In Good Health

September 2012 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • Page 1

in good FREE

September 2012 • Issue 85 Rochester–Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper

Story on page 10

10 Lessons I Learned as a New Mom

Back to School Special

Find out why this is the fruit you got to eat.

Hint: It can even help you lose weight

Hay Fever Season

The myths and truths about fall allergies

Five things you need to know to protect yourself

WestNileVirus

RGH opens Center for Osteoporosis

25 things I’ve Learned About

Living Alone

Apple

URMC neurologist Kevin Biglan discusses neurological diseases and the study he’s conducting about

Huntington’s disease

Help a Good Cause: Wear Jeans Sept. 12. Story on page 14

✓ Home Alone After School✓ Recognizing Learning Disability✓ Is it ADHD or Typical Toddler Behavior? ✓ New Approach at BOCES to Help Special Needs Students ✓ Safe School Commuting

Feature StoriesDoctors, nurse practitioners, nutritionists and endocrinologists have teamed up to open the Center for Osteoporosis under the umbrella of Rochester General Health System. The center has four locations and is headed byAna Arango, a medical doctor (left on the photo).

A working mother talks about the lessons she had to learn to balance a newborn, family and work

Apple

Page 2 • IN GOOD HEALTH – Rochester / Genesee Valley Healthcare Newspaper • September 2012

Introducing the state-of-the-art Imaging Center at Alexander Park.With a range of diagnostic services and fl exible hours that fi t your schedule, the only downtown Imaging Center – integrated with nationally recognized Rochester General Health System – provides clinical excellence with patient-focused attention.

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CALENDARHEALTH EVENTS

of Sept. 5Thompson to offer ‘gentle’ yoga series in Canandaigua

Thompson Health is hosting an eight-week series led by Rick Lynch of the Finger Lakes Yoga Center in Canandaigua. It will be held from 12 – 1:15 p.m. each Wednesday from Sept. 5 through Oct. 24 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 365 Parrish St. in Canandaigua. The “gentle” yoga classes are designed to improve posture, strength and flexibility. No experience is necessary, nor is flexibility required to participate in the program. Participants are encouraged to wear comfortable clothing. Pre-registration is required and the cost for the eight-week series is $80. Call Thompson Health’s wellness department at 585-396-6111 to register.

Sept. 6Thompson to honor prostate cancer survivors

Celebrate the lives of prostate cancer survivors at Thompson Health’s 12th annual unveiling of the Portraits of Strength and Courage from 6 – 8 p.m., Sept. 6, at Ferris Hills at West Lake, Canandaigua. The event honors men who have not only faced prostate cancer, but who have also helped others cope with the diagnosis. Members of the Man-to-Man Prostate Cancer Support Group, offered by Thompson Health and the American Cancer Society, will be on hand to help celebrate. All prostate cancer patients, their families and those who wish to promote awareness of prostate cancer are welcome. No RSVP is required and there is no charge. Call 585-396-6111 for more information about the event. Ferris Hills is best accessed from the 3300 block of West Lake Road (county Road 16) in Canandaigua, via Peg Rayburn Drive.

Sept. 8Rochester’s White Party to benefit AIDS Care

Rochester’s White Party, an inaugural fundraising event to benefit AIDS Care, will take place at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 8, at the historic Century Club of Rochester located at 566 East Ave.. The event will feature a variety of musical entertainment, food and drinks, among other things. Guests should plan on wearing their best white attire for this elegant “evening dressed in white.” William M. Valenti, co-founder, senior vice president of medical affairs, and interim chief medical officer, will serve as the event’s honorary chairman. Tickets are available for purchase and there is tiered pricing (prices will rise as the event gets closer). For more information or to purchase tickets visit www.RochestersWhiteParty.com. For additional media information, contact Stacey Rowe, associate director of marketing at (585) 210-4217.

Sept. 10Arrhythmias discussed at Mended Hearts meeting

Parag P. Patel, a medical doctor, will speak about “Heart Arrhythmias:

Medication, Interventions, or Medical Devices?” during a meeting organized by Mended Hearts Rochester. The event will be held at the Jewish Community Center, senior lounge, 1200 Edgewood Ave., Rochester. Patel received his undergraduate education and medical training at Penn State University and Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Heart & Vascular Institute. He is board certified in cardiovascular medicine and currently specializes in clinical cardiac electrophysiology at Rochester Cardiopulmonary Group, PC. For more information, visit our www.mendedheartsrochester.org

Sept. 11Fibromyalgia group to discuss pain management

The Fibromyalgia Association of Rochester New York (FARNY) will hold a support group meeting to discuss pain management and other issues related to fibromyalgia. Roger Ng, a medical doctor who specializes in pain management will the guest speaker. Ng works at Rochester Brain & Spine Center and uses non-surgical specialized techniques for pain control. It will take place at Greece Town Hall Meeting Center, 1 Vince Tofany Blvd., Rochester. The Fibromyalgia Association of Rochester New York (FARNY) was formed in Spring 1993 to educate and inform others about fibromyalgia syndrom (FMS), as well as to serve as a support system. The organization will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2013. For more information, visit www.farny.org or call Mary Ann Nardone-Bello at 585-509-0703.

Sept. 12Early-stage dementia conference in Rochester

The Alzheimer’s Association, Rochester & Finger Lakes Chapter, will host The Journey Continues: An Early-Stage Conference on Sept. 12 at the Jewish Community Center, 1200 Edgewood Ave. The conference, which runs from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., was created by individuals with Alzheimer’s and their care partners to help those in the early stages of the disease make sense of living with the diagnosis. Early-stage dementia is characterized by memory loss that disrupts daily life, such as noticeable problems coming up with the right words or names, greater difficulty in performing tasks at work or in social settings, and increasing trouble with planning and organization. The keynote speakers will include: Carol Podgorski, director of family and community programs for the University of Rochester Medical Center’s memory care program. She will discuss how a diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia changes “life as we know it” and “life as we planned it.” The conference is free to individuals with dementia, $15 for their care partners and $50 for professionals. Lunch is provided. Registration is required by Sept. 5. To learn more or to register, call 800-272-3900.

Sept. 13Community Care Health Fair held at St. Ann’

St. Ann’s Community will host its

26th annual Community Care Health Fair for the public. The fair will be held at St. Ann’s Home from 9:30 am – 2:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 13, at St. Ann’s, located at 1500 Portland Ave. Admission is free and a complimentary lunch will be served around 11:45 a.m. Over 30 organizations focusing on health care and community resources for seniors will provide information to attendees. Health screenings for cholesterol, blood glucose and hearing will also be offered.

Sept. 13Group discussion: Coping with heart diseases

Mended Hearts Rochester is organizing a meeting to discuss different ways to cope with heart diseases. A panel of experts will discuss “Successfully Coping with Heart Disease.” It will be led by Jim Fralick of Canandaigua Mended Hearts, and Sharon Feldman, president, Rochester Mended Hearts Chapter 50. The event will take place from 7 – 9 p.m., Thursday, 13, at the RG&E family room, in the M.M. Ewing Continuing Care Center, Thompson Health, 350 Parrish St, Canandaigua. During the meeting, Mary Allhusen, a local nurse, will receive the Mended Hearts Shuman Nurse Recognition Award. For more information, visit www.mendedheartsrochester.org

Sept. 16Golf tournament to benefit Rochester Hope for Pets

Rochester Hope for Pets, formerly the MVA Hope Foundation, will host its Fifth Annual Golf Tournament Sept. 16 at Victor Hills Golf Club in Victor. All event proceeds support Rochester Hope for Pets, a nonprofit organization funded through private donations. The organization awards financial grants toward veterinary care to pet owners facing financial difficulties. In 2011, it provided more than 240 financial awards totaling more than $55,000 to local pet owners. In the same year, it assisted with spaying/neutering more than 360 feral cats and helped sponsor continuing education initiatives for local veterinary teams. Players can register in teams of four at $340, which includes the cost of a light breakfast, lunch, 18 holes of golf, a golf cart, T-shirt, a buffet-style dinner and a donation to Rochester Hope for Pets. For registration, visit www.RochesterHopeforPets.org or contact Erin at (585) 271-2733, ext. 89.

Sept. 19, Oct. 18Community Connection held in Clifton Springs

Clifton Springs Hospital & Clinic will host community connection programs in September and October. September’s program, titled “Common Foot Problems,” will be held at 8:30 a.m., Wednesday, Sept. 19. The presenter will be podiatrist Kevin Hopson. This program is free and refreshments will be offered; no

which are handicapped accessible. The dates for this year’s walks are:

• Sept. 15: Granger Homestead & Carriage Museum in Canandaigua.

• Sept. 22: SUNY Brockport. • Sept. 29: Mendon Ponds Park. • Oct. 13: The historic Corn Hill

neighborhood in Rochester.• Oct. 20: Downtown Geneseo

Registration begins at 9 a.m. for each walk, and the walks begin at 10 a.m.

Walk to End Alzheimer’s participants will be able to learn more about Alzheimer’s disease, advocacy opportunities, clinical trial enrollment, and support programs and services. Each walker will also join in a meaningful ceremony to honor those affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

To start a team or join a team, visit alz.org/walk or call 585-760-5400.

Five Rochester-area ‘Walks to End Alzheimer’s’

The Rochester & Finger Lakes Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association will host five Walks to End Alzheimer’s in the Rochester area. The walks are part of the nation’s largest event to raise awareness and funds for Alzheimer’s care, support and research.

The walks draw hundreds of families and friends who participate in honor of their loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementias. An estimated 25,000 people in the nine-county Rochester and Finger Lakes region have Alzheimer’s disease, and an estimated 75,000 family members and friends in the region serve as their caregivers.

Each walk includes a one-mile route and a three-mile route, both of

Continued on page 27


As part of its efforts to treat and eradicate HIV, AIDS Care of Rochester is sponsoring a night

of music, arts and entertainment to combat this deadly disease.

The White Party, hosted on the grounds of an historic East Avenue mansion, will feature live music, entertainment and food both inside the building and in the gardens onsite. Attendance is capped at 500 people, with tickets currently available for $150 per person, as well as special couples rates. The night’s event is set for Sept. 8 starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Century Club at 566 East Avenue. Tickets are available online at www.rochesterswhiteparty.com.

As a full-service HIV medical care clinic, AIDS Care provides medical care, along with support services such as mental health care, nutrition information and more. Free testing is available at AIDS Care, with more information available by calling (585) 545-7200.

Lisa Cove, a community volunteer who is organizing the AIDS Care’s White Party, said she is excited about this inaugural event. The decision to host a White Party, with all the participants dressed in immaculate white, was based on similar events in other cities across the globe to benefit AIDS care and research.“This is something Rochester doesn’t have,” Cove said, adding the idea for the fundraising event started last June with the formation of an organization committee. “One event which influenced this party came out of my involvement with Rochester’s Fashion Week, which is an event typically associated with big cities. I’ve noticed that the community wants to be recognized as a big city, and events such as this White Party are helping the put Rochester on the map.”

The origins of the White Party, Cove said, began in Paris, when a military man held a celebration in his summer white uniform. This small event grew into a huge party with over 10,000 people. Cove said the party was the perfect fit for Rochester, which has a history of supporting AIDS-related events and contains a vibrant arts,

AIDS Care sponsors ‘White Party’ eventGoal is to raise money to eradicate HIV in Rochester areaBy Jason Schultz

Lisa Cove and Bill Valenti.

fashion and cultural community. The strength of this event, Cove said, was that it has brought diverse groups together in support of the cause. One example is the local arts community, which has created four pieces which will be up for auction during the party.

Instrumental in AIDS Care’s efforts is Bill Valenti, 66, chief medical officer and director for AIDS Care. He has been involved in combating HIV since the early ‘80s, both at the clinic since 1985 and as a faculty member at the University of Rochester Medical Center’s (URMC) Infectious Diseases department.

Valenti said the money raised from the White Party event will go to support internal research programs and drug studies conducted in concert with the URMC. The hope, he said, is that this research will result in an HIV vaccine.

Although the initial boom in HIV cases in the ‘80s has slowed, Valenti said the disease has continued its slow increase, with an estimated 2,500 people infected with HIV in Monroe County. About 750 of those estimated with HIV are treated at AIDS Care. He said that over the years, the demographics and vectors for the disease have evolved. While originally a disease associated with the gay community, HIV has moved into the heterosexual world as well, with half of all new cases affecting heterosexuals, many of which are female minorities, Valenti said. Clean needle programs, he added, have gone a long way toward stopping IV drug use from spreading the disease.

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Editor & Publisher: Wagner Dotto Associate Editor: Lou Sorendo Writers and Contributing Writers: Eva Briggs (M.D.), Jim Miller, Deborah J. Sergeant, Gwenn Voelckers, Anne Palumbo, Chris Motola, Jason Schultz,

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Meet Your Doctor

By Chris Motola

Q: What kinds of patients do you typically see?

A: I’m a movement disorder subspecialist neurologist. So the diseases I treat are those of impaired voluntary movement or excessive involuntary movement. The most common disease is Parkinson’s disease. Another is dystonia, which is a slow, abnormal movement affecting the face and neck muscles. We actually treat that with Botox injections. I see a lot of Huntington’s patients, but there aren’t a lot of us doing that; it’s a fairly rare disease. I also run a weekly telemedicine clinic, primarily for individuals with Parkinson’s disease, one in Utica, one in Binghamton.

Q: My impression is that neurological diseases don’t seem to be as well understood as a lot of other diseases. Is that the case?

A: I would argue that’s true of most non-infectious diseases, not just neurological ones. Take cancer. We understand genetics and environmental factors are indicated in cancer, but the bottom line is we don’t know what causes an individual person to get cancer. For neurological diseases, let’s take Parkinson’s. We know genetics play a huge role, we understand environmental factors that may influence the risk of the disease, but what causes an individual case of it, we don’t really know. We know it’s the result of the dysfunction in specific cell populations in the brain. We have a good understanding of what’s causing the symptoms, but we don’t always know what is initiating the disease. About 5 to 10 percent of patients will have a clear genetic mutation that causes Parkinson’s. We have a good understanding of what causes stroke and epilepsy.

Q: What should patients know about their nervous system, if you could give them a 5-minute crash course?

