Shelter program

Shelter program

YOUNGSTOWN — Help Hotline Crisis Center will kick off its 2008-2009 Cold Weather Emergency Shelter Program Monday with the inaugural Homeless Walk beginning at 8:30 a.m. at the Rescue Mission of the Mahoning Valley, Martin Luther King Boulevard, and ending with a press conference at 9:30 a.m. at the St. Vincent DePaul soup kitchen, 208 W. Front St.

Medicare program assistance offered

YOUNGSTOWN – Helping beneficiaries understand Medicare coverage and determine which plan may best fit their needs will be the focus as the Ohio Department of Insurance hosts a free Medicare Check-up Day event on Monday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Senior Center of Mahoning County, 1110 5th Ave.

The Check-Up Days complement Medicare’s annual open enrollment or “coordinated election” period, which started Nov. 15 and ends Dec. 31. People on Medicare have several options they can learn about. They can choose Original Medicare for their health coverage needs and pair it with a stand-alone Part D plan to get their prescription drug coverage. They could select a Medicare Advantage Plan, which provides comprehensive health benefits including drug coverage; or they may determine their existing coverage already meets their health insurance needs. Drug formularies, provider networks and plan benefits can change each year, therefore, beneficiaries need to determine if their current plan will still meet their coverage needs. Medicare coverage secured through open enrollment will begin Jan. 1, 2009.

For a complete listing of available Part D and Medicare Advantage plans, visit www.medicare.gov. Those with Medicare questions and who need enrollment assistance can call OSHIIP at (800) 686-1578 or Medicare at (800) 633-4227.

Alcoholism recovery program honored

YOUNGSTOWN — The Neil Kennedy Recovery Clinic’s (NKRC) Youngstown STARS program was recently recognized as an “exemplary prevention program” by the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services (ODADAS) in Columbus. In addition, the Youngstown STARS program received a $25,000 grant from First Book Mahoning Valley to distribute books to four Youngstown elementary schools: Paul C. Bunn, Harding, Taft, and Williamson.

Youngstown STARS is an intergenerational before and after-school volunteer program in partnership with the Youngstown Afterschool Alliance, which involves adults age 50 or older who serve as tutors and mentors for elementary students. Youngstown STARS also partners with First Book Mahoning Valley, the Raymond John Wean Foundation, Treez Please, and local schools to provide literacy programming and child/family community service projects.

Liaison physician

FARRELL, Pa. — Dr. William E. Spielvogle, oncologist/hematologist with the UPMC Cancer Center at UPMC Horizon, is the cancer liaison physician for the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. Cancer liaison physicians are responsible for spearheading CoC initiatives within their cancer programs. collaborating with local agencies, and facilitating quality improvement initiatives.

Weight-loss excellence

YOUNGSTOWN — The St. Elizabeth and St. Joseph Surgical Weight Loss Center has been named an American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) Bariatric Surgery Center of Excellence Æ. The ASMBS Center of Excellence designation recognizes surgical programs with a demonstrated track record of favorable outcomes in bariatric surgery.

Since opening in April 2002, the St. Elizabeth and St. Joseph Surgical Weight Loss Center has taken a comprehensive approach to the evaluation, treatment and follow-up of surgical weight loss patients, said Dr. Vincent Vanek, medical director of the center. A multidisciplinary treatment approach including psychological, dietary and medical guidance gives bariatric patients a unique advantage in their journey to reach their weight loss goals, he said. The center offers traditional Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery as well as the LAPBAND Æ gastric banding procedures.

Help for families

The Mahoning Valley Covering Kids & Families Coalition is offering local employers an opportunity to attend one of three upcoming breakfast meetings to learn about the Healthy Start/Healthy Families program, a low-cost or free health insurance plan that includes preventative care and is available to uninsured employees and/or their children.

The Coalition was organized as part of a statewide effort facilitated by Voices for Ohio’s Children to bring together community leaders in regional attempts to reduce the number of uninsured children and families. Local coalition members have indicated that more than 7,000 children in the Trumbull-Mahoning- Columbiana region are currently eligible but not enrolled for health benefits under the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Officials noted the importance of the sessions due to the escalation of health care costs for employees and their families, and the corollary effect that a lack of coverage has on business productivity and absenteeism.

The breakfast meetings will take place from 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Avalon Inn, 9519 East Market St., Howland, on Friday; the Dutch Village Inn, 150 East County Line Road, Columbiana, on Dec. 15, and Antone’s Banquet Centre, 8578 Market St., Boardman, on Dec. 16. Reservations for any of the meetings can be made by calling the Easter Seals office at (330) 743-1168. Additional information about the Healthy Start/Healthy Families program is available at kidshealthohio.org.

Well-child clinic slated

GIRARD — The Girard Health Department’s well-child immunization clinic is at 11 a.m. Dec. 10 at the health department, 100 W. Main St. The clinic is free to Girard City children. Parents or guardians must bring a copy of their child’s immunization record, and accompany children under the age of 18. Preregistration is required. Call (330) 545-6048.