Upper Chesapeake Health

Mobile van to offer screenings Tuesday Upper Chesapeake HealthLink's new medical mobile van will be in Upper Chesapeake Medical Center's parking lot M from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Free blood pressure, sleep disorder and body fat analysis screenings will be offered. Cholesterol screenings will be offered for $10, osteoporosis screenings for $15 and cardiac risk assessments for $20 (cash or check only). Information: 800-515-0044. Groups help victims of child sex abuse Family and Children's Services of Harford County and Harford County Child Advocacy Center are holding weekly support groups for victims of child sexual abuse.

Parents of children who died get help Upper Chesapeake Health will hold two eight-week support groups for parents and family caregivers of children who have died suddenly or traumatically. A group for parents of deceased children ages 1 to 13 will meet at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays from Sept. 13 to Nov. 1. A group for parents of deceased children ages 14 to 25 will be held at 6:30 p.m. Mondays through Oct. 29. Both will be held at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center. Registration is required at 800-515-0044.

Health screenings offered at center Upper Chesapeake Healthlink's Community Wellness Center at 626A Revolution St. in Havre de Grace offers free blood pressure, sleep disorder and body composition screenings. Also available are cholesterol screenings for $10, osteoporosis screenings for $25, and full cardiac risk assessments for $20 (cash or check only). No appointments are necessary. Hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Wednesday. Osteoporosis screenings require a scan of the bare foot; dress so that socks or stockings may be easily removed.

Childbirth course lasts six weeks Upper Chesapeake Health will offer a six-week course in prepared childbirth from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays Oct. 1 to Nov. 19 and Thursdays Oct. 25 to Dec. 13 in Chesapeake Conference Center I. Weekend classes will be offered from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 6-7 and 20-21. The cost is $50 for couples delivering at Upper Chesapeake and $80 for those delivering elsewhere. Registration: 800-515-0044. Information offered on bariatric surgery Upper Chesapeake Health is offering a free informational class, Bariatric Surgery: New Course for Life, at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Havre de Grace Room at Harford Memorial Hospital.

Cholesterol to be topic of discussion Upper Chesapeake Health will hold a Dining with Docs dinner, lecture and discussion at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday in Upper Chesapeake Medical Center's Chesapeake Conference Center. Dr. Lynne Einbinder, certified in cardiology and internal medicine, and Dr. Carol Bowman, certified in internal and holistic medicine, will discuss "Cholesterol: A Comprehensive Approach to Managing Your Numbers." The cost is $5 (cash only). Reservations are required. Information: 800-515-0044.

Pairsuits Partners to hold session The Arc Northern Chesapeake Region will hold a Pairsuits Partners information session from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Wednesday at 4513 Philadelphia Road (Route 7) in Aberdeen. Pairsuits is a partnering opportunity for volunteers that matches two people who share common interests, goals, dreams or passions for shared pursuits. Information: 410 836-7177, ext. 381. Free health screenings planned Upper Chesapeake HealthLink's New Medical Mobile Van will be in the Upper Chesapeake Medical Center's parking lot M, MacPhail and Tollgate roads, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. March 27. Free blood pressure, sleep disorder and body fat analysis screenings will be offered.

The American Cancer Society is sponsoring a "Look Good, Feel Better" program for cancer patients at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center. The program provides guidance on makeup and hairstyling techniques that counter the effects of treatment. Information: 800-515-0044. Colorectal cancer support group Upper Chesapeake Health will offer a support group for people affected by colorectal cancer at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, third-floor conference room.

As 540 guests arrived at the Glenangus Farm in Harford County, they were greeted by a scene that looked straight out of medieval legend. In the middle of a brilliant green meadow, a tent that looked like a white palace rose from a rainy afternoon mist.Inside that canvas castle, the "lords and ladies," in evening gowns and tuxes, celebrated at the Upper Chesapeake Health Foundation's "Starnight '99." The evening included a cocktail hour, dinner and a performance by country music singer Lee Ann Womack.

When Fallston General Hospital was built 25 years ago, it had 160-square-foot, semiprivate patient rooms that shared bathrooms.Next week, ground will be broken for Upper Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air, a new hospital that will replace Fallston General. It will have private rooms that are, at 200 square feet, larger than the semiprivate ones at Fallston General. They'll also have private baths.The difference between the old and the new tells a lot about the changes in the health care marketplace.

Patients in Harford and western Cecil counties stand to get expanded medical services with the announcement yesterday that Upper Chesapeake Health System has formalized a partnership with St. Joseph Medical Center of Towson.St. Joseph will invest $25 million in Upper Chesapeake's plans to build a new hospital in Bel Air to replace Fallston General.In addition, the Towson facility will help expand the cardiology, obstetrics and other programs at Upper Chesapeake's two current hospitals -- Fallston General and Harford Memorial.