A: The nervous system is made up of the brain, spinal chord and peripheral nerves. It has a role in regulating most systems in the body. When we talk about brain function,

there are some myths. People say we only use 20 percent of our brain, that’s not true; we use all of our brain. Only about 20 percent of your brain function is used for conscious thought. The rest of it occurs at a subconscious level, so you aren’t aware of most of the things it’s doing.

Q: What kinds of treatments are available for patients with degenerative neurological disease?

A: One important thing that’s worth knowing is that one of the most important things you can do to help maintain overall neurological function is physical exercise. A lot of people like to do crossword puzzles to prevent Alzheimer’s disease. That’s probably not a bad idea, but physical activity is usually more important than cognitive activity. In Parkinson’s disease for example, exercise seems to help slow the progression of the disease. In stroke, rehabilitative exercises that force you to use the limb can make a

big difference in regaining

usage of the limb.

Q: Can you talk a bit

about the Huntington’s disease research you’re working on?

A: It was initially a study of dosage escalation of coenzyme Q10 in Huntington’s patients. The goal of the research was to identify the dosage that provides the highest blood levels. We were subsequently interested in the biomarker of patients with Huntington’s disease called 80HdG. This is a marker of oxidative DNA injuries. What that means is if you have an oxidative injury within cells, it will damage DNA and be released into the blood. There’s some evidence that this might be elevated in Huntington’s disease. Coenzyme Q10, the way it potentially works, is to reduce oxidative injuries. So, if that was in fact what it was doing, we would anticipate that it would lower levels of 80HdG after treatment. So we looked at changes in 80HdG levels from pre-treatment through 20 weeks of treatment in patients. The bottom line is that we showed a reduction in 80HdG levels with treatment.

Q: How promising do you feel the research is?

A: You’ve got to put it in a larger context. So there are two studies of coenzyme Q10 in Huntington’s disease. One is an ongoing, five-year study of patients recently diagnosed with Huntington’s symptoms. That study is based on an earlier study from 2001, which showed 600mg — we think that’s a relatively low dose — of coenzyme Q10 was beneficial in slowing the functional decline in patients. So there is some preliminary data that suggests it’s helpful in slowing disease progression. Huntington’s is a genetic disease where, if you inherit the gene, you’re going to develop the disease in your lifetime, usually around 40. You can test people prior to developing symptoms and know with 100 percent certain whether they’re going to develop the disease. So the goal is to identify pre-manifest patients and either delay or prevent the onset of the illness. Our study supports that it might be beneficial, but the likelihood of it being a home run is probably small since it affects things late in the game. Treatments focused on silencing the gene or removing the gene would probably have more potential.

Q: Do you have any other upcoming research?

A: We’re doing a lot of work in using telemedicine in increasing access to care. We’re completing a study of what we call “virtual house calls” for providing care into patients homes. We’re seeing how reliable our long-distance assessments are relative to our in-person assessments.

Lifelines

Name: Kevin Biglan, M.D.Hometown: Philadelphia, Pa.

Education: Jefferson Medical Col-lege Affi liations: University of Rochester Medical Center, Strong Memorial Hospital, Highland Hos-pital, Rochester General HospitalOrganizations: American Acad-emy of Neurology, American Neu-rological Association, Movement Disorder Society, Huntington’s Study GroupFamily: Married, three childrenHobbies: Skiing, hiking

Dr. Kevin BiglanURMC neurologist discusses neurological diseases and the study he’s conducting on Huntington’s disease

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In the wake of 10 deaths due to West Nile virus, and hundreds of infec-tions, authorities sprayed insecticide

in the Dallas region in August, hoping to curb the spread of the disease, which can be spread by mosquitoes.

A total of 693 cases of West Nile virus infections, including 26 deaths, were reported as of Aug. 14 to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The number of cases reported by mid-August is the highest since 1999, when the disease was first seen in the U.S., according to the CDC.

About 60 percent of this year’s cases have involved the ”neuroinvasive” form of West Nile infection, in which the nervous system is affected. Such cases can cause inflammation of neural tissues, such as meningitis and encephalitis. More than 80 percent of all reported cases were from six states (Texas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and California), and almost half of all cases have been reported from Texas.

Here are five things you need to know about West Nile virus:

1. What is West Nile virus?

West Nile virus is a type of virus called a flavivirus. Other viruses in this group cause dengue, yellow fever and Japanese encephalitis. Flaviviruses are commonly transmitted by ticks and mosquitoes. West Nile virus was first identified in Uganda in 1937, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

2. How does West Nile Virus spread?

It is likely that West Nile is spread from birds to people through mosquito bites, the NIH says. Early fall is the time of year that mosquitoes tend to have the highest levels of the virus, and human cases tend to peak around this time.

The virus can also be spread through blood transfusions and organ transplants. Pregnant women can transmit the virus to their fetus, and mothers can transmit it to babies through breast milk, the CDC says.

West Nile virus cannot be spread by casual contact, or touching or kissing an infected person, according to the CDC.

3. What are the symptoms of a

West Nile infection?About 80 percent of people infected

with West Nile show no symptoms at all, according to the CDC.

The other 20 percent have symptoms such as fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting and sometimes swollen lymph glands. Some develop a rash on the chest, stomach and back. Symptoms may last anywhere from a few days to several weeks.

Severe forms of West Nile, which affect the nervous system, can be life-threatening. The NIH says that the following symptoms need prompt medical attention: muscle weakness, stiff neck, weakness in one arm or leg, confusion or a change in ability to think clearly and loss of consciousness or coma.

4. How can I prevent catching West Nile?

The CDC recommends using an insect repellent that contains one of the following ingredients: DEET, picardin, oil of lemon eucalyptus (or a synthetic version of this oil, called PMD), or IR3535. These ingredients

are suggested by the Environmental Protection Agency because they provide reasonably long-lasting protection against mosquito bites.

The CDC also suggests wearing long sleeves and pants, or staying indoors at dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.

Mosquitoes breed in standing water, so removing water from flower pots, pet dishes, buckets and barrels can reduce the risk of transmission. Children’s wading pools should be emptied and stored on their sides when not in use.

5. How is West Nile virus treated?There is no treatment for West Nile

virus infections, according to the CDC.Mild symptoms can resolve on their own. People with severe symptoms may need to be hospitalized and receive intravenous fluids or help with breathing, the CDC says.

Hay fever season is about to be in full bloom. Ragweed pollens began surfacing in mid-August,

causing some of the 40 million Ameri-cans with allergies to suffer.

Twenty-five million adults and children across the country were diagnosed with rhinitis, or hay fever, within the last 12 months alone, according to the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI). Symptoms often mirror those of a cold, including a runny nose, sneezing and nasal congestion.

“Many people mistake their seasonal symptoms for a cold instead of rhinitis due to several allergy myths,” said allergist Stanley Fineman, president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. “Knowing the truth about allergies and how to prevent flare-ups can mean having a comfortable, symptom-free hay fever season.”

The allergists at ACAAI have compiled the following myths and facts about hay fever season to help those with allergies feel great, be active all day and sleep well at night.

• Myth: I’m miserable all hay fever season, but there’s nothing I can do except suffer through it.

• Truth: There are many

5 Things You Need to Know

Hay Fever SeasonThe myths and truths about fall allergies

treatments available to ease your symptoms, including over-the-counter and prescription nasal sprays, medications and allergy shots, also called immunotherapy. There are also new treatments on the horizon, including one for asthma triggered by ragweed allergies, so stay tuned. In the meantime, track your allergy symptoms with MyNasalAllergyJournal.org and visit with your allergist to find relief.

• Myth: I’ve never had a problem with hay fever, so I must be sneezy and stuffy because of a cold.

• Truth: Anyone can develop an allergy — including ragweed — later in life. Scientists think it may be you’ve always had the allergy, but it might have taken exposure to another allergen to trigger your symptoms. If symptoms are persistent, lasting more than two weeks, you probably have allergies. Colds evolve, usually starting with a stuffy nose, throat irritation and low grade fever. Common allergy symptoms include itchy eyes and nose, as well as sneezing, but the mucus is typically clear.

• Myth: I should start taking my hay fever medication at the first sneeze and stop at the first frost.

• Truth: Ragweed usually blooms around mid-August (a little later in the south), but it’s best to stay ahead of the itching, sneezing, drippy nose and wheezing and begin taking medication before symptoms start. The misery can linger until the end of the season, so wait until a few weeks after the first frost to stop taking medication.

• Myth: My hay fever and pet allergies have nothing to do with each other.

• Truth: If you are allergic to ragweed and your dog or cat, you may be even more miserable during hay fever season. People with ragweed allergies who are also allergic to cats or dogs develop symptoms faster and more severely, according to a study published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. Best bet? Treat pet allergies year-round to help make hay fever more manageable. Your allergist might prescribe allergy shots.

• Myth: Hay fever makes me sneeze and sniffle, but my tingly, itchy mouth must be caused by something

else.• Truth: Actually, many people

who are allergic to ragweed have oral allergy syndrome, also called pollen-food allergy syndrome. It means your body is having an allergic reaction to the proteins that are similar in ragweed pollen and certain fruits, vegetables and nuts — such as banana, cucumber, melons, zucchini and sunflower seeds. It’s quite common and it is rarely serious. Usually it only causes an itchy tingly mouth, throat or lips. But sometimes it can cause a stomach ache and very rarely a life-threatening reaction called anaphylaxis. In the event of an emergency seek medical attention. Follow up with your allergist, who might prescribe epinephrine.

West Nile Virus


Practical tips, advice and hope for those who live alone

Live Alone & Thrive By Gwenn Voelckers

“Whether you’re married or not, whether you have a boyfriend or not, there is no real security except for whatever you build inside yourself.”

Gilda Radner

This September marks the eighth anniversary of my solo trip to Paris to celebrate turning 50. It

also marks the anniversary of a decision I made that changed my life. It was in the “City of Light” that I decided to cre-ate a workshop series designed to help women live on their own with more confidence and joy.

Since launching the workshop in 2005, I have learned and experienced so much. I have also been inspired by the courageous, resourceful women and men I’ve met along the way who are now living alone with great success.

They reinforce what I practice every day and what I preach in my Live Alone and Thrive workshop — that the relationship with ourselves is the most enduring of all and that it is worth nurturing.

Most of these women and men have overcome some very real and often painful obstacles, but they now embrace their independence and are busy leading interesting, full lives. They are making it on their own. They have challenged, as have I, the age-old belief that marriage, as it has been traditionally defined, is the only state in which we can be truly happy, fulfilled, secure, and complete.

16 – Getting out of your comfort zone is worth the discomfort. Try something new — dancing lessons, a computer class, hiking — or whatever piques your curiosity. It’s a great way to have fun and meet people.

17 – Isolating on holiday, birthdays, Sundays, etc. is for the birds. Solitary confinement is punishment for criminals, not single people. Make plans.

18 – Comb your hair. Lose the sweat pants. Put a smile on your face. It’s important to create your own positive feedback. Looking good will draw people (and compliments) to you.

19 – There’s no shame in asking for help. It’s not a sign of weakness. On the contrary. Asking for help shows courage and resourcefulness.

20 – Self-confidence and humor are powerful aphrodisiacs; neediness and desperation are not.

21 – Doing anything alone means you enjoy life and your own company; it does not mean you are a loser.

22 – Expanding your definition of love beyond “romantic love” will stand you in good stead. Embrace “passionate friendships” — those relationships in which you can be yourself and feel completely comfortable.

23 – Hanging out with negative people is a real downer. Put yourself with people who make you feel good about yourself and about life.

24 – Living alone and loving it takes practice. Know that there is always someone you can call or something you can do to improve your situation.

25 – Finding your home in your heart can deliver peace as well as power. Harness that potential and your contentment will know no bounds. That I know!

Gwenn Voelckers is the founder and facilitator of Live Alone and Thrive, empowerment workshops for women held throughout the year in Mendon, New York. For information about the workshops or to invite Gwenn to speak call 585-624-7887 or email: [email protected].

Whether divorced, widowed or “confirmed” bachelors or bachelorettes, they are not spending their time bemoaning their fate. They have conquered adversity and are the stronger for it. They have taken their lives into their own hands and have come to appreciate the choices and opportunities that living alone has to offer.

This much I know: 1 – Living alone

doesn’t mean being alone. All you need to do is pick up the phone.

2 – Rediscovering your true self and identifying those things that bring meaning and joy into your life can turn living alone into an adventure of the spirit.

3 – Loneliness is not a “state of being” reserved for single people. Were you ever lonely while you were married?

4 – Traveling solo can be a journey that leads to self-discovery. Whether it’s Paris or Peoria, striking out on your own will expand your horizons and build self-confidence.

5 – Accepting party invitations is worth doing, even if you suspect the party will be mostly couples. Remind yourself that guests often separate into groups of women and men, so singles blend right in.

6 – Figuring out how to hire a contractor, buy a car or even replace

the flapper valve in your toilet — all by yourself — can be very rewarding!

7 – The stereotyped image of single women and men as desperate and

miserable are exaggerated and just plain untrue. Not a believer? Check out “Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone” by Eric Klinenberg.

8 – Pursuing a new career or college degree in midlife can be liberating and fun.

9 – Doing a “random act of kindness” is a great antidote when you’re feeling lonely and sorry for yourself.

10 – Friends matter. Reach out. Nurture your

friendships. Honor your commitments. 11 – Accepting a dinner invitation

does not obligate you to anything. 12 – Paying your own fair share on

a date can feel good and empowering. 13 – Letting go of the idea that

you need to be married to have any chance of being happy and fulfilled is essential. This idea will only keep you mired in self-pity.

14 – Treating yourself well builds esteem. Prepare and enjoy healthy meals at home. Get enough sleep. Exercise. You’re worth it. Tell yourself so by taking good care of yourself.

15 – Your children are your first priorities, even in the face of an enticing romance.

KIDSCorner

Tobacco use among American middle school and high school students showed a slow decline

from 2000 to 2011, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. But when compared with other long-term studies, such as the Youth Risk Behavior Survey, the steep rate of decline from 1997 to 2003

This Much I Know: 25 Things I’ve Learned About Living Alone

Despite drop, tobacco use remains high among high school studentsConsumption of cigars has seen increase

has slowed noticeably. The report pub-lished in August shows that in 2011 nearly 30 percent of high school males and 18 percent of high school females used some form of tobacco. More than 8 percent of middle school males and nearly 6 percent of middle school females used some form of tobacco in 2011.

