Health Education

Mission: To increase awareness and raise funds for member health charities and to promote wellness and improve the quality of life of people affected by disease. Community Health Charities of Maryland, the largest federation of health-focused charities in the state, was launched July 1 as a result of a merger between Combined Health Agencies of Maryland and the National Voluntary Health Agencies of Maryland. The federation raises money for 69 nonprofit health agencies in private and public workplace campaigns.

School nurses needed to help promote healthier studentsI wish to commend The Sun and reporter Diana K. Sugg for the front-page article "School nurses rescue students and staff" (Nov. 28). Drawing attention to the need for school nurses and the increasing demands placed upon them, you acknowledged the value of placing professionals in this role. This is indeed good news.As greater numbers of children with complex medical needs are enrolled in traditional schools, their special requirements far exceed the abilities of school personnel.

In Carroll County, many are willing to help patients with HIV and AIDS, but the patients are few.Even so, a newly formed AIDS Alliance for Carroll County hopes to find those patients and eliminate any gaps in health care and meet other needs.There are AIDS patients in the county, but they often suffer and die in silence and alone, afraid that their neighbors and friends will discover that they are infected, health officials and others said.About 50 people, including residents and health workers, met in Westminster last week to organize the nonprofit alliance, identify patients and plan education programs.

For six months, Beth Hodge has been trying to involve Howard County schools with the Whitney Project, which pairs HIV-infected children in other states with local 8- to 13-year-old pen pals.The Elkridge resident's Cub Scout den is participating. And some teachers at Elkridge Elementary and Centennial High schools in Ellicott City say they are interested in the New Mexico-based program.But the program has yet to be offered in local classrooms. Teachers say they like the concept and just haven't worked out the scheduling and other details.

As Carroll County General Hospital's community education coordinator, Fran Miller's goal is to keep people out of the hospital.Mrs. Miller coordinates the hospital's public health education programs, organizes an annual countywide health fair and offers one-on-one instruction to diabetic patients on how to manage their illness at home.The 33-year hospital employee was honored for her work last week by the Maryland Nurses Association, which named her one of the three outstanding nurses of 1994 in the Baltimore metropolitan area.

Two issues that have caused controversy in the past -- textbook approval and videotapes for sex education -- appear to be causing little concern as they come before the school board today.The Carroll County Board of Education was to vote on those and other issues beginning at 9 a.m. today at the school administration headquarters, 55 N. Court St., Westminster.Also, the ad-hoc School Discipline Committee of 25 teachers, parents and other staff members will present recommendations that have emerged from the 10 months of studying the issue.

Moses S. Koch, the first president of Essex Community College, died Thursday of cancer at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center.Dr. Koch, 75, became what was then known as the dean when the college was established in 1957. He was installed as the first president when the title was changed in 1962.He left the school in 1970 in a dispute with the Baltimore County Board of Education, which doubled as community college trustees until a law requiring a separate board went into effect the next year.

If you've been putting off going to the doctor, you could go to Cranberry Mall.More than 50 area physicians and health care organizations will be there Saturday for the fifth annual Family Health Festival.Between shopping trips, you can have a diabetes screening, get your child immunized and pick up some diet tips from a nutritionist.The festival, open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., was organized by Carroll County General Hospital's health education coordinator, Fran Miller."I think it gives people an opportunity to check in on their health and have some fun," Ms. Miller said.

sex -- might be the next most common subject at Board of Education meetings.At its meeting Wednesday, the board will discuss whether to extend to juniors and seniors education about the prevention of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.The meeting is at 9 a.m. Wednesday at North Carroll High. Board members contacted said they will keep an open mind until hearing from staff Wednesday.Last month, the Liberty High School Parent, Student and Teachers Association president, Christine Centofanti, asked the board to consider strengthening its health curriculum for older high school students.

Judging by retail sales figures on condoms, area residents may be getting the word about safe sex.A recent study by a New York-based marketing organization showed that the Baltimore-Washington area has the highest level of condom purchases in the country."