One business donated the land and another family contributed in memory of a loved one. The staff of Upper Chesapeake Health, which oversees two hospitals in Harford County, added $100,000 to the fund for the county's first residential hospice. The gifts have helped the organization reach 80 percent of its funding goal and made possible the groundbreaking Friday for the $3.5 million Upper Chesapeake Residential Hospice in Forest Hill. "The people in this community have really stepped up," said Beverly Dean-Crabtree, fundraising coordinator.

Upper Chesapeake Cardiology is formed Upper Chesapeake Health System has joined with nine cardiologists from Mid-Atlantic Cardiovascular Associates to create Upper Chesapeake Cardiology, effective Thursday. The cardiologists from the Ambulatory Care Center at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center and the Havre de Grace site near Harford Memorial Hospital will be employed by Upper Chesapeake Health, with practices remaining at both medical facilities. Upper Chesapeake Cardiology will be part of Upper Chesapeake Health's Cardiovascular Institute and provide advanced technology and accredited diagnostic services.

HealthLink van provides free medical screening Upper Chesapeake HealthLink's Medical Mobile Van will be in the Upper Chesapeake Medical Center's parking lot M, MacPhail and Tollgate roads, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday. Free blood pressure, sleep disorder and body fat analysis screenings will be offered. Also available are: cholesterol screenings for $10; osteoporosis screenings for $15; and cardiac risk assessments for $20 (cash or check only). Osteoporosis screenings require a scan of the bare foot.

Upper Chesapeake Health schedules flu clinics Upper Chesapeake Health will hold flu clinics for people 12 and older. In addition to injections, the intranasal vaccine FluMist is available in limited quantities. The cost is $20 per vaccine, free for those with Medicare Part B. UCH will accept cash or checks only. Schedule for clinics: * Today: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Harford Mall. * Tuesday: 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Jarrettsville Fire House, 3825 Federal Hill Road. * Thursday: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at St. Ignatius Church, 533 E. Jarrettsville Road, Forest Hill.

Diabetes support group to meet Upper Chesapeake Health will offer a Parish Nurse Diabetes Support Group at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Aberdeen Senior Center. For information and to register, call 410-273-5666. 'Dining with Docs' to hold series of discussions Upper Chesapeake Health will hold "Dining with Docs" dinner, lecture and discussion programs at 5:30 p.m. in Upper Chesapeake Medical Center's Chesapeake Conference Center. Terrence Fullum, board certified in bariatric surgery, will discuss "New Course for Life Weight Loss Surgery" on Tuesday.

Upper Chesapeake plans free seminar on joint pain Upper Chesapeake Health will hold a free seminar on joint pain with Dr. John Prodoehl, board-certified orthopedic surgeon, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Sept. 16 at Harford Memorial Hospital, Susquehanna Room. Participants can learn how to have a better quality of life and hear discussions on different options for individuals suffering with joint pain. Registration is required at 800-515-0044. Cancer support group to meet at Harford hospital Upper Chesapeake Health has a new cancer support group for those with any type of cancer and their families.

Diabetes support group at Upper Chesapeake Upper Chesapeake Health will offer a Parish Nurse Diabetes Support Group at 9:30 a.m. Sept. 2 and Sept. 16 at the Aberdeen Senior Center. For information and to register, call 410-273-5666. Free informational class on bariatric surgery Upper Chesapeake Health is offering a free informational class on "Bariatric Surgery: New Course for Life" at 5:30 p.m. Sept. 9 at Harford Memorial Hospital. Participants can learn whether this surgery is right for them from the staff of Upper Chesapeake Bariatric Surgery.

Library to hold seminar on circulation tomorrow Harford County Public Library will hold a health seminar at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at the Edgewood branch, 629 Edgewood Road. Staff from Union Memorial Hospital will discuss leg pain, circulation problems in the arteries and veins, what may be causing pain and swelling in the legs, risk factors, diagnostic testing and treatments. Information: 410-612-1600. Free mammograms, exams available for women The Harford County Health Department's Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening Program is sponsoring free mammograms and gynecological exams for women who meet program guidelines.

'Look Good' program planned The American Cancer Society is sponsoring a "Look Good, Feel Better" program for cancer patients at 5 p.m. tomorrow at the Oncology Center at Riverside. To register, call 410-272-9224. The program also will be held at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Upper Chesapeake Medical Center. The program provides make-up and hair techniques to combat the effects of treatment. Information: 800-515-0044. Lupus support group tomorrow Lupus Mid-Atlantic will hold a support group meeting at 7 p.m. tomorrow at the Chesapeake Medical Center in Bel Air. Meetings are open to the public and are facilitated by a licensed clinical social worker.

Union Memorial hosts seminar series Harford County Public Library is offering a series of cardiovascular seminars, presented by Union Memorial Hospital this summer. The next seminar will be held at 10:30 a.m. tomorrow at the Edgewood branch, 629 Edgewood Road on stroke prevention. Information: 410-612-1600. Medical van to visit library branches The Upper Chesapeake Health Medical Mobile Van will visit Harford County Public Library branches this summer. The van offers free blood pressure screenings, as well as cholesterol screenings for $10. The schedule is: *Tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Joppa, 655 Towne Center Drive.