The report indicates that though tobacco use continued an 11-year downward trend, tobacco use remains high among high school students. For example, among black high school students, cigar use increased significantly from 7.1 percent in 2009 to 11.7 percent in 2011. In 2011, cigar use among high school males (15.7 percent) was comparable to cigarette use (17.7 percent). Cigar use includes the use of cigarette-like cigars that can be packaged and smoked like typical cigarettes, but are taxed at a lower rate, making them more appealing and accessible to youth. While they contain the same toxic chemicals as cigarettes, no cigars are subject to restrictions on flavorings and misleading descriptors such as “light” or “low tar,” according to the report.

Nearly 25 percent of high school males and more than 17 percent of high school females used some form of smoked tobacco product in 2011, while smokeless tobacco use among high school males (12.9 percent) was 8 times higher than among high school females (1.6 percent).

“An overall decline in tobacco use is good news, but although four out of five teens don’t smoke, far too many kids start to smoke every day,” said CDC Director Thomas R.

Frieden. “Most tobacco use begins and becomes established during adolescence. This report is further evidence that we need to do more to prevent our nation’s youth from establishing a deadly addiction to tobacco.”

The study, “Current Tobacco Use Among Middle and High School Students—United States, 2011,” published in August in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report reported no significant declines in the use of any tobacco product among middle school students from 2009 to 2011. However, cigarette use declined from 19.2 percent in 2009 to 15.8 percent among Hispanic high school students.

The report reaffirms the need to return youth tobacco use trends to the more rapid rate of decline seen from the late 1990s through 2003. To further reduce tobacco use among young people, the 2012 Surgeon General’s Report recommends making tobacco products less affordable, running hard-hitting mass media campaigns, and evidence-based tobacco control and prevention programs that work in conjunction with new restrictions on the sale, distribution, and marketing of cigarettes and other tobacco products to youth.


The term “latchkey kids” was coined in the 1940s to describe children who arrive home from

school each day to an empty house. More households than ever are two-income homes where children spend their afternoons without their parents.

If your children spend some time alone before you arrive home from work, plan ahead to increase your children’s safety.

Make sure they have more than one means of accessing the house. If they should lose the house key, do you have a back-up plan so they are not stranded outside? Of course, they could always call your workplace if they have a cell phone, but in the meantime, they must wait outside alone, which can make them targets.

Leave a spare key hidden outside or with a trusted neighbor who is usually home during the afternoon.

Donna Schaertl, coordinator for SAFE KIDS Finger Lakes in Shortsville, tells children “look around when they arrive at home for anything different, like a door or window open that wasn’t when they left. Even with something messy or a door that’s usually locked that isn’t.”

These signs could indicate an intruder and signal they should not enter the house. Again, plan ahead a few trusted neighbors to whom your children can turn.

Call your children to ensure they

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have arrived home safely. Make sure they know what to do in case the smoke detector should sound or a stranger comes to the door. The safest policy is to keep the blinds shut and ignore the doorbell.

Ask them to practice saying, “She’s not available. May I take a message?” instead of “She’s not here” when the phone rings. It’s also OK to allow the answering machine to pick up calls.

Based upon their maturity, limit kitchen privileges. “Cooking is the biggest cause of home fires,” Schaertl said. “Kids put microwave popcorn in and hit 20 minutes, not 2. Maybe give them specifics on not using the microwave, the stove or lighting candles.”

Especially for younger children, make cooking off limits. Provide healthful foods for their snack that do not require using the stove or microwave.

Alejandro Marchini, pediatrician with Westside Pediatric Group in Rochester, recommends “sandwiches with healthful turkey cold cuts, vegetables, and whole wheat bread and fruit. With salads, you need to add only some dressing. For drinks, they should have only water or milk.”

Post emergency numbers in the kitchen and teach your children when they should call them. Include the number of a few nearby adult friends or relatives you trust, too.

Restrict (or filter) Internet use, TV viewing and allowing friends to visit to further reduce hazards. The likelihood of engaging in risky behavior increases if children are with their peers than alone.

“Parents need to use their best judgment,” Schaertl said. “We need to provide them with information and expectations. We need to hold them to those expectations.”

Schaertl checks her daughter’s Facebook page regularly to prevent her from posting text and photos she shouldn’t.

While giving a long list of “don’ts” may give peace of mind, making a list of “do’s” can also help.

Keeping the children occupied with wholesome activities can prevent many problems. Of course, completing homework and practicing a musical instrument are obvious examples, but kids need some downtime, too. Assess their games and toys. If they don’t play with some things much anymore, perhaps they have outgrown these items. Invest in some creative playthings that may be used in more than one way, such as building bricks and craft supplies that do not require adult help.

With pre-teens and teens, you should consider the increased risks involved with them staying home alone.

“Experimenting with drugs,

alcohol and sex is a possibility if they’re home alone,” Marchini said. “They’re more likely to try these things.”

If you’d like more supervision and guidance for your children, consider using the YMCA’s many afterschool programs.

Mickey Beikirch, associate executive director of the YMCA at 920 Elmgrove Road in Rochester, said that one of the main values of their afterschool programs is that children stay active.

“They’re not going home and sitting to play computer games,” she said. “They’re actively engaged in exercise and activities.”

Most of the time, the afternoon activities include 30 minutes’ minimum of physical exercise. The programs stress healthful eating and offer nutritious snacks.

“We can give homework help,” Beikirch said. “Parents like that because it gives them time to spend quality time as opposed to helping with homework.”

Children who participate in band, karate and soccer can enjoy their extracurricular activities at the YMCA, without mom and dad shuttling them all over town.

The after school programs include arts and crafts, science experiments, and family cooking.


William M. “Bill” Riley strug-gled to write notes in class, write papers and keep up in

school. Despite his normal IQ and hard work “I was lost,” said Riley, who is now a licensed clinical social worker practicing in Geneva.

Finally, in fifth grade, he was diagnosed with dyslexia. To help him graduate, Riley worked with a literacy volunteer and used textbooks on tape. His father, coincidentally, worked for The Commission for the Blind, which gave the family access to recorded materials.

Although he reads sufficiently to work, Riley, 53, doesn’t read for pleasure. He uses speech recognition software to write and his wife edits letters or emails before he sends them.

Fortunately, children these days have many more tools and means of support that can make their education accessible. The key is recognizing a learning disability early so a child receives the earliest intervention possible.

Look for developmental milestones in young children.

“Look at language development and communication,” said Kim Segal, educational services director for Learning Disabilities Association of the Genesee Valley, Inc. in Rochester. “Slow language development, difficulty with speech, problems understanding what is being said to them or communicating what they are trying to say could indicate a problem.”

Difficulty in socialization, when compared with others of the same age group, could also indicate a learning disability.

“When we’re talking about elementary school, problems with letter recognition or familiar words

Misconception regarding learning disabilities abound. Here

are a few heard by Kim Segal, educational services director for Learning Disabilities Association of the Genesee Valley, Inc. in Rochester:

• Learning disabilities can be cured with therapy, herbs, dietary changes or tutoring.

“They don’t go away. People learn strategies that allow them to compensate for their learning disability. I think it’s quite often that we see kids who have a learning

disabilities who get services in school and are doing better. Then those services are dismissed and as they transition into higher level classes, the need for those supports remerge.

• Kids outgrow learning disabilities once they graduate from high school.

“At college you can get certain accomodations if you disclose you have disabilities. We’re seeing a big need for accommodations and support in time management and organizational skills. It’s not just school-aged children who need support and accommodations. At home, you had mom or dad following up, ‘Did you turn in these assignments?’ That responsibility now is on the nearly adult college student. We’ve received increased calls for support for college-aged

students.”• The student is just lazy. “The word ‘lazy’ is often used.

Or ‘They don’t want to try.’ What happens is people aren’t necessarily looking for why this is happening. It’s easy to say they seem bright, but they won’t look at what’s going on.”

William M. “Bill” Riley a licensed clinical social worker practicing in Geneva shared a few, also:

• People with learning disabilities won’t accomplish much.

“Henry Ford

had a learning disability and so did Thomas Edison. You can sort of tell Ford thought differently to invent the assembly line. You should tell them about people with learning disabilities.”

• The student needs to apply himself.

“Trying harder that can help, but tutoring can help, too. But there is a point where you have to start using adaptive technology to help. Why hold back a student who’s gifted in other areas?”

• All people with learning disabilities in one area are exceptionally gifted in another area.

“Not all are gifted. A NY Times article says a lot of people with dyslexia have athletic or artistic ability.”

Recognizing Learning Disability

Early detection, support helps learning disabled students succeedBy Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

by sight like ‘stop,’ ‘it,’ or ‘to.’ Also, having difficulty sounding out words or knowing the sound or symbol recognition. Or difficulty in memorizing math facts.”

Poor organizational skills, lack of focus, or lack of reading comprehension can all indicate a learning disability.

“Are they able to organize their thoughts for writing?” Segal said. “Are they able to learn new math concepts and build on it and apply it? Usually, we see increased difficulty with organizing school and personal materials.

“You have to be a detective to see what’s going on,” Segal added. “They seem reluctant to go to school, homework is a struggle, and they seem bright but they’re not meeting grade level standards.”

Don’t count on your pediatrician to recognize a learning disability since many do not cause any visible symptoms.

“We certainly deal with it when we come across it, but they don’t come up in a medical setting,” said Michael G. Martin, pediatrician of Gladbrook Pediatrics in Rochester. “If we observe a behavior like a child acting very different, I do ask about that, if he behaves like this at home or school or with friends. A lot of times that opens up a discussion about grades and how he is doing at school.”

If a child struggles with attention deficit disorder or autism, a pediatrician would be much more likely to notice than something such as dyslexia.

Some learning disabilities can manifest at home and at school. Children with attention deficit disorder have trouble paying attention, staying

still, and completing tasks.Other learning disabilities can

include dysgraphia, which involves difficulty in writing, and dyscalculia, which hampers the child’s ability to perform arithmetic, and sometimes measurement, estimation, and using analog clocks.

If you notice your child struggling, let his teacher know.

“Quite often, the teacher says, ‘I’ve had those concerns, too,’” Segal said. “Then talk about next steps.”

Sometimes, teachers implement some informal intervention before discussing it with the parents. Parents need to work together with the teacher to support the intervention.

Although learning disabilities can challenge students and parents, school systems’ ability to identify and support students with learning disabilities can help them achieve more than ever.

Since colleges do not admit students who earn Individual Education Plan (IEP) degrees, it’s important to consider career goals and the child’s capabilities.

“With speech recognition software and calculators, there’s more one way a kid can get through school,” Riley said.

Riley attended Finger Lakes Community College and St. John Fisher and graduated by using textbooks on tape and dictating term papers. Electronic recording equipment, voice recognition software and more can help students today.

“Technology has changed and leveled the playing field,” Segal said. “It has opened the door for those who have learning disabilities. As we move forward, even schools that are utilizing technology more throughout their day with smart boards. They benefit all students.”

Misconceptions about learning disabilities

Segal

Riley


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Is it ADHD or Typical Toddler Behavior? Ten early signs of ADHD in preschool age children

Young children often have prob-lems paying attention or con-centrating, but when are these

problems serious enough for parents and teachers to be concerned?

According to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control, one in 11 school-aged children are diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but research suggests that the warning signs often appear even before the demands of school begin.

As many as 40 percent of children have significant problems with attention by age 4, and ADHD is now the most common mental health disorder diagnosed in the preschool years.

Mark Mahone, a medical doctor who directs the Department of Neuropsychology at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, encourages parents to be especially observant of their young child’s behavior.

“Research shows that children with ADHD have abnormal brain development, meaning that ADHD has a biological basis that often makes it a lifelong condition,” says Mahone. “We want to catch ADHD early because it has such a profound effect on learning and academic development. Children whose symptoms begin in early childhood are at the highest risk for academic failure and grade repetition.”

Mahone and his colleagues at Kennedy Krieger are among the first to use neuroimaging to study the brains of preschool children with symptoms of ADHD. They recently discovered that children with ADHD have a smaller caudate nucleus—a small structure in the brain that is associated with cognitive and motor control—than their typical peers. By identifying

the biological markers of ADHD, they hope that intervention can begin earlier to facilitate better educational outcomes.

In preschool-aged children (3-4 years), Mahone recommends that parents look for the following signs that are associated with an ADHD diagnosis when children reach school age:

1. Dislikes or avoids activities that require paying attention for more than one or two minutes

2. Loses interest and starts doing something else after engaging in an activity for a few moments

3. Talks a lot more and makes more noise than other children of the same age

4. Climbs on things when instructed not to do so

5. Cannot hop on one foot by age 46. Nearly always restless — wants

to constantly kick or jiggle feet or twist around in his/her seat. Insists that he/she “must” get up after being seated for more than a few minutes

7. Gets into dangerous situations because of fearlessness

8. Warms up too quickly to strangers

9. Frequently aggressive with playmates; has been removed from preschool/daycare for aggression

10. Has been injured because of moving too fast or running when instructed not to do so

“If parents observe these symptoms and have concerns about their child’s development, they should consult with their pediatrician or another developmental expert,” says Mahone. “There are safe and effective treatments that can help manage symptoms, increase coping skills and change negative behaviors to improve academic and social success.”

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Decades ago, the model was to separate and educate. That was the philosophy when dealing

with special education students who were exclusively transferred to vari-ous programs away from their district. These students were educated properly but isolated from the overall student body. Slowly, the philosophy changed.

Educators determined that special education students needed a mixture; part specialized programs such as the Board of Cooperative Education Services, located on the east and west side of Monroe County, and also integrated classes within their school district.

As thousands of special education students start the school year this fall, they will see various changes in the curriculum, added programs and new initiatives aimed at making them stronger adults.

“Offering special education programs locally provides families and caregivers more options so they are not going out of state to find the programs they need,” said Cherie Bikowsky, director of special education. “BOCES remain the vehicle through which public schools can offer choices for students and parents. Sharing is an economical way for districts to offer programs they might otherwise not be able to afford.”

