Monday, April 30, 2007

National Anxiety Screening Day - May 2nd Nationwide




May 2

A list of national screening sites

Freedom for Fear

For Individual Volunteer Clinicians in your area click here -

For online screenings click here

National Anxiety Disorders Screening Day
Freedom From Fear
308 Seaview Avenue
Staten Island, NY 10305
(718) 351-1717
(888) 442-2022 Free anxiety/depression screening
(718) 980-5022 Fax
help@freedomfromfear.org
www.freedomfromfear.org
Materials available
Contact: Jeanine Christiana

About Freedom From Fear (FFF)
Anxiety and Depressive disorders are the most common of all mental illnesses. Anxiety disorders alone affect more than 19 million American's each year. Both anxiety and depressive illnesses are severe, chronic and extremely impairing to the individuals who are affected by them. Furthermore, they can have a devastating effect on the family members of those suffering from anxiety and depression.

Freedom From Fear is a national not-for-profit mental health advocacy association founded in 1984 by Mary Guardino. Ms. Guardino founded FFF as an outgrowth of her own personal experiences of suffering with anxiety and depressive illnesses for more than 25 years. The mission of FFF is to impact, in a positive way, the lives of all those affected by anxiety, depressive and related disorders through advocacy, education, research and community support.

FFF has developed an anxiety and depression screening program with a free consultation from a health care professional. Visit the FFF Screening Room.

Saturday, April 28, 2007

The Healing Project Annouces a New Weekly Chronic Illness News Summary

The Healing Project is pleased to announce a weekly news summary for people with chronic disease.

The news coverage will include but not limited to stories related to:
Alzheimer's disease, Autism, Breast Cancer, Cancer, Cerebral Palsy, Diabetes, Down Syndrome, Epilepsy, Fragile X, Leukemia, Lung Cancer, Lymphoma, Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson's Disease, Senior Services, Substance Abuse and Veterans Illnesses.

We look forward to keep you updated on news with impact on you and your loved ones.

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Free Patient Education - Paving the Way for Progress: Clinical Trials in Blood Cancers - May 30th in NYC

The Healing Project understands the critical importance clinical trials play in the advancement of the treatment of chronic disease. We encourage all eligible patients to consider participating in the development of new methods of treating disease.



In that light, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society and the American Cancer Society are offering a free patient education program to promote the participation in clinical trials:

Topics to be covered:

• How new drugs are discovered, researched, and approved for treatment
• Telling fact from fiction when it comes to clinical trials
• How to talk to your doctor about clinical trials as a possible treatment option
• Recent and ongoing advances in the treatment of blood cancers

Speaker: Ann D. Pirro PA-C, M.S. M.P.H



Date: May 30th, 2007
Time: 6PM-8PM
Location: The American Cancer Society
19 West 56th Street
New York, NY 10019

Pre-Registration for this Free Program is required
Please contact Meg Harrison at 646-660-9027 or meg.harrison@lls.org to register for the program

Complimentary refreshments will be served.

For questions and assistance for individuals with disabilities, please contact:
David Pulli at: (212) 237-3843

If the dates, times or locations are not convenient; please speak with your haematologist or oncologist about participating in clinical trails in your area. Again, these trials are crucial to advancing treatment options not only for you but also other patients suffering from blood diseases, make every effort to participate.

This education program is generously supported by the American Cancer Society and Bristol-Myers Squibb.



Wednesday, April 18, 2007

National Immunization Week - April 21-28 - Free (Low-Cost) Vaccinations


One of the most cost effective means to better health is vaccinations. It is of particular importance that children receive the full range of vaccinations avaiable.

For a listing of Local Events Visit
Centers for Disease Control

At a Glance: National Infant Immunization Week (NIIW) is an annual observance to promote the benefits of immunizations and to focus on the importance of immunizing infants against vaccine-preventable diseases by age two.

For information about Free Vaccinations year round if you qualify visit

Vaccines For Children

National Infant Immunization Week
National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
1600 Clifton Road NE, MS E-05
Atlanta, GA 30333
(800) CDC-INFO (232-4636) English/Spanish
(888) CDC-FAX (232-3299) Free fax-back
(404) 639-8905
nipinfo@cdc.gov
www.cdc.gov/nip/events/niiw/
Materials available
Contact: Michelle Basket

Friday, April 13, 2007

The Healing Project Annouces a New After School Health Education Program for Children 3 to 8




We look forward to keep you updated on news with impact on you and your loved ones.
The Healing Project (THP) has launched its first, after school arts programs, focusing on nutritional awareness and health education for children between the ages of 3 and 8. Both programs are produced in association with the WIC Program at the Morrisania Diagnostic & Treatment Center, 1225 Gerard Avenue, Bronx, NY 10452.

