Health briefs
March 12, 2002 Support group meets
Fayette Home Care Support Group will present Aurelio Cecchini, DDS, who will discuss dental problems associated with diabetes from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, March 21, in the Uniontown Hospital’s Heritage Conference Room. For reservations, call 724-439-1610.
Blood drives slated
The American Red Cross will hold the following blood drives in March:
– 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday in Brownsville General Hospital’s board room. Call 724-785-1966.
– Noon to 6 p.m. Friday at St. John’s R.C. Catholic Church in Connellsville.
– 1 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 19, at the First Christian Church in Brownsville.
– Noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, at the Uniontown Firemen’s Social Hall on Dunbar Street, Uniontown.
– 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, March 29, at the Yough Western Baptist Association on Route 21.
– Noon to 2 p.m. Thursday, March 21, at the VFW in Carmichaels.
– Noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 27, in Greene County Memorial Hospital’s Fifth Floor Conference Room.
Nurse attends training
Dr. Margaret Marcinek, professor and chair of the department of nursing at California University of Pennsylvania, recently attended a three-day course on end-of-life care held in Pasadena, Calif.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing and the City of Hope Cancer Center received a three-year grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to conduct this training program.
This program, held in partnership with Last Acts, is entitled “End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium.”
Marcinek was one of 150 competitively selected nurses from across the U.S. to attend this training program.
The principal goal of the training program is to provide nursing continuing education providers with information on end-of-life care and resources to integrate end-of-life content into their in-service programs or courses.
The training program was conducted by a distinguished faculty of researchers, educators, authors and leaders in the field of palliative care.
Topic areas included nursing care at the end of life: pain and symptom assessment and management; cultural considerations; ethical/legal issues; communication; grief, loss and bereavement; preparation and care for the time of death; and achieving quality care at the end of life.
Marcinek hopes to incorporate content and teaching strategies gained by participation in this conference into the nursing program at Cal U.
Designed specifically for registered nurses who wish to complete their bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN), the nursing program at California University of Pennsylvania provides an ideal vehicle for disseminating this information to practicing nurses.
For more information, call 724-938-5739.
Group to meet
Albert Gallatin Home Care & Hospice is sponsoring Caregivers Support Group meetings that are designed to refresh, encourage, educate and offer emotional support to any individual who is providing care to another.
The meetings are free and open to the public and are held the second Tuesday of each month. Meeting times are from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. and are located in the Albert Gallatin Home Care & Hospice’s second floor conference room, 20 Highland Park Drive, Uniontown, near the Cherry Tree Alliance Church and the Cherry Tree Nursing Center.
Anyone interested in attending is encouraged to call in advance to enroll.
The next meeting is scheduled for today.
The topic will be on “Community Resources” and will be presented by Sheila Kendall of Fayette County Community Action Information and Referral.
Light refreshments will be served.
For more information or to enroll, contact Rosemary Hardy, Albert Gallatin Home Care & Hospice, at 724-438-6660, ext. 1214.
Meeting slated
The Community Cancer Support Group will hold its monthly meeting from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday at the Fayette Regional Cancer Center.
The topic will be “3-D Treatment Planning.” Guest speakers will be Carl F. Jueng, M.D., medical director of the Fayette Regional Cancer Center, and Diane Bright of the American Cancer Society.
The Cancer Support Group meetings are open to cancer survivors, their families and friends. Refreshments are served.
For more information, call the cancer center at 724-437-2503.
Daffodil Days set
The Uniontown Hospital will host the American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days sales in the hospital’s Main Lobby from Tuesday, March 19, through Thursday, March 21, from 10 a.m to 6 p.m.
Flowers will be $6 per bunch of 10 or $10 for a vase filled with five flowers, a fern and a bow. White chocolate lollipops, which are tinted yellow and shaped like a daffodil, will also be available for $1 each.