Monroe #1 BOCES offers a full range of services and programs for students aged 3–21. This past year, the organization served more than 2,312 special needs students. The students include those with physical or learning disabilities, speech-language impairment, autism, emotional disabilities, attention deficit disorder, or other health impairments. Programs range from fully inclusive to center-based schools, instructional programs offering opportunities for students’ educational, physical, and management

needs. BOCES shared programs serve students from all districts, regardless of enrollment, income or size of tax base.

BOCES 2, which is headquartered in Spencerport, has created a career center within its building that will launch this month. The center focuses on teaching students’ social behavior skills and employment readiness tips. In a classroom setting, students have the opportunity to learn tools making them ready for work through a more targeted approach.

“The biggest trend right now is helping students to be more independent,” said Barbara Martorana, director for the department for exceptional children. “We have got to get students ready for adulthood and the future jobs that they are looking for.”

Officials say it’s important to move away from the old model, which featured too much hand holding for students. They were taught in a more- lecture-oriented manner instead of a broader approach that gives them chances to take more control over their day-to-day decision-making. The business community also got involved as the center has a roundtable advisory council to advise teachers and students about best practices.

“What employers are telling us is that students need to feel confident to make their own decisions when they enter the workplace. A boss is not going to tell you everything you need to know,” said Martorana.

In an effort to expand its current programs, BOCES # 1 began Project SEARCH two years ago; however the initiative is expanding this year. The program, based at the Calkins Road Wegmans, provides employment and education for individuals with significant disabilities. It is dedicated to workforce development that benefits individual and workplace skills. Last

year, six students completed the program and gained employment, and this June, eight students completed the program. Students have worked at various locations such as Fairport Baptist Home, Walgreen’s, dog daycare, Mendon Ponds, Penfield Library or the Work Training Center.

Other students utilize local businesses to practice problem-solving, banking, conversing with strangers and placing orders. Along with their work and community practice

schedules, all the students meet at 2 p.m. each day to plan menus through on-line Web searches and create shopping lists, as well as plan budgets, and household chore assignments.

In addition, the organization opened a unique, apartment-like setting in Penfield that serves students 18–21 years of age with multiple challenges. Instruction emphasizes functional skills in the home, community and vocational areas. BOCES has been a staple within Monroe County, giving school districts expert special education teachers and officials to fill the void.

“We provide services that a district can’t provide on its own,” said Martorana. “Districts might have a small number of special education students that would make it unrealistic for them to create a sole classroom just for them so that is where we step up.”

As times changed, more school districts have integrated special education students within the regular classroom. In 2011, there were 2,374 students, a decrease from 2,409 the year before. A combination of budget constraints nationwide and more school districts wanting to be independent and house within caused the decline.

Another theory on the decline is that educators started preaching that as the faster students were acclimated into a standard environment, the better prepared they would be after high school in any environment. Previously, students would many times spend half their day or almost their entire day in BOCES programs where they rarely stepped inside their own school district anywhere near the majority of students. But with this shift, it allows

New approach at BOCES to help special needs students

Students this year will see various changes in the curriculum, added programs and new initiatives aimed at making them stronger adultsBy Ernst Lamothe

District-Based Transition: Marion (right), a BOCES 1 Transition student, greets Penfi eld Supervisor Tony LaFountain and Principal Cyndi Lembo at the new Transition classroom in Penfi eld. The unique, apartment-like setting serves students 18–21 years of age with multiple challenges, focusing on living skills development.

students to feel a part of the student body instead of isolated people going to a “special school.”

Special education students will also have to contend with the new state P-12 common core learning standards for English and math. After more than half a year of statewide discussion and insight from more than 800 teachers standards were raised so students would be ready for higher education or career readiness. The standards mandate certain critical content for all students, including classic myths and stories from around the world, foundational U.S. documents, seminal works of American literature, and the writings of Shakespeare. They also must have the ability to write logical arguments based on substantive claims, sound reasoning, and relevant evidence.

“We are trying to make sure that our students are in the best position to succeed. These common core standards will help but overall we need to integrate special education students into the classroom and into general careers as well,” said Bikowsky.

Educators say there are distinctive ways they judge whether a program has succeeded.

“For special education students, one thing that doesn’t work is the ‘one size fits all,’ theory,” added Bikowsky. “Students need a variety of resources to be able to meet their individual educational goals and they need options to best prepare them for post-secondary success. Working with parents and school districts, we try and judge success by monitoring results so that students’ individual goals are being met, and that students are happy and productive. “

University of Rochester Transition: Autumn, (left), a University of Rochester Transition Class student, works with teacher Sherri Stulpin to learn how to balance a checkbook. Students participate in campus programs half days and work half days to develop living and workplace skills.


If your child walks, bikes or buses to school, it’s time to review the school commuting safety rules. The New

York State Health Department reports that injuries are the leading cause of death for Empire State children and that injuries result in an average of more than 18,000 hospitalizations an-nually for those 19 and younger.

Anne F. Brayer, associate professor emergency medicine and pediatrics with the University of Rochester School of Medicine, advises parents of children younger than 10 to supervise their children’s walk to school.

“Young children do not have the ability to gauge traffic hazards — speed, traffic signals, signs — and can be impulsive,” said Brayer, who also serves as director of the Injury Free Coalition for Kids of Rochester. “They also may not be able to see traffic well.”

Children are more prone to darting across a street outside of a crosswalk, for example, where drivers least expect to encounter pedestrians, and children’s small size makes it even more difficult to see them.

Donna Schaertl, coordinator of SAFE KIDS Finger Lakes in Shortsville, said that the biggest impediment to school commuting safety is that many children possess little awareness of their surroundings. They need to “stop, look and listen and to use all these senses when walking or biking,” she said. “Kids nowadays have music playing, they’re talking on their cell phones or texting while walking and it can be dangerous.”

Before your older children walk or bike to school by themselves, go with them to ensure they have the safest route. Some school districts provide a suggested route.

Once you have chosen the safest route for them, make sure they stick with it. Explain that in addition to exposing them to hazards, using shortcuts will take them off the known route where you anticipate them walking. If something unexpected happens, you will not know where to begin looking for them. Even if they carry cell phones, their phones could be lost, stolen, or out of range or power when they need it most.

Review safe walking rules, such as staying on the sidewalk (preferably walking on the left side toward oncoming traffic), using crosswalks properly, and following the direction of a crossing guard. Arrange with trusted neighbors for your children to walk

with their children. As the old adage goes, there’s safety in numbers.

State law mandates bike helmets for cyclists aged 13 and younger, but they protect older heads, too. Stress the importance of staying on the sidewalk or designated bike areas. Whenever they cross the street, they should dismount and walk through the crosswalk when traffic is clear instead of pedaling.

Instruct them on how to act if someone approaches them.

“We need to tell our kids that strangers aren’t always mean, ugly people,” Schaertl said. “Strangers are anybody you don’t know. It’s someone you’ve never met. They can be handsome, ugly, smell good or smell funny. Unfortunately, the people who want to hurt our kids have all the time in the world to plan this and aren’t dumb people.”

Most children understand “stranger danger” but many abductions are committed by people known to children such as acquaintances of the family.

“We tell kids, ‘If someone you don’t know asks you to go to their car...don’t do [it],’” said Deb DeCaire, assistant traffic safety specialist with Monroe County Office of Traffic Safety. “Some of the child abductions occur because children are trusting and adults that take advantage of them.”

Set up a secret password with your children that anyone outside of your list of “safe” people must say before your children will go with them. For example, Grandma and Grandpa, Aunt Lisa and Mrs. Smith and Mr. Jones, your neighbors, are on the “safe” list, but if another neighbor pulls over and offers a ride, he must give the secret password that only you and your children know.

Abductors use various ploys, such as claiming a family member is hurt, necessitating an immediate trip home. Since the scenario could involve any number of tactics, Schaertl encourages parents to engage their children in role playing, along with giving them tips to “give them the tools to react,” Schaertl said. “Remind them to not go up to the car [of a stranger]. Stop, take three giant steps back and then have the person ask you the question. Adults shouldn’t be asking children for help. They should find another adult.”

Above all, children should trust their instinct if something doesn’t seem right.

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Your opportunity to go casual to work for a good cause is just around the corner.

Every year, businesses in the Rochester community participate in Miracle Jeans Day, a fundraiser that allows employees to trade in their usual business attire for jeans in exchange for a minimum $5 donation to Golisano Children’s Hospital at the University of Rochester Medical Center.

“A lot of people don’t have the opportunity to wear jeans to work, so it’s a nice perk, and in the meantime they are helping children,“ said Betsy Findlay, director of advancement at Golisano Children’s Hospital.

Each year, the event, sponsored by Children’s Miracle Network Hospital (CMNH), raises about $15,000 for the Golisano Children’s Hospital, the local CMNH.

It’s no surprise the medical center

Prescription drug abuse is on the rise. Being informed is your best defense.

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence – Rochester Area

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What's in your medicine cabinet?What's in your medicine cabinet?

To learn more or to schedule a presentation, contact NCADD-RA at (585) 719-3489.

• Don’t share your prescriptions.

• Know the signs and symptoms of abuse.

• Properly conceal and dispose of old or unused medications. For dates and locations of pharmaceutical waste collection sites located near you, visit www.monroecounty.gov/hhw.

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Employees in the facilities department at the University of Rochester Medical Center kick up their heels in support of Miracle Jeans Day.

Sept. 12: Wear Jeans to Help KidsMiracle Jeans Day, a day to dress down, helps group raise about $15,000 for the Golisano Children’s Hospital. By Maggie Fiala

is the largest contributor of the event. Nearly 1,000 medical center employees will participate in the dress-down day,


It’s that big display of cigarettes, cigars and other tobacco products behind the cash registers. Every day,

our youth are exposed to a tremendous amount of tobacco marketing in conve-nience stores, gas stations, pharmacies and grocery stores. You may not have seen all the tobacco marketing in the stores, but your kids have. It is not an accident that tobacco products are dis-played in the most visible location in stores — directly behind the checkout counter. Exposure to tobacco marketing in stores is a primary cause of youth smoking and that’s why we need to take action to protect our kids.

According to the Community Tobacco Survey of Adult Residents of Monroe County released in June, 56 percent of adults in Monroe County agree that seeing cigarette and other tobacco product advertisements in stores make teens more likely to smoke. On average, these retailers provide 32 square feet behind the checkout counter for tobacco displays. That is equivalent to about 204 cigarette pack faces (the front side of a pack of cigarettes) that our youth see.

Our kids have seen enough. The Smoking and Health Action Coalition of Monroe County (SHAC) is working to educate the community about the prevalence and impact that tobacco product displays and store advertising have on youth smoking initiation. If you would like to participate in this important initiative and help protect our youth visit tobaccofreenys.org.

Cassie Coombs is a project coordinator with SHAC (Smoking & Health Action Coali-tion of Monroe County ) at the American Lung Association of the Northeast.

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including many senior leaders, such as Kathy Parrinello, chief operating officer of Strong Memorial Hospital and associate vice president of URMC, says Findlay.

The pediatric division will rally about 150 employees to participate, said Tracy June, who has taken on the lead in coordinating the event in the pediatrics division in the past. She turned over the reins to someone new this year, but still participates.

Pediatric division employees cannot wear jeans on a typical work day, so the event is a good way to raise money for the hospital while being able to wear jeans, June said.

Tops Friendly Markets is one of the many organizations across the Rochester area whose employees have proudly sported their blue jeans each year. Last year, Tops raised more than $1,000 for Golisano Children’s Hospital.

Kathleen Allen, manager of community relations for Tops, is excited to begin plans for this year’s event.

“Miracle Jeans Day has allowed Tops to expand upon its already wonderful relationship with the CMNH Hospitals, and to raise the much-needed funds for local children’s hospitals,” said Allen.

The RE/MAX Realty Group in Rochester is another key corporate supporter of the event.

“Miracle Jeans Day allows all the agents to demonstrate their support in a very noticeable way,” said Thomas Schnorr, broker and partner of the Rochester-area RE/MAX office. This year, he estimates 75 percent of the RE/MAX staff will donate to the cause and 50 percent, nearly 150 agents, will wear jeans.

The children’s hospital is the company’s primary charity. This event is an easy cause to stand behind because the good work the hospital does, Schnorr said.

“There is a real tangibility to it because the dollars are staying here,” he said.

Visit www.MiracleJeansDay.com to register, make a donation, order apparel or download a free starter kit. Registration ends Sept. 1.

To learn more call

585-442-1980

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By Cassie Coombs

Can seeing tobacco in stores make teens smoke?


Anne Palumbo is a lifestyle columnist, food guru, and seasoned cook, who has perfected the art of preparing nutritious, calorie-conscious dishes. She is hungry for your questions and comments about SmartBites, so be in touch with Anne at [email protected].

By Anne Palumbo SmartBitesThe skinny on healthy eating

Of all the foods to be plunked into that famous adage, “An ‘X’ a day keeps the doctor away,” I’m

not surprised an apple won the coveted spot. Armed with a bushel of health benefits, apples, in fact, make keep more than doctors at bay. Let’s take a look.

Cardiovascular disease: New research shows that eating an apple or two a day may significantly cut your risk of heart disease. Experts attribute this cardiovascular benefit to the apple’s high concentrations of pectin (a soluble fiber that lowers bad cholesterol) and of polyphenols (antioxidants that may thwart inflammation and also prevent the development of atherosclerosis).

Lung health: Apples benefit lungs in several ways. One, they’re one of the few fruits that may reduce lung cancer risk. A Finnish study of nearly 10,000 men and women showed that those with the highest consumption of apples were less than half as likely to develop lung cancer as those who ate few or no apples. Two, multiple studies

have shown apple intake to be associated with decreased risk of asthma. And three, researchers in the Netherlands have shown that eating apples reduces the risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in smokers.

Cancer: Cornell University researchers have identified several compounds in apples (especially the peel) that not only fight cancer cells in the laboratory, but also reduce the number and size of mammary tumors in rats.

Brain power: According to researchers from the University of

Massachusetts Lowell, nutrients in apples and apple juice may improve memory and learning. UML Professor Thomas Shea relates these benefits to its powerhouse antioxidant properties and its potential role in boosting levels of an essential brain neurotransmitter.

Weight control: Low in calories (80 per medium apple) but relatively high in slow-digesting fiber, apples leave you feeling fuller longer. What’s

more, research has demonstrated that when healthy

adults consumed one medium

apple about 15 minutes before a meal, their caloric intake at that meal

decreased by an average of

15 percent. Not bad!

