| Health
series offered
St. Mary’s Hospital and Clinics is launching a new program to support people wanting to make and maintain healthy lifestyl  e
and eating choices. The Healthy Horizons program will be facilitated by
Becky Ewing, RN, CDE; Kevin Conger, DTR and Vicki Berg, RN, CDE.
The orientation sessions are scheduled at the Cottonwood Medical Clinic
on Tuesday, October 12; on Wednesday, October 20 at the Kamiah Medical
Clinic and on Thursday, October 28 at the Grangeville Medical Clinic. Each
one hour session will begin at 5:30.
The sessions will be held every other week following the initial orientation. Sessions will begin with a confidential weigh in followed by a 30 minute educational and support session. “It seems like adults of all ages are struggling to make the right food choices and to live as healthily as possible, but it’s not always easy. Most of us need a safety net and support network,” said Ewing. “Our sessions will last about an hour. They will feature information about healthy lifestyles and nutrition. They’ll also include a confidential weigh in so we can each chart our progress. We’ll certainly celebrate our successes and figure out our failures.” No pre-registration is necessary and participants can join the group from the beginning or at any time during the year. It will be an ongoing program with an initial fee of $10 to cover materials. Each subsequent session will be $5.00 payable at time of session. The once monthly sessions at each facility will cover such topics as selecting a food plan, portion control, exercise, label reading and cooking for the holidays. “Everyone is different, but many people need encouragement from others to continue their efforts to lead healthy lives. It’s hard sometimes to watch your weight and exercise properly during the winter months, especially during the holidays,” said Conger. “Our hospital and clinics truly care about people and want to provide assistance so people make choices that lead to longer, more active lives.” Ewing will facilitate the Cottonwood sessions, Conger will lead the Kamiah group and Berg will oversee the Grangeville functions. For more information Ewing can be reached at SMH, 962-3251 ext 2519. Integrative health fair set for Oct. 15 What is integrative health? Who are integrative health providers? How does it fit in with traditional western medicine? According to planners for an Integrative Health  Fair
scheduled for Friday, October 15 in Orofino those are good questions.
Their event is designed to answer them and more.
The fair is co-sponsored by Clearwater Valley Hospital, Brookside Landing Retirement Center and Emergence, a Grangeville based service that provides integrative health coaching, yoga and massage therapy services. It is part of a joint grant received by St. Mary’s and Clearwater Valley Hospitals. “CVHC and SMHC received a grant to explore community interest in complementary medicine and to improve referrals between providers,” said Jeanette Gorman, Community Relations Coordinator. “We decided a health fair is a great and fun way to involve the public. If we have a lot of people attend we’ll certainly know there is interest. Our fair includes short presentations by integrative health care providers, printed information on such things as yoga, massage therapy, therapeutic touch, acupuncture, etc. We’re also inviting local crafts people to display their hobbies and talk to participants about stress management through outside interests.” The fair will be held at Brookside Landing Retirement Center, 431 Johnson Avenue, from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. Free chair massages will be offered and a healthy BBQ hosted by Brookside Landing will immediately follow the event. “People of all ages are invited to all or any portion of the fair. We’re hoping people will join us for the free barbecue afterwards,” said Jill Woolsey, Executive Director. “We’ll be posting flyers and advertising the times for each of the presenters and listing our crafters. I think it will be fun and provide great learning opportunities.” Presenters include Deanna English, RN, integrative health coach, certified massage and yoga therapist. She will open the fair with a talk on integrative health and how it can interface with traditional medicine; Dr. Jeffrey Hartshorn, Orofino Spine Center, will talk about chiropractic care; Amanda Tucker, will describe the benefits of yoga for all ages; Sr. Janet Barnard, RN, will present on essential oils and therapeutic touch; three massage therapists will demonstrate techniques and CVHC Physical Therapy services will talk about how rehabilitation can involve additional types of care. “There will also be people and groups from the community exhibiting and talking about their hobbies because having stress free time is important to living a balanced life,” said English. “I’m looking forward to participating in the integrative health fair because I believe it is important to take a holistic approach towards health care.” |
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