Physician honored

Physician honored

YOUNGSTOWN

Help Network of Northeast Ohio recently presented Mercy Health physician M. Frank Beck, D.D.S., with a Mental Health and Recovery Advocacy Award in recognition of his ongoing efforts to reduce substance abuse and opioid overdoses in the Mahoning Valley.

The award is given to an individual or group in Mahoning, Trumbull or Columbiana county who has significantly contributed to the local Mental Health and Recovery system.

Programs and processes implemented as a result of Dr. Beck’s work include evidenced-based pain management and alternatives to opioid protocols consequently reducing the amount of opioids Mercy Health physicians prescribe by 43 percent. He also led the effort to implement the definitive-care concept, a process where patients who come in the emergency rooms for dental pain are immediately referred to treatment in the dental clinic, and the implementation of screening, brief intervention and referral to treatment training for health care professionals.

Free pregnancy test

AUSTINTOWN

Mahoning County District Board of Health is offering free pregnancy testing from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at the health board offices at 50 Westchester Drive. No appointment is needed and immediate proof of pregnancy is provided.

Staff members provide free confidential pregnancy tests and help pregnant women connect to the community, social and health care services they need to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.

For information, call the health board at 330-270-2855, ext. 128.

Smoking cessation

WARREN

On Thursday, smokers nationwide are encouraged to quit smoking as part of the annual Great American Smokeout presented by the American Cancer Society.

The public is invited to the lobby of Trumbull Regional Medical Center, 1350 E. Market St., from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. where they can visit table displays with hands-on activities and experiments for tobacco education. Staff will be available to answer questions. Tobacco-cessation information and additional resources also will be available.

Trumbull Regional, the ACS, the Hope Center for Cancer Care and Eastern Ohio Pulmonary Consultants are supporting this effort by inviting people to commit to healthy, smoke-free lives. For information, call 330-841-9411.