Helpful tips:

Since apples top the “dirty dozen” list — a list

of the most pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables on the market — buy organic whenever possible. If not possible, be sure to wash and rinse the apples thoroughly, using soapy water if you detect wax. To get the most nutrition and fiber from your apples, eat the skin.

Walnut Chicken Salad with Diced Apple

Serves 42 cups cooked skinless chicken

breast, cubed

1 celery rib, sliced1 medium unpeeled apple, diced½ cup chopped walnuts, toasted1 tablespoon lemon juice¼ cup low fat yogurt¼ cup light mayonnaise1 teaspoon curry powder1 garlic clove, minced1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

(optional)salt and pepper, to taste

Place chicken cubes in a medium bowl along with sliced celery, diced apple and walnuts. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, yogurt, mayonnaise, curry powder, garlic and shallot. Pour over chicken and toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Serve atop a bed of lettuce or stuffed into a pita pocket.

Boost Your Health, Lose Weight with Apples

Sponsored by the Monroe County Medical Society, Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency, and Excellus BlueCross BlueShield.

A nonprofit independent licensee of the BlueCross BlueShield Association

A recent study found that each year there are hundreds of thousands of emergency room visits in upstate New York that could be avoided. Minor conditions like cold and flu symptoms,

congestion, back pain, earaches and sports injuries are best treated by your doctor. If your doctor isn’t available, consider visiting an urgent care

facility. And do your part to relieve ER crowding.

HELP REDUCEER CROWDING.

FOR COLD AND FLU SYMPTOMS, SEE YOUR DOCTOR.


As unbeliev-able as it sounds,

patients receiving physical therapy at Lake Country Physical Therapy and Sportscare, PC in Canandaigua say, “I experienced pain relief within seconds and it lasted.”

Zoe Fackelman, physical therapist and founder of Lake Country Physical Therapy, and her physical therapy team, are celebrating 25 years of providing exceptional and goal-oriented care. The list of physical therapy services available is extensive. Fackelman and Robert C. Christakos have been practicing for a combined 42 years and have enjoyed regularly learning new skills to assist fellow community members toward wellness.

One particular expertise Fackelman and Christakos are particularly proud to provide is called Primal Reflex Release Techniques (PRRT), specialized, gentle hands on manual therapy that quickly breaks the pain cycle. Using PRRT, 50 percent resolution of pain is expected and frequently found by the end of the first session. The techniques are quick, effective, gentle and involve tapping, flicking and touching — often far from the painful trigger region.

Fackelman and Christakos are two of less than 100 trained worldwide at the most advanced level with PRRT which addresses painful trigger regions that are linked to the Dura/cranial nerves/sympathetic nervous system loop. These techniques down-regulate or download this loop. It is like rebooting a computer. This facilitates the immune system, speeds healing and restores normal muscle and joint function.

Easing overactive and ongoing bodily stress reactions can ease pain associated with a wide variety of conditions and injuries. Primal or pain reflexes are what the body does to protect itself as a reaction to pain. Startle reflex occurs when you jump from hearing a loud noise or experience pain. The withdrawal reflex happens when someone pulls away from something that scares or hurts them. The body’s protective reflexes become activated and stay that way in response to injury or discomfort

from inflammation or other traumatic conditions, such as surgery.

Pain from head and jaw to the toes can be relieved using PRRT and you will know after your first session if the techniques will benefit you and your condition.

Lake Country Physical Therapy and Sportscare, PC initiates care within 48 hours. All you need to do is call to make an appointment.

The New York state direct access law allows you the patient to receive care without seeing your doctor first and most insurance carriers no longer require a referral to initiate physical therapy.

Lake Country is resuming home visits for those who do not have transportation or are unable to drive, after surgery when it is difficult to get out of the home due to pain or physical limitations or for those who want to improve their overall function so it is easier to do things outside the home.

Office hours of operation are Mondays and Wednesdays 10– 7 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays 8– 5 p.m., and Fridays 9 –4 p.m. Home care is available Monday and Wednesday before 9:30 a.m., Tuesday and Thursdays between 5–7 p.m., all day on Friday and Saturdays.

For more information about Lake Country Physical Therapy and Sportscare, PC, please call 585-396-1400, email [email protected], Robert @lakecountrypt.com or visit us at www.lakecountrypt.com.

Submitted by the physical therapy team at Lake Country Physical Therapy and Sportscare, PC, which includes Zoe Fackel-man, physician therapist, and Robert C. Christakos, physician therapist with a doctorate degree in physical therapy.

Lake Country Physical Therapy and Sportscare, PC

Pain Relief in SecondsUsing ‘Primal Reflex Release Techniques’ thera-pists report a 50 percent resolution of pain at the end of the first session

If you answered “Yes” to any of these questions, call us!Our educational consultants work in partnership with families and schools to ensure appropriate services are delivered. If you need help or have questions please call us.

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A $5,000 grant from Excellus BlueCross BlueShield to Com-peer Rochester, Inc. will help

more returning military veterans read-just to living in the Rochester region.

Returning military veterans often find it difficult to relate to others and familiarize themselves with networking opportunities and counseling services.

To address the problem, Compeer Rochester, Inc. teamed up with the Veterans Outreach Center to create the CompeerCORPS mentorship program in which veterans already established in the community help returning veterans.

“Veterans need time to mentally and physically adjust back into civilian life,” said Ann Griepp, chief medical officer for behavioral health, Excellus BCBS. “The Excellus BCBS grant will help CompeerCORPS match more returning veterans with mentors who’ll help them with this adjustment, which is often filled with stress and uncertainty.”

In addition to establishing a friendship, Compeer’s matches often become like family. The program allows its 30 pairs of veterans to connect with others in ways that their families may not be able to.

“A lot of the pairs actually spend time volunteering to help other veterans,” said Stacy Fogarty, CompeerCORPS program manager and United States Air Force veteran. “They also try new things together, such as sailing or other free veteran activities offered in their communities.”

Kelly Lannon, an Air Force Security

Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki recently announced the award of $987,500 in home-

less prevention grants to the New York counties of Monroe, Orleans, Wayne, Livingston and Ontario.

The grants will serve approximately 550 homeless and at-risk veteran families as part of the Supportive Services for Veteran Families (SSVF) program. This award will serve veteran families associated with Veterans Outreach Center, one of 151 community agencies in 49 states and the District of Columbia to receive a grant.

“We are committed to ending veteran homelessness in America,” said Shinseki. “These grants will help VA and community organizations reach out and prevent at-risk veterans from losing their homes.”

Under the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program, VA is awarding grants to private nonprofit organizations and consumer cooperatives that provide services to very low-income veteran families living in — or transitioning to —

permanent housing. Those community organizations provide a range of services that promote housing stability among eligible very low income Veteran families.

Under the grants, homeless providers will offer veterans and their family members outreach, case management, assistance in obtaining VA benefits and assistance in getting other public benefits. Community-based groups can offer temporary financial assistance on behalf of Veterans for rent payments, utility payments, security deposits and moving costs.

VA estimates these grants will serve approximately 42,000 homeless and at-risk veteran families nationwide. This is the program’s second year. Last year, VA provided about $60 million to assist 22,000 veterans and family members.More information about VA’s homeless programs is available at www.va.gov/homeless. Details about the Supportive Services for Veteran Families program are online at www.va.gov/homeless/ssvf.asp.

VA Announces Grants to Help End Veterans’ HomelessnessInitiative targets 42,000 homeless and at-risk veterans and families nationwide

New Mentoring Program to Help VeteransCompeerCORPS to match more veterans in mentorship program

Are you a veteran and are willing to be a mentor or mentee? If so, please contact Stacy Fogarty at [email protected] or 585-546-8280.

Forces Iraq war veteran, and Kristen Walker, a peer-to-peer mentor and current National Guard member, were matched in the vet-to-vet program in 2011. Both women suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“I never thought that anything was wrong with me, and I’ve found most veterans feel the same,” said Lannon. “It wasn’t until I was at home as a civilian that I had nothing to do but think about what I had experienced in Iraq.”

Many veterans don’t like to ask for help or believe that they have a mental health issue, said Fogarty. After meeting with mentors in the CompeerCORPS program, who are often experiencing the same feelings, mentees begin to understand that it is okay to seek help.

With Walker’s help, Lannon doesn’t feel alone and “weak” in dealing with her PTSD and everyday reintegration issues. Being able to talk about their similar experiences makes her feel “connected and understood.”

Volunteers are asked to commit at least four hours a month to the program. Lannon and Walker meet once or twice a month, usually for lunch, dinner or coffee. The CompeerCORPS Program is integrated into the Veterans Outreach Center, Inc. portfolio of services in Rochester.

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To fi nd out more, call us at 585-396-0070 or check us out at www.bridgesforbraininjury.org

We now serve the Rochester, Finger Lakes and Southern Tier regions.

Frequently, survivors of brain injury are inappropriately placed in nursing homes, institutional settings or become homeless.

Bridges For Brain Injury supports survivors and their families by providing awareness of the effects of brain injury. We help them cope with their disability and work toward a plan for rebuilding their lives.

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By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

What They Want You to Know:Internist

Deborah Jeanne Sergeant is a writer with In Good Health. “What Your Doctor Wants You to Know” is an ongoing col-umn that appears monthly to give our area’s healthcare

professionals an opportunity to share how patients can improve their care by helping their providers and by helping themselves.

The American College of Physi-cians defines internists as “phy-sicians who specialize in the

prevention, detection and treatment of illnesses in adults.”

• “The most important advice that I would give to a patient would be to become an active participant in your health care. Partner with your doctor to develop a care plan and health-related goals that will help ensure a healthy future.

• “If your physician has an online patient portal to access parts of your medical record, sign up and use it to find out your lab values and get health care advice.

• “Know your medications and doses.

ParentingBy Melissa Stefanec

As I sit down to write this month’s column, I’m staring out over the skyscrapers in Dal-

las, Texas. I’m traveling for work and taking a break from parenting for a few days. Being a working-outside-the-home parent is challenging. It has its ups and downs, but it has also taught me some lessons that I wish to share.

Lesson No. 1: You have to take the good with the bad. Being a working parent puts a whole meaning to this cli-ché. There are some nights when I work late and don’t get to see my daughter at all. Those nights are tough, but when I get to spend time with Stella, who just turned 11 months, it means all the more to me. I look forward to seeing her and gladly bear my parenting duties. She’s now old enough to return elation and this makes for some very special mommy-daughter time. I think work-ing has taught me to cherish the good moments and tune out the bad ones.

Lesson No. 2: Take your work clothes off when you get home and put on your mom suit. You know what I’m talking about, the sweat pants

10 Lessons Learned by a New Mom

and T-shirt equivalent. Nothing ruins a work wardrobe like grubby hands and bodily fluids. During my child-less life I often felt guilty about getting into my pajamas before dinner, now I have good reason. It’s called wardrobe preservation.

Lesson No. 3: I am only one per-son. For nine and half months I was two, but now I’m one mere human. Some days I have to remind myself that I’m not three people, and therefore I shouldn’t schedule myself as such. One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced as a parent is knowing when to quit. Some things need to be done and oth-ers would be nice to have done. Don’t let the unnecessary drive you crazy. If you succeed in doing this, please send your strategies to [email protected].

Lesson No. 4: My child isn’t the only person who needs to learn what the word ‘no’ means. Parents are afraid to say “no” to people other than their children. When employers, fam-ily and friends are asking too much, just say no. Anyone with a sense of decency will understand. If they don’t,

• “Know what your goals are for measures like blood pressure, blood sugar, etc.

• “Know what actions you can take to help reach your health care goals. Becoming an active, informed patient and partnering with your physician and health care team will help you get the results you want and will enhance your relationship with your physician.”

Jane Salamone, internist with Rochester General Hospital

• “I am both an internist and pediatrician, but usually internists are doctors for adults. We are primary care physicians who treat anything in the whole body. hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, or anything that

occurs within your body. We help you manage all your medical needs. We may send you to a specialist such as a cardiologist who is an internist who has had more training to treat problems of the heart or gastroenterologist who is an internist who has had more training to specialize in problems with the gastrointestinal tract.

• “They are responsible for their health and making sure they are taking their medications as directed and following up with recommendations like lifestyle changes.

• “If there’s something they don’t understand or are clear about, they should seek clarification at the next visit.

• “Google is not a reputable source of information. If you have questions, ask your doctor.

• “My pet peeve is when people don’t choose to make those changes that will help their health. Their health will continue to decline.

• “Call your pharmacy for prescription refills, not the office. Make sure that you don’t run out of medication before you call.

• “When you call to make an appointment, have an idea of when you’d like to come and what you’re coming for. It’s important to let the secretary know what you’re coming in for because they need to allow adequate time. If you come in for a hurt toenail and then in the back, you bring up all kinds of other things, or I won’t have time to give you the attention your concerns deserve.

• “I wish people wouldn’t ask questions about family member’s problems at visits. It is amazing to me how many times in public that people think it’s OK to ask me any kind of medical question. I don’t mind a

generic question occasionally. But at a social event, that’s not the time to ask.

• “The biggest misconceptions are that patients say, ‘I took all my medication and I feel better so I should stop’ such as for hypertension. They are not understanding this is a chronic disease.

• “In diabetes, everything you eat becomes sugar. Yes, you should exercise, but it’s exercise, eating and lifestyle changes.

• “Don’t assume that I don’t care or that I don’t want to know the details.

• “Patients sometimes try to second guess their physicians. They try to subconsciously direct me in another direction. I just need to have them tell me the story. It’s like putting together a jigsaw puzzle where someone has thrown away the cover. I have to figure out where each piece fits.

• “I love to practice medicine and interacting with patients and being a partner in their health.”

Lisa Harris, internist with Temple Medical in Rochester

prioritize your sanity over making someone angry or hurting someone’s feelings.

Lesson No. 5: People are going to ask if you work outside the home. Then, when you answer yes, they will often offer a pitiful look. Take these looks in stride. The offenders mean well. These looks will often come from older generations. You’re not play-ing the same ball game. Things have changed and there’s no reason to pretend they haven’t. You’re living in a new millennium.

