 2018. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

There is a free child passenger seat checkpoint in Oak Ridge on Saturday, July 14, 2018. (File photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

The Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital are hosting a child passenger seat checkpoint on Saturday, July 14. It’s free and open to the public.

The checkpoint will be held at Oak Ridge Fire Department Station #2, located at 609 Oak Ridge Turnpike (near Home Depot). Parents and caregivers are invited to stop by anytime between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. with no need to pre-register, a press release said.

During the event, child car seats will be checked for any manufacturer recalls and examined for proper installation by certified technicians, the press release said. Crews will also distribute educational materials about car seats. [Read more…]

First of its kind, Family Drug Treatment Court opening in Anderson County

Posted at 12:59 pm July 2, 2018
By Oak Ridge Today Staff 1 Comment

A Family Drug Treatment Court, the first of its kind in Anderson County, launched this week, and there will be a ribbon-cutting next week, a press release said.

The Anderson County Family Drug Treatment Court will be called R2: The Recovery and Resilience Program, the press release said.

R2 is a program for juvenile offenders who have substance misuse issues and have not been successful in maintaining drug abstinence. The program is a minimum of nine months and will incorporate treatment, family therapy, and group therapy paired with accountability and goal setting, the press release said.

“By addressing barriers in the home, we will enable adolescents in Anderson County to break free from the grip of generational drug abuse, setting them up to be successful contributors to our society,” said Anderson County Juvenile Court Judge Brian Hunt.

The press release said the program has been a priority for a large number of stakeholders in the community for many years. [Read more…]

Festival of Hope raises $50,000 for American Cancer Society

Posted at 3:17 pm June 20, 2018
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The Festival of Hope at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge on Friday, June 15, 2018, raised $50,000 for the American Cancer Society. Opening ceremonies recognized more than 60 area cancer survivors who attended, and that was followed by the Cancer Survivors lap, pictured above. (Submitted photo)

The Festival of Hope at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge on Friday raised $50,000 for the American Cancer Society, a press release said.

The Festival of Hope opened with Matt Hinkin from WATE-TV as the emcee, the press release said. Opening ceremonies recognized more than 60 area cancer survivors who attended.

That was followed by the Cancer Survivors lap down the peninsula, where survivors were cheered on by the participants and public. Each survivor was provided a purple cancer survivor’s T-shirt and had a medallion placed around their neck by Lynda Vinyard and Kim Monroe, the press release said.

Teams participating at the event included Professional Case Management, St. Mark United Methodist Church in Clinton, Oak Ridge Veterinary, Clinton Physical Therapy Center, Fast Pace Urgent Care, Oak Ridge Baptist Church, Barry Sanders family team, and Lynda Vinyard family team. [Read more…]

American Cancer Society’s Festival of Hope is Friday in Oak Ridge

Posted at 9:47 am June 14, 2018
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The American Cancer Society’s Festival of Hope is Friday in Oak Ridge.

It’s a community festival, and Anderson County residents are invited, a press release said. The Festival of Hope will be near the pavilion at Melton Lake Park in Oak Ridge on Friday.

It is scheduled to start at 6 p.m. with opening ceremonies and a cancer survivor recognition. Area cancer survivors will be honored individually before they take a group victory lap while being cheered on by their family, friends, and the public, the press release said. All area cancer survivors are invited to participate and may start registering as early as 5 p.m.

After opening ceremonies, the fun will then begin with games and entertainment for children and adults, the press release said. [Read more…]

Reminder: Community Wellness Fair hosted by city, schools on Wednesday

Posted at 6:13 pm May 15, 2018
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Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

Reminder: The City of Oak Ridge Wellness Committee and Oak Ridge Schools Coordinated School Health are teaming up to host a Community Wellness Fair. The event will be held on Wednesday, May 16, from noon to 4 p.m. in the Oak Ridge Civic Center. Admission is free and everyone is invited, a press release said.