For years, Baltimore's Health Education Resource Organization, known as HERO, was one of the most active, best-funded clinical support groups for people with HIV/AIDS in the country. It provided counseling, medical care, a place to gather and a sympathetic ear to patients who often had nowhere else to turn at a time when AIDS was poorly understood and its victims often stigmatized as unworthy of help. That's why past and present HERO clients are shocked and saddened by news that the group is preparing to end its 25-year mission of mercy in a city with at least 16,000 cases.

Education can heal health disparities The Baltimore Sun's shocking front-page statistics on the life-span differences among Baltimore neighborhoods stunned even seasoned community health professionals like me and my staff ("20-year life gap separates city's poorest, wealthy," Oct. 16). But they shouldn't. This is just the latest study confirming what we see every day in our health centers: outrageous health disparities related to poverty, lifestyle, environmental exposure and other preventable causes.

The Governor's Wellmobile program, which offers low-cost primary health care services to uninsured and underinsured state residents, is adding Anne Arundel Community College as a clinical site starting Monday. The Wellmobile will set up at a pull-in area on Ring Road on the Arnold campus between the math building and the A. Cathryn Johnson Classroom Building from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays for those with appointments or walk-in patients. Parking is free. Established by the governor's office in 1994, the program is managed by the University of Maryland School of Nursing.

Sessions to explain IB program The Anne Arundel County public schools will hold six information sessions starting next week for families interested in the International Baccalaureate program. Families can learn about the application process and meet students, parents and staff involved in the college preparatory program. Current fifth-graders may apply for the Middle Years program, scheduled to start in August 2007. Current eighth-grade students may apply for a seat in the Extended Learning/IB Diploma Program for 2007-2008.

The 50+ Expo Friday drew more than 140 exhibitors. It also offered educa tional seminars, entertainment and a live auction to benefit needy seniors in Howard County. A health fair offered screenings and health education, and an alternative care fair explored other treatment methods.

Baltimore BCCC Liberty campus Dental clinic offers free care Baltimore City Community Colleges dental clinic is offering free preventive care this week as part of National Dental Hygiene Month. Those ages 62 and older, regardless of income, can receive free oral exams, X-rays, cleaning, fluoride treatments and health education. Morning and afternoon appointments are available at the colleges Liberty Campus. Information or appointments: 410-462-7712.

In the premiere episode of NBC's new drama Medical Investigation, Dr. Stephen Connor, played by actor Neal McDonough, is the head of a disease-tracking team from the National Institutes of Health. He is whisked away from his son's Little League game in a government helicopter so he and his crew can stalk a mysterious ailment that has made a dozen New Yorkers critically ill and has also turned them blue. Never mind that the real-life models for these disease detectives work for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Epidemic Intelligence Service, not the National Institutes of Health.

The bookshelf in Kristine Holmes' office reflects her career path. Healing Prayer and To Forgive Is Human share space with Trauma and Recovery and The Nursing Drug Reference. After 25 years as an emergency and trauma nurse, Holmes entered the burgeoning field of parish nursing, which seeks to integrate the role of faith in health and healing. Since she became a full-time parish nurse in 1999 at First Presbyterian Church of Howard County in Columbia, Holmes has worked to introduce the concept to other faith communities in the county.

Parents who oppose Anne Arundel County's middle school reading plan, which halves class time for electives, asked the State Board of Education on Friday to render a decision this week. The board will consider the parents' challenge to the reading plan in a closed session Tuesday, but is unlikely to reach an immediate decision, board spokesman Ron Peiffer said. "I believe they would not deliver an opinion on that until next month or possibly a month later," Peiffer said. That's not good news for the parents, who want the school schedule changed to allow more time for electives.

Parents who oppose Anne Arundel County's middle school reading plan, which halves class time for electives, asked the State Board of Education on Friday to render a decision this week. The board will consider the parents' challenge to the reading plan in a closed session Tuesday, but is unlikely to reach an immediate decision, board spokesman Ron Peiffer said. "I believe they would not deliver an opinion on that until next month or possibly a month later," Peiffer said. That's not good news for the parents, who want the school schedule changed to allow more time for electives.