Lesson No. 6: Take pride in bring-ing home the bacon. We all want to teach our children valuable life les-sons. What’s wrong with teaching your children to work hard in order support themselves and the ones they love? Absolutely nothing. In fact, your chil-dren will probably be just as thankful someday as they would’ve been if you stayed home.

Lesson No. 7: Speaking of staying home, show stay-at-home moms some respect. Are you sick of the mommy wars? Then don’t perpetuate them. Being a parent is hard work, no mat-ter how you slice it. Some days I envy stay-at-home moms and other days my heart goes out to them. Can’t we all just respect each other’s circumstances and offer our love and support to each oth-er? Love and support is what the best moms show and teach their children, whether these moms work outside or inside their homes.

Lesson No. 8: Save the heavy lifting for after bedtime. The baby’s bedtime that is. At least on the week-nights, spend as much time as you can with them and save the crappy chores for later. Missing out on the dishes isn’t going to change your life, but missing out on your child’s few waking hours

will. Lesson No. 9: Working outside

the home doesn’t detract from the best. I’m enjoying this whole parenting thing a whole darn lot. Being a parent gives me some the greatest joy I’ve ever experienced. No amount of work, chores or the like can detract from that. When I come home to Stella, the rest of the world just melts away.

Lesson No. 10: Stop playing the “milk is always whiter in the other sippy cup.” As the great American writer Max Ehrmann wrote, “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter; for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.”

This is a great credo for parent-

Melissa Stefanec is a writer who lives in Chittenango with her husband and their daughter Stela. She writes for the Central New York edition of In Good Health. Email her at [email protected].


The Social Security Office

Ask Column provided by the local Social Security Office

Q&A

A researcher in Rochester has been awarded nearly $300,000 from the National MS Society to

discover what contributes to the loss of nerve function in multiple sclerosis, and to find ways to protect the nervous system from damage. This research could provide important informa-

tion and techniques for developing treatments to limit nervous system dam-age in MS and its resulting progressive disability.

Matthew Bellizzi, a medical doctor at the University of Rochester, received the Clinician Scientist Award, in the amount of $263,622, to begin

research titled, “Synaptic injury and neuroprotection in multiple sclerosis”. The three-year study began in August.

In this clinician scientist research project (jointly funded by the National MS Society and the American Brain Foundation), Bellizzi is using several approaches to identify processes that contribute to the loss of nerve function,

Q: What can I do to protect myself against identity theft?

A: First, don’t carry your Social Security card in your wallet. Keep it at home with your other important papers. Second, avoid giving out your Social Security number. While many banks, schools, doctors, landlords, and others will request your number, it is your decision whether to provide it. Ask if there is some other way to identify you in their records.

To report identity theft, fraud or misuse of your Social Security number, the Federal Trade Commission, the nation’s consumer protection agency, recommends you:

1– Place a fraud alert on your credit file by contacting one of the following companies (the company you contact is required to contact the other two, which will then place alerts on your reports):

• Equifax, 1-800-525-6285;• Trans Union, 1-800-680-7289; or• Experian, 1-888-397-3742.2– Review your credit report for

inquiries from companies you have not contacted, accounts you did not open, and debts on your accounts you cannot explain;

3–Close any accounts you know, or believe, have been tampered with or opened fraudulently;

4– File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took place; and

5– File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-438-4338 (TTY 1-866-653-4261).

New MS research in RochesterResearcher to study loss of nerve function in multiple sclerosis could lead to new treatments

Bellizzi

and to find ways to protect nerves from damage. Bellizzi is determining the extent of damage to nerve cell fibers and the connective points between nerve cells (synapses) in brain samples from people who had MS in their lifetimes — that is, he is using human autopsy tissue. In addition, he is looking at the development of nerve damage in mice with EAE, an animal disease similar to multiple sclerosis. Bellizzi is also developing a system to assess nerve damage that could be useful for pre-clinical testing of drugs with the potential to slow or block that damage.

“I decided to specialize in MS because of my patients who fight every day to maintain their memory, concentration, energy level and coordination,” said Bellizzi, “and I hope that this project can contribute to the development of treatments that can help to better prevent the progressive effects of MS. I greatly appreciate the support of the National MS Society and the American Brain Foundation that gives me the opportunity to study the progressive neurodegenerative aspect of MS.”

Defense and Offense Matter in Football, and in Preventing

Improper Payments

Making proper Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments is no

game. But improving our accuracy has some similarities to a good football strategy. You’ve got to be strong on both defense and offense.

Social Security is committed to reducing improper payments. Our goal has always been to pay the right person the right amount at the right time. And we’re highly successful at doing that.

In paying retirement, survivors and disability benefits to more than 55 million people each month, our accuracy rate is over 99 percent. When it comes to Supplemental Security Income — the means-tested program for elderly, disabled and blind people who have limited income and resources — our payment accuracy is about 91 percent.

As with a good game of football, we need a game plan to improve

payment accuracy. Here is ours.On offense, we check and recheck

our benefit computations and recipient information. That’s done at kickoff, before we ever make a payment.

On defense, we have game plans, or strategies, to collect funds back from the person we improperly paid, especially if the error was the result of a beneficiary failing or incorrectly reporting an event that affects his or her payment amount. When an individual commits fraud in order to receive payments not due, we prosecute him or her to the fullest extent of the law.

We will continue to work on offense and defense in our efforts to perfect our game plan and to make each and every payment a touchdown. Learn more about what Social Security is doing to prevent improper payments by visiting our website on the subject at www.socialsecurity.gov/improperpayments.

Q: I’m retired and the only income I have is from an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). Are my IRA withdrawals considered “earnings”? Could they reduce my monthly Social Security benefits?

A: No. We count only the wages you earn from a job or your net profit if you’re self-employed. Non-work income such as annuities, investment income, interest, capital gains, and other government benefits are not counted and will not affect your Social Security benefits. Most pensions will not affect your benefits either. However, your benefit may be affected by a government pension from work on which you did not pay Social Security tax. For more information, visit our website at www.socialsecurity.gov or call us toll-free at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778).

Q: I was turned down for Supplemental Security Income (SSI); can I appeal the decision?

A: If you disagree with a decision made on your claim, you can appeal it. The steps you can take are explained in “Your Right To Question A Decision Made On Your Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Claim,” available online at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/11008.html. Also, you have the right to have a representative, such as an attorney, help you. More information is in Your Right To Representation, at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10075.html. Read these and other publications online at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs.

A new report shows that the per-centage of girls who experience a major depressive episode in the

past year triples between the ages of 12 and 15 (from 5.1 percent to 15.2 percent respectively).

The report by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) also shows that an annual average of 1.4 million adolescent girls age 12 to 17 experienced a major depressive episode in the past year. In addition, the report reveals that adolescent girls aged 12 to 17 are three times more likely to have experienced a major depressive episode in the past year than their male counterparts (12 percent versus 4.5 percent).

A major depressive episode is defined using criteria set forth in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) developed by the American Psychiatric Association. Under this definition, a major depressive episode is when a person experiences a period of depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure for two weeks or longer and also experiences at least four other symptoms that reflect a change in functioning, such as problems with sleep, eating, energy, concentration and self-image.

“It is crucial that we provide adolescent girls the coping skills and social supports they need to avoid the onset of depression, and to offer behavioral health services that foster resilience and recovery if they experience it,” said SAMHSA

Administrator Pamela S. Hyde. “These efforts are a sound investment in girls’ health and well-being and in our nation’s future.”

SAMHSA has a number of programs designed to effectively promote the recovery and success of adolescent girls who experience depression. One such program, the Child Mental Health Initiative, provides comprehensive, coordinated services and care across all of the systems and individuals, such as parents and other family members, teachers, friends, coaches, and other influential adults, that come into regular contact with young people. This approach has been shown to significantly reduce depression and helps youth lead full and productive lives.

One of the report’s other major findings was that older adolescent girls experiencing major depressive episodes were more likely to receive treatment than younger ones – about two-fifths of girls age 15 to 17 received treatment as opposed to only one third of the girls aged 12 to 14.

The report “Data Spotlight: Depression Triples between the Ages of 12 and 15 among Adolescent Girls,” is based on combined data from the 2008 to 2010 SAMHSA National Survey on Drug Use and Health. NSDUH is a scientifically conducted annual survey of approximately 67,500 people throughout the country, aged 12 and older. The full report is available at: www.samhsa.gov/data/spotlight/Spot077GirlsDepression2012.pdf.

Depression Rates Triple Between the Ages of 12 and 15 Among Adolescent Girls


Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit www.savvysenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

By Jim Miller

Dear Savvy Senior,My wife, who’s 60, is on my

health insurance plan through my employer. When I retire in a few months at 65, and go on Medicare, what happens to her? Do we have to purchase private insurance, or is there some kind of Medicare coverage for dependent spouses?

Nearly Retired

Dear Nearly,Unfortunately for you and

millions of other couples in your position, Medicare does not provide family coverage to younger spouses or dependent children when you qualify for Medicare. Nobody can obtain Medicare benefits before age 65, unless eligible at a younger age because of disability. With that said, here are some options for your wife depending on your situation.

Work longerIf possible, you should consider

working past age 65 so your wife can continue coverage under your employer health insurance until she becomes eligible for Medicare, or, if that’s too long, at least for a few more years.

Check employer optionsIf your employer provides retiree

health benefits, check with the benefits administrator to find out if they offer any options that would allow your wife to continue coverage under their plan. Or, if your wife works, see if she can she switch to health insurance provided by her own employer.

Use COBRAIf you work for a company that has

20 or more employees, once you make the switch to Medicare, your wife could stay with your company insurance plan for at least 18 months (but could last up to 36 months) under a federal law called COBRA. You’ll need to sign her up within 60 days after her last day of coverage. You also need to know that COBRA is not cheap. You’ll pay the full monthly premium yourself, plus a 2 percent administrative fee.

The other benefit of using COBRA is that once it expires, your wife will then become eligible for HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), which gives her right to buy an individual health insurance policy from a private insurer

Health Insurance Options for Pre-Medicare Spouses

that can’t exclude or limit coverage for pre-existing medical conditions. To learn more about COBRA, visit askebsa.dol.gov or call 866-444-3272.

If, however, the company you worked for had fewer than 20 employees, you may still be able to get continued coverage through your company if your state has “Mini-COBRA” (39 states offer it). Contact your state insurance department (see naic.org) to see if this is available where you live.

Buy an individual policyThis is health insurance you

buy on your own, but it too can be expensive depending on your wife’s health history. Any pre-existing condition such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer, etc., can drastically increase her premiums or can nix her chances of being accepted at all. To search for policy options and costs go to healthcare.gov. If you need help, contact a licensed independent insurance agent. See www.nahu.org/consumer/findagent.cfm to locate one near you.

Or, if you only need health coverage for a short period of time – less than 12 months – a short-term policy is another lower-cost option to consider. You can get quotes and coverage details at ehealthinsurance.com.

Get high-risk coverageIf you can’t purchase an individual

health policy for your wife because of a pre-existing medical condition, you can still get coverage through a state or federal high-risk pool.

State pools, which are offered in 35 states (see naschip.org), provide health insurance to any resident who is uninsurable because of health problems. While costs vary by state, premiums run about 150 percent of what an individual policy costs.

Or, consider the federal Pre-Existing Conditions Insurance Plan (see pcip.gov) which is available nationwide. Created in 2010 under the health care reform law, this program is intended to bridge the gap until better options become available in 2014 when the main provisions of the law go into effect. To qualify, your wife must be uninsured for six months before applying.

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Celebrating life after 55.

The MagazineFor Active Adultsin the Rochester

Area


Osteoporosis is a stealthy, silent killer. The condition thins bone tissue and creates bone density

loss slowly over time. But because there are no symptoms in the early stages, many people don’t feel any pain and are simply living life with their bones eroding without any indication.

Sometimes, it’s only when a patient breaks a hip or fractures another part of their body that they even learn that they could be part of millions with this pre-existing condition. It’s a story physician Ana Arango has heard and seen first-hand too often. It’s the story that made her want to become a rheumatologist and what inspired her to talk to health officials about solving the problem.

Her hard work along with a team of other doctors, nurse practitioners, nutritionists and endocrinologists have helped to open the Center for Osteoporosis this summer under the umbrella of Rochester General Health System.

“When you go to a physician, sometimes all you get is a prescription. But pills are not the only way to deal with things and people need a holistic approach to battle osteoporosis,” said Arango, who will head the center. “We want a patient to come into our office and understand that a team of people are working to make them feel better.”

The Center for Osteoporosis is a collaborating effort to manage osteoporosis with optimal results. Broken bones due to osteoporosis are most likely to occur in the hip, spine and wrist. Many times it’s the first clue that a patient has the ailment, and once it happens, severe pain becomes constant. In the U.S., about 30 million people suffer from osteoporosis. In an effort to provide early screening and detection, doctors are offering a Dexa Bone Density Scanning at the new center.

The bone density scanning device, which is available at Rochester General Hospital and the Linden Oaks Medical campus in Penfield, allows doctors to analyze bone strength and prescribe a therapy recommendation. Patients lie on their back as the scan goes over their bodies with results available the same day. The Dexa scan detects subtle bone changes through radiographic imaging with minimal radiation exposure to the patient.

Half of women older than 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis, while one in four men will too. On average, osteoporosis is responsible for an estimated two million fractures and $19 billion in costs, according to Rochester General Health System officials. By 2025, medical experts predict that those figures will most likely be three million fractures at a cost of $25.3 billion each year.

“It saves millions of dollars for the medical industry and the patient receives a better quality of life,” said Arango.

Because bones naturally become thinner as people grow older, the body reabsorbs existing bone cells faster than new bone cells are made. As this occurs, bones lose minerals, mass and structure, making them weaker and increasing their risk of breaking. That is the beginning of osteopenia, which later can lead to osteoporosis. Outside of milk or calcium vitamins, doctors recommend exercising and stretching and proper nutrition.

“This is something if left untreated can cause a lifetime of pain,” said Arango. “It’s so sad when you see older people who are crouched over and you see how their bones are no longer where they were intended to be. Life doesn’t have to be this difficult and we are trying to change that.”

The osteoporosis center is spread over four locations, including

Ana Arango, left, examines patient Sue Hill for signs of osteoporosis.