The Civic Center is located at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Demonstrations, informational booths, and health screenings will be set up inside the gymnasium. Topics to be covered include: [Read more…]

Free child car seat checkpoint is Saturday

Posted at 9:10 pm May 11, 2018
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There is a free child passenger seat checkpoint in Oak Ridge on Saturday, May 12, 2018. (Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge)

There is a free child passenger seat checkpoint in Oak Ridge on Saturday.

The checkpoint will be held at Oak Ridge Fire Department Station Number 2, located at 609 Oak Ridge Turnpike, near Home Depot. Parents and caregivers are invited to stop by anytime between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. with no need to pre-register, a press release said.

The public checkpoint is hosted by the Oak Ridge Police Department, Oak Ridge Fire Department, and East Tennessee Children’s Hospital. [Read more…]

Today is prescription drug take back day

Posted at 10:13 am April 28, 2018
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You can get rid of unwanted, expired, and unused prescription medications, along with other medicines, in Clinton, Oak Ridge, and Rocky Top today (Saturday, April 28).

Anderson County is participating in the 2018 DEA Rx Drug Take Back Day, a press release said. The DEA is the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Organizations involved in the Drug Take Back Day are ASAP of Anderson, Clinton Police Department, Oak Ridge Police Department, and Rocky Top Police Department.

Community members can bring their expired or unused medicines to one of the Anderson County Take Back locations anytime between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Saturday. Drive-through collections sites will be located at the police departments listed below. Each department will be set-up outside in their respective parking lots to receive the expired or unused medicines. [Read more…]

Community Wellness Fair hosted by city, schools on May 16

Posted at 2:49 pm April 12, 2018
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Photo courtesy City of Oak Ridge

The City of Oak Ridge Wellness Committee and Oak Ridge Schools Coordinated School Health are teaming up to host a Community Wellness Fair. The event will be held on Wednesday, May 16, from noon to 4 p.m. in the Oak Ridge Civic Center. Admission is free and everyone is invited.

The Civic Center is located at 1403 Oak Ridge Turnpike. Demonstrations, informational booths, and health screenings will be set up inside the gymnasium. According to a press release, topics to be covered include: [Read more…]

Construction advisory for Methodist Medical Center

Posted at 1:37 pm March 14, 2018
By Crystal Jordan Leave a Comment

Methodist Medical Center of Oak Ridge is pictured above.

Starting Friday, March 16, construction crews will be working day and night on top of the roof of Methodist Medical Center this weekend to install new air handling units on the hospital’s West Tower. Because of the nature and non-stop timing of this project, there will be activity and lighting on the roof of West Tower around the clock until the work is completed sometime on the evening of Sunday, March 18, a press release said.

For patient comfort, patients and staff currently on 5-West will be moved to another floor to minimize exposure to noise during the project. In addition, a portion of the driveway around the back of the hospital will be closed due to equipment staging. The hospital’s helipad will also be closed to helicopter traffic; however, an alternative landing zone has been coordinated with the Oak Ridge Fire Department for any incoming or outgoing air transport needs.

Emergency services should be accessed via the east side of the hospital nearest the Emergency Department entrance. All private car discharges will occur from the Main Lobby during this period.

This press release was submitted by Crystal Jordan.

2018 Anderson County Ally of the Year announced

Posted at 4:22 pm February 7, 2018
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2018 Anderson County Ally of the Year Pastor Wayne Phillips (Submitted photo)

Pastor Wayne Phillips and Main Street Baptist Church have been named 2018 Anderson County Ally of the Year by ASAP of Anderson County.

The Anderson County Ally of the Year Campaign has two goals. One is to increase awareness of the prevention efforts of ASAP of Anderson County, and the second is to raise funds to continue those efforts. In 2018, both goals were accomplished, a press release said.

Candidates Harold Edwards, Leslie England, Stanton Martin, Pastor Wayne Phillips, and Chief James Shetterly were nominated by community members to run for the title, the press release said. Each candidate conducted their own campaign, but they were united by the same goals. In the end, Phillips and Main Street Baptist Church took home the title.

Phillips and his wife have been involved throughout the year through activities such as hosting a participating in listening sessions around Anderson County with Mayor Terry Frank to discuss the current problems of drug misuse in the county and solutions to decrease these problems, the press release said. [Read more…]