THP believes good health begins at an early age. This program is intended to reach children in populations at-risk with a fun, innovative program that will benefit their well being for life.

Monday, April 9, 2007

FREE Kidney Disease Screenings Nationwide - KEEP







About KEEP
WHAT IS THE KIDNEY EARLY EVALUATION PROGRAM (KEEP)?
KEEP is a free health screening program offered by the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) for individuals at increased risk of developing kidney disease.

WHAT ARE THE GOALS OF THE PROGRAM?
The goals of KEEP are to:

  • Raise awareness about kidney disease especially among “high risk” individuals
  • Provide free testing for people at increased risk for kidney disease
  • Encourage people “at risk” to visit a doctor and follow the treatment plan recommended
  • Provide educational information so that “at risk” individuals can prevent or delay kidney damage
  • Provide doctor referrals for follow-up care, if needed
  • Provide ongoing information and support
WHO SHOULD ATTEND A KEEP SCREENING?
You should attend a KEEP screening if you are 18 years or older and have one or more of the following:

  • Diabetes
  • High blood pressure
  • A parent, grandparent, brother or sister with diabetes, high blood pressure or kidney disease


To find a KEEP Location Conducting Free Screenings in your area click here.

Sunday, April 8, 2007

The New York Times is Running A Terrific Series on the Leading Causes of Death and Illness in the US

April 8, 2007
About the Series

They are the leading causes of illness and death in the United States today — heart disease, cancer, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, in that order. And they have a lot in common.

They are expensive — together, they account for 25 percent of the nation’s annual health care expenditures, said Jonathan Skinner, a health economist at Dartmouth College.

They come in clusters — accumulations of plaque in arteries lead to heart attacks but also can lead to strokes and predispose to Alzheimer’s disease. Diabetes can lead to heart disease, stroke and even cancer. Smoking can lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease as well as cancer and heart disease, which in turn predisposes to Alzheimer’s.

And the outlook for them is improving — people are getting the diseases later in life, and death rates are falling.

Yet, in many instances, patients are undertreated or treated inappropriately. In some cases, science has not offered answers, but in others, the medical system has been unable to turn proven remedies into everyday care.

Today, The New York Times examines the No. 1 killer, heart disease.
A million Americans have heart attacks each year and half a million die. A great deal is known about how to prevent heart attacks, how to save lives and prevent disability. But opportunities are squandered out of complacency, denial and because of the way heart care is paid for. Among the current findings:

¶Only a small fraction of the nation’s acute care hospitals offer a treatment, angioplasty, that can open blocked arteries. Yet many other hospitals are reluctant to divert patients there because heart attack patients are so lucrative.

¶If patients get proper treatment within an hour of when their attack began, most, if not all, of the heart damage can be prevented. Only 10 percent get to a hospital that soon.

¶Half the people who need to be treated to prevent heart attacks are not treated and half who are treated are treated inadequately. Patients go home with the wrong drugs or the wrong doses or misimpressions about the importance of taking their medications.
Copyright 2007 The New York Times Company

Today's Article is entitled Lessons of Heart Disease, Learned and Ignored

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Free Asthma Screenings Offered Nationwide


The American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology has organized a nationwide effort to screen individuals for Asthma. Sites will be updated through May 1, 2007.

To find a location click:

Free Asthma Screening

About the ACAAI

American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology
The ACAAI is a professional association of 4,900 allergists/immunologists. Established in 1942, the ACAAI is dedicated to improving the quality of patient care in allergy and immunology through research, advocacy and professional and public education. The ACAAI's goals are to:

  • Improve the quality of patient care in allergy, asthma and immunology
  • Maintain and advance the diagnostic and therapeutic skills of members and foster their appropriate application
  • Sponsor and conduct educational and scientific programs and publications
  • Develop and disseminate educational information for members, patients, health plan purchasers and administrators, and other physicians and health professionals

Tuesday, April 3, 2007

April 5th is National Alcoholism Screening Day


For more information or to locate a participating facility near you click:

National Alcohol Screening Day is April 5th. Find a local site offering free, anonymous screenings.

For more information for additional Mental Health Screening click:

Screening for Mental Health, Inc.
National Depression Screening Day

One Washington Street, Suite 304

Wellesley Hills, MA 02481

Phone: (781) 239-0071
Fax: (781) 431-7447
Email: smhinfo@mentalhealthscreening.org

Screening for Mental Health Inc. (SMH) is the non-profit organization that first introduced the concept of large-scale mental health screenings with its flagship program National Depression Screening Day in 1991. SMH programs now include both in-person and online programs for depression, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, eating disorders, alcohol problems, and suicide prevention.