Rochester General Opens Center for OsteoporosisCenter is a collaborating effort to manage osteoporosis with optimal resultsBy Ernst Lamothe Jr.

an Alexander Park Campus, 224, Alexander St., the Linden Oaks Medical Center fifth floor, 10 Hagen Dr. in Penfield along with an office in Greece.

“We want to be where the people are. We want them to have the ease of knowing that four places are available to meet their needs,” said Arango.

Zachary Freedman, an endocrinologist who will see patients in the center, said the comprehensive services available at the Rochester General Health System helps treats and diagnosis osteoporosis.

“One stop shopping and a single phone number to initiate access to these services helps the patient and allows for opportunity for clinical research,” he said.

Freedman said his interest in osteoporosis began when he worked at a medical lab at the University of Rochester. He is looking forward to his role as an active physician in the center.

“I’ve learned to temper my hopes,

but I would expect the first year will see the start of the enhanced services and internal review to assist in improving patient care,” he added.

Arango was one of the doctors who lead the charge a year ago to open a facility dedicated to osteoporosis. As a rheumatologist, she deals with the autoimmune system including arthritis. Influenced by practicing medicine in Columbia and the United States, she became an advocate for early warning screening.

She treated many people who came to her when their bones were already beginning the slow decay and all they could do was slow down the process. She’s treated people who fractured their hips and other body parts only the realize that their situation was worse than expected because they never got their bone density checked before their accident. As strong as our bones are to support our frames, they are also fragile enough to crumble under unplanned circumstances.

“You can fracture bones by coughing too hard,” said Arango. “Because it is so easy to fracture bones, you need to do as many things as possible to build up your bones.”

Other than affecting simply your posture, lack of bone density can cause vertebra to begin to break or collapse. Twenty percent of seniors who break a hip die within one year from problems related to the broken bone itself or surgery to repair it. Many of those who survive need long-term nursing home care.

“When you have a fracture and it isn’t treated the right way, you are less likely to move around which can affect your quality of life,” said Arango. “Then when you are sedentary, you start eating more which affects your health. And then that can lead to depression and a lack of a will to live and all that started with just having a bad hip. It’s difficult to go back to having a normal life without medical help.”

A patient undergoes a Dexa scan at Rochester General Hospital to measure bone density.


Health News

To the Editor:

I am increasingly dismayed at our federal government’s attempt to charade its recent mandate on the provision of “free” birth control to all who want it as a victory for women’s health. To quote a prominent medical association press release, “(O)ral contraceptives (OCPs) contribute to significant disease and dysfunction, including blood clots, strokes and heart attacks, increased rates of HPV transmission, and increased incidence of cervical and liver tumors.

“OCPs can lower the incidence of ovarian cancer. But only one in 72 women will develop ovarian cancer. Of greater concern should be the many studies showing that OCPs increase the risk of breast cancer – especially in young women who use them for more than four years before their first full-term pregnancy

– since breast cancer rates have increased from one in 12 (in 1960 when the pill was first introduced) to one in eight 50 years later. The International Agency for Research on Carcinogens declared estrogen and progesterone Class 1 carcinogens in 2005. Why would our government provide free of charge any substance which increases the risk of cancer, and describe it as preventive care?”

Providing “free” birth control is not preventive medical care. Offering mammograms, cholesterol checks and immunizations is. Children, fertility, and pregnancy are not diseases. Cancer and strokes are, and we will be paying for the treatment of them for generations to come thanks to a mandate that will hand out carcinogenic and blood pressure-raising hormones for “free.”

Karen Dalton, M.D.Rochester

Letterto the Editor

Businesswomen join Excellus’ governing board

Two prominent businesswomen have been appointed to the governing board of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield’s parent corporation, The Lifetime Healthcare Companies.

Marianne Gaige, president and chief executive officer of Cathedral Corporation in Rome, and Jennifer Balbach, a partner at Summer Street Capital Partners in Buffalo, now serve on the governing board for Upstate New York’s largest nonprofit health plan, which has 1.85 million members.

Gaige resides in the village of Holland Patent north of Utica. The Cathedral Corporation employs 175 people and is headquartered in a 60,000-square-foot facility at Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome, with additional facilities in Lincoln, R.I., and Huntsville, Ala. Gaige is a member of the regional advisory board of Excellus BlueCross BlueShield Utica Region and will continue to serve on that board.

She is a certified public accountant, holds a bachelor’s degree from Alfred

University and a master’s degree in business administration from Harvard Business School. Gaige serves on the Adirondack Bank board of directors, the Upstate Cerebral Palsy board of trustees and the board of trustees for Utica College. She is a member of the Mohawk Valley Economic Development Growth Enterprise Corp. board of trustees and the Utica Industrial Development Corp. board of directors. Gaige also serves on the board of trustees of the Imaging Network Group, an international association of service bureaus that provides data management, printing, mailing, electronic billing and presentment.

As a partner at Summer Street Capital Partners, Buffalo resident Balbach manages private equity funds totaling approximately $500 million. Summer Street Capital Partners makes equity investments to support ownership transitions, management buyouts, and expansion of middle market companies in the eastern U.S. and Canada. Balbach is a member of the Health Plan’s Western New York regional advisory board and will continue to serve on that board.

Balbach earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and a master’s degree from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth. She is a member of Leadership Buffalo and serves on the board of directors for the Western New York Women’s Foundation and the Harvard-Radcliffe Alumni Association of Western New York.

Dorothy Essler receives 2012 Heart and Hand Award

Dorothy Essler, an activity aide at Conesus Lake Nursing Home in Livonia, has received the 2012 Heart and Hands Award from the New York State Health Facilities Association (NYSHFA). The award was presented in June at the 2012 Employee Recognition Awards program during the association’s annual convention in Bolton Landing.

Essler has been employed at Conesus Lake Nursing Home for 41 years. During her tenure she has worked in varying one-on-one capacities ranging from nurse aide to activities. She is a resident of Avon.

“Dottie uses her knowledge and skills to positively affect our resident’s quality of life,” said Ann Harris, administrator of Conesus Lake Nursing Home. “We are proud that she has been honored with this prestigious award from NYSHFA.”

The awards honors individuals for their outstanding contributions to skilled nursing facilities. They are awarded in the categories of registered nurse of the year, licensed practical nurse of the year, certified nursing assistant of the year and Heart and Hands Award, which is presented to a non-nursing/non-managerial staff member.

Elizabeth Arthur appointed to the NCMEC/NY board

Elizabeth Arthur, board certified dermatologist at Helendale Dermatology & Medical Spa, has been appointed to serve on the board of directors for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children NY Regional Office (NCMEC/NY). As a

board member, Arthur will be responsible for working collaboratively with other board members and staff in leading NCMEC/NY according to its mission and vision, which is to help recover missing children, protect all children from sexual

exploitation and cyber bullying, and assist in the prevention of these crimes.

“It is an honor to be a part of a regional effort to raise awareness and the funds necessary to support the programs and continued work of NCMEC/NY in Internet safety education and preventing abduction,” said Arthur. “More than 2,200 children are reported missing in the United States each day, some in our own community. I look forward to working with NCMEC in striving to make our community a safer place.”

Arthur, a resident of Pittsford, received a bachelor’s degree in biology from Villanova University and then graduated from Hahnemann University Medical School. She is on faculty at Rochester General and Strong Memorial hospitals.

Unity Health opens new facility in Brockport

Unity Health System is bringing services that patients want closer to their homes by relocating and expanding its office space in Brockport.

The new Unity at Brockport medical office opened July 16 at routes 31 and 19 in the Wegmans Plaza. The new facility increases Unity’s Brockport office space from approximately 4,000 to 18,000 square feet. The expanded office will enable Unity to better accommodate Unity Ob/Gyn at Brockport and ACM Medical Laboratory Patient Service Center, and eventually to offer a family medicine practice, along with a range of new services—including diabetes care, geriatrics, neurology, physical therapy, and pulmonary medicine.

“We are modernizing and enlarging our Brockport office for one major reason—greater convenience for our existing patients,” said Stewart Putnam, president of Unity’s Health care services division. “Our patients have been telling us for quite some time that they would like more services closer to where they live. They already travel to Unity Hospital in Greece or other Unity locations, so we are

improving our office in Brockport to serve that need.”

Doctor, counselor join Wende Breast Care

Elizabeth Wende Breast Care, LLC announced the hiring of two health professionals.

• Wade C. Hedegard, joined in July. He attended the University of Minnesota Medical School and went on to complete his diagnostic radiology residency at the University of Rochester Medical Center where he served as chief resident. Hedegard also completed a breast imaging fellowship at Massachusetts General

Hospital in Boston in June.• Jessica M. Salamone joined as

new genetic counselor. She provides comprehensive cancer risk assessment and genetic counseling services. Before joining EWBC, Salamone worked at the University of Rochester Medical Center for 10 years where she provided

Providing “free” birth control is not preventive medical care

Gaige

Balbach

Arthur

Hedegard


Health Newsgenetic counseling to patients in a variety of clinical settings, including reproductive genetics, pediatric genetics and cancer genetics. Salamone is also adjunct faculty at Rochester Institute of Technology, where she teaches medical genetics and introductory genetic

counseling courses.

St. Ann’s Community hires professionals

St. Ann’s Community recently hired two professionals. • Marie Freyof Pultneyville was recently hired as marketing

representative for Chapel Oaks, a St. Ann’s Community. In her new role she represents Chapel Oaks to the public, markets the community and secures its occupancy. Frey was previously employed by Lifespan as the director of the ombudsman program.

• Ginger Stalzer of Ontario is the newly appointed director of finance at St. Ann’s Community. She oversees financial reporting, accounting, billing, accounts payable and payroll for all of St. Ann’s services. Stalzer previously worked as

the director of financial reporting for MVP Healthcare.

Rochester Eye & Tissue Bank elects new offi cers

The Rochester Eye & Tissue Bank (RETB) elected the following officers at its annual meeting in July.

Elected to one-year terms as officers are Tim Galli (president) of Pittsford; Jean Wells (vice president) of Irondequoit; Rosemary Ann Roth (secretary) of Rochester; and Trisha Sullivan (treasurer) of Rochester.

Elected to three-year terms on the board of directors: Matthew Miller, Miller Funeral Homes, Inc.; Rob Kochik, executive director, Finger Lakes Donor Recovery Network; Arthur Hirst, and Trisha Sullivan, CPA.

Also, elected to the executive committee as officers at large: Janet Kerr, F.F. Thompson Hospital and Sharon Cerasoli, Rochester General Hospital.

RETB is a nonprofit agency serving the Finger Lakes, Central and Northern New York regions, as well as north central Pennsylvania.

The agency recovers ocular, musculoskeletal, skin and cardiovascular tissues. RETB is accredited by the Eye Bank Association

of America and licensed by New York State.

Glenmere in Pittsford gets EALR certifi cation

Glenmere, a nonprofit assisted living residence on the Cloverwood campus in Pittsford, has announced its certification as an Enhanced Assisted Living Residence (EALR).

Glenmere is among the first providers in Monroe County to obtain enhanced assisted living certification. This new certification, granted by the New York State Department of Health, allows Glenmere to provide expanded aging-in-place support for residents whose needs exceed Glenmere’s standard assisted living services.

“We are very pleased to now offer enhanced assisted living as an additional component of our continuum of care,” notes James E. Dewhirst, president and CEO of Cloverwood Senior Living, Inc. and The Friendly Home, a 200-bed non-profit nursing home on East Avenue in Brighton. “This service is a valuable resource for seniors in our community who need an extra level of support above and beyond assisted living. It also provides the opportunity for current and future Glenmere residents to remain in familiar surroundings with familiar staff members as their needs change and a higher level of care is needed.”

All Glenmere residents receive assisted living services such as assistance with personal care and medications, case management, three chef-prepared meals per day, recreational and cultural programs, housekeeping and maintenance, and transportation. Enhanced assisted living residents receive all these services, plus access to additional nursing support, as necessary, with transferring, mobility, medical equipment and incontinence care.

Glenmere’s services are based on a concept known as person-centered care, with individualized service plans reflecting each resident’s unique needs and preferences.

101 Mobility opens franchise in Rochester

Miguel A. Millan, Jr., a lifelong resident of Rochester, held a grand opening of his 101 Mobility of Rochester franchise, a locally owned and operated mobility equipment business serving the residents of Monroe, Wayne, Genesee, and Orleans counties from its headquarters in Rochester. 101 Mobility of Rochester is the first franchise to open in Upstate New York.

During the event, which took place in August, the business held a fundraising to benefit the National MS Society’s Upstate NY Chapter.

101 Mobility is located at 1249 Ridgeway Ave.

According to Millan, he and his team are committed to excellence in providing mobility equipment sales and service to families and individuals

Rochester General Health System (RGHS) has recently opened a new ambulatory diagnostic imaging facility. The RGHS Imaging Center at Alexander Park, located at 214 Alexander St. in the Alexander Park medical campus, will offer a wide range of high-quality radiology services with convenient access for patients who live or work near downtown Rochester.

Diagnostic services offered at the Imaging Center at Alexander Park will include general X-ray, DEXA bone-density scanning, mammography screenings, non-invasive computerized tomography (CT) exams, and non-invasive ultrasound, including first-trimester OB-GYN imaging. These services will employ state-of-the-art equipment using low-dose radiation, administered by senior radiologic technologists, each with years of experience at the Rochester General Hospital (RGH) Department of Radiology. RGH will continue to offer outpatient and inpatient radiology services.

This expansion of community health services represents the latest stage of the RGHS ambulatory care initiative, in which advanced medical care is offered in an outpatient environment to ensure a more cost-effective and convenient patient experience without compromising the quality of that care. By maintaining clinical integration with other RGHS affiliates, the Imaging Center at

Alexander Park will offer patients and care providers the benefits of working with a comprehensive, nationally acclaimed health system — in a streamlined customer-focused setting more able to accommodate outpatient needs than a traditional hospital.

“In many ways, this is the future of healthcare,” said Mark C. Clement, RGHS President and CEO. “Federal healthcare reform and advances in medical technology have combined to create an environment of consumer-oriented health services. Patients and their doctors expect convenient and cost-effective services delivered with very high quality. The RGHS Imaging Center at Alexander Park is the latest example of our commitment to the city of Rochester, and to this new model of care.”

Hugh Thomas, RGHS senior vice president of ambulatory services and chief counsel, also acknowledged the partnership between the health system and Larry Glazer, CEO of Buckingham Properties, LLC. Buckingham’s Alexander Park complex is home to the Imaging Center as well as a comprehensive array of primary and specialty-care practices that are affiliated with RGHS through the Rochester General Medical Group.

“We are pleased to continue our alignment with Larry Glazer and Buckingham Properties, in a shared vision to develop a vibrant new campus at Alexander Park,” Thomas said.

RGHS Opens Imaging Center at Alexander Park

Mark C. Clement, RGHS president and CEO, fi rst on the right, helps other offi cials during the ribbon-cutting ceremony staged to open the new RGHS Imaging Center at Alexander Park, located at 214 Alexander St. in Rochester.

Salamone

Frey

Stalzer


Health News Health Newsliving in the Rochester area. Whether they are working with seniors, veterans, or other disabled individuals, the team is committed to providing their customers with superior service and top quality products.

Helping clients age in place by selling, installing, and servicing ramps, stair lifts, automobile lifts, patient lifts, vertical lifts, and barrier-free baths is the goal of 101 Mobility of Rochester, said Millan. The franchise also offers complete home modifications to incorporate total accessibility solutions.

101 Mobility provides a complete line of mobility and accessibility products and equipment, including such well-known brands as Bruno, Harmar, ThyssenKrupp, RoMedic, Handicare, and many others. The business also provides an alternative to group homes and rehabilitation centers by allowing mobility-challenged individuals to live self-sufficiently in their homes. It also offers short and long-term rentals for homes, offices, and institutions, and will work alongside individuals and families to identify which home health care devices best suit their needs.

For more information, visit rochester.101mobility.com/ or call 585-270-5689.

Peter Hart joins Hart Hearing Centers

Audiologist Peter Hart has recently joined Hart Hearing Centers. He received his doctorate from The Northeast Ohio Au.D. Consortium,

which is a joint program between The University of Akron, Kent State University and the Cleveland Clinic. He completed his clinical internship at the Canandaigua/Rochester VA Medical Center. Hart has had a wide variety of clinical experience, including a rotation at the

Cleveland Clinic.Hart Hearing Centers has been

serving the Rochester area for over 35 years, with six offices located in Brighton, Brockport, Fairport, Greece, Irondequoit, and Watertown.

Rochester General launches new website

After months of planning by teams of writers, design experts and technical support specialists, Rochester General Health System (RGHS) has gone live with its fully re-designed website, www.rochestergeneral.org

“We had one goal in mind as we began the re-design process, to make absolutely certain the user experience would be uncomplicated and helpful,” said Wendy Maxwell, RGHS webmaster. “Our new website better reflects the integrated nature of our healthcare delivery system so that www.rochestergeneral.org is now one-stop shopping.”

Among the features of the new website: an easy to use find-a-doctor

section; a pay your bill on-line link; directions and parking information; a new, robust career opportunity section; an opportunity to personalize your web experience as either a patient, visitor or healthcare professional; health information library including interactive and video tutorials; and, the latest news from RGHS.

RGHS has been a leader in providing the Rochester area community with access to medical information/services on the web. In 2011, the RGHS website was named, “Best of the Web” by the Rochester Business Journal.

NYCC selected as ‘Great Colleges to Work For’

For the fourth year running the New York Chiropractic College (NYCC) earned a place on the Chronicle of Higher Education’s roll of “Great Colleges to Work For” alongside such notables as Duke University, University of Michigan and Notre Dame. Qualifying marks in more than four categories merited placement on the Chronicle’s select honor roll” for the third year in a row. NYCC excelled in 10 of the 11 available assessment categories — adding collaborative governance, teaching environment and senior leadership to last year’s seven winning classifications.

The program — now one of the largest and most respected workplace-recognition programs in the country — distinguishes colleges for best practices and policies. After reviewing 46,946 surveys submitted by administrators, faculty members, and professional support staff members from 294 participating institutions, only 42 make it to the honor roll.

“To earn a place on the Chronicle’s select ‘honor roll’ for three consecutive years is truly an outstanding distinction! Students unquestionably benefit whenever quality instruction is delivered by satisfied faculty members and a customer-oriented staff,” said NYCC President Dr. Frank J. Nicchi.

ACM Medical Lab appoint new HR director

Cassandra Claboine has joined ACM Medical Laboratory, a division of Unity Health System, as its new executive director of human resources. After serving more than two years at Unity Health System, Claboine has

made a transition to ACM. She brings with her a progressive experience in human resources, leadership development, change management, employee relations, succession planning, and organizational assessment.

Prior to ACM and Unity, Claboine

served 20 years at Bausch + Lomb where she was responsible for human resources leadership for three business units across all product lines within

operations, commercial, and R&D functions. Claboine holds a bachelor of science in chemistry from Syracuse University along with a MBA from St. John Fisher College. Additionaly, she acquired certifications in human resources, leadership, and management development.

“Cassandra is a key driver in our efforts moving forward in developing employee training programs”, said Angela J. Panzarella, president of ACM Medical Laboratory. “She comes to ACM with extensive leadership experience in areas that are critical to the continued growth and success of our business.”

Claboine lives in Chili.

RGH one of NY’s the most visitor-friendly hospitals

Rochester General Hospital, the flagship affiliate of Rochester General Health System, has been named in a recently released report as a statewide leader in practices related to visitors, a key contributor to positive patient outcomes.

In the report, conducted by New Yorkers for Patient and Family

Empowerment in conjunction with the New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG), RGH was the only hospital in Western New York to earn a nine out of 10 rating for visiting hours and general visitation policies. By comparison, most hospitals statewide received a ranking of between one and four out of a possible 10.

General visiting hours at Rochester General are open, with some restrictions in areas including maternity, pediatric and intensive care units. The surgical waiting area is staffed each day by a hostess who works with family members to keep them informed about their loved one’s status. These and other examples of flexible hours and visitor attentiveness have been found to improve the quality of patient care.

“Studies have linked the importance of visitors to healing outcomes for patients,” said Doug Della Pietra, director of customer services and volunteers at RGH. “One of the core elements of patient- and family-centered care is to create as much of a homelike environment for patients as possible, and allowing visitors to interact with friends and loved ones who are patients definitely helps reinforce that homelike ideal.”

Hart

Claiboine

First Niagara Bank representatives presented a $40,000 check to St. Ann’s Community at St. Ann’s newly built Wegman Transitional Care Center on Portland Avenue. The gift supports St. Ann’s $70 million effort to modernize its buildings and realign the delivery of care, giving patients and residents control over their day-to-day lives. The project includes two new buildings designed for person-centered care, and the decommissioning of 49 unneeded skilled nursing beds, which will save over $2 million annually in Medicaid costs. The new buildings opened in the spring of this year. The new building on St. Ann’s Irondequoit campus houses the Wegman Transitional Care Center and the Leo Center for Caring, providing rehabilitative and hospice services respectively, and a new building on the Webster campus, St. Ann’s Care Center at Cherry Ridge, houses skilled nursing and transitional care services.

“We greatly appreciate First Niagara’s generous support of this project,” said Steven Smith, St.

A $40,000 gift to St. Ann’s Community. Shown, from left, are Michael E. McRae, senior vice president and administrator, St. Ann’s Community; Karla Gadley, First Niagara Community Development, First Niagara Bank; Betty Mullin-DiProsa, president and CEO, St. Ann’s Community; Steven Smith, vice president, foundation and resource development, St. Ann’s Community; and Suzanne Nasipak-Chapman, Rochester market executive, First Niagara Bank.

First Niagara Bank Donates $40,000 to St. Ann’s Community

Ann’s Vice President, Foundation & Resource Development. “Their decision to be a significant philanthropic investor helped us bring a new home and a new way of life to local seniors.”

“We are proud to partner with St. Ann’s, and are fortunate to have this exceptional organization in our community,” says Rochester Market Executive Suzanne Nasipak-Chapman, “At First Niagara, we believe in supporting the organizations and programs that truly make a difference in our community.”


Suzanne Underhill, a palliative care nurse at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center, became the latest recipient of the Hands and Heart Award.

Canandaigua VA Medical Center Nurse Recognized

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) and Pluta Cancer Center (PCC) announced that they have signed a memorandum of understanding as the first step in a process that could lead to a merger that each said would benefit cancer patients in the greater Monroe County area.

“Pluta has a richly deserved reputation for high quality, patient-centered care,” said URMC CEO Bradford C. Berk. “In turn, the Wilmot Cancer Center at URMC provides access to leading edge treatments, research and promising clinical trials. The proposed partnership would enable us to leverage the strengths of both organizations to provide more comprehensive, higher quality care to patients in our community. “

Kelly McCormick-Sullivan, Pluta Cancer Center president and CEO, said “If our joint expectations come to fruition, it will be a positive relationship for all, most especially our patients. They would continue to be treated by the same clinical staff, including physicians, nurses and radiation therapists at our center’s current location while gaining easier access to the University’s state-of-the-art research, new technology and clinical trials.”

Officials from URMC and Pluta estimate that a formal agreement could take a number of months to finalize. Both organizations are involved in a process of due diligence and the proposed merger would be subject to regulatory approval.

URMC and Pluta Cancer Center Announce Intention to Explore Merger

The award recognizes VA employees whose dedication to veterans is marked by the highest standards in patient care. This award

recognizes VA employees whose characteristics best exemplify the finest in direct patient care during the past year.

Underhill has worked as a registered nurse at the Canandaigua VA Medical Center for more than 30 years. Her family, friends and coworkers joined her at her award

presentation, which occurred July 26. C-workers described Underhill’s

dedication and compassion in the delivery of patient care:

“Sue cares for veterans and their families who are faced with preparing for the end of life. She has a gift for helping veterans and their loved ones come to terms and find meaning in the dying process. She acknowledges the struggle of losing loved ones and offers unconditional guidance that not only comforts but enriches the experience for so many.”

Each VA medical facility is invited to nominate one individual for the Hands and Heart award. Award recipients are given a silver “Hands and Heart” pin and an engraved name bar. In addition, a brass plate is inscribed with the recipient’s name and displayed on the facility’s perpetual Hands and Heart plaque.

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reservation is required. The October program highlights the work of a particular medical specialty, “The Role of the Hospitalist,” presented by Laura Pierce, an hospitalist. The program begins at 5 p.m., on Thursday, Oct. 18, and the cost is $6 per person, which includes dinner. Reservations for the October program are required by Oct. 12 by calling the community relations department at 315-462-0140. Both programs will be held in the rotary and retchless rooms (formerly dining rooms 1 and 2) on the second floor of the hospital at 2 Coulter Road, Clifton Springs.

Sept. 22Celiac walk and gluten-free food fair held in Rochester

The Greater Rochester Celiac Support Group will hold its major fundraiser — “Making Tracks for Celiacs & Gluten-Free Food Fair” — from 11:30 a.m.–3 p.m., Sept 22 at the Monroe Community College. Organizers says this is a day of fun

CALENDARHEALTH EVENTS

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for the family featuring a two-mile walk, gluten-free food fair, bake-off, workshops, raffle for prizes, and activities for children. The two-mile walk will take participants through part of the MCC campus and will take off at 1 p. m. Inside the gymnasium, the fair will include local and national companies handing out gluten-free samples. The event is a fundraiser for Greater Rochester Celiac Support Group and the University of Maryland Center for Celiac Research (CFCR). CFCR investigates celiac disease, provides clinical care and diagnostic support and education. Last year the Rochester walk rose over $35,000 for CFCR. The 2012 goal is to surpass this number and reach $40,000. Pre-registration is now available at www.rochesterceliacs.org/walk12.htm. Sept. 22Patrick Place planning inaugural golf fundraiser

Patrick Place, a comfort care home planned for a 2013 opening in Scottsville, is holding an inaugural golf

fundraiser Sept. 22 (rain date Sept. 29) at the Churchville Park Golf Course in Churchville. The $90 per person cost ($340 for a foursome) includes 18 holes of golf, cart rental, after golf dinner and door prizes. To participate, go to patrickplace.org/upcoming Events.html. To donate prizes, contact Joe at 585-734-5753 (email: [email protected]) before Sept. 15. The mission of Patrick Place Comfort Care Home, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, is to provide love and support for the terminally ill as they live out their lives. All net proceeds from the golf fundraiser will go to Patrick Place.

Sept. 25Clifton Springs Hospital to offer weight loss class

Dieting can be so confusing — which foods are good for you, what portion is right, how many calories do you really need? Clifton Springs Hospital is offering an opportunity for residents to get professional advice from registered dietitians Rose Copper-Brown, certified diabetes educator, and Paige Jablonski, outpatient nutritional counselor. Offered as a series of eight weekly lunchtime sessions, the weight loss class includes a weigh-in, short program with one of our dietitians, and a discussion period. Classes are held Noon – 12:30 p.m. starting Tuesday, Sept. 25, in the Diabetes Health Center

education room, corridor 3, suite 60, Clifton Springs Hospital. Cost is only $5 per class or $35 for the entire eight-week series — attend one or the series. Call the Diabetes Health Center at 315-462-0220 or the nutritional counseling office at 315-462-0257 for more information.

Sept. 29Mayo Clinic expert to speak about amyloidosis

A Mayo Clinic expert will be the guest speaker at the Upstate NY Amyloidosis support group meeting, which will be held from 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Sept. 29 at the Rochester General Hospital Sengupta Conference Room, located at 1425 Portland Ave. in Rochester. The expert, Shaji Kumar is an amyloidosis hematologist with many years working with the condition. Amyloidosis is a group of diseases resulting from abnormal deposition of certain proteins (amyloids) in various bodily areas. It’s a rare and life-threatening illness. Complimentary light breakfast and lunch will be provided. Patients, caregivers and interested medical personnel are encouraged to attend. RSVP appreciated to MaryAnn Kraft 585-334-7501 or Muriel Finkel Toll Free: 866-404-7539. For more info on amyloidosis visit www.amyloidosissupport.com.

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A recently completed, multi-story expansion project transforms the Wilmot Cancer Center into the region’s first—and only—

cancer center to offer both outpatient and inpatient care. That means patients can now receive a seamless, full continuum

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For more information about the Wilmot Cancer Center, call 1-866-4-Wilmot or visit Wilmot.URMC.edu.

Wilmot.URMC.edu

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